To Fill All Things (6)

When [Barnabas] came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord… And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. Acts 11.23, 26

The hope within us
The apostle Peter famously insisted that when people begin see the hope that is within us, they’ll be curious, and ask for an explanation (1 Pet. 3.15). The hope that is within us is the hope of glory, and the hope of glory is Jesus Christ in us (Col. 1.27), filling our souls with Himself, filling the spiritual airspace of our lives with prayers and praises, and overflowing through our loving words and deeds to touch others with the grace and lovingkindness of the Lord.

Can you “see” that happening in your life?

What do you expect your life to look like as Jesus fills your soul, prayers, and Personal Mission Field with Himself? If you’re not thinking about that—if you can’t “see” it with your mind’s eye—then you’re not likely to realize much of His Presence in or through you.

But the more you focus on Christ in you as your hope for glory, and begin to envision, plan, organize, and conduct your life accordingly, the more you will actually see Jesus coming to expression in your thoughts, affections, choices, words, and deeds—every aspect of your being and demeanor, increasingly.

And others will see the hope within you as well.

Barnabas in Antioch
Something like this must have been Barnabas’ experience as he came to Antioch to follow-up reports of the Gospel having reached the Gentile people there.

I’m always arrested by the phrase, “had seen the grace of God”, which describes his experience in that Roman city. What did Barnabas see that evidenced the lovingkindness of God? Undoubtedly, he saw many of the things we have talked about already—prayers and praises, everyday deeds both small and large—which evidenced the reality of the living Christ beginning to fill Antioch with Himself through the lives of those new believers.

But Barnabas also must have seen a lot of people talking about Jesus. The believers in Antioch appear to have been very eager to chat about Christ, so much so, in fact, that their neighbors took to calling them the “Christ-ones.” Christ was the explanation for their new lives. He was always right on the tip of their tongues, and they were glad to give Him praise or thanks, or to explain some aspect of His life and work as an explanation for their changed lives.

The same would happen in Thessalonica a bit later, where the believers became so full and overflowing with Jesus that their neighbors charged them with having turned the world upside-down (Acts 17.1-6).

As Jesus begins filling the spaces and time of our daily lives with loving deeds and words, we’ll want to make sure that we give credit where it’s due. Jesus is the source and reason for our lives, and the more we talk about Him—freely, confidently, naturally, and joyfully—the more those around us will begin to believe it.

What to say
What do we want to say to people about Jesus? I can’t imagine those believers in Antioch all learning some rote “presentation” of the Gospel. Coming from a pagan background, they would have been very familiar with the Roman practice of attributing divine influence to just about everything in life. As Augustine mockingly pointed out in City of God, the Romans had gods for everything. Gods for harvests, warfare, procreation, weather, and other big things in life; but also gods for noses, beards, clothing, daily food, good manners, civil authorities, sour stomachs, and bad breath.

Roman cities were dotted with kiosks and altars where a person could buy a flower or some incense and offer it to the deity of his choice as he was going from home to the market or to visit a friend in another part of town. Representations of the gods were everywhere, and each had its own unique function and contribution related to human wellbeing.

What the Christians in Antioch were beginning to understand was that all those gods were false, that Jesus is the source of every blessing and benefit, and that, rather than having to remember and placate many gods, they gave thanks and praise only to one, Jesus Christ. They spoke openly, sincerely, and excitedly about the lovingkindness of Christ and the joy associated with His salvation.

Christ was filling their lives and, as a result, overflowing into their conversations. Many of those first believers must have talked not only about their daily blessings but also of their own journey into the faith of Jesus Christ, and of how the people they saw each day could come to know Him as well.

When our lives fill up with Jesus, when we are in continuous communication with Him, and when showing His love to others is part of every day’s plan and activities, then we, too, will find Jesus on the tip of our tongues, and we will be ready to explain the hope that is within us to anyone who might ask.  

For reflection
1. What would you say to someone who asked a reason for the hope they see in you?

2. Why should it be more “natural” for us to bring Jesus into our conversations about everything?

3. What could you do each day to prepare for opportunities to talk about Jesus?

Next steps—Conversation: What is the Gospel? Write down an outline of what you might share. Rehearse it daily until you feel comfortable talking to someone about the Lord.

T. M. Moore

If you need a little help in getting Jesus on the tip of your tongue, two books might be useful. The Gospel of the Kingdom outlines the Good News as Jesus embodied and proclaimed it. Order your copy by clicking here. Joy to Your World! will help you identify your Personal Mission Field and begin filling it with the joy of Jesus. Order your copy by clicking here.

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Except as indicated, all Scriptures are taken from theNew King James Version. © Copyright 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.