Tag: acts

The Ordinary Nature of Paul’s (and anyone’s) Missionary Calling

The missionary task belongs to the church. And if it belongs to the church, then at least in some way, it belongs to every Christian. Of course, every Christian’s involvement will look a little different. We won’t all play exactly the same role. If you play sports, you know how useless it would be if every player on the team played the same position. It would be chaotic and ineffective. So it is with missions.

While every Christian has a role to play, some Christians will be called by God to serve him by especially focusing on missions. They will take an active role in advancing the gospel among the nations. But the nature of that call will likely seem very ordinary. Even the story of Paul’s call to missions is simpler and more relatable than you might realize.

Paul’s role as a missionary is probably the most famous thing he’s known for, especially after he becomes a follower of Jesus. From Acts 13:1-5, we can make ten observations about how Paul got started as a missionary. Those observations help us to see how ordinary the missionary calling can be.

1. Paul was committed to the church.

The first thing mentioned in Acts 13:1 is not a missions event or even a missionary. It is a church. “Now there was in the church at Antioch…” (13:1). Antioch was the city of Paul’s home church. He is listed as one of the teachers in that church, showing that these men shared the ministry of the Word together.

Right before this, Paul had been on a kind of short-term mission trip with Barnabas. Barnabas was also a member of the church at Antioch. When he had joined that church, he enlisted Paul to serve there with him (Acts 11:19-26). Shortly after, the church in Antioch received word that the church in Jerusalem needed some help because of a famine. So, the church in Antioch decided to send Barnabas and Saul to help take some provisions to Jerusalem (11:27-30). In 12:25, we read that those two, along with another brother, John/Mark, had just returned from that journey.

What is clear from all of this is that Paul was committed to his church. He served where he could. He taught the scriptures so that others could grow in their faith. He willingly visited others in need. He cared that God was known and made known in his own congregation and in other places as well.

2. Paul worshipped with the church.

“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting…” (Acts 13:2).

This might sound obvious. Since we have already seen that he was committed to the church, it would make sense that he was worshiping in the church. After all, worship is a large component of what churches do. But verse 2 makes it explicit that there was a certain occasion where the church was worshiping and fasting, and some significant things came from it.

It might seem like gathering with your church each week is mundane, but it is usually in those ordinary gatherings that the Lord does some of the most significant work in the lives of his people. Don’t underestimate what the Lord can do as you regularly gather for worship with his people in the church.

3. Paul listened to and was led by the Holy Spirit.

“While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, ‘Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.’ Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them and sent them off.” (Acts 13:2-3)

Apparently, in some remarkable fashion, the Holy Spirit spoke into this particular worship service. And when he did, Paul and Barnabas and the rest of the church listened and allowed themselves to be led by what he said.

While the Holy Spirit may not speak quite as audibly or clearly in any given church service, we can still trust that he will speak through his Word if it is faithfully proclaimed in our gatherings. Our task is to pray that we would discern his leading in our lives and that we would follow it obediently.

4. Paul was set apart by the church and by God for his work.

Based on verses 2-3, the church obeyed by setting apart those who were specifically called by God for missionary service. The missionary’s responsibility to go was not divorced from the church’s responsibility to send.

But Paul was not only set apart by the church. He had also been set apart by God for this task, just the way God had set him apart for salvation. Notice Paul’s own testimony from his letter to the Galatians.

“But when he who had set me apart before I was born, and who called me by his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son to me, in order that I might preach him among the Gentiles, I did not immediately consult with anyone.” (Galatians 1:15-16)

God was setting Paul apart for the work to which he had called him just the way he set him apart for the salvation to which he had called him.

5. Paul was called by God.

This naturally ties in with the previous point. God had called Paul for the work of a missionary in the same way he had called him unto salvation. The calling and being set apart happened the same way. These two concepts are tied together in one other place in the New Testament.

“Paul, a servant of Christ Jesus, called to be an apostle, set apart for the gospel of God…” (Romans 1:1).

The most important call that God can put on a person’s life is not a call to missions; it is a call for salvation. But be sure that when he calls you to salvation, he also will call you to ministry in some capacity, even if you never change jobs or addresses.

6. Paul was prayerful.

Acts 13:3 tells us that the church only sent out these missionaries after praying for them. As members of that church, Paul and Barnabas no doubt would have also been among those who prayed. Prayer is essential to discerning the call of God to ministry.

Learn to pray well! Learn from people who have prayed a long time. Learn how to pray through what you read in scripture.

7. Paul was sent out by the church and by the Holy Spirit.

The same Holy Spirit who called Paul also sent him. And the church confirmed this calling by joining the Holy Spirit in the sending of its missionaries. When a church sends missionaries, it affirms that the Lord is indeed intending for those missionaries to be sent out for the task.

8. Paul was strategic about where he went.

“So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus.” (Acts 13:4)

As one who has served in some missions roles (and as one who has asked a lot of questions of missionaries), I have observed a familiar question: How did you decide where to serve? The common answer is this: where your abilities and interests intersect with a place where those abilities and interests are needed, that’s a good place to serve.

Of course, there are human and divine elements at work in determining such locations. That’s normal. There are human and divine elements in just about every other decision we make on a daily basis. Paul employed strategic thinking about where he went, even as the Holy Spirit was sending him to where he needed to be.

9. Paul proclaimed the word of God.

“When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. And they had John to assist them.” (Acts 13:5)

Whatever else we may do as Christians, gospel proclamation must be our priority. As mentioned earlier, we won’t all play exactly the same roles in ministry. But that does not exempt us from proclaiming the gospel in whatever ways we are able.

