Let us pray. And it came to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves with the Church and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. Thank you for giving me the heart of Barnabas, Lord. Thank you for allowing me to encourage and to speak life and to all those willing to listen. As I grow and evolve in my faith, I pray that my life would be a beacon of hope and a model for others to follow. As you begin to expand your number of believers around me, I pray that we would operate in such a way that people can see the resemblance of Christ in our everyday actions and deeds. Through this, I pray that revival will break loose in my city, in my state, and in my country. I pray that we would make such a noise that the whole world will look in our direction and wonder where we get our joy, our peace, and our power from. When asked, we will rejoice, because you are now giving us the opportunity to share the greatest love story ever told, the Gospel of Jesus Christ. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Listening to these daily prayers strengthens your relationship with God. Continue hearing from the Lord by listening to today's Bible in a year. Brought to you by Bibleinaway. Com. Com.

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I'm Cheryl McClellum, host of the Cold Case podcast, Zone 7. Join us every Wednesday to hear cases like the Long Island serial killer. Here, Carrie Lawson, daughter of the notorious serial killer, BTK, weigh in on the accused Long Island serial killers children.

You show genuine interest, and you can't fake it, but these guys can see right through to your soul. You have to be walled off, prepared. If you don't know your stuff, they're going to just call you out and they're going to be like, Nope, I'm talking to somebody else. I'm not talking to you.

Here, great insight from one of New York City's finest, Detective Joe Jackalone, a cold case expert.

You know, as well as I do, cops weren't even aware of it back then, so.

They're.

Going to have some.

Difficulty putting.

Those cases together.

Unless, of course.

He confesses. Listen to Zone 7 with Cheryl McCleom on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hello, I'm Bishop TV, Jake, and I want to welcome you to my new podcast with pray. Com called Sleep Psalms.

Close your eyes.

And focus on God.

Picture him as your shepherd.

That knows you and surrender to him.

Each episode guides you on a serene exploration of Psalms, gently calming every nerve and restless, mind-turning adventure that keeps you up in the middle of the night, transposing you into the safety of his arms. He is going to lay you down in green pastures and restore your soul. Join me and let the Lord be your shepherd tonight. Listen to sleep songs with Bishop P. D. Jakes on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast or wherever you get your podcast.

Little Christs. In our last story, Peter discovered that the Kingdom of God was expanding to more than just the Jews. Through his interactions with Cornelius, Peter began to learn that God was going to extend his reach to all the nations. Now we see the church expand and grow despite persecution. Everywhere the family of God goes positive change follows, and the believers begin to create a reputation that would echo thousands of years into the future.

Welcome to the Bible in a Year podcast. I'm Jack Graham. In our last episode, we heard how God showed Peter that the Gospel of Jesus Christ is meant for everyone, all nations, not just the Jewish people, but people everywhere. Peter then shared the Gospel with a household of a Roman centurion named Cornelius, and his whole family came to faith in Christ. The good news of Jesus was beginning to spread beyond the Jewish world and Jerusalem, and now the word of God is moving throughout the earth. Today, we'll hear how more non-Jews around the world began to embrace the Gospel. As the church grew, Barnabas was sent to Antioch to strengthen and encourage the new believers. Let's listen now to today's reading from the exciting Book of Acts.

The heavy clanging of chains echoed through the streets of Jerusalem. Believers in Jesus were rounded up like cattle and thrown into prison for their faith. Soon the jail cells were overflowing with people singing Psalms and praises to God. So the violence increased. Men were fed to lions and women were ripped away from their children. Whoever did not receive a beating received humiliation. So the people of God scattered to the outer regions of the Roman Empire. Believers in Jesus fled to Cyprus and Antioch for safe haven. Before, the word was only preached to the Jews, but now there were rumblings of the revival erupting forth from the Hellenists who were Jewish Greeks. So many started coming to know Jesus that the Apostles sent Bonobus to go and lead them. They needed someone rational yet caring. They needed a man strong enough to lead but gentle enough to comfort others. Bonobus was all of these things and more. God had appointed him with a sharp mind and saintly heart. It was this mind and heart that resonated with Saul. Barnabas had taken Saul under his wing and discipled him. The two spoke of God, Jesus, the word, and miracles.

Slowly, Saul was growing in the power and wisdom of Christ. The Hellenistic believers created an infamous reputation in Cyprus and Antioch. When there was a great famine in the land, the disciples of Jesus sent a great deal of resources to meet the city's needs. Believers worked day and night to ensure everyone was fed and clothed. People observed their self-sacrifice and kindness. They saw thousands of people being fed and hundreds of people being healed. The Gentiles noticed that there was something strange about them. They looked and acted like Jesus himself. They were like little Christs. Thus people began to refer to them as Christians.

As we begin today's reading, we see that the Gospel is on the move. The Church is on the move. The persecution that came as a result of faith in Jesus Christ has now scattered the Church in Jerusalem, as believers now move from their safe haven from Jerusalem to the uttermost parts of the earth. They're going to places like Cyprus and Antioch. Though many of the believers were still stuck in the mindset that the Gospel was for a select group only, and therefore only preached the word to people who were religious, there were others who, like Peter, understood that there was a much greater mission, a broader mission. In Acts 11:20 and 21, here's what we find. But there were some of them, men of Cyprus and Cyrene, who on coming to Antioch spoke to the Hellenists, also preaching the Lord Jesus, and the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. Hellenists were Greek men and women. They were Gentiles. We see that as they heard the good news, they also received it by putting their faith in Christ and following him. The church is multiplying and now is experiencing an explosion of growth in these distant cities.

