Love for One AnotherStruggles with Love Live in the light of God (Isaiah 2:5) God Rewards ObedienceActs 13:1-5 New International Version13 1 Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. 2 While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. On Cyprus4 The two of them sent on their way by the Holy Spirit, went down to Seleucia and sailed from there to Cyprus. 5 When they arrived at Salamis, they proclaimed the word of God in the Jewish synagogues. John was with them as their helper. For ReflectionRenowned for the presence of Christ's grace, the Church of Antioch spawned ministers who were dedicated to the spread of the Gospel. Two of its pastors, Barnabas and Saul were called to spread the Gospel to areas outside of Antioch. We might call them missionaries, or as I prefer; called witnesses to the love of God, pastors to the rest of the world
Saul experienced a profound conversion and was dedicated to proclaiming the Gospel. Today, he might be considered evangelical. Unfortunately, evangelical has been difficult to define. "To the pollster, it is a sociological term, to the pastor, it is a denominational or doctrinal term. And to the politician, it is a synonym for a white Christian Republican," says JONATHAN MERRITT, a contributing writer for The Atlantic. He is the author of Learning to Speak God from Scratch: Why Sacred Words are Vanishing – And How We Can Revive Them.
Over time our vocabularies of faith change. Such confusion has made the use of this term unusable and perverts the way some people hear the Gospel message. If you want a label, forget it! Instead, consider simply witnessing to the love and grace of God. Walk the talk. Cherish and protect the divine narrative of the Christian faith.
Pray Pray for humility. Pray for the courage to bear an authentic witness to the love and compassion of God. Pray and maintain a high regard for Biblical wisdom. Pray and live in the resurrected Christ. Pray and welcome your transformation into a mature Christian. Pray and welcome the Holy Spirit's influence on your spiritual and public life. Forward to a friend |