Authentic

Re:Verse passage –Mark 1:1-4; Luke 4:42-44; Acts 5:42; 11:19-21 (day four)

Between Scripture and our Baptist theological tradition, we are left with no excuses to not be preaching the gospel. Baptists believe in the “priesthood of the believer,” which in part means it is not only the job of the clergy to preach the gospel, but every believer is called to this work. Scripture makes it very clear that sharing the gospel is a core tenant of the life of faith and dedication to Christ. We are left with no excuses to not share the good news.

So what keeps us from sharing it? Is it fear? Worry over how it will be received? Concern that we’re “not doing it right”? Have we overcomplicated it? All of these may be true. Preaching the gospel is simply giving testimony to what you have experienced in Christ. It’s letting people into your knowledge of and friendship with the Savior. The call to preach the gospel is a call to live authentically in our relationships and encounters with those who are lost. We don’t have to memorize a formula or have an answer for every possible question; we simply have to share what is true about our life with others – that we have been redeemed by the grace and mercy of Christ. If your identity in Christ is the most true and most important thing about you, then it must be shared with the people you encounter. That is preaching the gospel. How might the Lord be asking you to live authentically this week?

With Me

Re:Verse passage –Mark 1:1-4; Luke 4:42-44; Acts 5:42; 11:19-21 (day three)

 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord. (Acts 11:21)

Do you ever struggle with thinking you can’t share the Gospel well? I know that many of us do. Satan uses fear and doubt to throw us off course in following the Lord and His leading all the time. Here in Acts 11, we find Christians that have been scattered to a new place and facing unknown circumstances. Yet, they decided to keep trusting the Lord and doing what they were doing before. Then the author (Luke) reminds us that Lord, or Lord’s hand, was with them. These men and women “had a job to do” and continued doing it even though the original circumstances changed.

Paul asks in Romans 10:14, How, then, can they call on him they have not believed in? And how can they believe without hearing about him? And how can they hear without a preacher? We get to share the Good News of Jesus and salvation. We are compelled to do so. As we have studied discipleship over these past two months, we now get to the part where we are challenged and compelled to “go!” If you have not heard that before now in our study, then hear it now…Go! The Lord will help you and give you everything you need to follow Him faithfully. He has promised us that and shown Himself to be faithful before. We just need to be willing to go. If you do, I am sure that you will be able to look back and say, “The Lord’s hand was with me!”

Find Your Why

Re:Verse passage –Mark 1:1-4; Luke 4:42-44; Acts 5:42; 11:19-21 (day two)

 But He said to them, “I must preach the kingdom of God to the other cities also, for I was sent for this purpose.” Luke 4:43

Have you ever been so clear-minded about a task or direction that nothing would dissuade your focus? Jesus understood this very well. He was a man who knew his why. He knew why he was sent, and this was the time for him to act on that why. Jesus’ whole life was spent in preparation for this, and he could clearly articulate his purpose before now; but this was the time that the disciples needed to hear it from his mouth.

God has been preparing you for a task. As we have studied the aspects of discipleship this summer, every discipline is helping to build a stronger testimony and grounding in your belief. One of the things that you are being prepared for is to give an account of God’s work in your life. All of us have a story to tell; how prepared are you to tell it? It is not about education or vocation. It is all about our trust in the call to go and tell. If you struggle finding your why, consider using the FBCSA Mission Statement as a good place to start. “Our mission is to follow our Lord Jesus Christ, and to lead all others to a joyful life with him” (bonus points if you just sang those words!)

Monday Re:Vlog – 8/17/26

Re:Verse passage – Mark 1:1–4; Luke 4:42–44; Acts 5:42; 11:19–21 (day one)

Join us as  Associate Pastors Aaron Hufty, Danny Panter, and  Minister Megan Langan walk us through Mark 1:1–4; Luke 4:42–44; Acts 5:42; 11:19–21 in our Re:Verse Series: “Deepening Disciples: Formation Through Relationships.”

Drawn and Sent

Re:Verse passage – Luke 6:12–16; 8:1; 9:1–6; 10:1–17 (day seven)

And He called the twelve together, and gave them power and authority over all the demons and to heal diseases. And He sent them out… Luke 9:1-2a

He draws us in to send us out. As Jesus called his disciples, as well as the others who closely followed Him, He drew them to Himself. They walked with Him, and talked with Him, and He called them His own. Can you imagine the insight and experiences they got from being with Him face to face? Yet, the purpose of drawing them to Himself was not for them to stay there forever. They were drawn in to be sent out ahead of Him and for Him.

It is important for us to be drawn in. There is a personalness to this, but it is also corporate. He frequently called his disciples and sent them out in groups. We were never intended to walk this road alone. He draws us and calls us to a group that is bigger than ourselves. It is there where we learn to walk and talk with Him along with other like-minded people. It is in these moments when we are feeling like we never want to leave His side, that He sends us out to help others discern the calling in their lives. He draws us in to send us out to draw others in.

Sent Ahead of the King

Re:Verse passage – Luke 6:12–16; 8:1; 9:1–6; 10:1–17 (day six)

The Lord now chose seventy-two[a] other disciples and sent them ahead in pairs to all the towns and places he planned to visit. Luke 10:1

Christian faith is personal, but it was never meant to be private. Jesus called disciples to himself, formed them into a community, and then sent them ahead into towns he intended to visit. They were emissaries of the King: announcing that God’s kingdom had drawn near (Luke 10:9) and making that kingdom visible through healing, peace, and hospitality.

The same movement continues. Jesus gathers us, not as an end in ourselves, but as emissaries sent into the world. Karl Barth wrote, “Christians are messengers in Christ’s stead.” We go because the crucified King is risen, present through his Spirit, and coming again.

