Insightful Musings on the Scriptures

by

Raymond P. Sparre
Northwest University class of '67

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4 Mar 10
    Greetings, family and friends.
    I have a pretty big list.  But actually, my list is much bigger than my list.  You know what I mean?  All I need to do is look around me, take a walk around the property, walk into any one of my outbuildings, etc., and I immediately have a case of major OVER-LOAD.  Whew!  So I think I'll go skiing.
    In spite of our tendency to be overwhelmed with the stuff of life, there is no good excuse for neglecting that which is of priority importance.  Lord, help us!  May He help you today.
    Love and prayers, Dad/Ray.

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4 March 2010
Passage: Acts 13:1-12
Focus: “The two of them, sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Selucia and sailed from there to Cyprus.”  Acts 13:4.

            Thus we have the launching of the first missionary movement of the Christian Church.  The first sending church was Antioch.  The first missionaries were Paul and Barnabas.  But it was not just an organizational and administrative development.  It was a ministry project born of the Holy Spirit among a group of believers wholly dedicated to Him.
            I think it’s always best to read the scriptures with a view toward practical application, rather than the style of “in one ear and out the other.”  So let’s test ourselves against these basic roots of our faith as indicated in this passage.  To what degree are we consumed with the Word and will of God to the point that we engage in prayer?…with the additive of some fasting?  To what degree is the outflow of our lives a result of being SENT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT?  To what degree have we developed a faith and lifestyle that provides the Holy Spirit good reason to send us anywhere?  I realize these are not easy-to-answer questions, but I think it’s healthy to raise them nonetheless.
            You may not be a missionary in the formal sense.  You may never participate in a sensational move of God on soil that is foreign to you.  But if you are born again and surrendered to the Will of God, you are an important missionary influence wherever you are.  And how do you know that you are not where you are by Design?  For sure, you are called to represent the glory of the Gospel and the Kingdom of God in the foreign environment of this world.  And the world includes your own home, your school, your place of work, or wherever.  Don’t exclude the fact that you too have the privilege and potential of being SENT BY THE HOLY SPIRIT.