SPIRITUAL DIARY FOR 1/30/2018
1:21 PM
My Worship Time Focus:
The Generosity
Bible Reading & Meditation Reference: Acts
11:27-32
Message of the
verses: “27 Now at this time some
prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. 28 One of them named Agabus stood
up and began to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great
famine all over the world. And this took place in the reign of Claudius. 29 And
in the proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined
to send a contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea. 30 And
this they did, sending it in charge of Barnabas and Saul to the elders.”
I think that one of the indications that a person’s heart
has been changed by the Lord Jesus Christ as salvation is priorities in their spending
and giving habits will change and that is what we will be looking at in this last
section of verses from Acts chapter eleven.
We first of all see the problem that is about to come upon this section
of the world, and that is that according to some prophets coming from Jerusalem
that there will be a famine “all over the world.” John MacArthur writes “The term ‘prophet’
refers not to an Old Testament figure such as Isaiah or John the Baptist but to
the preachers of the New Testament (cf. 1 Cor. 14:32; Eph. 2:20). ‘One of them named Agabus stood up and began
to indicate by the Spirit that there would certainly be a great famine all over
the world.’ Like the apostles, the
prophets were not a permanent order.
Having fulfilled their foundational purpose, they gradually faded from
the scene, to be replaced by the evangelists and pastor-teachers (Eph. 4:11).”
According to Josephus this all took place in the reign of
Claudius in A. D. 41-54, and the years A. D. 45-46 saw great famines in
Israel.
I think that this section reminds me a bit about what
happened during the time of Joseph while he was in Egypt, and during that time just
like this time the Lord used these difficult circumstances to bring glory to
His name. We see the generous response
of the people in this new Gentile church as they “determined to send a
contribution for the relief of the brethren living in Judea.” Once you become a born-again believer you
realize that you don’t really own things, but that you are a steward of things
owned by God and so when difficult situations happen like this the Lord wants
believers to help others out and then if circumstances are reversed they will
in turn help you out. However the real
reason for doing this is to bring glory to the Lord Jesus Christ.
John MacArthur concludes this section which concludes
this 24th chapter in his commentary by writing “The final stage in
the Lord’s command recorded in acts 1:8 had been reached. The church, originally Jewish, had expanded
from Jerusalem and Judea to Samaria and to the Gentiles in the remost part of
the earth. The church at Antioch, begun
in this chapter, was to play a leading role for several centuries. But of all its honors, one stands out: it was the church that the apostle Paul pastured
from which he was called by the Spirit to launch his missionary journeys (Acts
13:1ff.).”
Spiritual meaning
for my life today: Just as the Lord’s
plans were being accomplished from the “Great Commission” in the churches as we
have seen in the last quote from John MacArthur, so His plans for individuals
within His church are being fulfilled just as He has planned. God is all powerful and sometimes in my life
I tend to forget that. As we read in the
book of Genesis about His creating the stars from “Gen. 1:16 God made the two
great lights, the greater light to govern the day, and the lesser light to
govern the night; He made
the stars also.” It is almost
like an afterthought as we read “He made the stars also.” Look up in the night sky on a clear night and
you will be able to see the power that the Lord demonstrated when “He made the
stars too,” and remember that He is in control of your life and all the issues
that you are facing.
My Steps of Faith for Today: I trust the Lord with the issues that are
going on in my life at this time, as I realize that He never makes any
mistakes, that He loves me, and that His plans for my life are perfect.
Memory verse: Psalm 143:10 “Teach Me to do Your will, for
You are my God; Let Your good Spirit lead me on level ground.”
Answer to yesterday’s Bible
question: “Jude” (Jude 1).
Today’s Bible
question: “What man won a war by holding
up his hands?”
Answer in our next SD.
1/30/2018 1:55 PM
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