Text: Acts 11:19-30
Prayer Pointers:
To remember that you are a citizen of the Heavenly Kingdom
To remember that there is no nation to whom the Word cannot go
AS WE CONTINUE in Acts, we see how the ripples from the martyrdom of Stephen and the movement of the Holy Spirit to include the Gentiles begins to affect the larger world. Some Greek-speaking Jews of Cyrene and Cyprus begin to share Good News with Greeks they meet in Antioch, and, we learn “the hand of the Lord was with them.” It is in Antioch that the People of the Way are first known as Christians.
Here we have the demonstration of how, under the guidance of the Spirit, men and women of all nationalities have a chance to first seek the Kingdom of God and its righteousness, and, under God’s gentle rule, “have all things added to them.” Christians are a part of all sorts of lands ruled by monarchs, dictatorships and elected leaders in various democratic structures. They are guided by a variety of cultural and social patterns. They speak a vast range of languages. None of these things must be lost when a man or woman becomes a Christian, although many previous habits and loyalties will be dropped as we learn the “more excellent way” of Jesus Christ. Christians continue to be and grown as loyal citizens, devoted family members, trustworthy friends, and open-hearted neighbors. Yet they find themselves a part of a larger family, a larger nation, a larger neighborhood where nationalities and tribal identities become what is richly added from the recognition that the Hebrew, the Cypriot, the Libyan, the Egyptian, the Syrian, the Ethiopian and all peoples down through the ages belong to Christ.
May your day be grace-filled ~ Pr. Dave Brooks