Prayer & Fasting Day 5

Acts 13 records the first half of Paul’s first missionary journey. The Holy Spirit has called Paul and Barnabas to take the gospel outside of the confines of Israel and Samaria. Obediently, they travel across the Mediterranean and through several cities in what is now Turkey. A close look at their actions, and the results that were produced, will reveal strategies we can employ in our circles of influence.

The first thing to notice is the diversity and number of places in which they communicate the gospel. In verses 4-5, they share the gospel in a synagogue in Salamis, Cyprus, then continue throughout the whole island. In Paphos, Cyprus they lead a Roman proconsul to Christ (verse 12). Leaving the island, they teach in a synagogue in Pisidian Antioch (verse 14), and later they teach the Gentiles in the same city (verse 46). At the end of the chapter, they leave Antioch to go to Iconium (verse 51), then Lystra and Derbe. In all the places they go, they offer the gospel to Jews and Gentiles alike. In every place they go, people become believers.

In the same way, we need to sow the gospel broadly. Because we don’t know who will respond in faith, we need to communicate to everyone we can, and trust God to work in people’s hearts. We need to go after every student in every dorm, and every student living off campus. We need to start ministries on campuses where there is no witness for Christ and go to countries where the gospel isn’t heard. We need to reach out to students of every ethnicity, and reach into every subculture on campus.

Paul was captured by Jesus’ heart for every person. This is why he said in Romans 15:19-20, “...So from Jerusalem all the way around to Illyricum, I have fully proclaimed the gospel of Christ. It has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known...”

In verse 16, Paul begins to speak in the Pisidian Antioch synagogue, arguing that Jesus is the Savior that God had promised to send. He is persuasive and clear and speaks in a way that his Jewish audience would understand and appreciate. He is invited back to speak again on the following Sabbath, only this time the entire city shows up to hear (verse 44)! Those that heard Paul’s message the first week invited their friends and neighbors to hear him the second week.

Certainly, some had believed the gospel the first week, while others were still questioning. But whatever their maturity or faith, the people who heard Paul’s message were themselves becoming the messengers of the gospel.

Similarly, in verse 49, Luke writes that “The word of the Lord spread through the whole region.” Surely, this doesn’t mean that Paul and Barnabas themselves shared with everyone in the region. The Word spread! From former unbelievers, to soon-tobe new believers, the gospel was carried throughout the region.

This “spiritual multiplication” is exactly what Paul directs in II Timothy 2:2. “The things you have heard me say in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to reliable men who will also be qualified to teach others.” That is how the gospel spreads. New Christians become messengers and carry the gospel to unbelievers, who come to faith and themselves become messengers to yet more unbelievers.

Our obligation is not only to share the gospel, but also to equip new Christians to share the gospel. Cru’s mission statement is to “turn lost students into Christcentered laborers.” The essence of this mission statement is spiritual multiplication.

Let’s say God has set you apart like Paul and Barnabas to reach an area of your campus. Where would you start? What would you do? What would be your strategy?

Come to think of it maybe He has set you apart for that very purpose. What would keep you from doing this?

What practical strategy could you implement to expose your entire campus to the gospel?

Another strategy for exposing many to the gospel is found in 2 Timothy 2:2. Read the passage and explain how this approach would help spread the gospel.

Try to avoid a Sunday school answer here, but for you, why is it even worth it? What is it about Jesus that motivates you to put in the effort to tell people about Him?