And the hand of the Lord was with them… (Acts 11:21a)

“God has his ways to loosen our roots and move us. Some of them are gentle—like a still small voice—and some are severe—like the death of a great man. Tune your heart, and discern how God is leading.”

“These evangelists were ordinary guys, so how did they see such results? The Lord’s sovereign hand was on them. He blessed their witness. The Lord Jesus is the hero of the message (‘the good news about the Lord Jesus,’ v. 20); he is the goal of the message (‘turned to the Lord,’ v. 21); and he is the source of power (‘the Lord’s hand was with them,’ v. 21). Jesus was building his church right in hedonistic Antioch.” – Tony Merida

Barnabas (“son of encouragement”):
· When he…saw the grace of God, he was glad.
· He encouraged (“exhorted”) them all.
· He was a good man.
· He was full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.

“Christian teachers look to history to provide the church with rootage and context. Christian prophets listen to the Spirit to provide the church with direction and encouragement.” – Dean Pinter

Big Idea: Surrender everything to God and be SCATTERED, SENT, and SENDING by the Hand of the Lord.

Next step takeaways:
With God as His FAMILY:
• Ask God to show you how to surrender more of your time to Him.
• Ask God to show you how to surrender more of your talents to Him.
• Ask God to show you how to surrender more of your money and possessions to Him.

Next step takeaways:
With Others as His SERVANTS:
• Use your time, talents, money, or possessions to serve a brother or sister in Christ in some tangible way this week.

Next step takeaways:
On Mission as His MISSIONARIES:
• Reach out to one of our Global Outreach Staff this week to encourage them and pray for them.
• Sign up for the “True Financial Freedom” class to be equipped to steward your finances for the glory of God.