Reading this morning included Acts 11, an important chapter from a church history perspective. It is here that the church of Antioch was established, which became home base for the early church, the place from which many mission efforts flowed.
A repeated theme in Acts can be found in 11:20-21 and verse 24. "....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." "He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord."
Three immediate observations:
1. The Lord's hand, the presence and working of Holy Spirit is essential in people coming to know Jesus.
2. God uses men like Barnabas, Peter, Paul, Stephen--people who are not perfect, but who love Jesus with all their heart and strive to see lives changed--to bring people into his family.
3. While there are other factors involved, the combination of 1 and 2 lead not once but twice, and all over Acts, to "great numbers" of people coming to the Lord. So many that Paul and Barnabas stayed for a year to preach and organize this whole movement, this community of people who found life by believing in Jesus.
Perry Noble talked once about those of us who do ministry--staff, volunteers, everyone--being in charge of the natural, and God being in charge of the supernatural. My questions: 1. What are the other factors that might have contributed to such a "Great number?" 2. How do the "other factors" in our time support and complement the activity of Holy Spirit in us?
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