Thursday Devo
Scripture:
Acts 11
22 When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. 24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord.
22 When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. 24 Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord.
Commentary:
11:22 they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When the “mother church” in Jerusalem heard of Antioch’s witness to the Gentiles, they sent Barnabas to validate the new outreach, much as they had sent Peter and John to approve the Samaritan mission (8:14).
11:24 full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. This does not describe a single experience but a general characteristic of Barnabas’s life. The persecution by Herod (12:1–19) and Herod’s death (12:20–23) would have been inserted at this point in the narrative if Luke had been writing everything in exact chronological order, because Herod died in a.d. 44 (see 12:23), and Paul apparently stayed in Tarsus until a.d. 45, when Barnabas went there and summoned him to Antioch (11:25–26). But Luke here departs from strict chronological order because he is telling the story of the church in Antioch. He continues on this topic until v. 30 and then turns to discuss what happened to Herod at “about that time” (12:1). Cf. notes on Gal. 1:18; 2:1.
11:24 full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. This does not describe a single experience but a general characteristic of Barnabas’s life. The persecution by Herod (12:1–19) and Herod’s death (12:20–23) would have been inserted at this point in the narrative if Luke had been writing everything in exact chronological order, because Herod died in a.d. 44 (see 12:23), and Paul apparently stayed in Tarsus until a.d. 45, when Barnabas went there and summoned him to Antioch (11:25–26). But Luke here departs from strict chronological order because he is telling the story of the church in Antioch. He continues on this topic until v. 30 and then turns to discuss what happened to Herod at “about that time” (12:1). Cf. notes on Gal. 1:18; 2:1.
Questions:
- In verse 22 we see that the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch to check things out. Barnabas spent his time there encouraging the believers to stay true to the Lord. This is the next piece of evidence of what makes a Christian a Christian. A true Christian is faithful to DISCIPLE. He was all about making disciples. Jesus commanded it in the Great Commission. He said to GO and make disciples of all nations. Who are YOU discipling? Who are you pouring into? Is there a believer thats not quite as far down the road as you that you are helping along and encouraging to stay true to the Lord? If not, who could you start being intentional with?
- Discipling someone takes faithfulness over the long haul. It means getting down into the nitty gritty with someone, doing life with them over the long haul, following Jesus with them through the good, bad and ugly of life. Are you faithful in your discipling of others? Is there someone you need to be more intentional about following up with?
Prayer Topics:
- That you would become a disciple that makes disciples.
- That you would be a faithful disciple maker.
This Week's City 7:
Try to commit to memory!
2. Are there sources outside the Bible that confirm the Biblical account of Jesus’ resurrection from the dead? Many Roman and Jewish historians have confirmed that the apostles died as martyrs for preaching that they saw Jesus risen from the grave. No one dies for something they know to be a lie.
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
(Luke 1:1-4; Acts 26:26; 1 John 1:1-4, Josephus, Clement, Hegesippus, Tertullian, Origen, Polycarp)
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