Our acts of mercy and healing signal to the world the renewal Jesus brings. But signs need interpretation. Our lives display the writing on the wall; our words (the good news)  explain what it means: Jesus is the risen Lord, his kingdom has come near, and everyone is invited to receive his gracious reign.

Focus and Freedom

Re:Verse passage – Luke 6:12–16; 8:1; 9:1–6; 10:1–17 (day five)

“The one who listens to you listens to Me, and the one who rejects you rejects Me; and he who rejects Me rejects the One who sent Me.”

The focus and freedom Jesus gives to His followers in verse 16 are so transformational. It’s like a mission and ministry reset in one statement. As He sends these believers out, Jesus reminds them that the subject and content of their message is Him. When we share God’s Word with God’s love and with God’s presence and power, we have no room or opportunity to take credit or claim any kind of contribution. It is ALL HIM. That kind of focus removes any distraction or temptation to add to or take away from the message of Christ. Our thoughts and message when we serve and minister must be laser focused on Christ and His place and power in our lives. But there’s also freedom, freedom from our pride and insecurity. We are not center stage when we do ministry and missions. It’s Him. We do not lose or fail when we are obedient. Just as true, we do not win or triumph when we are obedient. It’s Him. We have the freedom to follow and trust the results to His sovereignty. We, like the message, the efforts, and outcomes (when we serve and minister) are in His hands.

Bags Fly Free

Re:Verse passage – Luke 6:12–16; 8:1; 9:1–6; 10:1–17 (day four)

“Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road.”
– Luke 10:3-4
Do we think we are smarter than Jesus? We act like it when it comes to planning mission work. The Master says, “take no bag” and yet we try to figure out how to crate and ship the entire house from Texas to Timbuktu. Even on short-term mission trips we spend a lot of money for extra bags and pay overweight fees. Jesus has wisdom that we do not often practice here in the West. What He is saying is that “God will supply all your needs according to His riches and glory in Christ Jesus” (Phil 4:19). Jesus is also saying that if you Go; if you obey His command to “Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature” (Mark 16:15), even to the ones that are wolves (Luke 10:3) and will devour you, then you will be forced to depend upon God’s providence through the hospitality of strangers. No hotel booked. No baggage fees. You don’t even know where or how you will eat. This is what is expected of you. Look back at the words of Christ just before our ReVerse: “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head” (Luke 9:58). Let’s take a mission trip exactly like Jesus directs us to – what do you say – who’s with me?!
The success of a mission is not measured by how much money we spend or by how many resources we have. We are not able to plan every detail and cannot know every circumstance. What Jesus expects of you and me is to first, Go, simply because He commands it. Next, He expects us to be bold and trust in His protection as the Good Shepherd. I don’t mean that no harm will come to you. Often sheep are attacked before being rescued from the mouths of wolves. Jesus also expects us to trust Him and not be concerned about how the mission will happen without a wallet, bag, or extra clothes. He gives the location, the task, and the instructions. We need to follow those like a good soldier. Lastly, He does not want us distracted from the mission. This happens when we do not stay focused and start to see other priorities as more important. If God’s mission takes a back seat to your life or mine, then we are “greeting people along the way” and have forgotten that the goal was to preach the Gospel and heal the sick in the next town. Where have you been sidetracked in life and how can you refocus on the mission of reaching the lost for Jesus?

The Name

Re:Verse passage – Luke 6:12–16; 8:1; 9:1–6; 10:1–17 (day three)

“The seventy-two returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, even the demons are subject to us in your name!’” (Luke 10:17)

I used a verse (verse 18) following this scripture during my kids’ time last Sunday as we talked through how incredible Jesus is. The 72 disciples that were sent come back to Jesus to give a report of all they did, and their excitement is evident in their report. In verse 18, Jesus tells the astonished disciples that He was present for the time where Satan was expelled from heaven. That is truly remarkable when you stop to think about it. These 72 disciples got to see Jesus in a new way as the One whose name was powerful enough to make the enemies of God leave. Then Jesus revealed to them that He was there at the beginning when Satan rebelled and was punished for it.

I wonder what those 72 people felt when they heard this. I imagine they were filled with awe and possibly encouraged to do whatever Jesus told them. There was probably a profound sense of wonder at who this man Jesus really was. Were they spurred on to go back out and spread the news even more?

That same power is in us. That same name makes the darkness flee. That same understanding should spur us on to go and tell the news to whomever will listen. Who are you going to tell this week?

Harvest

Re:Verse passage – Luke 6:12–16; 8:1; 9:1–6; 10:1–17 (day two) 

And He was saying to them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore beseech the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into His harvest. 10:2

Many years ago, I was attending a revival at the church I was serving in college. The evangelists were a husband and wife team who both sang and preached. He was a former division one football player, and had quite a large presence behind the pulpit. He also had an amazing voice. One particular evening, as he was preaching, he began to sing a cappella “it’s harvest time…it’s harvest time…the fields are white, the grain is ripe, it’s harvest time.” His voice filled the small sanctuary, and although it was just one part of his sermon, it has lived with me for over 30 years.

We have only to step outside our door to understand this passage. There are so many people hurting, longing, seeking, and desperate for someone to help guide them. That person is you. Our passages this week help remind us that through the Holy Spirit, we have everything we need. Our responsibility is to be obedient.

This week during worship the choir will sing a setting of “Come, Ye Thankful People, Come.” It is a hymn that we traditionally sing around Thanksgiving. The language has a lot of agrarian references, but in context of this scripture, I find it very appropriate.