DTOTD – How do you stand out?
” Then after fasting and praying they laid their hands on them ( Saul and Barnabas ) and sent them off….” Acts 13:3
My family moved into a new house about a year and a half ago. It was a needed move since we had 3 kids and a dog in a relatively small house. The house we moved into, was larger and has become our home. With projects going and new paint and new murals on the walls….made by the kids, with toys all over, with comfy chairs and a long comfy couch and a fireplace and a back deck that we use all the time. We love our home. Do you love your home? You probably have memories just like we do in your home or you have your favorite spot in the living room or your bedroom.
What if you were called to leave your home? Called not for a new job or a new opportunity or retirement or anything like that. But what if you were called to leave your home and enter the world as someone who is going to preach the good news of Jesus to anyone that will listen?
Would you?
Seems kind of crazy.
The book of Acts brings this thought to mind. In Acts 13/14 we see that Saul (Paul) and his ministry partner Barnabas are sent off on their first missionary journey. They were in Antioch, the birth place of the term Christian. They were there with there friends and possibly family, but in a time of prayer and fasting, Paul and Barnabas are lead off. The whole reason for their journey was for them to go into the Gentile cities, cities that were not primarily Jewish, to preach and open the hearts and ears of the Gentile people to the sacrifice and grace of Jesus Christ.
They were sent off for evangelism.
Evangelism is an interesting term. Because there are times when it is tied to only a certain type of person or rally or revival. Evangelism is the mission of telling people about Jesus. Whether it is in a home or in a stadium or a coffee shop. Evangelism is the encompassing term for the Great Commission of Matthew 28. It is what we as Christ followers are called to be a part of in our lives.
The problem with Evangelism, is that is requires you to stand out.
It requires for you to be set a part from others. It requires you to act differently. It requires you to look at the world differently. It requires you to talk with people differently. It requires you to listen to people differently. It requires you to love differently.
For Paul and Barnabas, it wasn’t hard for them to stand out. We see in these two chapters, Paul and Barnabas immediately found a way to stand out by trouncing into a Jewish synagogue in every city they went to and they stood up and preached the word of God boldly. In chapter 13 of Acts, we see that Paul & Barnabas are in the Pisidian Antioch, and when the time came for Paul to stand, he gives one of the most pointed messages I have read. It starts at the beginning and walks through the history of Jewish/Israelite people all the way to Jesus. Paul doesn’t stop with just the arrival of Jesus, he boldly calls out the people of the crowd that were a part of the Jews that lead Jesus to his death.
” And though they found in him no guilt worthy of death, they asked Pilate to have him executed.” Acts 13:28
Ouch. Paul goes on to tell the good news of Jesus by declaring how God raised Jesus from the grave and how Jesus’ death and resurrection leads to freedom.
” Let it be known to you therefore brothers, that through this man forgiveness of sins is proclaimed to you, and by him everyone who believes is freed from everything from you could not be freed by the law of Moses.” Acts 13:38-39
Paul and Barnabas in just these two chapters, traveled to at least 16 different cities.
How many of you could say that you have traveled to 16 different cities in one trip? Better yet, how many of us can say we have left our home state for the sake of Jesus at any point?
Evangelism requires you to stand out. Even to the point where your life might be in danger.
In chapter 14, we see Paul and Barnabas have began to leave a trail of emotion behind them as they continued to travel through these cities. They find themselves in Lystra, a city in Lyconia, and we see Paul and Barnabas preaching the good news of Jesus to the people there. Paul in Lystra see’s a man that is crippled, his feet didnt work from birth and was never able to walk. Paul looks at him intently and tells him to rise and walk, immediately this man is healed and in the wonder and amazement to the crowd, they begin to call Paul and Barnabas gods and want to sacrifice things to them. In quick haste, Paul pleads for the people to knock it off since they are just men and the power is in Jesus. But in this moment, the trail of emotion that Paul and Barnabas left caught up with them.
” But Jews came from Antioch and Iconium, and having persuaded the crowds, they stoned Paul and dragged him out of the city, supposing he was dead.” Acts 14: 19
But what about us? We do not live in the same period of time that Paul and Barnabas lived. We do not have to walk from city to city, we can drive. We do not have to sail and risk open water, we can fly. We do not have to go into a synagogue to preach people, we have the internet. We do not have to worry about being stoned, because we live in a free country. So what do we have to risk in order to be a part of this evangelism?
What does evangelism look like in our life?
if evangelism requires us to stand out…how do we stand out as christ followers?
There are countless things we could say here. We could talk about how we use our phones or how we talk with people or how we communicate on Social Media or where we hang out.
The big question here, is whether your heart is in the place to talk about Jesus when it is not easy.
We live in a world where inclusivity is important. We all want to be known and we all want to be a part of something larger than just us. We want to be accepted for who we are and where we are. We want people to respect us and give us the chance to prove ourselves. We want the world to know who we are whether we have done something or not. We live in a world where social media posts almost outweigh anything else that we do in life. We live in a world where our homes, which should be a refuge, where we can rest and retreat and be together with family and friends, become hot spots for arguments and bickering and quarrels and heart ache.
How do we stand out?
When our words match up to what Jesus has called us to, to love Him and love others. When we act differently than even those closest to us that don’t know Jesus. When our social media posts look and sound different than those of the rest of society that rages with anger and divisive comments. When our hugs go beyond the normal ‘ hey how are you’. When our hearts constantly strive after this Jesus that died on a tree for you. When our conversations over coffee at our favorite coffee shop are open and bold for the love that Jesus has for you and for who you are with. When our homes look and sound different than the homes around you, not because we are better than them, but because the peace and grace that Jesus gives us each and every day is flourishing in every room in the house.
How do we stand out?
We stand out, when we live our faith boldly to those around us.
It’s not easy. It’s not natural. It’s not always going to work. But when we continue to do it, to stand up for what we believe and what Jesus calls us too, we begin to have a part in this thing we call evangelism.
Stop and read Acts 13 and 14.
Celebrate today what Jesus has given you in your lives. But also pray for the opportunity to tell or show someone else about the love of Jesus.