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James
Acts 12:2

“He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.”
James was most probably beheaded.

He wasn’t the first martyr, that was Stephen. However, he was the first of the Twelve to be killed.

The importance of this is that it would have been very shocking that one of the Twelve had been put to death. Where was the divine protection? Surely the Twelve would not be the ones to die? 

Jesus never promised protection. In fact he promised these 2 brothers that they would drink from the same cup as Him. James martyrdom was the fulfilment of that promise.

Why did Herod choose James to kill? It was most definitely for his own popularity. This action will gain support for him. 

Watch carefully for those near you who are searching for fame and praise of man. They may even resort to your demise in order to gain. 

Can you carry?
Acts 11:30

“This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul.”

Barnabas and Saul were trusted with the money. They could be trusted with the money. They had financial integrity. No bank transfer was used. They were handling the offering raised and would carry it to the elders in Judea. 

Can you be trusted to carry what man or God has given you?

Can you carry your life with its responsibilities and relationships to the end? 

Can you be a good steward of your life?

Say it don’t change it
Acts 11:28

“One of them, named Agabus, stood up and through the Spirit predicted that a severe famine would spread over the entire Roman world. (This happened during the reign of Claudius.)”
We do not know how Agabus gave this message from God. But it was clear that something of an upcoming doom would be widespread. A warning to prepare themselves. 

It takes courage to bring such a ‘negative’ word.
It was the last Sunday of January 2000 and I was facing a packed congregation during the evening service. They had come to see a special event from a para-church organisation led by a man who had recently joined our church with a ministry that reached out to the vulnerable of society. I had not seen the church so excited for a long time. Even the negative people were ultra positive. God was with the church and leading us into a whole new season. It was all I could have hoped for. 

Then I began to receive a message from God during the last song:

“I believe the Lord is saying that this relationship is like an engagement , tonight is that engagement but it is going to get better for it is leading to a marriage.”

However, that is not what the Lord gave me to say. I changed it. 

I had kept the singing going for longer, for I was battling with the actual word that was given me, a repeated verse of the song may give me time for clarity. If members only knew that they have sung so many extra songs because the Pastor was just trying to work out what to do!

You see the actual word was:

“I believe the Lord is saying that this relationship is like a marriage, tonight is the wedding but it is not going to last for it is leading to a divorce .” 

But I was surely wrong. The signs all around would indicate this was God. He was moving in the church.

So I changed it. I could not give such a negative word. I truly believed God wouldn’t give such a word, it must be me, I was making this up.

I got home that night and after repenting and with tears I promised God I would never change a message He gave me ever again. If He would be gracious to use me with words again I would be honourable to them. The following Sunday graciously the Spirit spoke to me again, again it wasn’t a ‘nice’ word, it was a warning but I was ready to say it exactly as I was hearing it: “The Church would have to walk past a snarling dog but we must know it is chained. The dog is only barking it will not hurt us.”

The next morning I was recording that message through the PA system of the church. I felt I needed to keep it. Though I was on my own I was soon joined by the leader of the para-church organisation. With the sound of my voice going through the speakers I became embarrassed and went to turn it off, but the leader said for me to leave it on. 

So there we were, me and this man in the church on our own listening to a message about a snarling dog and the Church not to be afraid. 

Within 3 months that man was taking me and the church to the Employment Tribunal. It became the worse 9 months of my life and I nearly ended my pastorate. We won the case but it was a very difficult season. We however walked past the snarling dog, there was much slander, but it was just noise and we survived.

How did I get through this? How did I lead the church through this season? It was because of the original word that God gave me, even though I had changed it.

God had told us it would end in divorce and it had. He then to,d us we could walk past the slander. The word prepared me and the church, we survived because of the word. I survived because of grace.
Sometimes our message from God isn’t all lovely and exciting and positive. It can be quite difficult to receive.

However, we must stay true to what He is telling us. Prophecy encourages, strengthens, comforts and edifies. 

But sometimes He wants us to predict a famine.

A good person 
Acts 11: 24

“He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.”
In every translation of the Bible you will read the words, ‘he was a good man.’ You see, there isn’t any other way to express it, Barnabas was a good guy.
A lot of the outcomes of your life are actually not dependent on your gifting and ability but whether or not you are a good man or a good woman. 
A good person isn’t a perfect person, they have just learnt how to apologise and they do this without hesitation.

A good person is loving towards God and loving towards people, out of their mouths are words of love, their actions are love and kindness.

A good person is reliable, can be trusted because they trust wholeheartedly in God who protects and guides them.

A good person speaks positively, smiles and doesn’t take themselves too seriously.

A good person puts the other first ahead of their own gain, they are the encouragers not discouragers or rebukers.
Lord make me good! 

Arrive
Acts 11: 23
“When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.”
How did he know that God was moving in Antioch? How could Barnabas tell that the reports were accurate? 

He simply had to go there to see for himself.

Sometimes you just have to arrive. You have to be there in the middle of the situation to be able to ascertain for yourself what is actually happening.

Someone asked me yesterday if I thought that what was happening in a certain place in the world was actually true, was this God? I had to say I did not know because I had not visited. 

The leaders in Jerusalem heard and then they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 

The problem is that we are not people who arrive, we are pilgrims in this land, our arrival day is scheduled for heaven. As a result we often miss the works of God because we never stop to look for them. 

May God send you today into areas where He is doing something, where a person may already be drawing near to Him, so that you can encourage that person.

