We praise God for drawing us to His Son, Jesus.  What better way to show our gratitude to God than by living our lives to please Jesus through our actions, words, and thoughts every day?  Let the world see what a life transformed by the Gospel looks like, and I’m sure others will want that, too.

What’s reassuring is that no matter how hard we try to close Him off, God is powerful and gracious to save us by opening our hearts.

Knowing that Christians as solid as Paul and Barnabas may have strong disagreements, we should also learn to commend ourselves to the grace of the Lord… Let’s be like Paul and trust that the Lord’s grace is sovereign over our disagreements. Let’s entrust ourselves to Him who works good through it.

The goal is brotherly unity and love through cultural sensitivity, deference, the old-fashioned “putting yourself in the other person’s shoes.” Remember the Golden Rule. Much of our modern-day problems, both big and small would simply disappear if we all practiced this a little bit more.

While certain things can contribute to unity, it’s really the Gospel that initiates and solidifies real unity… No human movement or ingenuity can truly bring the unity that humanity deeply desires. Unity is only something orchestrated by God.

God often uses difficulty to deepen our dependence. So don’t ignore it. Don’t try to escape it. Look for God’s purpose in it.

Our desire to make much of human beings has caused many in the church, including myself, to make gods out of mere human beings… So how should we approach this growing trend?

Continuing in God’s grace is just as important as beginning in God’s grace.  We must never leave God’s grace as only the basic principle of our relationship with God.

There will be times when we will suffer for the Gospel, but that doesn’t mean we will always be ridiculed or that everyone will think weʻre crazy. God calls and opens hearts…You might be the one God uses to change a personʻs eternity.

For many of us, it is difficult, awkward, and uncomfortable to share our faith with others, but God has commanded that we do so. More than that, He has actively set us apart, He sends us where we ought to go, fills us with His Spirit, and equips us to proclaim His powerful Gospel!