Day 118, Acts 11
WOW this chapter is so cool! Yesterday in Chapter 10 we saw the scene as it took place! The Holy Spirit saw fit to have St. Luke record St. Peter going back to Judea and report what took place!
This is significant for a few reasons — we see the outer and inner courts — there is the event – the story and then there is the telling of the story!
This is Peter testifying to what God did — this builds faith — we are told in the Catechism of the Catholic Church that faith is made strong and is released in the sharing of faith!
And so we see Peter go back and tell them what happened — and I love what they said when they heard this…
they stopped objecting and glorified God saying,
“God has then granted life-giving repentance to the Gentiles too”
So we really have to be open and listen to what the spirit is doing in people’s lives! This means we have to share faith with each other on a regular basis!
You see they were objecting to the fact that the Spirit would be for everyone and not just the Jews —
This is the POWER of testimony and that is why there has to be testimony all the time going on!
In the section on the Church in Antioch –
I love reading “those who had been scattered by the persecution and arose because of Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, preaching the word to no one but Jews.”
I am seeing magnified for the first time what Jesus said -
- Matt 14:27 “You will all fall away, because it is written, ‘I will strike down the shepherd, and the sheep shall be scattered.’
In this case we can see that the scattering that took place because of persecution had a purpose — it drove the apostles out to the ends of the earth -
– this is the “GO THEREFORE and MAKE DISCIPLES OF ALL NATIONS”
IF they didn’t have to scatter — do you think they would have gone so far so fast?
And we can see right here in this chapter the first time we see in Antioch that they began preaching to the Greeks — they came to believe and word got back to Jerusalem!!! So they sent Barnabas to go to Antioch!
He saw the grace of God in Antioch — and he encouraged them all to remain faithful to the Lord in firmness of heart!!! I LOVE BARNABAS —
I don’t know what it is about him — but whatever I read puts a smile on my face — I once saw a movie about St. Paul and the man who portrayed Barnabas was like a big teddy bear!
It says here… he was a good man filled with the Holy Spirit and faith!
I love it — we see here is the place where Barnabas goes to Tarsus to look for Saul — who has been making tents — I think for three years –
When he got Saul — soon to be called Paul — he brought him to Antioch — and things were rocking there!!
They met with the church and taught a large number of them for one year —
and
“IT WAS IN ANTIOCH THAT THE DISCIPLES WERE FIRST CALLED CHRISTIANS”
And the last thing we see in this chapter is the first Catholic Charities Appeal –
I love seeing how even in the early church funds were collected to assist each other — this is true Catholicism — reaching out in unity — organized — not random — giving!
So there is a prophet who gives the prophecy that there will be a severe famine — and they organize a fundraiser based on ability to pay — and then send it with Barnabas and Saul — to take it down to Judea — outside of Jerusalem —
This is so amazing — this still goes on today — with all the natural disasters — I can remember when the Tsunami hit it was the Catholic Church that was structured such that it could collect and send funds to victims faster than any other organization in the world!!!
We are the Body of Christ — and the same way that the body can pump blood to every area of the body quickly — so too can we bring life to dead situations by the POWER of the Holy Spirit and with every member participating!!!
This was so beautiful to see at the end of this chapter!
We see the church really coming together and being built — and it happens in Antioch –
I’m particularly excited since I belong to St. Ignatius of Antioch!
God bless you all — next chapter will be chapter 12 — the whole chapter!
Post you comments below!!
