Shout to the Lord, all the earth;
….break out in praise and sing for joy!
Sing your praise to the Lord with the harp,
….with the harp and melodious song,
with trumpets and the sound of the ram’s horn.
….Make a joyful symphony before the Lord, the King! Psalm 98:4-6 NLT

Acts 11:19-30 (<<click here to read the passage)

One troublesome time in my past took place at the end of my time of ministry as a Children’s Pastor. Through my course of study, I decided to pursue becoming an elder in the Church of the Nazarene instead of a deacon. Everything went well and long story short I was in a position to pursue my own pastorate. My first interview went well and church leadership above me encouraged me to accept the offered opportunity. But I didn’t feel I was ready for it and felt pretty confident that God wasn’t calling me to serve that congregation. So…I turned it down. There’s a lot more to the story but I will leave it at that.

Back in March, I spoke of not realizing that Saul (later named Paul) didn’t go straight from his conversion in Damascus to Jerusalem (Read What He’s Written). When he did go, some three years later, due to an uproar with Jewish religious leadership (they were actually seeking to take his life!) the apostles sent him home to Tarsus. Now the Scriptures are not clear on how long he was there, but I have seen speculation anywhere from 4-14 years! One of the greatest teachers of the Gospel and all its many nuances was not even in action for several years after his conversion – and that took place at the very hands of the Lord Jesus Himself.

We don’t know a whole lot about the whys of Saul’s situation but there’s a good chance that basically, he just wasn’t ready. I cannot begin to imagine all that he had to work through. He was one of the biggest antagonists of those who followed Jesus…and now he was one of them. I wouldn’t be surprised that he spent days working through Jewish Scripture, studying and comparing all the many passages that spoke of who and what the Messiah, the Christ, would be. As he did so, the Holy Spirit opened his mind and heart to the reality of who Jesus was. But the foundation had to be set. And once that was the case, he would not be moved.

Barnabas, I’m sure, was guided by the Holy Spirit, to seek out Saul. Acts 11:26 states,

When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)

God’s timing is perfect. Yes, sometimes we are hesitant but He knows exactly when and where we need to be. Barnabas listened and obeyed. Saul listened and obeyed. And they were used of God in a mighty way. So, we too are called to do the same…listen and obey. In God’s perfect timing, we can be secure in knowing He will not lead us astray.

Apr 10th, 2022, Sun, 7:00 pm