A Motivated Heart to Serve Jesus (Acts 11)

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7/26/20
Rev. Clint Smith
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A Motivated Heart to Serve Jesus – Acts 11:19-30

It is evident in the Book of Acts; the Church is a people group not a building in a specific locale. While the Church continued to receive persecution from society, they continued to scatter, to preach salvation in Jesus alone and grow bolder in their faith.

  • Stephen was martyred for his faith as recorded in Acts 7:59,60. The Holy Spirit used the Word of God, the Believers faith in Christ and the persecution of the Church to motivate them to be on mission.
  • Some of the scattered preached only to Jews about Jesus because they were motivated by the message and their culture. They did not know the Gospel and the Holy Spirit was for the Gentiles also.
  • Some of the scattered preached to all people about Jesus as they traveled because they were motivated by love and freedom.
  • The scattered followers of Jesus had Divine favor because Jesus was with them. A great number believed and turned to the Lord. The were motivated through experiencing God. Matthew 28:18-20; Acts 1:8
  • When the First Church of Jerusalem heard God was moving in Antioch, they were motivated to send Barnabas to the region to investigate.
  • Barnabas (a godly man both privately and publicly) saw the grace of God poured out on the Church at Antioch and he was glad. He was motivated to encourage all Believers in their faith.
  • Barnabas left Antioch to travel to Tarsus to retrieve Saul. They returned to Antioch and stayed one year. Both were motivated to make mature disciples of the Church at Antioch.
  • Believers were first called Christians in Antioch. They were motivated to model their lives after Jesus, Stephen, Barnabas, and Saul.
  • During their season of discipleship, prophets came from Jerusalem, one name Agabus prophesied of a great famine that was coming in their time. The Holy Spirit motivated him to reveal future truth.
  • Christians in Antioch were motivated by the Word of God to send financial relief to the Church in Jerusalem so they might make it through the pandemic. They sent the relief by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. Each gave according to their ability and motivated heart.

Do you have a motivated heart to serve Jesus?