Get Into The Action - Luke

That night Paul had a vision: A man from Macedonia in northern Greece was standing there, pleading with him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us!” So we decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there.

Acts 16:9-10

Michael Yon, a former Green Beret and an author, was once a freelance journalist covering the war in Iraq. He reported on the car bombings, skirmishes, and fallen soldiers that have become daily news.

One day, Yon crossed the line from reporter to combatant.

In an August 2005 firefight in Mosul, Yon put down his pen, picked up an M4 rifle, and fired at insurgents who had wounded two leaders of the First Battalion, Twenty-fourth Infantry Regiment. He went from recording history to making it.

Luke, who wrote the book of Acts, was a lot like Michael Yon. At one point in the apostle Paul’s story, Luke became part of the team that was making history.

In Luke’s narrative in Acts 16, look especially for a change in language from third person to first person. Luke didn’t just tag along with the group that traveled with Paul; he took an active part in their ministry. For example, he wrote, “We decided to leave for Macedonia at once, having concluded that God was calling us to preach the Good News there” (Acts 16:11).

Luke was not content to just sit back and observe other people’s experiences of faith. He became an integral part of things by doing the same work, taking the same risks, preaching the same message, and reaping the same rewards as Paul, Barnabas, and Peter.

Christian growth is not just about learning more, praying more, and enjoying other people’s faith experiences; it’s about throwing yourself into the work of the Kingdom. It’s about putting down the devotionals and partnering with God in your home, workplace, neighborhood, community, and church.