Subscription Lists
Word from Scotland
by Sandy Shaw
Acts 11. Disciples of Jesus Christ had fled to Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch. They spoke to Jews to begin with, and then it opened up to Greeks, and they heard the good news about the Lord Jesus.
We do not come into all the truth right away - we are always learning - growing - developing - maturing. Some of these scattered disciples thought the message about Jesus was only for Jews - even though it was the Jews which had caused them to flee. Then, others came opening up the Gospel for all. The Gospel of Jesus Christ is for you and for those around you - graciously share it with them.
GOD was with these people. Many believed, and turned to the Lord. This HAS to happen in people's lives.
Now - Antioch is to become the second centre of The Christian Faith - 300 miles north of Israel - and Antioch was to become the local Church of Paul later on.
Yet, Antioch was a most immoral city. It was the third largest city in the Roman Empire - and a den of sin and wickedness. It would be like Amsterdam or Copenhagen or London today.
I'm sure many would have said - "You'll never get anywhere preaching The Gospel of Jesus Christ in Antioch. It is a hard place. Nobody will listen to you. That is THE LAST place where you can expect people to believe in Jesus Christ."
But our God surprises us. Jesus was with the preachers - those sharing how GOD had come into their lives - and people came to believe in Jesus.
Through preaching - speaking - being a witness - testifying - GOD moves right in.
News of what was happening reached the ears of The Church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
Did some continue to have questions regarding Gentiles coming to faith in Jesus Christ? From verse 23 there is the suggestion that he was there to see if things were real and genuine.
We can be slow to learn at times. We can have NO FURTHER OBJECTIONS one month, and then a question can arise the following month. We can accept it from someone of the quality and calibre of Peter - but not from others.
All kinds of questions - fears - and insecurities - can arise - at times.
Allow God to deal with any of these matters which may still be lurking in the depths of your heart, and release you - setting you free to be the person He wants you to be in Christ Jesus.
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.