Worship

“Shadow of Your Wings” by Thrive Worship

Scripture Foundation

“Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.  The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.

“News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.  When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

“Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

“During this time some prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.) The disciples, as each one was able, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.” -Acts 11:19-30

The Core Mission

Tucked into the middle of this passage is the crux of the mission of the Church: remain true to the Lord with all your heart. We will find the Spirit doing the heavy lifting throughout the book of Acts as God’s people live in total surrender to Him. The hand of the Lord was upon them, building the Church as it moved from Jerusalem to Antioch.

The Early Church’s Example

These Christians, as they were now called, had endured much over the years, from the birth of the Church to its expansion in Antioch. Beloved saints came and went. Persecution terrified God’s people, and rightly so. The era the Church was born into was not an easy one, but the Spirit of God was behind them and before them. He was providing because of His faithfulness, grace, and mercy. I nearly passed over this segment of Scripture for the sake of time until I realized the gold mine of provision God had released so they could remain steadfast.

I want to parallel this to our current moment. As we near the tumultuousness of an election season in America, there are elements in this passage of Scripture for us to take to the bank. Many have cried out for God’s mercy on our nation, that we would see the hand of God to bring deliverance. But just like the saints during the Roman empire, we will forever live dependent on the faithfulness of God, not the ruling power of the land. What remained true for them remains true for us.

• God’s people remained faithful to the Lord with all their hearts.
• They preached the gospel in spite of being scattered, persecuted, discouraged, and disheartened.
• They were transformed by grace. The theology of grace was permeating the Christians’ belief system and worldview, reaching both Jew and Gentile.
• The community of Christians was a place of refuge for one another. Many were turning to the Lord because of God’s presence among them, drawing them together.
• Discipleship was anchoring the Church. God provided Barnabas and Saul to teach the Christians sound doctrine in the midst of a culture war of pagan ideology and lack of morality.
• The Church was gifted with a prophetic word to prepare for crisis. God was faithful to prepare, preserve, and provide for His people.
• The generosity of God’s people marked the Church throughout its birth and growth. They provided for another as each had ability so the ministry could continue.

Personal Reflection

As I read through what the Lord provided for the church at Antioch, there is not one element on this list that the Church today does not need. There is not one characteristic described above that I personally do not need in my life. In fact, I read through this list, and it gives me pause to ask the Spirit of God if all of these characteristics are evident and present in my life.

• Am I remaining faithful to preach the gospel as Jesus commissioned me?
• Has my life been transformed by grace, or am I still striving and straining to earn God’s favor?
• Am I part of a community of Christ followers who, together, long for God’s presence?
• Am I sitting under godly counsel, discipling others who are younger in the faith?
• Do I receive prophetic words by faith? Do I give prophetic words by the Spirit to build up God’s people?
• Is my life marked by generosity so that the gospel may go forth?

The Call to Action

No matter the outcome of the election, as weighty as it is for our nation, this passage must be a marker for us as we hold onto the Lord and continue in our calling. This is not a time for the Church to sit back and put her feet up. It’s time to awaken and turn off the lullaby we have drifted off to sleep with. This is a time we must get hungry for God’s presence and, together, press in to take hold of the grace of God. We must advance, Church, with the clearest calling of commissioning until Jesus takes us home. Our mission is not completed yet. We need those in our five-fold ministry as outlined in Ephesians 4:11 to be operating in the fullness of their giftings in the body of Christ: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Take your rightful place. Everything God has entrusted to His people in terms of resources belongs to Him. He gets it to us to get it through us so as to advance His Kingdom on the Earth. With the grace of God and His hand of favor upon us, it’s time to arise!

In a few weeks, David Joannes will be flying in from Thailand to be the keynote speaker of our Arise luncheon on November 19 (purchase tickets here). He has authored one of the most foundational books of my ministry life, “The Mind of a Missionary.” I want to close with a quote from this book.

“But God glories to dispatch His people into the depths of a fallen world where suffering is the standard system. He revels not in the afflictions of His people but in their potential to overcome the kingdom of darkness. He equips his sons for battle and qualifies his daughters for combat. The Holy Spirit is an ever-present help in time of trouble. He beckons believers to follow Him into the darkness that His light might shine through them, illuminating the atmosphere with His glory.”

I will see you next week in Peter’s prison cell. Here we will encounter another foundational element we live in total dependence upon: the victory of Jesus for both Peter and the Church!

A Few Key Notes

• Registration for the Arise Fall Luncheon is open! Join us on November 19 in Plano, Texas. We will hear from author and missiologist David Joannes as he shares your God-given destiny and purpose in the Great Commission. Early bird tickets are $20. Reserve your seat today!
• Take the gospel to the unreached with Arise! We take teams that are armed with the gospel to various countries to share the love of Jesus with a desperate world. View our open teams!