This morning I had a dream where it seemed like every few minutes the floor plan or city plan in which I was trying to make my way changed. I was reflecting on that dream and it seemed to me that this is a good picture of the constantly changing world we find ourselves in. Especially this year, it seems like so much of what we knew, so much of how things worked has been changed.
I was praying for the Lord's help and reflecting on some of the verses that I was reading yesterday, and realized that they should give me hope, for there have been many times that everything changed and yet the Lord actually used the change to move forward. The following verses represent a massive change in the life of the church, and the lives of the members of the early church.
Acts 11:19-26 NIV:
[19] "Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. [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. [21] The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
[22] News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. [23] When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. [24] He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
[25] Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, [26] and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch."
If we think for a moment about the impact of these few verses, it is actually quite spectacular the amount of change that occurred in the life of the church. They went from being a Jerusalem based and focused church to being spread wide throughout the region. They went from being Jewish focused to being open to Gentiles, specifically the Greeks. The people who left Jerusalem under the persecution, likely left everything behind, homes, jobs, etc. and had to start new in these new locations. Granted there were some that went back to where they were originally from, but starting over is never easy.
In spite of all of that change, it is clearly evident that the Hand of the Lord was guiding them, and they were seeing new opportunities for evangelism, for sharing their love of God, for spreading the Gospel. Again, as I mentioned yesterday, these people were generally not the leaders in the church, and we see God does not limit Himself to only working through established leadership to bring change. Oftentimes, it seems to me, that the leadership is having to see what the Lord is doing in the midst of the body, and then blessing and encouraging God's work as it is evolving and being revealed.
We see a good example of that here in verses 22 and 23. The church leaders hear about the move of God in Antioch, and they sent Barnabas to bless and aid the already established work of God. Again, going back to my earlier thoughts, those who started the work in Antioch were people whose whole lives were upended by the persecution.
In summary, in these ever and rapidly changing times, there is one who knows what will happen, and when it will happen, and He has a plan. He is our God and He will direct us and guide us, as His sons and daughters, in such a way that the Body of Christ on earth will be increased and His will accomplished. We don't need to fear change, we just need to ask Him to direct us in the midst of the change! Every one of us needs to keep our eyes and ears open for opportunities to advance the Gospel, to expand the Kingdom, for God has no favorites and doesn't rely on earthly leadership to introduce change, new ideas and new movements. We are all His favorites, and we are all equally His sons and daughters, and He loves and values each of us, so why wouldn't he use every one of us?
Going back to my dream this morning, in the midst of the constant change, I never lost my head, never panicked, never gave into fear. We need to take the same approach now, allowing God's word to speak peace to our lives, and confidence to our steps. He is fully capable of bringing great Glory to His name and blessing to us in the midst of this all. He is good, loving, merciful, compassionate, faithful and for us! Let us encourage one another, come alongside one another, and press forward into the glorious future He has planned for us! There may well be struggle and difficulty, there will certainly be change, but He is in charge, and we know He is capable and good.
Amen!
May the Lord bless you with peace, give you direction and guidance, and help you make sense of all the change we are seeing!
Sam
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