Thursday, June 19

THURSDAY, JUNE 19, 2014

1 Kings 20:1–21:29

Acts 12:24–413:15

Psalm 137:1–8

Proverbs 17:16

 

 

“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’  So, after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off.” (Acts 13:2,3)

 

 

These verses mark the continued fulfillment of Acts 1:8, as the Gospel spreads beyond Jerusalem and into Judea and Samaria.  Please recall the Risen Jesus’s prophecy and promise in Acts 1:8:  “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”  These widening circles for the Gospel will come to greater and greater fruition in the coming chapters.

 

As the Gospel expanded throughout the known world, the early disciples became more adaptable and began reaching across cultures:  Jew to Gentile, Semitic to Hellenic, and Near Eastern to Greco-Roman.  God initiated this process of reaching out from His chosen people, and He would use the disciples’ ingenuity, compassion, and diligence to turn the world upside down.

 

This intermingling of culture represents a partial reversal of the curse of the Tower of Babel, bringing people together as brothers in Christ.  This idea caused some strife between Jesus and the people of His hometown, Nazareth.  Please recall how “all the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard” about God’s pursuit of the Gentiles through both Elijah and Elisha (Luke 4:24–29).

 

In Psalm 67, we find a prayer that all the peoples of the earth would “praise” God and “be glad and sing for joy.”  This fulfillment would come to fulfillment under the Lord Jesus Christ:  “Now this is eternal life: that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom you have sent….  There is one body and one Spirit, just as you were called to one hope when you were called; one Lord, one faith, one baptism; one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all….  Here there is no Gentile or Jew, circumcised or uncircumcised, barbarian, Scythian, slave or free, but Christ is all, and is in all.” (John 17:3; Ephesians 4:4–6; Colossians 4:11)

 

God receives great glory when diverse people come together in the Gospel, living in harmony in submission to one another and to the Lord (Ephesians 5:21).  We have the great opportunity and joy of participating in this process, given the diversity of just our local communities.  Pastor Scott speaks of multiple “tribes”:  people who like soccer, parents of small children, folks from the Indian Subcontinent, Russian-Americans, and Latinos, for example.  Yet, we must intentionally seek out “the other” and go beyond our own comfortable existence to love from the heart of Christ.

 

In order to love people – from another background or just down the street – it helps to grow in our knowledge:  to understand the deep desires of their hearts; to recognize their fears, their dreams, their ambitions, and their hopes; and to sense where their hungers and mourning emanate.

 

Whom may you come to know better?  How may you seek out a friend who is not like you?  To which “tribe” are you drawn?  How may you extend the love of Christ to this “tribe”?

 

 

Father God, thank You for spreading Your Word throughout all the world, among all people, and giving us the joy of participating in the process.  Clarify our vision and deepen our compassion for all people, drawing us near to one or more tribes who need Your love.  Set us apart for this purpose through the guidance of the Holy Spirit and the saturation of Your Word.

 

Also, we lift up our beloved Pastor, Scott Taylor.  Strengthen and heal his heart by the power of Your outstretched arm.  We know that nothing is too difficult for You and that “the eyes of the Lord range throughout the earth to strengthen those whose hearts are fully committed to him.”  Make this verse come alive for Scott, our great friend and constant counselor.  In Jesus’s Name, amen.

________________________________________
1) Blog:                  http://bit.ly/rV1Cw1

2) Facebook:        http://on.fb.me/tc6jkS