10. Paul partnered with others in the work.

Paul was not a lone ranger. From the start in Acts 13, he served alongside Barnabas and John/Mark. Throughout his later ministry, he joined with countless other gospel partners.

There are two primary ways that I get to be involved in the work of God in the world. First, as a pastor of a local church in the US. Second, as part of a team of missionaries that focuses on working with ministry leaders around the world. In both roles, I get to work alongside like-minded servants of God for the proclamation of the Word in the world.

Sometimes I am asked, “How do you know who to partner with?” My answer is, choose to work alongside people who believe what you believe, but who can minister in ways you can’t and in places you couldn’t as effectively without them.

Answer the call of God to salvation. Then consider how, even if in ordinary ways, God might be calling you to make his name known among the nations.

The Barnabas Model of Partnering with Paul

The Apostle Paul is often considered a model missionary, and for good reason. His ministry was so multi-faceted and his influence was so vast that it overwhelms most of us when we read and think about it. Even in attempting to replicate his practices, we typically must limit ourselves to one aspect of his ministry instead of seeking to emulate all of it.

Yet even Paul at one time was, in his own words, “a blasphemer, persecutor, and insolent opponent” (1 Tim 1:13), the foremost of sinners (1 Tim 1:15), and one who “persecuted the church of God violently and tried to destroy it” (Gal 1:13). Does that sound like someone who would partner with missionaries, much less become one himself?

Outside of the grace and mercy of God, which Paul readily acknowledged (Gal 1:15-16; 1 Tim 1:13-16), the person who had perhaps the most influence on Paul’s life and ministry was Barnabas. Barnabas sets a pattern for those who desire to partner effectively with national believers to advance the gospel.

The Character of Barnabas

The first mention of Barnabas comes at the end of Acts 4, where Luke points out the meaning of his name: “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36), and even indicates that this is likely a nickname he received from the apostles. His encouraging character is evident in the way he “sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet” (4:37) that it might be distributed among those in the Jerusalem church who had need of it (4:32-35). It’s also possible that Barnabas had some training as a priest, due to his belonging to the tribe of Levi (4:36). In other words, this seems to have been a man who loved the Lord, studied the Scriptures, and lived according to them.

How Paul Earned the Trust of Barnabas

After Paul’s conversion, he came to Jerusalem and “attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple” (9:26). On one hand, this makes sense, because the believers there had suffered greatly at the hands of Paul (7:58; 8:1-3). The only believer who apparently did not fear Paul (or at least didn’t give into his fears) was Barnabas, who personally escorted Paul to the apostles and vouched that Paul “had preached boldly in the name of Jesus” (9:27).

Though it likely took time, the other apostles came around to accepting Paul. Yet even as he continued preaching, Paul’s life was in danger, and the ones who accepted him were willing to protect him against those now persecuting him (9:28-30). Barnabas had identified Paul as a trustworthy brother because of his bold preaching of Christ. And Barnabas no doubt influenced Paul and others as he accepted him as a coworker in the gospel.

How Barnabas Included Paul

Later, as the church of Antioch was experiencing growth, Barnabas was invited to assist because “he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (11:24). Upon arrival, Barnabas “was glad” because he “saw the grace of God” that was among them “and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord” (11:23). In other words, he didn’t go into the place where the Lord was already at work and attempt to take it over. Instead, he sought to play whatever role was necessary within his skill set to come alongside what was already happening. With his help, “a great many people were added to the Lord” (11:24).

But Barnabas didn’t just offer his own time and talents. He also made a point to recruit others whom he knew could also serve effectively with him. So, he brought along Paul, and together they spent a year at the Antioch church teaching the new disciples there (11:25-26). And in addition to their teaching ministry, Barnabas and Paul also helped meet physical needs as they were sent with gifts for fellow believers in Judea who had suffered through a time of famine (11:27-30).

Sent as a Team

While the ministry in Antioch was apparently effective, the Lord intended to use Barnabas and Paul in other places as well. The leaders and congregation obeyed the Lord by prayerfully sending the two of them together for cross-cultural ministry (13:1-3). Along the way, they developed other partnerships as well, such as John (also called Mark; see 12:12), who seemed to abandon the work almost as quickly as he took it on (13:5, 13).

Knowing When to Separate

Just because a partnership is established in God’s providence and bears fruit for a time by his grace does not mean that it must continue forever. Though Barnabas and Paul worked well together and God brought them together to accomplish many great works for the Lord, they experienced tension that led to their separation. As they were preparing to set out on another cross-cultural assignment, they disagreed on whether to include John-Mark on the team (15:37-39).

Luke does not indicate who was right or who was wrong in this dispute. So, it doesn’t seem that this was a matter of sin but a matter of preference and conscience. In the Lord’s kindness, both men continued in ministry, but they parted ways. Barnabas took John-Mark (15:39), and Paul travelled with Silas (15:22, 27, 32, 40). In this way, the team actually grew and multiplied even through the conflict. And even Paul seemed to eventually include John-Mark at the end of his life and ministry (2 Tim 4:11).

So What?

The missionaries with whom I work often function more like Barnabas than like Paul. Our task is to be men and women of character who seek to encourage the local and global church by using our gifts for their good and God’s glory. In our cross-cultural ministry efforts, we try to identify and include national believers who, like Paul, are equipped and able to serve the Lord faithfully and boldly where God has placed them. Then—for as long as God allows—we serve alongside them, not taking over the work but skillfully assisting and encouraging as needed.