Working Together to Share Jesus with Everyone

Acts 13
During our worship time today at CBS, the students were asked if someone... ANYONE walked up to them and asked "who is Jesus?" would they (the student) be able to share Jesus with that "someone?"



Nearly everyone said yes (so that is very very good!)

We sang a new song about Heaven and what it will be like.  I asked the students to "pose" as if Jesus stepped right in front of them at the very moment.  How would you react?  Most of the students looked either like the sweet little gal in the picture above or the guy in the picture below...

Too funny!

Our new song was titled "Alleluia" by Go Fish.

Within the song is a portion of fun music without words.

So I challenged the students on their willingness

to be bold in sharing Christ with others

by quickly jumping into the middle of our circle

during this fun music portion and "strike their pose" for Jesus.

If we think we can be brave enough

to talk to someone about Christ,

surely we can be brave enough to have some fun

and show Him how excited we'd be

if He chose to step right in front of us!

How FUN our loving Creator is!

Saul (whom we now know as Paul) and Barnabas

were more than brave enough to venture to new areas

and share the salvation of Jesus with more Jewish people

as well as people very different than themselves...

Gentiles.

As a matter of fact,

the five men mentioned in our study

this week were very different from each other.

Simon came all they way from Africa

to help spread the Good News!

Paul and Barnabas... working together as partners

on this Project for the Lord...

We know from Acts 13:2 that God set up this partnership.

Verse 5 goes on to tell us they didn't travel alone.

But as far as the purpose of preaching was concerned,

Paul and Barnabas would proclaim the Good News

while John Mark "helped."

"I am only one, but I am one.

I cannot do everything, but I can do something.

And I will not let what I cannot do

interfere with what I can do." ~Edward Everett Hale

What a difference it makes when we

WORK TOGETHER

without seeing our differences.

From Acts 13:6, we know that Elymas (the magician)

is a Jewish man in service to the Roman Governor.

The students were asked why they thought the Governor

would send for TWO Jewish men

when he had a Jewish man already consulting him.

“You can bend it and twist it...

You can misuse and abuse it...

But even God cannot change the Truth.” ~Unknown

And why would He want to change It?

God IS Truth!

Elymas was working alone... for his own self-purpose.

Paul and Barnabas were partners in sharing the Truth.

They worked TOGETHER... for God's Purpose.

From this, we can understand that God wants us to work

TOGETHER -all of us,

especially when it comes to the sharing of our faith with others.

The students were put into "teams"

to work together to solve a puzzle.

I, Mrs. Gettelfinger, put them in their teams.

Sometimes olders students have a difficult time wanting to

work alongside the younger students and vice versa.

Sometimes the whole gender thing plays an issue

of not wanting to work together.

And unfortunately, even at these young and sweet ages,

prejudices of many kind are already working

to keep us from willingly wanting to work together.

After stressing the Personal Challenge from our Lesson 13,

"Are there people you don't like to work with or play with

because they are different from you?

If so, will you ask God to take away your prejudice?"

and encouraging each team to WANT to solve the puzzle,

God gave Mrs. McKain and me the blessing

of seeing prejudices replaced with comfortable feelings

and enthusiastic teamwork.

"Coming together is the beginning.

Staying together is the progress.

Working together is success." ~Henry Ford  

Paul reminded the Jewish people of their history

because their history clearly told them

Jesus would come and forgive sin

-not just for the Jews but also for the Gentiles...

for EVERYONE.

Paul points out in Acts 13:47, quoting Isaiah 49:6,

"I have made You a Light for the Gentiles,

that You may bring salvation to the ends of the earth."

My prayer is that each of these young CBS hearts (as well as mine)

will allow the TRUTH of Isaiah 49:6

to settle deep into our souls so that the Power of the Holy Spirit

will break through the deception of prejudices and

encourage others to know Jesus through our efforts

in serving our True and Living God.