The Holy Spirit Working Through Barnabas & Saul pt,2 11AM

I grew up inundated with TV commercials, radio pitches, slick magazine promotions. As a kid I selected toys based on incredible claims of endless fun … promises broken. I’m bombarded with ads for restaurants, detergent, sodas, clothes that look great on a perfect body, bottled water ($3 for 16oz of water, what?). Kathaleen and I once got hoodwinked into test driving a car because of the dealership’s marketing campaign. They offered two roundtrip tickets to Las Vegas if we took a test drive … they were bus tickets.

In our passage this morning Paul and Barnabas continue their first missionary journey. As they visit cities and towns they talk about Jesus. What they don’t do is try to “sell” or “market” Jesus. Quite the opposite, they talk about how difficult it will be to follow Jesus. No sugar added, no celebrity endorsement, no promise of ease and comfort. They were honest, no bait and switch. How refreshing!