Keep Your Eye On the Main Thing - Acts 11-12

 Acts 11:27-30 (ESV)

Now in these days prophets came down from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and foretold by the Spirit that there would be a great famine over all the world (this took place in the days of Claudius). So the disciples determined, every one according to his ability, to send relief to the brothers living in Judea. And they did so, sending it to the elders by the hand of Barnabas and Saul.

Acts 12:25 (ESV)

And Barnabas and Saul returned from Jerusalem when they had completed their service, bringing with them John, whose other name was Mark.

In the above verses we have a report of a mission that was conducted by the early church to care for those impacted by a natural, geographical incident.   This would have been considered a world wide famine.   (In between 11:30 and 12:25 is another entire story about the church involving persecution).   When Agabus prophesied about the famine, the church took action.   They immediately began to think of the impact this famine would have on new believers, their brothers and sisters in Christ.    God provided them inside information and they did not simply spiritualize it and say that God would simply provide.   God does provide in the middle of world wide crisis and in minor crisis.  But, He intends the Body of Christ, believers, to care for each other.   Barnabas and Saul (Paul) were sent out to complete the mission.  The first missionary journey in the early church history was not to spread the Gospel to the unsaved.  It was the Gospel in action to minister to the saved.  The Church is to care for the Church.   This was and remains one of the primary missions of the Church.   God intends that the hands of the church care for the feet of the Church.  God intends that the eyes of the Church look out for the ears of the Church.  That is the Body serving the Body.  That is the pattern intended in the history of the Church and in today and tomorrow’s Church.   We are to keep our eye on the main THING.   The Body of Christ is the main THING.