Thursday, April 29, 2010

Acts 13:1-3

1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 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." 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.

Questions to consider:

• Describe the church at Antioch. How similar is it to your own?
• Describe the part of God and the part of the church in sending out missionaries. Can you derive any principles regarding missionary call from this?

Possibilities for prayer:

Walking into the unknown for God can be a really nerve-wracking experience. The Elm City Vineyard community has had a lot of experience with sending people out into the world to continue proclaiming the Good News, and one way that we do that is just like the passage from today: we pray for them. Today, pray for those who have been called to do God’s work in places around the world, and ask for God’s protection and guidance for them as they step out into what is often a very uncertain space.