Part I
+Read Acts 13-14
Paul's 1st Journey
+Began: Antioch
+He then taught in: Lystra, Antioch (different from the the Atioch where he began preaching), Perga, Derbe, Iconium, Salamis, and Paphos
3 things that could help a struggling missionary (Acts 13:1-5)
+Remember to fast often (as did the Prophet who called them to serve)
+Always accompany your fast with prayer--and in all things, see that you pray always
+Live worthy of the Holy Ghost and be in tune with the promptings you receive
Barnabas
This was a name given to Joseph--a Levite of Cyprus. He was a faithful member, giving his money (from his possessions that he sold) to the apostles and serving the Lord on missions (he worked a lot with Paul, he was actually Paul's companion for his first mission). There were instances, like any of us might do, where he would disagree with Paul. However, they would overcome those differences and learned to continue working together. Even though he was not one of the twelve apostles, he was referred to as an apostle for his faithfulness and for the way in which he lived his life in servitude to the Lord. Barnabas was a "Good man full of the spirit." What a great way to be remembered. Along with being really faithful to the Lord, he was very self-reliant and did not rely on the funds of the church.
I think it is very wise to send missionaries out into the world two by two for many reasons.
+Two witnesses are more credible than one.
+Buddy systems: In case something happens to one, the other is there to help him.
+Knowledge: What one person doesn't know the other might...thus they can feed off each other's strengths.
+Different ways of learning and teaching: Can benefit each other, but more importantly the people they are contacting.
+For the missionaries themselves they learn to correlate and work together because they are together day in and day out. (Which also preps them for marriage and how to live and work with a spouse/companion.
Paul and Barnabas: Healing of a crippled man
+Acts 14:8-18
Paul heals a man who has been crippled since birth because of his faith. Due to this great miracle, he and Barnabas were referred to as gods. They called Barnabas Jupiter and Paul Mercurius (because Paul was the one who spoke the healing blessing on the crippled man). The people then went to make sacrifices in the name of Paul and Barnabas and worship them as their gods. But when the apostles heard wind of this, they quickly ran out to the people and asked why? For they are men just like everyone else. They then bore testimony that God, our Eternal Father, is the one who performs mighty miracles and we, through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ, are witnesses of such divine acts.
Read Acts 14:19-22 and compare the way Paul was treated there as oppose to how he and Barnabas were treated in Acts 14:8-13
In these two different instances, Paul was treated to two extremes. On one hand, he was praised as a god for his faith in performing a miracle. On the other hand, he was then stoned and beaten for that same faith. This just confirms that we all, prophets and apostles alike, will go through great trials and hardships in life. But it is all for our experience and learning. Paul stated that we would enter the kingdom of God with much tribulation. We will all face trials in life, but it is through our trials that we can grow and become more Christ-like. Both these experiences of Paul's teach us to continue onward and upward in faith. We can't stop believing just because life gets hard.
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Part II
My discussion with my husband (and baby boy) pertaining to what
I learned in Acts 13-14 about Paul went really well. I first explained to him where Paul’s mission
started and some cities he later visited. Then I explained to him 3 ways a
struggling missionary can receive guidance/comfort from reading Acts 13:1-5.
After telling Steve (my husband) these things, I then asked him of an
experience on his mission where fasting, praying or being in tune with the
spirit helped him. He then recounted to me an experience from his first area in
Honduras where he had the impression to go visit these members that lived on
the complete opposite side of their area. They had no cars, so obviously they
had to walk (well they hitch-hiked here and there, too). But upon getting to
the bottom of the hill that these members lived on, they felt impressed to go
knock on another door of a neighboring house first. Long story short…because
their hearts were in tune with the spirit and because they obeyed the prompting
to go further than they ever would have normally thought to go, they were able
to find Eddy. Eddy was a smart thirteen year old boy who had previously loved going
to church with his aunt and uncle. But he hadn’t been in a while because his
mom was a Catholic. So when he saw the missionaries at his door, he was
ecstatic! Within time, he was baptized and two years later still very active.
Steve says he was probably his best convert.
I then proceeded to teach Steve about Barnabas. This is one
area from the reading and questioning where I learned a lot. Thus, I was quite
excited to enlighten my husband of who Barnabas was. I then shared with him the
miracle the Paul and Barnabas perform of healing a crippled man and how the
people in both cities responded. Then I bore my testimony and invited my
husband to also. He testified that “by following small promptings it leads to
great things.” All in all, it was a really uplifting evening.
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