Every Corner

So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them. When they had gone through the whole island as far as Paphos… Acts 13:4-6

I love the boldness shown by Paul and Barnabas as they set out on their journey. Where does their boldness come from? Where were they able to find confidence? They found it in the only place that mattered. They found their confidence and boldness in God. He sent them. He prepared them. He called them to this mission. Do you share this confidence? Do you share this boldness?

What was Paul and Barnabas’ first stop once arriving to Cyprus? Did they take a nap? Did they seek out worldly pleasures? Did they go to the beach? No, they immediately started preaching the gospel. They were intentional in their walk. They were intentional in their mission—share the gospel with the lost.

Notice Paul and Barnabas' first stop was the synagogues. Do you think the gospel was welcomed there? Paul and Barnabas stepped out of their comfort zone and risked everything to preach truth. Their comfort zone was found in the gospel. They cared enough to go. They cared enough to see that the spread of the gospel was more important than their life, their success, their money, or their career.

I am inspired by the fact that they did not stop at the synagogues. They made their way through the entire island of Cyprus. They were focused on reaching every corner of that area. They knew that they were called to go, and go they went. Do we share this heart? Do we share this desire? Are we concerned about the gospel reaching every corner of the earth? Are we even concerned about every corner of our city being reached? We must honestly ask ourselves these questions.

These questions scare me. These questions convict me. What are we doing? Why are there still people who have not heard the gospel? We must learn from Paul and Barnabas and continue to carry the torch. Once we do this we will stop being content on the sidelines. Have you ever found yourself making excuses or arguing that God just hasn’t given you the opportunities to go? The opportunities are there, we just have to take them. You will never answer the call if you don’t completely submit your heart and mind to God and trust Him.

This has been weighing on my mind quite a bit lately, especially after seeing this recent poll, http://www.gallup.com/poll/153479/Mississippi-Religious-State.aspx. Take some time to study this data. Gallup asked folks if they considered themselves to be religious. They defined religion this way; “is it an important part of your daily life and do you attend religious services every week or almost every week.” The New England states top the charts as the least religious states in the country while many of the southern states are considered to be the most religious. Regardless of whom tops the chart none of these numbers should bring comfort. There continues to be a number of folks right here in our backyard who have not heard the gospel.

Does this bother you? Do you ever spend time thinking about or praying about the lost around you? We are called to every corner of this world. This should not scare us. We have the greatest news ever given. This truth saves. This truth forgives. This truth loves. This truth frees. This truth will provide you with all the confidence and boldness you need. This truth does not need our additions or subtractions. This Christ-centered truth stands on its own. I praise God for these opportunities and I cherish the time I have to share this truth with others.

Please understand that Paul and Barnabas prayed to and were called by the same God we worship. He was there for them and He is there for us. We should be motivated to go. We should be anxious to go. We should want to go. Oh how precious is a life devoted to the spread of the gospel. Please don’t forget the truth found in Romans 10:15,

And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”

This is a calling we all have received. Some of you will stay here witnessing to those around you—neighbors, coworkers, friends, family. Some of you will be sent around the world. Some of you will be sent to another state. Regardless of where you are called we all share the same mission—spreading the good news of Christ. We must be intentional about this. The gospel has to be a fixture in our lives.

Are you ready? Are you excited? Are you anxious to see what God has planned? I pray that you are. I pray that we would pick up the torch and shine God’s light around this dark world. I pray that every corner of our lives and of this world would be saturated with this Christ-centered gospel. I pray we would meditate on Matthew 9:37-38.

Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”

Brothers and sisters the harvest is there what are we going to do about it?!