Saturday, October 24, 2009

Acts 13

5 comments:

Unknown said...

"Paul and Barnabas were persuading them to continue trusting in God's grace." v43

"And the people who were chosen to have life forever believed the message." v48

Election verse. Always gets my attention. God's grace paired with His "choosing".

Denise said...

"Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called "the black man"), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul. "(v.1).

"What variety there is in the church! The common thread among these five men was their deep faith in Christ. We must never exclude anyone whom Christ has called to follow him. Like the early church, if believers today do their part to reach out to all who are lost, church congregations will eventually be comprised of people from different racial and cultural backgrounds. When this happens, we most often see our propensity to label and categorize. We are most comfortable with those who are just like us. Clearly, at the root of these tendencies is the ugly sin of prejudice. The more we understand the gospel and embrace God's version of the body of Christ, however, the more we will begin to transcend these differences. More than merely getting along, we will be able to honestly and authentically say from our hearts that we love each other."

Unknown said...

>>More than merely getting along, we will be able to honestly and authentically say from our hearts that we love each other." <<

I love that.

Denise said...

Me too - that's what drew me to this passage. :)

Mac an Rothaich said...

Enjoyed hearing such a clear message preached by Paul.

What stuck out for me is I haven't experienced the evangelist life. It is a very different calling. I can't imagine traveling around, preaching boldly and then leaving. In the in between experiencing joyful converts and those who disagree for what ever reason dealing with you full of aggression. An intense life.

It is wonderful to see brothers and sisters living this same life style even today.

Feeling called to relationship and community I can't identify with Paul's call but I see the beauty in it and agree with you ladies that it is so beautiful how diverse our Church is. Different cultures and upbringing and social status as well as very distinctively different gifts and callings in the Lord.