Daily Devotion, May 24, 2023

 

Devotion:

Read Acts 11:19-26.

Wait, Pause. There’s so much within these 7 verses! These verses pick up the unwoven threads of Acts 8:4 in regard to the beginnings of the church’s mission beyond Jerusalem to fulfill Jesus’ prophecy of Acts 1:8, that the apostles with the power of the Holy Spirit would reach the ends of the earth!

Who, Where, When?

The Holy Spirit’s power was working through the unnamed fugitives (frightened because of the persecution Stephen had received) to bring the good news about Jesus to Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch (of Syria), but their message was only being given to the Jewish people.

The Holy Spirit continued to work and led some from Cyprus and Cyrene to share the message with the Greeks also! Then Barnabas, who lived in Jerusalem, heard about the church’s growth and traveled to Antioch. There were so many people that Barnabas traveled to Tarsus to look for Saul to go back with him to Antioch to help!

Wait, Pause. Antioch of Syria, by land, is approximately 300 miles from Jerusalem. Walking 20 miles a day, it would take 15 days to get there! No wonder, once Barnabas and Saul arrived in Antioch, that they stayed a whole year!

All of this was happening during the reign of Claudius and during the time when King Herod was arresting and prosecuting some who belonged to the church! This gives testimony to the power of the Holy Spirit and the witness of Jesus Christ that even during times of persecution, the church was growing! This is where the origin of the title, “Christian” is given!

What, How, to Whom and Why?

The Holy Spirit was giving them power to share the “Good news about the Lord Jesus!” And the Holy Spirit was giving evidence to Barnabas, through all of the people “of the grace of God”. (vs.22) In Acts 10, and here in Acts 11, the good news of Jesus Christ is offered not only to the Jews but to others considered, “outsiders” as well! The “why” is that “out of God’s love for the whole world, Jesus, God’s only Son, was given to live, die and to be raised from the dead to offer all people forgiveness of sins and new life!”

Personal Worship Option:

Sometimes, the Holy Spirit calls us to move forward quickly and sometimes, we are called to wait, pause and open ourselves to new people to whom the Holy Spirit is leading us.