Go and Tell

A Refelction on the First Reading for May 12th, 2019:
Fourth Sunday of Easter

Acts 13.14, 43-52

Paul and Barnabas went on from Perga and came to Antioch in Pisidia. On the Sabbath day they went into the synagogue and sat down.

When the meeting of the synagogue broke up, many Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas, who spoke to them and urged them to continue in the grace of God.

The next Sabbath almost the whole city gathered to hear the word of the Lord. But when the Jewish officials saw the crowds, they were filled with jealousy; and blaspheming, they contradicted what was spoken by Paul.

Then both Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly, saying, “It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken first to you. Since you reject it and judge yourselves to be unworthy of eternal life, we are now turning to the Gentiles. For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’” When the Gentiles heard this, they were glad and praised the word of the Lord; and as many as had been destined for eternal life became believers.

Thus the word of the Lord spread throughout the region. But the officials incited the devout women of high standing and the leading men of the city, and stirred up persecution against Paul and Barnabas, and drove them out of their region. So they shook the dust off their feet in protest against them, and went to Iconium. And the disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.

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“For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, ‘I have set you to be a light for the Gentiles, so that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth’.”


The reason I sit here today and reflect on God’s inspired Word is because the apostles were brave enough to travel from city to city spreading the Good News about who Jesus was. Not only was this message intended for the Jews, it was also intended to be shared with the gentiles and throughout the whole world.

In part, we owe our faith to the brave apostles who ventured out to share the Gospel despite the rejection they faced. So is it fair that the Church should die with us? Don’t we equally share in the responsibility to be Light for the world, to continue to grow God’s Church, and bring salvation to others? Through Jesus’ resurrection, He instructs us in His great commission to spread His teachings to all the nations of the world. No exceptions.

"Through Jesus’ resurrection, He instructs us in His great commission to spread His teachings to all the nations of the world."

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I can’t tell you how many times I’ve sat in my chair at the hairdresser, listening to her share all the stories of brokenness in her life. Each time I tell myself, ‘This is the time I’m going to evangelize to her’. I’ve had moments of bravery where I’ve lead the discussion towards faith, and once I even told her about Alpha, which is a program for people to explore life’s big questions as they relate to faith. But I’m still lacking the conviction of Paul. If I know Jesus is the answer to her struggles, why do I struggle so much to let her know I have the answer?

I actually love to evangelize when someone is curious and I can see they are open to faith. I find such joy in seeing someone grow in their faith. I don’t have a strong theological education, so I can’t speak into all of their questions, but I can listen and I can encourage. This is where I experience my most authentic relationships.

I pray to be strong like Paul and Barnabas, to be able to speak Truth, uninhibited by my fears of rejection. But if I am rejected, to be able to shake the dust from my feet and move on. I don’t think God calls only certain people to spread His Light to the world, but rather, I think it is the responsibility of every believer.

Heavenly Father, I pray that you will stir up in each one of us, a desire to grow Your Church. I pray for the conviction of each person who comes across these words to be bold and share your Gospel with someone new.


​Tammy LeBlanc ​​

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