In my last blog, I pointed out that as Paul and Barnabas were persecuted and in the midst of that persecution, they remained faithful. (Acts 14) What do you do when people try to worship you? That is exactly what happened next when Paul and Barnabas went to Lystra. Paul healed a lame man and the people thought that the two men were gods. They called Paul Hermes because he was the chief speaker. They called Barnabas Zeus. There was a legend that Zeus and Hermes visited Lystra years before and so the people were all worked up that it was happening again.

How would you respond? My tendency would be to relish in the spotlight momentarily. Paul and Barnabas tore their clothes.  This was a way to visually show their disapproval of the idolatrous worship of the people of Lystra.  They said, “Men, why are you doing these things? We also are men with the same nature as you, and preach to you that you should turn from these useless things to the living God, who made the heaven, the earth, the sea, and all things that are in them.” In spite of the people being out of control to worship them, Paul and Barnabas wouldn’t allow it.

Great lesson for us.  Run from idolatry.  Embrace Humility

In Acts 14, Paul and Barnabas faced severe opposition in Iconium. Jews from Antioch came over and “poisoned the minds” of the people against the message of the gospel. Iconium was a pluralistic city that New Testament scholar John Polhill called a “cultural amalgum”. This city had multiple religions represented. It reminds me of the makeup of Gainesville, FL. Gainesville, home to a great host of university students, is an amalgum of religious culture. The work of the gospel is not always easy in this type of setting.

We see Paul and Barnabas facing this difficulty…so what did they do? Acts 14:3 says that they “stayed a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord.” Faithfulness in difficulty is the challenge for all believers. Whatever you are facing: trying to be a faithful parent, hard-working Chistian businessman, Godly student or some other assignment, you can count on one thing–the road will be tough. We have a biblical example of two believers who stayed faithful in the midst of that difficulty. My prayer is that we would learn by the example of Paul and Barnabas in Iconium.

We are thankful for the wonderful way that the Lord Jesus is blessing our fellowship. I’m writing this note to you following a wonderful Lord’s Day. We had the wonderful privilege of baptizing two new members into the fellowship of the church. We also experienced the beautiful observance of the Lord’s Supper. I know I’ve said this to you before, but the Lord’s Supper service is one of my favorite services. We are to remember what Jesus has done for us. This past Sunday was extra special.

July is particularly busy for our Middle and High School Students. They are involved in “Xtreme Journey”- a discipleship program that will challenge them to grow closer to Christ. We at North Central believe that the church is to join hands with the family in encouraging students to walk with Christ. Xtreme Journey is a ministry that challenges them to: have a daily quiet time, memorize scripture, participate in Christian service, and even more. Those that are faithful will grow in Christ. I’m thankful for Rev. Zach Allen’s team of leadership. They are being used of God to minister to our students.

Our Middle and High Schoolers will go to Youth Camp on Monday, July 27th – 31st in Forsythe, Georgia. Please pray for our students to yield to the leading of the Holy Spirit in their lives at Camp. I know of no other week in a student’s life more important than Camp week. Our youth are sponsoring a spaghetti supper on Sunday night, July 12 at 5:30pm to help raise funds for Camp. Come enjoy a great meal. All proceeds will help our youth go to camp. As a part of this special night, Brother Michael Anderson is organizing a “Praise Sing”. Many of our folks participate in this special night to honor Jesus. Last year it was fabulous!

Mark July 26th as the night for our quarterly Business Conference.

Church family, I’m calling on us to be prayed up as our new academic year will be upon us shortly. We have a unique opportunity to reach Santa Fe and UF students in record numbers. We do not reach them for numbers sake. We reach them because North Central is a spiritual incubator for future generations to carry the gospel all over the world. The Lord didn’t place us in Gainesville accidentally! We have before us an open door to reacharound the world through our international ministry and our outreach to college students. We will welcome these students to town and to our church specifically beginning on August 23rd and subsequent Sundays. Let’s love them to Jesus.

When you combine this with our outreach to all walks of life, North Central truly has an opportunity that is tremendous. Don’t sit on the sidelines! Get involved in some way. Greet! Teach! Plug in! Jesus is moving in our midst and I don’t want to miss it, do you? You folks love the Word of God! You love people! If you combine these two ingredients, you can literally see a Joyful Church. A Joyful Church is contagious!

Blessings to you and yours!