Before leaving earth, Jesus laid out for his followers a vision of an ever-expanding global mission (cf. Acts 1:7-8). Antioch, in ancient Syria, was a large city, and an important community of Christians was growing there. But Antioch couldn’t be a stopping point; it needed to be a
launching pad. So the Holy Spirit moved the Antioch church to send Paul and Barnabas out into the wider world.

• Paul must have known Abraham’s story, in which God said, “Leave your land, your family, and your father’s household for the land that I will show you” (Genesis 12:1). He may not have been bothered when the Holy Spirit just told the Antioch church to appoint him and Barnabas “to the work I have called them to undertake” without filling in any details. How well are you able to trust and follow God even when God does not lay out all of the details in advance for you?
• Though confident God had called him to spread the gospel to the Gentiles, Paul did not make a beeline for Rome or Athens. In a sense, he “practiced his trade” first on the island of Cyprus and in the important but less visible Roman province of Galatia (see map). When is there value in “starting small,” even on important missions? Do you believe there are times when it is vital to make an immediate, large impact?