Begin with 2 minutes of stillness and silence before God.

God created all things, and He is in all things. As a believer and one raised in a culturally accepted church, I can easily agree with these statements. Whether I like to believe it or not, I cross paths daily with fewer believers than I would like to admit. After reading this passage in Acts, I thought of the times Jesus shared stories with His disciples and spoke many times about the vast difference between the number of believers compared to the number of non-believers.

In this passage, we see Paul and Barnabas sharing the knowledge of Jesus Christ with a Greek culture that was steeped in their own definition and beliefs of the spiritual world (Greek Mythology such as Zeus, Hades, Hercules, as well as other gods they had created). These people believed that because Paul and Barnabas spoke to them so well, they must have been from Zeus and worthy of worship. Fortunately for Paul and Barnabas, they were able to point them to the worship of an unknown God, share how God has cared for them, and reveal how He planned for them to hear about His Son, Jesus Christ.

Acts 14:15 "We are bringing you good news, telling you to turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made heaven and earth and sea and everything in them."

What made it even harder for the people to accept this new truth is because of the good things and times they were experiencing from what they thought from their gods. Then Paul shared with them that it was how God wanted to share His story and identity with them.

Acts 14:17-18 "He has shown kindness by giving you rain from heaven and crops in their seasons; he provides you with plenty of food and fills your hearts with joy. Even with these words, they had difficulty keeping the crowd from sacrificing to them (worshiping Paul and Barnabas)."

Like Paul and Barnabas, we too are surrounded by many people who are seeking purpose or maybe thinking that there has got to be more to this life. That’s where we (the believers) need to step up and answer the question and say, "You are right, there is more, and you were created and are loved by The Creator of the Universe! He knows you fully and loves you fully, and He showed us that love by rescuing us from eternal separation from Him, by giving us forgiveness, hope, and life by the saving grace of His Son Jesus! The closest example of what this means is through our own personal story of how Jesus Christ intersected with our lives.

Take 2 minutes to reflect in silence.

Reflection:

• Today, we read how Paul and Barnabas pointed others to worship the one true God through a personal relationship with Jesus. In the next week leading up to Mother's Day, we want to honor women who have made it a mission to invest in their family, friends, and community to make known the name of Jesus. Check out this story of encouragement and discipleship from Jones County Campus mom, Katie Crosby.
• Do you have a Jesus Story (Testimony)? Please share it by telling your story on the “Share Your Story” webpage on the Venture Church Website. 
  
• Is there someone in your life that you need to talk to about Jesus? We encourage you to take that next step whether that is to begin praying about it, setting up a time to talk, or whatever you see the next move should be. We would love to pray with you as you take the next step in sharing the Gospel with a friend or family member. Share a prayer request on the Venture Church website and app so we can pray with you!