“May The Lord’s Hand Be With You!”

“May The Lord’s Hand Be With You!”(Acts 11:19-24).
Whatever justification the Jews may have had for stoning Stephen, and the “great persecution” that broke out against the Jerusalem church on that day, it had unintended consequences which turned out good for the church but bad for the Jews.
Unintended consequences is the unavoidable unintended effects of people’s actions.
In the case of the Jerusalem persecution, the unintended consequences of the persecution was that those who fled and scattered through Samaria and Judea “preached the word wherever they went”(Acts 7:54-8:4).
The persecution thus helped to foster the spread of the gospel which the Jews did not forsee and which the church had not planned for. Lesson: God’s ways are hidden from humans.
Sadly though, those who were scattered as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch told “the message only to Jews.” They were still limited in their understanding of the universality of the gospel.
However, some of them, “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.”
Upon hearing this, the Jerusalem church which had taken up administrative and supervisory roles sent Barnabas to oversee what was happening. When Barnabas “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 means “Son of Encouragement”, so he actually fitted the context. Besides, “he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord ” – possibly through his comportment.
The good news is for everybody; irrespective of race, colour or country. It is good news to those who believe and trun to the Lord and it is no news to those who have chosen not to pay attention to it.
We can only repeat ourselves to say life is about choices and choices have consequences. Our choices determine our actions and there is always a likelihood of intended consequences for any action.
The present fate of English colonised Cameroonians (Ambazonians) is the unintended consequences of a Teachers’ and Lawyers’ genuine protest march as immediate cause. How and when it started, we are able to recount, but how and when it will end is not yet known – except by the One who holds the future in his hands. May the Lord’s hand be with us so that we turn to him and be saved!
Weekend prayer: Holy Spirit help us to be intentional in our loyalty to the gospel. Amen!
Have a blessed weekend! Peace be with you!
Rev Babila Fochang.