GRINDIT podcast

Acts 13 is the start of Paul and Barnabas' missionary journeys. We know many "heroes" of faith from the Old and New Testament but in this chapter there are some hidden gems that need to be mentioned: Manaen, who was the childhood friend of Herod Antipus. Yes, the Herod Antipus that had Jesus crucified and John the Baptizer beheaded! He helped start the church in Antioch of Syria! Also, there are two other men mentioned: Lucius of Cyrene and Simeon called Niger (pronounced Ni-jer). Lucius means light skinned and Niger means the black one. By their names we can concur these two black men started this church in Antioch of Syria and the Lord blessed their efforts mightily! This church had grown so much that it rivaled the church in Jerusalem! With Racism being at the forefront in our country right now, I wanted to honor these men and give them the credit they deserve!

Why do we worry so much? Why do we panic and stress over so many things? Peter has been arrested, he knows that James, the brother of John, has been beheaded and unless the Lord intervenes he will meet the same fate in just a few days! But when Luke turns the spotlight on Peter as he is in prison waiting for Passover to be over with so he can have his trial we find Peter sound asleep as he is chained to two guards. He was in such a deep sleep that the bright light from the appearance of the angel didn't even wake him up! We say we trust the Lord but do we really?

Persecution started in Acts 4 after Peter and John healed the lame man at the gate called Beautiful. They were given a stern talking to by the religious leaders and told not to preach or teach in the name of Jesus any more. From there it escalates until people began to be killed for their faith! In Acts 8 Stephen is stoned to death while Saul is going from house to house dragging men and women to jail. In Acts 12 it continues to escalate but now it is one of the apostles, James! James is beheaded and Peter is put in prison until he can have a trial after Passover is finished but an angel comes and helps him escape! Why did God spare Peter but not James? Why does bad tings happen to good people? We discuss this in this episode of the GRINDIT podcast.

Word gets back to the church in Jerusalem about what happened with the Gentiles at Cornelius' house and the believers there aren't very happy about it. They couldn't believe that Peter would go in the house of a Gentile and even eat a meal with them! However, after they got the facts first hand from Peter they changed their minds and were delighted that God had chosen the Gentiles as well...or so it seemed. Racism between the Jews and Gentiles was deep and it would be an ongoing issue even for those who followed Jesus! In Acts 11 the Jewish Christians follow the coastline of the Mediterranean Sea preaching Jesus to the Jews but when they came to Antioch of Syria they also shared the gospel with the Jews and what took place rocked their world! So many Gentiles were coming to the Lord they had to send Barnabas from Jerusalem to check things out and he travels to Tarsus to get Saul so he could help with the large growth of the new church there. This would be a relationship that would launch many churches as Saul and Barnabas would work together traveling around telling all people about Jesus!

Cornelius was a God fearing Gentile who was an officer in the Roman army. He prayed three times a day, was devoted to God, and helped the poor om a daily basis, but he lacked something...he didn't have Jesus! After talking with an angel he sends men to get Peter in Joppa and bring him to his home in Caesarea. While the men were gone to get Peter, Cornelius invites his friends and family over to hear what Peter has to say. When Peter arrives he simply shares the gospel, the good news of Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection. Before he could finish his talk, the holy Spirit falls on the Gentiles in the room and they speak in tongues. It was exactly what happened to Peter and the other apostles in Acts 2 so Peter immediately recognized what was going on. Game changer! Because of this event, we Gentiles, are now welcomed into the kingdom of God!

Acts 10 is a game changer when it comes to the kingdom of God, then church. Up until this chapter the gospel has been preached mainly to the Jews but when persecution got so bad, the followers of Jesus fled Jerusalem for safety. As they fled to Judea, Samaria, and other places, they shared the gospel to the local Jews. In Acts 10 there is a divine appointment that takes place between a Roman officer, who is an uncircumcised Gentile, and the apostle Peter. Because of this meeting the gentiles are now welcomed to kingdom of God. However, just because God orchestrated this whole event and Peter witnessed what takes place, the Jews, including Peter, will have major issues when it comes to welcoming the Gentiles. It would be an issue for even the greatest of disciples, including Paul, for the rest of their ministry!

Luke finishes Acts 9 by turning his attention to Peter. Peter travels to a couple of towns and works some miracles that blow the people's minds and many put their faith in Jesus. He heals a man named Aeneas who had been bedridden for eight years. People see him walking around town see him up and walking and after discovering what happened to him, they put their faith in Jesus! Then, some people hunt Peter down and ask him to come heal a woman who had died. Peter goes to where her body is laying, he prays for her, she opens her eyes, and sets up in the bed! After presenting her to the mourners and her family alive, many become believers and follow Jesus!

Sometimes the Lord wants us to do something that, in our mind, sounds crazy, maybe even dangerous. Saul, the persecutor of Jesus followers, has been sent to a man's house where he is to stay until a man named Ananias comes to visit him. Meanwhile, Jesus is having a conversation with Ananias and telling him he is to go lay hands on Saul. Naturally, as we all would be, Ananias is freaked out by what Jesus has commanded him to do; however, he is obedient. Because of his obedience, Saul receives his sight, is baptized into Christ, becomes an instant witness for Jesus, and eventually writes two thirds of the New Testament! Imagine what God could do through you and me if we would put our fear aside and be obedient to His will! Then, He would use the people we witness to in mighty ways as well, just like He did with Saul!

Want to see what happens when someone has a real encounter with Jesus? Look no further than Saul. He was at the stoning of Stephen and he completely agreed with what happened to him. He was so amped up he started persecuting those who followed Jesus going from house to house dragging men and women to prison, busting up families, and he wasn't finished. Saul was on his way to Damascus to do the same thing there but right before he reaches Damascus he has a life changing encounter with Jesus! In this episode I cover Saul's conversion and how the persecutor becomes the persecuted!

Jeff Palmer is the new lead pastor at Partnership Christian Church in Maryville, TN. He joins the GRINDIT Podcast for an interview so you can get to know a bit about who he is and he shares a little of his personal testimony to encourage those who have a similar struggle. Jeff and his wife, Indra, were missionaries in New Zealand for the past four and half years. While there they started The Vine Community Church which you can check out on Facebook. We would love to have you and your family worship with us at Partnership Christian Church located at 323 Partnership Pkwy, Maryville, TN!