Gospel Carriers in Word and Deed

In one paragraph

Pastor Carl preached from Acts 11:19-30, picking up where Ray left off in the ongoing series through Acts. He traced the early church's expansion from Jerusalem northward to Antioch, and drew out what that movement means for First B today. The passage opens with believers who had been scattered by persecution after Stephen's death. Rather than treating that suffering as a setback, Pastor Carl...

Read together

1. Acts 11:19-30 the main passage preached through in full
2. Philippians 3:8 quoted briefly before a worship song: 'I consider everything a loss compared to the surpassing greatness of knowing Jesus'
3. 2 Corinthians 9 cited to explain that giving should not be under compulsion but a predetermined matter of the heart
4. Romans 15:13 closing benediction: 'May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with this hope by the power of the Holy Spirit'
5. John 3:16 paraphrased: 'God so loved the world... whoever believes in him would not perish but have eternal life'
6. 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22 paraphrased during discussion of prophecy: 'Don't stifle the Holy Spirit, don't scoff at prophecies, test everything, hold on to what is good'

Talk about it

1. Pastor Carl pointed out that God used the persecution and death of Stephen to scatter believers and spread the gospel, and said 'God doesn't waste our suffering.' Has there been a difficult or painful season in your own life where you later saw God working through it for good? What did that look like?
2. Pastor Carl said we should not underestimate the power of our witness, and used the example of the blind man whose whole testimony was simply 'I was blind, but now I see.' How would you describe your own story of faith in plain, simple terms like that? What holds you back from sharing it?
3. Barnabas arrived in Antioch, saw the evidence of God's blessing at work, and it filled him with joy. He celebrated what God was doing rather than critiquing how others did church. When you see God at work in other people, other small groups or other churches in our community, what is your honest first reaction?
4. Pastor Carl described Barnabas as a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith, and said that kind of character was winsome and attractive to the people around him. Who in your life has been a Barnabas to you, and what specifically did they do or say that encouraged you to stay true to the Lord?
5. The believers in Antioch heard about the coming famine and responded by giving relief to the brothers and sisters in Judea, each one giving as much as they could. Pastor Carl also shared the story of First B responding to the break-in at Eagle's Wings Children's Village in Uganda. Where do you currently see God moving, in your home, your neighborhood, your workplace or further out, and how might you participate in what he is doing there?