Acts 11:19-30 Making Room For The Gentiles

The Jewish believers exhibited three responses to the Gentile believers, my commentary had already said, which should help us relate to other believers today.  They'd first accepted them, and now they were tasked by God with encouraging them and finally accepting the help those Gentile believers were about to send them!

"The Jerusalem believers commissioned Barnabas to go to Antioch to find out what was going on among the Gentiles," and he was certainly an encourager.  The Bible says, "He was filled with the Spirit," and I wondered how many of us today might ever have that written about us if the Bible were still being written!

"He rejoiced at what he saw.  Worshipping with Gentiles was a new experience for him, but he approached it positively and did not look for things to criticize.  It was a work of God, and Barnabas gave thanks for God's grace.  He emphasized dedication of the heart as he taught the people the Word of God."

We se the phrase, "cleave to the Lord" and my commentary described that action as "loving the Lord, walking in His ways, obeying His Word, and serving Him wholeheartedly.  It means that we belong to Him alone and that we cultivate our devotion to Him."

"Amazingly, those Gentile believers, under the encouragement of Barnabas and Paul, took up a collection and sent it to the Jerusalem believers to help them through a time of great famine that Agabus had been told by God would soon occur!

Father, please help us to be encouragers like Barnabas and to share what You give us with others in need, particularly our fellow believers.

 

Your Brother In Christ,
Gary Ford