God's Will

¹⁹Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. ²⁰Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. ²¹The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. ²²News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. (Acts 11:19-22, NIV)

Have you ever wondered what God’s will was for your life? How do you know what job you should take, who you should marry, or whether you should join a mission trip? How do you know what God wants you to do?

Even if I could write a book on the topic, I am not sure I could give an adequate answer. But I want to share two things that I have found to be biblical and that have helped me over the years. I make it my goal to be obedient to what God has told me to do in the Bible, and I look for where God is at work and then join in the fun!

This is what happened in Acts. Following the death of Stephen, the believers suffered persecution and were forced to move. As they went, they were obedient to Christ’s command to preach the Gospel. At first, they only told the Jews, but then they included others as well. As a result, many people believed and turned to the Lord. What did the church do? They saw that God was at work and they chose to join in the fun! They sent Barnabas to Antioch to teach and disciple the new believers.

What is God’s will for us as a church? It is the same! This year the Missions Committee will continue the process of prayerfully considering both God’s commands and where He is at work. There are many new missionaries and missions projects we could support, but we are not called to do everything. Please pray that God will give us wisdom to know what he is uniquely calling us to do.