one to one: Lessons about life, ministry, and grandkids

by Keith Burden, Executive Secretary, National Association of Free Will Baptists

Separated and Sent

It probably would not have made the front page of the local newspaper or appeared on the six o’clock evening news. Quietly, almost inconspicuously, the church at Antioch followed the instructions of the Holy Spirit and “separated” Barnabas and Saul as the first missionaries. If you are not familiar with this event, read Acts 13 for the rest of the story.

According to verse 3, “When they had fasted and prayed, and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.” That, of course, was the first commissioning service for Christian missionaries. From that time until this, an army of men and women has been “sent” by the church of Jesus Christ to share the Good News with a lost world.

Last Sunday, I had the privilege of participating in another commissioning service. A young couple stood before the church surrounded by family and friends, while we laid hands on them and I led in a prayer of commitment. As I prayed, I heard the muffled sound of their parents weeping. They shed tears of sorrow because they knew the hardships that lay ahead. They shed tears of joy because their children were obediently responding to God’s call on their lives.

Once again, the event went virtually unnoticed by the world. There were no reporters or television cameras present. It did not make headline news. But Heaven took note. You see, those parents weren’t the only ones filled with pride. Nothing pleases God more than servants who leave familiar surroundings and go to the regions beyond to share the gospel of Christ.

It’s pretty amazing when you stop and think about it. The plan God instituted for world evangelism in Acts 13 hasn’t been altered, suspended, or discontinued in almost 2,000 years. Although methods have changed, the basic approach remains the same. The Holy Spirit does the separating. The church does the sending.

I am thankful men and women still respond to God’s call, but more workers are needed.

“Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth labourers into his harvest” (Matthew 9:38).

“How then shall they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how shall they believe in him of whom they have not heard? And how shall they hear without a preacher? And how shall they preach, except they be sent?” (Romans 10:14, 15b).

I am proud to be part of a denomination that takes the “responsibility of sending” seriously. Free Will Baptists are doing a good job in this area. We can do better. We must do better. And by His grace, I believe we shall.

About the Column: One to One is a regular feature of ONE Magazine. Written by Keith Burden, executive secretary of the National Association of Free Will Baptists, the column explores life, ministry...and the joys of grandchildren.