Do you ever stop to take note of God’s generosity? It might not be the first thought you have. Personally I need a reminder to get there from time to time and I think this passage today provides just that!
Acts 11:37-30
This is our passage for the week. What caught my attention first was verse 27. “During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. ” During this time… this would mean the time that Paul and Barnabas are ministering to the new and growing church in Antioch. Isn’t it phenominal when good news travels! I was imagining what it would take to convince a group of believers in Jerusalem to want to go all the way north to Antioch. A large city filled will people of different religious backgrounds, speaking different languages. Not a place that someone from Jerusalem might be comfortable going to visit.
Let's Celebrate!
The jouney from Jerusalem to Antioch is not a hop, skip, and a jump, friends. It is 300 miles or (15) 20-mile days, or more likely (20)15-mile days. Seriously, when was the last time you walked 20 miles? Even with comfy shoes it’s a LOT. Anyway, it’s clear in this passage the explosion of Antioch’s gathering of believers (now officially called Christians) is newsworthy. Enough to move a group of believers in Jerusalem to make that long trip to see the amazing work God is doing in the lives of a mixed group of people.
Through this bold move I see God’s generosity. Not only did He form a nation, loved them, provided for them, from them brought a Savior, and so on. God also shared that Savior with the rest of the world. He chose people like Paul who was a zealous man to bring the Good News to ALL nations. Enemies, friends, rich, poor, Jew and Gentile.
God’s generosity should be celebrated and shared!
Challenge
What good news are you celebrating?
Who are you sharing it with?
Stop and survey, are you even noticing God’s work all around you?
These are all questions that come to mind when I think of what is going on and how God’s new family is coming together to celebrate. Times have surely changed. They were not able to tweet, text, share, DM, PM, post, or even EMAIL their support. With a push on our mobile device or the click of a mouse, we can give affirmation or praise. It takes very little effort. Yet, I’m not sure that we even sacrifice our time for that kind of interaction with people. Checking out God’s work and sharing the Good News.
The bottom line is God is working all around us. In Nashville, Vermontville, Battle Creek, Bellevue, out in the sticks and in the big cities. We don’t have to go far, but we do have to be watching.
Let's Give!
The other theme I see in this brief passage has to do with generosity as well, with the people being generous in their giving. The Christians in Antioch were moved by compassion for their brothers and sisters in Jerusalem when they understood a time of difficulty was coming. (Acts 11:28-30) Now, wait a minute! The text says “severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world.” Guess who is living in the Roman World? They were.
The scripture doesn’t say that they ignored their own needs or the needs of those in their church. It really doesn’t spell out the details other than to say that they decided they’d give what they were able to, for those in Judea. These are all people united by the blood of Christ. The very same bond we share today.
Challenge
Are you looking for ways to help people?
What can you set aside for others?
How can your generosity grow?
These are some of the questions that come to mind as I think about how God moved the hearts of Christians.
Again, times have changed. Many hundreds of years have passed. However, I believe this is a matter of the heart, not a matter of how much we have or don’t have. It’s not about facing a famine. Are we willing to sacrifice for others? Most especially for the people in our church family? Money can be a part of that, but often it is time, it is physical labor or time to comfort, or giving up something we have that someone else could make better use of. Are we holding on tightly to our time, talents and treasures or opening our hearts and hands to show unity and love that honors God?
