On Mission Joy
Acts 13:49 And the word of the Lord was being spread throughout all the region. 50 But the Jews stirred up the devout and prominent women and the chief men of the city, raised up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and expelled them from their region. 51 But they shook off the dust from their feet against them, and came to Iconium. 52 And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
I know it may seem odd to start a devotion with such a passage of Scripture. But if we stop long enough to allow the Holy Spirit to show us something from it, we will be enriched.
Paul and Barnabas had been sent out on a mission to preach the good news of Jesus and His kingdom. They had made the synagogues of the Jews in every region a top priority. But the Holy Spirit had plans that extended beyond the synagogues.
Here we have two men who love Jesus being persecuted for trying to spread the love and hope revealed in the gospel. They are not persecuted because they are taking advantage of anyone, stealing, or being mean and obnoxious to others. They are persecuted for advancing the word of the Lord.
It says they shook off the dust from their feet. That gesture indicated they were done with that group and no longer felt responsible for offering them the hope they had been so graciously offering.
It’s one thing when you are on a mission, and people do not wish to listen. It’s another thing when someone goes out of their way to shut you up and turn others against you. This is a form of rejection on a larger scale than just not listening because it is persecution.
New Covenant believers are not promised never to face persecution from others who reject the truth. We are told we will be hated, persecuted, and rejected. If we are on a mission as Paul and Barnabas were, we too may experience opposition to what we wish to share with others.
I love that Paul and Barnabas keep going. Even though they feel they are released from the ones who were persecuting them, they move on to the next place to offer others the good news of Jesus and His kingdom.
When we, as believers, allow ourselves to partner with the Holy Spirit, as did these men, we, too, can be filled with joy and the Holy Spirit after severe rejection and persecution.
I love how this reveals that our joy and being filled with the Holy Spirit never hinges on a good response from those we preach the good news to. We can be on a mission filled with opposition and still be overwhelmed with joy and the Holy Spirit.
God has a joy for us that is not contingent on things going ideally for us. It is ours as we partner with Him in the purpose He has called us to. It is an On Mission Joy!
This joy is not ours for doing our own thing apart from Him. It is ours when we join with Him and find the deeper depth of our fellowship with Him involves doing the thing He is leading us into even when the people it is aimed at do not appreciate it. I encourage you to know what His purpose is and join Him in it and let the joy and power of the Holy Spirit fill you today as you keep moving forward in whatever it is He has given you.
