A Mission Without Boundaries • Acts 13:1-3, 44-52
By Bobby McKay
The language, cultures, and customs of our nation are as varied and complex as the people who inhabit it. Each different part of the country can claim its own accent, cuisine, and weather. Can you imagine a crawfish boil in Vermont? How about a poultry farm in North Dakota? As diverse as we are as Americans, we are unified as citizens of the same piece of land. Greater still, as Christians, is the kingdom of God around the world. The Gospel message and the love of Christ have no boundaries. It cannot be confined or contained to a country, creed, or group of people. We are quick to say, “God bless America,” we should recite more passionately, “For God so loved the world.”
The early church leaders had to learn this lesson repeatedly as they followed Christ in obedience and sacrifice. God’s mission and message are greater than any map or borders we create. When churches or believers allow tunnel vision to creep in, they miss the heartbeat of God’s word and the atonement of Christ.
When God calls you to go, go! (1-3)
Many Baptist churches understand the struggle and exhaustion that come with filling positions for the new church year. If your new church year begins in September, your church should already be well into securing leaders, teachers, and workers. I am not prone to frustration, but when I hear of people serving only because they think no one else will, or because they say yes to fill a space, I become agitated. Serving the Lord is a privilege and should be treated as such. When you serve the bride of Christ, you are also serving Jesus. If that does not make you thankful and excited, there is something wrong with your heart and possibly your soul. The Great Commission is our mission, and we should be eager to find ways to fulfill it. Who are you to say no to God?
We will encounter rejection as some people reject the Gospel. (44-47)
Some Christians believe others are specifically angry with them. Often, people are not angry with you; they are upset with God and miserable. The Jews in these verses heard the truths about Jesus from Paul and Barnabas and began to ridicule them, even blaspheming both their message and God. When we speak the truths of God’s word, we engage the enemy. The prospect of that scares many new or immature believers away. If sharing Jesus scares you, remember that the work we do in Christ is spiritual and only possible with the help, indwelling, and direction of the Holy Spirit. You are not responsible for the results, but we are all responsible for demonstrating obedience to God and His word.
We will experience joy as some people embrace the Gospel. (48-52)
And then there are times when people believe, and God is glorified! A few ignorant and unrepentant Jews did not stop Paul and Barnabas from sharing. Many Gentiles believed and celebrated. Just a few years earlier, the message of salvation would not have been available to them. God wants a collection of believing people from every tongue, tribe, and nation in the world. He makes that clear in the book of Acts and even as far back as Jonah. While our greatest joy as Christians will be when people are saved, we can have perpetual joy as a result of our faith and obedience. You may never have crawfish in Vermont or cornbread in Colorado, but you can celebrate our limitless God.
McKay is pastor of New Liberty Baptist Church, Morton.
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