Traveling

Text: Acts 20:1-6

Theme: Being a missionary can include lots of traveling and passing through.

Key verses: “When the uproar was over, Paul sent for the believers and encouraged them. Then he said good-bye and left for Macedonia. While there, he encouraged the believers in all the towns he passed through. Then he traveled down to Greece, where he stayed for three months. He was preparing to sail back to Syria when he discovered a plot by some Jews against his life, so he decided to return through Macedonia. Several men were traveling with him…They went on ahead and waited for us at Troas. After the Passover ended, we boarded a ship at Philippi in Macedonia and five days later joined them in Troas, where we stayed a week.

What I believe God said to me: Good morning, Dwayne. Fine day I’ve provided for you to serve me! I raised you to be a traveler. You’ve been traveling from church to church and state to state since you were ten years old. And now through NLW International you travel from country to country, as well as to other regions of the USA. That’s a lot of new beds and strange places to sleep in! No matter how many miles you log, always be grateful for the doors I’ve opened for you and for the many places you (still) get to go. Paul understood and embraced traveling as part of what was necessary to spread my word and share the Gospel among the nations. Paul was called to be my light to the Gentiles. I didn’t call him to travel per se, but the extensive traveling part was implied and understood. Notice a few things in regards to Paul’s travel itinerary in this passage: 1. Uproars shouldn’t hinder progress. Once the “uproar was over” Paul said good-bye and headed to his next place of ministry. Uncomfortable, unanticipated and disheveled moments will occur along your journey. Shake the dust off and keep going. Let nothing frighten or hinder you from your mission. 2. Encouraging the saints was one of the wonderful goals and privileges of Paul’s travels. And it should be for you as well. Take your time to rest, but then come out of your hotel room to meet and greet fellow believers. Pastors especially need encouragement and fellowship. Take full advantage of every opportunity you have to hang with them, advise them, and pray with them. 3. Notice Paul even ministered in the towns he “passed through.” Don’t limit your ministry to the destinations and events you are heading to. Look for ministry opportunities along the way. Some of the most important ministry moments for Jesus happened while he was on his way to something else. Take the woman at the well, for example, or the woman with the issue of blood, or Zaccheus up in the tree. What an eternal impact Jesus made from just passing through. 4. Don’t just blow in, blow up, and blow out. Sometimes you need to stay a while. Paul stayed some places for weeks and even months. It’s easy to get focused on the events or meeting moments you came into town for, and then be ready to immediately leave. Consider what might happen if you stayed a few extra days. Do you think Paul had every day and minute planned out? That’s unlikely. Like Jesus, he kept his schedule open enough and free enough that he could simply sit and talk with others sometimes. He didn’t have to always have an agenda, and he wasn’t always thinking about the next place he had to go. Paul was very present with those he was with. He made them to feel valued by him, and he stayed long enough to get to know people and demonstrate his determination to love and care for them as individuals. He stayed long enough to meet their families, do dinner with them in their homes, and talk about things they wanted and needed to hear. You can learn from Paul’s example.

What I said to God: Thank You, my Lord and God, for speaking so clearly to me through this passage today. I certainly didn’t see all of this coming from these verses. Your Word is a deep well, and I can never uncover all that is there. I’m excited to travel to Zambia later this month. Please help me not just go to do an event. We are going to minister to people and reunite with dear friends and fellow believers. What a privilege and joy You have afforded me and our team!