May God send you to find the evidence of His hand, His work. So that you can say ‘Yes this is God, I was there.’

Arrive, stop, listen and look.

Tell someone
Acts 11:22

“News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.”
Are you a gossiper of the good news?

Are you the messenger that runs to people far and wide to tell them of what is happening in a certain place?

Do you speak well of what God is doing in your church?

Today find something good that God is doing and go tell someone. 

Get on to Facebook, Twitter, or whatever else you want to use and tell the world. Pick up a phone, write a letter, go and see someone. But make sure you choose who you tell wisely. Find someone influential. 

Someone had gone to the leaders in Jerusalem and told them of what God was doing in Antioch. Those leaders then took up the story, they became part of the next chapter by sending Barnabas to go and encourage the new believers.

You don’t know what will happen next if you tell someone influential what God is doing. That person may engage with the story and take it to the next level. I was recently in an African conference where there were more preachers than the schedule supposedly would allow for and each one was introduced as someone who was going to take us to the next level. What this meant was that the schedule became not even a guide of what was going to happen but not worth the paper it had been written on. Whenever we heard ‘now we are going to go to another level’ we knew another preacher would preach. I must confess I was quite happy to remain on the level I was at but then I am not that holy!

However my African friends had a point, we do need people to take us and our story to the next level. But how can they if they do not know? What has been missed because we just did not speak up?

News reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem … Let us make sure the news reaches. 

Do you have someone to tell today?

Derren Brown proves what we already know!
Acts 11:21

“The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.”
Fevers leave when the Lord’s hand is with us. Matthew 8:15

Dead girls rise when the Lord’s hand stretches out. Matthew 9:25

Failing sea-walkers are rescued by the reach of the Lord’s hand. Matthew 14:31

And we could go on ….

Is the Lord’s hand with us?

If it is then things happen.

You don’t need the Lord’s hand to draw a crowd.

Nor to have a church service enjoyed by all.

You don’t need the Lord’s hand to manipulate and entertain.

You can have many committee meetings and other type of meetings titling them whatever you want. You can have these without the Lord’s hand.

You don’t need the Lord’s hand for prayer meetings asking God to move His hand.

You don’t need the Lord’s hand to plan all that is going to happen in the Church.

But now stay with me. You don’t need the Lord’s hand for fevers to leave, for healings and miracles.

Last night I switched off the channel I was watching because I couldn’t watch it anymore. Derren Brown mimicking healing by showing how he could heal people through manipulation or magic. Why? To prove that the Church isn’t using divine healing but manipulated healing. He successfully demonstrated his point. People were healed and they testified and he thanked the Holy Spirit having asked the Father to help him, his prayers said in mimicry. What did he prove? Nothing that we who believe in divine healing don’t already accept.

There has been in the world since day one of the Church and before its birth, healers who received their powers from a variety of ways. They healed through the demonic, through manipulation and also through the Lord’s hand. These ways are found in the Church and outside the Church. His form of atheism proved that manipulation can work. But we already know this. I could take him to the witchdoctors of Africa and Asia who could outdo his shows ten times over. But those of us who believe in the Lord’s hand know that people can be healed from witchdoctors.

So what am I saying? Look at the verse before us today.

You don’t need the Lord’s hand for healings, resurrections and rescues but you do need the Lord’s hand to see people turn to the Lord. Only his hand does this. No demonic or manipulation can bring people to the Lord.

And where is the Lord’s hand? 

It is with those who GO. Jesus promised to be with those who say YES to the Great Commission. If you GO I will be with you. The Lord’s hand is with them who go for the sole and most important purpose of seeing people turn to Him. Derren Browns show can heal, so can the witchdoctors, but no show on earth can bring people into a relationship with Jesus. Only the Lord’s hand can do this!

‘However’ people
Acts 11:20

“Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.”
Have you ever thought about being an ‘however’ person?

To be one of those who buck the trend, who step out of what is culturally acceptable to further the kingdom of God. That’s what happened to some Jewish men from Cyprus and Cyrene who went to Antioch where the first mission to the Gentiles is recorded.

To be an ‘however’ person then you need to be someone:

1. Who doesn’t mind being an unknown hero.

2. Who will be part of the minority not the majority viewpoint.

3. Who is prepared to leave your comfort and go to a place not known.

4. Who begins to speak to a people very different to you but you manage to do this effectively. 

5. Who carries the good news, ‘however’ people are joyful people! 
Today try and say ‘however’ at some point. Then be that person who says it.

Details
Acts11:18

“When they heard this, they had no further objections and praised God, saying, “So then, God has granted even the Gentiles repentance unto life.”

When thy heard what?
After Peter had fully explained his vision, what God was saying, what he had seen the Spirit do, what he had remembered what Jesus said he would do, then they were relaxed and at peace about the Gentiles coming to God.

You see, sometimes people just need the details.

We have already seen in this book of Acts how Stephen gave a long detailed speech.

Throughout the Bible we see speeches being made from its leading characters. All said with the intention of proving, defending, changing the position and belief of the listener. 

Taking the time to go into detail. Slowing the pace down a little may be tiring but if you want to take people with you then you need to give them time to process what they are hearing and seeing. 
You may be 10 steps ahead of people and asking them to trust you while you give them the headlines, this won’t cut it. They need more. Everyone deserves the journey no matter how slow they may be. 

Maybe today you can make the effort to talk a bit more. Go into the story more. Explain. Make things clear. Maybe you’ll gain more followers if you do.