When Adoniram Judson graduated from college and seminary, he received a call from a fashionable church in Boston to become its assistant pastor. Everyone congratulated him. His mother and sister rejoiced that he could live at home with them and do his life work, but Judson shook his head. “My work is not here,” he said. “God is calling me beyond the seas. To stay here, even to serve God in His ministry, I feel would be only partial obedience, and I could not be happy in that.” Although it cost him a great struggle, he left mother and sister to follow the heavenly call.
Judson’s churches in Burma have had fifty thousand converts, and the influence of his consecrated life is felt around the world. (Source: The Dynamics of Spiritual Gifts, William J. McRae)
The level of impact we will have in this life
is connected to the level of our consecration to God.
What does “following the leading of the Lord” look like to you? How many of our answers about “following the leading of the Lord” are clearly taught in scripture or just something we have accepted through pop culture, our peer group, or even our church tradition?
We must be certain that what we consider “following the Lord” is truly following the Lord!
What does “following the leading of the Lord” look like?
GO when & where He leads (13:4-5)
Seleucia is the seaport of Antioch. It is 15 miles west and 5 miles from the Mediterranean shore. They then turn their sights to Cyprus. The high mountain summits of Cyprus would have been easily seen from the coast on a clear day. The possible appeal of choosing Cyprus as the first island to approach on this journey could include: the close proximity to the mainland, familiarity (the homeland of Barnabas), a stronger start (people may be more open to their kinsman – Barnabas and Mark— sharing the gospel with them), and established Christians (Antioch was close. Evangelism already had some success in this region).
They continue on to Salamis to preach in the Jewish synagogues. In this passage, Barnabas, and Saul “follow the leading of the Lord” through:
1. What they could reach first…Cyprus was close to their location.
2. What they knew…Cyprus was Barnabas’ homeland
3. What they were equipped for…Barnabas and Mark are kinsmen of the region.
4. Where they had support…known Christian would be in this area.
These are not the only ways to follow the Lord’s leading, but this is where they start. They would be called to go far outside of their comfort zones. Yet, they begin this journey very much within some comfort zones. Sometimes, we simply refuse to follow God’s way – even in our comfort zones or we sometimes believe that “following God” only leads us outside our comfort zones.
Following our own way takes on many forms. Moses illustrates this for us. Consider Exodus 4 for future Bible study. Moses made several statements that spoke of his instance of following his own way.
I cannot convince others to follow God. (Ex. 4:1-9)
I am not good with words. (Ex. 4:11)
I think God should send someone else (Ex. 4:13)
Two more forms of following our own way that believers sometimes embrace:
I am making lots of money to give to others to serve God.
Wealth is a poor substitute for serving God. When Jesus came to earth, He left the riches of heaven and came to serve with sacrifice (Mark 10:45). In fact, money is not to be loved – loving money is evil itself (I Tim. 6:10). Money is a necessary part of life. It is not wicked to make a lot of money. God blessed our church with a lot of money to build our new worship center here on Lincoln Avenue! Yet, money does not replace God’s call for each believer to serve Him.
It’s time for someone else to serve. I did my part for years.
Unfortunately, this unbiblical reasoning is far more popular than one would hope. Where is the Biblical precedent for such a philosophy? Such thinking is not in the Bible. Jesus, the disciples, and the apostles all served the Lord until the end of their life. Consider the viewpoint of the Apostle Paul at the end of his life in II Timothy 4:7, “I have fought a good fight, I have finished my course, I have kept the faith.”
FOLLOWING GOD’S WAY TENDS TO FIND GOD AS THE SOLUTION.
When I believe I cannot convince others to follow God, it is a good thing. This is a spiritual work! I must go and speak, but it is God who convinces. I need the Holy Spirit to do the convincing of sin, righteousness, and judgement (Jn. 16:7-8)!
When I believe I am not eloquent enough, I must remember that the Word of God is powerful enough without any eloquence getting in the way! Rom. 1:16; Heb. 4:12.
When I believe God should send someone else, I must recall my own salvation, the sacrifice Jesus made for me, and the privilege it is that God choses to use me (Rom. 5:8; Jer. 31:3; II Cor. 5:21; Rom. 12:1-2).
God is the target, not money. When I believe I can pay my way out of serving Jesus, I remember that money is a means to the ultimate end – it is not the end in itself. Loving and following Jesus is the ultimate target (Phil. 3:14).
When I believe I have earned the right to sit on the bench and not serve God, I rehearse this truth – God has something for me to do for Him while I am still alive on this earth that I may bring glory to His name (I Cor. 10:31; Col. 3:17, 23).
The late-night phone call delivers news that a parent is in the ER having a massive heart attack. What do we do? We go!
An 8-year-old daughter is screaming and running from a dog chasing her, growling, and showing its teeth. What do we do? We go!
When a boss emails us congratulations on a job well done and wants to meet for coffee at 11 that morning to discuss a raise, what do we do? We go!
The gospel has the potential of life-or-death news, like a late-night ER visit. The gospel has the urgency of harm to the needy, like a little girl running to safety. The gospel is even more exciting than the big raise at work! When and where are we willing to go for the gospel?
…continued on September 11, 2022….