“The Fingerprints of God”
“When he (Barnabas) saw the evidence of
the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the
Lord.” (v.23)
Here in chapter 11 we read of some unnamed spiritual pioneers
(v. 20) who were the first to reach the Gentiles with the gospel. The
fingerprints of God's grace are all over this account.
First, grace transformed something bad into something
good—persecution in Jerusalem led to the spread of the gospel. Second, the
message of grace spread beyond cultural and racial boundaries to the Gentiles.
Third, “a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord,” accepting
His grace (v. 21). Fourth, when Barnabas arrived and saw all this “evidence of
the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged” about the growth of the church at
Antioch (v. 23). And finally, through Barnabas' mentorship, God graciously
reached out to Saul, the former persecutor, and brought him into the ministry
mainstream.
Barnabas played a remarkable role. As the representative of the
Jerusalem church, he could have wielded his authority and stopped things. But
because he was a man “full of the Holy Spirit and faith” (v. 24), he recognized
God's grace at work and joined it. As a result, Antioch was the first
predominantly Gentile church, the first place believers were called
“Christians” (“belonging to Christ”), and the starting point for Paul's career
of missionary journeys.
May those we come in contact with see God’s grace, love, joy and
peace in us, and want to join in as well.
The Truth
For by grace you have been saved through faith, and that not of
yourselves; it is the gift of
God.” (Ephesians 3:7)