This, of course, was great and all a part of God's plan. When the church in Jerusalem received the news that people were being saved at distant places, they sent a trusted brother in Christ to help strengthen and instruct these new believers. Barnabas was one of these men. He was known to be full of faith and filled with the Holy Spirit. He had been the first in Jerusalem to welcome Saul, who became Paul, in his miraculous conversion. And so when Barnabas saw the need in Antioch, he went to Tarsus to find Saul and bring him to Antioch. Together, these men taught the believers for an entire year, and their teaching paid off. These followers of Christ stood out from the crowd in Antioch. Their generosity and kindness did not go unnoticed, and soon they earned a moniker, Little Christ or Christians. This is the name now with which we are so familiar. It began back at Antioch when the believers there were first called Christians because of their Christ-like attitude and actions. Today's reading reminds us of the importance of discipling new believers in the faith and that this is something that takes time and intentional investment by more mature believers.

Barnabas knew that the believers in these places needed to be instructed in the faith so that they would remain true to the gospel and to the word of God. He also understood that Saul, though he was highly educated in Jewish law and tradition, needed a mentor in his new faith, someone to walk with him, to encourage him, and prepare him for the ministry to which God had called him. We all need a Barnabas or two in our lives, and we should also seek to be a Barnabas to others, encouraging, mentoring, and bringing people up in their faith. This reading is also a reminder of what it means to be called a Christian. This is not simply a group or a club that we joined. We are called to reflect Christ into the world, to remind people of Jesus, that people will see Christ working in us and therefore call us Christians. Let's pray together. Dear God, how we praise you for your goodness and your grace in taking the gospel to the whole world and including all of us who believe and trust in you. Help us, like those believers in Antioch, to remind people of Jesus, to be models of Christ in the world so that when people see our good works, they will glorify God and believe and follow Jesus himself.

For it is in his name that we pray. Amen. My wife, Deb, and I would like to invite you and your family and friends to join us on two very special journeys with Jesus to the Bible Lands and to the wonders of Alaska. We are going to be taking a trip to Israel, as we've done many, many times before, April first through the 10th, 2024. You'll see all the great places of the Bible, and the Bible will come alive for you as you walk where Jesus walked. Then in Alaska, we will see the wonders of God's creation and the power and the beauty and the magicy of His presence. On a cruise, a Bible study cruise, July sixth through the 13th, I will be leading Bible study. We'll be seeing and adventuring all across Alaska with the great sights and sounds of that magnificent place. We would love to have you. We will worship together, study God's word together, and cruise together all across Alaska. So whether it is Israel or Alaska or both, we would love to have you. Just go to jackgraham. Org or Prestonwood. Org for information.

This episode is sponsored by Metta Share, an innovative healthcare solution for Christians to save money without sacrificing quality.

Hello, I'm Dr. Tony Evans, and I'm excited to have you join me on this new podcast, Heroes in the Bible.

Come to me, boy. You and your God will crumble beneath my feet.

He beckened the giant.

And said.

I come to you in the name of the Lord of hosts and creator of the stars.

We all have giants that we face in our life. And when you understand that the greatness of God affects our ability to handle the giants of life, it will encourage, inspire and challenge all of us to our faith in God and our growth in Jesus Christ.

Look.

Past his height and appearance, Samuel, for man sees the outward appearance. They see the strength of the man's arms, but the Lord looks into the heart.

Listen to heroes in the Bible with Dr. Tony Evans on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

I'm Cheryl McClellum, host of the Cold Case podcast, Zone 7. Join us every Wednesday to hear cases like the Long Island serial killer.

You show genuine interest, and you can't fake it, but these guys can see right through to your soul. You have to be prepared. If you don't know your stuff, they're going to just call.

You out. Listen to Zone Seven with Cheryl McClellum on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Hello, I'm Bishop TV, Jake, and I want to welcome you to my new podcast with pray. Com called Sleep Psalms. He is going to lay you down in green pastures and restoring your soul. Join me and let the Lord be your shepherd tonight. Listen to sleep songs with Bishop T. D. Jakes on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcast.

Pray. Com's meditative prayers podcast is the best way to bring God's perfect peace into your night. Each meditative prayer helps you focus on God, fight anxiety, sleep better, and more.

As you close your eyes, ask God to come and have fellowship with you. Open yourself to the Holy Spirit and ask him to minister to you.

Listen to meditative prayers on the iHeart Radio app, Apple Podcast, or wherever you get your podcasts.

Immers yourself in the most extraordinary narrative in history with pray. Com's podcast, story to the Messiah with me, Rabbi Kurt Schneider. The night is in the skies, revealing the agony of the Messiah's face. In that moment, people beheld the full weight of God's judgment, release onto his shoulders. Listen to Story to the Messiah on iHeart Radio app, the Apple podcast app, wherever you get your podcast.