So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. (Acts 13:4)
In yesterday’s passage, we saw the Holy Spirit set apart Paul and Barnabas to accomplish the work to which He had called them. Today, we see that the Holy Spirit did not merely equip Paul and Barnabas and leave them to accomplish the rest of the work to be done. Rather, after setting them apart, He actively sent them out to accomplish the will of the Father—that they proclaim God’s word and His Gospel to people in the Jewish synagogues, and those in the surrounding areas as well! When faced with opposition by a magician while preaching the Gospel to the proconsul, we see that Paul was filled the Holy Spirit and spoke with the power of the Spirit. And because of the teaching of the Lord, the proconsul believed, and many came to faith.
We may not all be called to go to a foreign country to preach the Gospel. But as Christians, God has freed us all from sin, set us all apart, changed us all, and called us all to preach the Gospel to those around us, wherever He has sent and placed us.
For many of us, it is difficult, awkward, and uncomfortable to share our faith with others, but God has commanded that we do so. More than that, He has actively set us apart, He sends us where we ought to go, fills us with His Spirit, and equips us to proclaim His powerful Gospel! May we rely more and more on God and less on our weaknesses, so that when we have conversations with others, we can speak of God’s everlasting love, abundant mercies, and powerful work! We have been equipped, sent out, and filled by God’s Spirit to accomplish the work to which God has called us.