19 Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria. They preached the word of God, but only to Jews. 20 However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus. 21 The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord. 22 When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. 24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26 When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.) 27 During this time some prophets traveled from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them named Agabus stood up in one of the meetings and predicted by the Spirit that a great famine was coming upon the entire Roman world. (This was fulfilled during the reign of Claudius.) 29 So the believers in Antioch decided to send relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, everyone giving as much as they could. 30 This they did, entrusting their gifts to Barnabas and Saul to take to the elders of the church in Jerusalem.
Acts 11:19-30
WE NEED EACH OTHER
God did not intend for us to do life alone. That is why He sent His Son as our example. That is why Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to give us power from on high (Acts 1:8). That is why the Holy Spirit formed us into congregations called churches and encouraged us to meet together often (Hebrews 10:25). That is why the Spirit assigned various gifts to each of us, so that no one person would be responsible for carrying the entire load of the church. We are one body with many parts, all working together to bring about God’s purpose of making Him known to a lost and dying world.
In this passage, we see the establishment of a new and dynamic church that was instrumental in sharing the gospel, discipling new believers, giving to the needs of others, and eventually becoming the launching pad for the spread of the gospel throughout the Roman Empire. All of this was possible because the church members learned to—and were willing to—work together in partnership.
Evangelists (ordinary people who loved Jesus) spread the gospel. The Jerusalem church noticed and sent help through Barnabas, who in turn brought Paul to instill vision and passion in the church. Then Agabus delivered a word from the Lord about needs that could be met by a sister church. God’s plan does not work as a solo act—it works when everyone uses their spiritual gifts as instruments, playing in harmony with one another, writing songs of praise on the hearts of the lost. God intended us to be a choir, bringing forth worship and service before the throne of grace in love. Alone, we may be effective for a moment, but not for the marathon called life.
If you are a member of NSC and already playing your instrument in the worship band of the saints—bless you! Play on! If you have not yet begun to play (serve) at NorthStar, then discover which “instrument” we are missing (we’ve been waiting for you—we sound a little “tinny” without you) and plug in. You will be welcomed with open arms. I know there is much need in children’s ministry. Go make a kid’s day!
The church is born out of persecution, as it meets the needs around us. It takes people, in a place, with the proper perspective of purpose, working in partnership to accomplish God’s plan of glorifying His Son. We do this by Loving God, Loving People, and Living Sent!
Quite simply, Dave Griffith loves getting to know Jesus better by studying His Word daily and is passionate about teaching his siblings in Christ how to study His Word as well. He is passionately in love and like with his helpmate, Jackie; and is most fulfilled when he is hanging with his 10 kids (3 of his, 2 of Jackie’s, 3 are married, 2 more spiritually adopted) and 9 grandkids. He is a small group leader and a men’s group leader. He is a serial entrepreneur owning or having owned numerous businesses. He also enjoys naps!
