Church God Blesses

The Baby Under AttackCarol and I have often read the Christmas story in Matthew 2, which includes King Herod''s vicious attack on the babies of Bethlehem in his efforts to seek and destroy Jesus, the newborn King. From this story we thought we understood that Satan often attacks the "baby" when it is young and vulnerable. Through the experiences of others we had learned that when a new ministry for Christ begins or when someone steps out in faith to do God''s will, Satan will often try to squelch what God is doing right at the outset-before it gathers momentum and builds a stronger faith.As we began our ministry at the Brooklyn Tabernacle, we both thought we understood and were prepared for Satan''s attacks. We were (and still are) hungry to be like the early Christians who so powerfully experienced the Lord''s hand on their lives. Carol and I wanted the Brooklyn Tabernacle to be a place where God''s grace would be clearly evident and not just talked about. But soon we learned just how intense it can get when the "baby" is under attack.The story of this satanic attack actually begins with some precious verses in the New Testament that God used in a tremendous way in my life. They paint a beautiful picture of the church God blesses:Now those [Christians] who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some 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. The Lord''s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord (Acts 11:19-21).WHAT''S THE SECRET?The great Christian church in Antioch was begun, surprisingly, by some unknown and unnamed "men from Cyprus and Cyrene." So what was the real secret of its wonderful birth? One simple phrase tells it all: "The Lord''s hand was with them." With no New Testament yet written, surrounded by hostile Jews and Romans, with no benefit from a legalized religion or formal church buildings, with no apparent source of income, with no printed materials or sound systems or choirs or seminary training, anonymous believers started one of the most dynamic congregations of the Christian era.The Bible offers no specifics concerning the methodology or doctrinal statement of its founders. We are told only that "the Lord''s hand was with them." Because of God''s blessings, this church evidently led multitudes of people to the Lord Jesus Christ in repentance and faith! It didn''t matter what was against these believers because God''s blessings and grace were for them in a remarkable way.Soon the older church in Jerusalem heard about God''s blessing being poured upon this unique, Jewish/Gentile congregation in Antioch. The leaders sent a trusted man, Barnabas, to confirm the wonderful reports. Acts 11:23 records what happened next: "When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts."Barnabas "saw the evidence" that God was blessing and at work in special ways. The church in Antioch had no publicity department or magazine to sing its praises, but it needed noth-ing of the sort. When unbelievers are repenting of sin and turning to the Lord, when mass water baptismal services have to be scheduled, when there are strong congregational prayer meetings, when there is a spirit of unity and love among believers-that, my friends, is a little of heaven right here on earth!The whole impact of these unnamed believers and the church they founded revolves around the fact that "the Lord''s hand was with them." And what occurred in Antioch about two thousand years ago can also occur today. No matter where we are, we can experience God''s blessings to the extent that his hand of power is with us. Whether we are pastors, teachers, evangelists, Christian education workers, or music ministers or have other positions in oCymbala, Jim is the author of 'Church God Blesses' with ISBN 9780310242031 and ISBN 0310242037.