Subscription Lists
Word from Scotland
by Sandy Shaw
In Acts 11:22, some were obviously wondering what was happening and going on up in Antioch, a city which had a reputation for sin! So they sent Barnabas - an excellent choice. He was the man who was always going around encouraging disciples. He was the man who interviewed and introduced the converted and anointed Saul of Tarsus to the fellowship in Jerusalem.
When Barnabas arrived in Antioch, he liked what he saw. What did he see? He saw the evidence of the Grace of God. He saw the love of Jesus Christ and the power of The Holy Spirit in the lives of those new believers in this Gentile city. He saw something real and positive.
What did he do? He encouraged them all to remain true to The Lord with all their hearts. In this most immoral unlikely place, Barnabas' word to these new fresh believers in Jesus was - remain true to the Lord with all your heart. The 'heart' means - 'the whole man' - all of me!
Barnabas was not only interested in their good beginning, but their good continuing. He encouraged these disciples to remain faithful to Jesus - no matter what was going on around them.
To remain faithful to Jesus, there has to be that total commitment to Jesus Christ - our mind - our body - our will - our behaviour - our thoughts - our money - our motives - everything, totally committed to Jesus Christ.
Through Barnabas, many people came to know Jesus Christ in a deeper dimension.
Having done what he was sent to do, he went off to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him he brought him to Tarsus. Barnabas is thinking of someone who will be able to help in this situation, and Saul who now takes the Gentile Greek name of Paul is to become the apostle to the Gentiles. Paul is going to be the man GOD wants to use to minister specifically to those who are not Jews.
To whom is our living God calling you to minister?
Alexander 'Sandy' Shaw is pastor of Nairn Christian Fellowship in Nairn, Scotland. Nairn is 17 miles east of Inverness - on the Moray Firth Coast - not far from the Loch Ness Monster!
Gifted as a Biblical teacher, Sandy is firmly committed to making sure that his teachings are firmly grounded in the Word.
Sandy has a weekly radio talk which can be heard via the Internet on Saturday at 11:40am, New Orleans time, at wsho.com.
Receive the newest devotional each week in your inbox by joining the "Word from Scotland" subscription list. Enter your email address below, click "Go!" and we will send you a confirmation email. Follow the instructions in the email to confirm your addition to this list.