Read Part One HERE
PART XI - IV
I, Peter, am so encouraged by the change of heart of the other Jewish believers in Jerusalem.... I know that not everyone may have fully grasped everything that has happened.... They may not yet fully understand what having Gentile believers in our midst will mean...But our God knows.... And we are all so very excited to discover more of what God has in story for His Church.... We are beginning to see more Gentiles come to faith in Christ Jesus... That is especially happening in a city called Antioch....So we are going to send Barnabas.... He is going to test the work over there.... For we want to make sure the work over there is a genuine work of the Holy Spirit....Thankfully the Holy Spirit lets us know of any challenges we may face... That way we can be prepared for them.".... Please read the typed out attachment to learn about Barnabas' visit to Antioch and to learn about a famine...
ATTACHMENT A WALK THROUGH THE BOOK OF ACTS
PART XI - V
Did these Jewish believers fully understand what their recognition that Gentiles were to be included in the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ would mean for them? I doubt it. But there would have been a peace in their hearts and a joy and an expectation of what was to come for they began to sense that God had great things in store for His Church. Of course, they did not know that these great things included your salvation and mine.
And so the Jewish believers began to share the Good News of Jesus Christ with other Jews as well as Gentiles as led by the Holy Spirit as you can read in Acts 11:19-21
Now those who had been scattered by the persecution with Stephen, travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them to Good News about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
So the believers in Jerusalem sent a man named Barnabas to Antioch, to make sure that the work was blessed of the Lord, as you can read in Acts 11:22
News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
Barnabas was very encouraged by what he saw happening in Antioch, as you can read in Acts 11:23
When he arrived and 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.
Moreover, the Holy Spirit made the church aware of future issues so that she could prepate for it in advance, as you can read in Acts 11:28-30
One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a sever famine would spread over the entire Roman world (this happened during the reign of Claudius). The disciples, each according to his own ability, decided to provide help for the brothers living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.
So we can clearly see how the Holy Spirit was leading the believers on an individual basis as well as leading the church corporately in ways they would never have considered. And so it is for us, the same Holy Spirit that led the early Church, wants to lead each one of us in ways that we may have never considered. All He asks is that we open our hearts to be willing to do what He asks of us. In the case of these Jewish believers He asked them to open their hearts to receive Gentile believers in their midst. In our case, He most probably wil asks something very different, but it may be equally challenging. The question is: are we willing to do what He asks of us?
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