Central Truth

We are called to be imitators of our Lord, reaching out to our brothers & sisters in Christ and to all those whom He has placed around us.

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Reflections

Wow! So far we have seen the explosion of the church, disciples increasing, the gospel spreading and, sadly, the first apostle martyred. While Stephen was being stoned "Saul was there, giving approval to his death" (7:60). Yes, just a few verses ago Saul "was still breathing out murderous threats against the Lord's disciples" (9:1). Then, WHAM, he was converted! This radical, fierce, passionate, persecutor of the church would soon become a radical, fierce, passionate defender of the faith. Now that's what I call a new creation in Christ Jesus...the old had certainly gone (Saul) and the new had come (Paul)!!

Given Paul's history, I understand the disciples' hesitancy to embrace him. But one of them trusted in the power of the Lord to change the heart: Barnabas. Who knows? Perhaps without Barnabas' willingness to reach out to a new believer in Christ we may have missed out on one of the greatest apostles of all time! 

Christ bridged the gap between life & death and between God and mankind by willingly dying on the cross and being resurrected. We can imitate Him by following Barnabas' example of helping someone bridge the gap between their "old life" without Christ and their "new life" in Christ!

I remember being a "baby believer" and how uncertain I was of my conversion. I'm so glad I had someone there to crawl and walk with me in my new faith. Since that time, over 10 years ago, I've been able to reach out to others. Sometimes it's just a matter of noticing confusion or pain on someone's face and then asking if they're okay. 
We don't need to be scholars to help others reach their potential in Christ. We just need to accept them right where they are. Once we've built a bridge of friendship & communication, we can start encouraging each other in our faith walk. Who knows? Perhaps God is using these "baby believers" to mature you. Perhaps you will be used by God to help launch the greatest evangelist the world has ever seen! Either way...there's a gap in there somewhere.

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Discussion Questions

1. Do you know any new believers or anyone struggling in their faith? If so, have you asked them how you can help?

2. If you're in a small group, have you invited any newcomers lately?

3. Have you shared your faith with any non-believing friends or family members recently (bridging the gap between darkness & light)?

4. If you're new to the faith, are you pursuing other disciples as Paul did?

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