Set Apart & Sent Away

Saul was on his way to kill Christians. It was his goal in life, to wipe Christianity off the face of the planet. And from man's perspective, it would not be such a hard task, considering this schism faith had only been around a few years.

But then, on that fateful trip to Damascus to kill more, "suddenly a light from heaven flashed around him. He fell to the ground a heard a voice say to him, 'Saul, Saul, why do you persecute me?' It was then that Saul met Jesus and believed.

A vision came to both Ananias and Saul, but the message to Ananias had more information. What the Lord told Ananias and had not yet told Saul was this: "This man is my chosen instrument to carry my name before the Gentile and their kinds and before the people of Israel. I will show him how much he must suffer for my name."

And so Ananias went to Saul and placed his hands on him, prayed over him, and Saul regained his lost sight, received the Holy Spirit and was commissioned on a new task.

Paul, after some time, joined the church of Antioch, where Barnabas also was. And the Scriptures say that while they were ministering God there, "the Holy Spirit said, 'Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them."

Countless times people from the church have been called out by God to a task and commissioned by the church.

This time, it's my turn. 

On Sunday, March 8, in a four of New Testament Baptist Church services, on missions emphasis Sunday, the elders and deacons of the church will lay hands on me and pray over me, commissioning me to that which God has called me to - to His work, and His church.

And then I shall be sent away to Italy, in just three short months!