Well, word got out about Peter going to Cornelius and the Jews didn’t like it. So Peter rehashes chapter 10. He finishes his defense in verse 17: “So if God gave them the same gift as he gave us, who believed in the Lord Jesus Christ, who was I to think that I could oppose God?" Survey says…….hmmm……..good point. And so they gave no more objections and praised God!
We then read about a great number of Gentiles believing in Christ in Antioch. The Jerusalem church hears about this and thinks, hmmmm……….who could we send to encourage them in their new faith??? Ding – Joe Encourager = Barnabas! Yep, he is sent there to check it out and we read that he “…saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.” But Barnabas knows they need to grow in their faith and, knowing his own giftedness, realizes this is a job for Saul. So he heads to Tarsus, finds him and brings him back to help these new believers. And it says that, “for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people.” They shared Jesus with them, helped them learn more and they were even mocked for doing so, as the term “Christian” was really meant to degrade. The chapter ends on a final note of encouragement. There was a famine and the disciples decided to help and who better to send the financial help with than Barnabas (& Saul).
SO WHAT?
*Ever have to defend your actions? If your actions are godly, the best way to defend what you did is by using the scriptures just as Peter did!
*The early church is continuing to grow – without retreats, without programs, without powerpoint, etc… We must always remember that spiritual growth & church growth is a God thing and our job is to point people to HIM. We read in Acts that “the Lord added to their number daily” or that “3000 believed that day” or that “the church increased in number.”, etc… If you go to each place where this is written in Acts and look at what happened just before to cause this growth you find that each time it was a result of the Gospel being preached! This is why I am so committed to sharing the Gospel at every student ministry gathering. Our visitors, as well as our own students, need to regularly hear the good news and have opportunity to respond. (By the way, so do you & I)
*If someone ever needed encouragement, would your friends contact you to send you because you are such an encourager? Maybe, maybe not. But we ALL are called to encourage one another (Hebrews 10) even if it’s not our gift. Most of the time we only go to people if we have complaints. Why not spend some time today encouraging someone whom God lays on your heart?!
*Finally, helping someone grow in their faith is VITAL! When I put my trust & faith in Jesus Christ I walked to the front of this little Baptist church in Eldridge Iowa. My knees were shaking and I didn’t understand much except that I knew I needed Jesus. An older gentleman named Dale Arentson took me aside and talked to me about my decision. Then he gave me a booklet called “Knowing Jesus” (Navigators booklet). He asked me if I would go thru the first few pages, write down my answers and asked if he could get with me later that week. And for the next 2 YEARS he met with me once a week and helped me understand the Bible! I can truly say that I would not be a student pastor today if it were not for his help. You’ll read in Acts that Paul & Barnabas did this over & over with new believers as well. It was vital for them, it was vital for me and it’s vital for you. Who is helping you learn the Bible? If you don’t have anyone, let’s talk & pray & see how we can get that to happen. It will cost you – but the rewards are out of this world!
THIS WEEK’S MEMORY VERSE:
“Then Peter began to speak: ‘I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right.’” Acts 10:34-35
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