Dynamic Duo's (Acts 13, Isaiah 43:18-19, Luke 6:38)

"God blessed us good!"

© Karen Kyle Ericson, all rights reserved.

Last week I cleaned out one of my cupboards and realized how I needed to get rid of some of my thoughts from my past too.  This week my husband and I went to do the grocery shopping and I realized the cupboard was full of canned foods we hadn't eaten. So we put most of it in a bag and gave it to the local food bank.  Thoughts of hungry children came to mind.  I made up our meals using some of the food we already had, and had a nice low grocery bill.  I kept thinking of families who needed this food more than we do.  That's the Holy Spirit's nudge : )

Let go of the past, confess to the Lord, forgive yourself, others, and move on. 
18 “Do not remember the former things,
Nor consider the things of old.
19 Behold, I will do a new thing,
Now it shall spring forth;
Shall you not know it?
I will even make a road in the wilderness And rivers in the desert."
(Isaiah 43:18-19 NKJV)

Give to others and find joy,
38 "Give, and it will be given to you:  good measure, pressed down, shaken together, and running over will be put into your bosom. For with the same measure that you use, it will be measured back to you."
(Luke 6:38 NKJV)

If you remember, Paul was so volatile that Peter asked him to go back to Tarsus for awhile.  So while he was there he shared the gospel.  While he was gone, Peter helped the Christian Churches accept him.

Acts Chapter 13
1 Now in the church that was at Antioch there were certain prophets and teachers:  Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. 2 As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, “Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” 3 Then, having fasted and prayed, and laid hands on them, they sent them away.
Although Paul was rough around the edges at first, the Lord led him to write most of the New Testament letters.  Also, Paul had been taught by the top teacher in the Synagogue, Gamaliel.  This knowledge would be very helpful for Paul to share.  So as the new Church tried to understand how things fit, Barnabas (a really nice man) and Paul, a Jewish scholor, became a dynamic duo.  In the New Testament the disciples went in twos a lot. 
 

Preaching in Cyprus
4 So, being sent out by the Holy Spirit, they went down to Seleucia, and from there they sailed to Cyprus. 5 And when they arrived in Salamis, they preached the word of God in the synagogues of the Jews. They also had John as their assistant.
They would have been in ancient Greece.  John spent many hours with Jesus.  He was a kind man who learned not to jump to conclusions from Jesus.  He always felt loved with Him.  Me too.  I think his time with Jesus also helped him learn much of the New Testament.  He wrote the book of John.  These are some of my favorite verses from Jesus to John:

7 Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again. ’ 8 The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.  (John 3:7-8 NKJV) 

To me, that means today the Lord led me to share canned food at a foodbank and work on my blog.  Tomorrow, I will probably have another asignment.  The Holy Spirit inspires us. We might not even realize at first : )


6 Now when they had gone through the island to Paphos, they found a certain sorcerer, a false prophet, a Jew whose name was Bar- Jesus, 7 who was with the proconsul, Sergius Paulus, an intelligent man. This man called for Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God. 8 But Elymas the sorcerer (for so his name is translated) withstood them, seeking to turn the proconsul away from the faith. 9 Then Saul, who also is called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “O full of all deceit and all fraud, you son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, will you not cease perverting the straight ways of the Lord? 11 And now, indeed, the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time.”

I think there's two dynamic duo's in this section:  Peter and Barnabas, and then John joined them.

The Sorceror was in the AD series about the Bible on TV.  I hope they release the movie in many languages so others can see and understand it.

And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. 12 Then the proconsul believed, when he saw what had been done, being astonished at the teaching of the Lord.
(Acts 13:1-12 NKJV)

Here's a song from Kim Walker, "We Cry Out" (link)



Christianbook.com is having a Clearance sale on Bibles, music and all sorts of stuff.  Enjoy!