Wednesday Night - 12/3/25

“WHEN THE GRACE OF GOD IS SEEN”                        Acts 11:19-26(NIV)(A movement emphasizing the visibility of grace in a community)Grace is the free, sovereign, undeserved favor of God, by which He acts for the good of His people—saving, sustaining, empowering, and transforming them through Jesus Christ.Grace means God gives us His love and help even when we don’t deserve it. He saves us, takes care of us, gives us strength, and helps us grow to be more like Jesus—because He loves us. 1. Grace Goes Where Pain Scatters Us (v. 19)19Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews.·      What looks like loss becomes the seedbed for kingdom expansion.·      The gospel spreads through the wounds God redeems.2. Grace Reaches Further Than Our Comfort Zones (v. 20–21)20Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.·      The bold witness to Greeks reveals a grace not limited by ethnicity or tradition.·      When God’s hand is on His people, outsiders become family. o   “Strangers” are just friends you haven’t met yet.3. Grace Is Recognized by Spirit-Filled Encouragers (v. 22–23)22News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.·      Barnabas “saw the grace of God”—you can see grace in a church!·      Our task is to call it out, nurture it, and exhort it toward steadfast devotion.4. Grace Forms a New Kind of People (v. 24–26)24He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.25Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.·      Discipleship produces Christlikeness.·      A community so shaped by grace gains a new identity: “Christians.”·      Grace visible → grace formed → grace named.