Acts 13 – 14

Long reading today! One bit that stood out to me was in Acts 14:3 –

 

“So Paul and Barnabas spent considerable time there, speaking boldlyfor the Lord, who confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders”

 

In 14: 1 and 14: 3 it says Paul and Barnabas spoke so effectively and boldly that a great number of people were saved and they also annoyed a few of the religious folk. How did they do this – where did the power come from? They weren’t actually good speakers. Just before this in 13: 52 it says they were going to Iconium and they were ‘filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit’. They weren’t able to do it on their own and they weren’t on their own – the Holy Spirit enabled the boldness and the effective speaking. They were speaking boldly for the Lord not for their own praise or purpose and I love the bit in verse 3 – the Lord ‘confirmed the message of his grace by enabling them to perform signs and wonders’. It’s not about them. It’s the Holy Spirit who enabled them to speak so people were saved and it was the Lord who enabled them to confirm what they were saying.

 

It’s not about us – well we have to be available and open. It’s about God – preparing and enabling us to do great things for Him, that he confirms with signs and wonders. Let’s be available – what is the Holy Spirit saying to you today? Who to talk to and what to do? Pray, ask the Holy Spirit and be open. Go on.