The Essential Question (Part 6): The First Mission TripSample

Successful Ministry

Prepare: What's the most successful ministry experience you've ever had? What's the most challenging ministry experience you've ever had? What did you learn from each?

Read: Acts 14:1-28

Reflect: When I was in college I had a summer job selling dictionaries door to door. I traveled around southern Virginia sharing my sales presentation hundreds of times, and I have to say it was tough work. People cursed and slammed the door in my face. A high-strung poodle bit me on the leg. The police hassled me, though I never broke the law. Even so, I earned more money selling books than all my other summer jobs combined.

I wonder if Paul and Barnabas ever felt like door-to-door salesmen. In Iconium, they made a great presentation and got positive results (14:1). But when things turned ugly they had to move on to a new sales territory (14:5-6). In Lystra, it looked like they made another big sale, but it was all undone by fierce competition, so they had to start over in Derbe (14:19-20). Maybe my summer job wasn't so bad after all.

But this passage raises an important question for those who want to make a difference for God today: Did Paul and Barnabas have a successful ministry? If by successful we mean organized, well-funded, and without problems, then the answer is, no way! But if by successful we mean that people heard and believed the good news, and new churches were planted, then the answer is, absolutely! It reminds us that very often successful ministry is chaotic and messy by the world's standards. That's why Jesus challenged his followers to stay focused on the main thing: "go and bear fruit-_fruit that will last" (John 15:16). That's the real definition of success.

These verses also contain one of the greatest examples of courage in the Bible. After the crowd in Lystra thought they had killed Paul and dragged his body out of the city (14:19), Paul got up and went right back in (14:20). I don't think I could do that. Then, he and Barnabas doubled back through all the towns where they had experienced trouble along the way (14:21-22). Sometimes successful ministry takes a lot of guts.

As this first missionary journey came to a close, we feel a sense of relief when Paul and Barnabas finally made it back to Antioch. But instead of hitting the talk show circuit, they immediately reported back to their sending church and highlighted how God had "opened the door of faith to the Gentiles" (14:27). That's because Paul and Barnabas were in it for God's glory, not theirs, all along.

Apply: Make a list of the most successful ministries and missionaries you know of. Pray for them and consider how you could support what they are doing.