Full of the Spirit and Faith

The Spirit Comes
The Pledge of God's Presence

Receive the Holy Spirit

Acts 11:19-26  The Message

^19-21 Those who had been scattered by the persecution triggered by Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, but they were still only speaking and dealing with their fellow Jews. Then some of the men from Cyprus and Cyrene who had come to Antioch started talking to Greeks, giving them the Message of the Master Jesus. God was pleased with what they were doing and put his stamp of approval on it—quite a number of the Greeks believed and turned to the Master.
^22-24 When the church in Jerusalem got wind of this, they sent Barnabas to Antioch to check on things. As soon as he arrived, he saw that God was behind and in it all. He threw himself in with them, got behind them, urging them to stay with it the rest of their lives. He was a good man that way, enthusiastic and confident in the Holy Spirit’s ways. The community grew large and strong in the Master.
^25-26 Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. He found him and brought him back to Antioch. They were there a whole year, meeting with the church and teaching a lot of people. It was in Antioch that the disciples were for the first time called Christians.

 

For Reflection

 And so it begins.  Christianity has a name.  It is more than a novel idea.  Christianity is growing institutional substance.  Such substance, however, brings identity.  Identity breeds personal investment.  Personal investment limits growth.  Change becomes challenge.

The good news is that God's challenge is what has kept Christianity alive for thousands of years. God has seen to it that Conflict yields growth toward God's Kingdom.  Conflict yields a somewhat messy but always steady growth toward reconciliation.

Pray

so that your fear of change will not inhibit your growth.  Pray that you will listen to the rhetoric of Christians as they struggle with changing circumstances of contemporary cultures.  Pray for resolutions to conflict that will result in the glorification of God.