Sadly, marketing terms like branding terms like branding and customer satisfaction have crept into the local church.

While helpful in the commercial realm, sometimes slick marketing tools do little more than distort the truth.

Well, today on Insight for Living, Chuck Swindall recounts a story in Acts when Paul and

Barnabas carried the gospel beyond their hometown.

Along the way, they pushed against the ancient religious traditions that fueled hypocrisy,

things like legalism and idol worship.

So in a disingenuous world, how do we keep it real?

Chuck titled his message, The Jagged Edge of Authentic Ministry.

I want to read some selections out of the 13th and then the 14th chapters of the Book of Acts.

If you'll turn, please.

We'll sort of follow along through this first journey Paul took with Barnabas,

or Barnabas took with Paul, however you'd prefer to say it.

Let me just sort of pick excerpts through this.

May I do that?

Acts 13.1.

Now there were at Antioch in the church that was there prophets and teachers.

Barnabas and Simeon called Niger and Lucius of Cyrene and Menean who had been brought up with

Herod the Tetrarch and Saul.

By the way, this Saul is the same one as Paul the Apostle.

His name has changed according to verse 9 from Saul to Paul. Now back to verse 2. While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting,

the Holy Spirit said, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called

them. Then when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away.

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