Pastor Barry's  "Chapter & Verse"  Day 258

September 15;       Acts 15:41;       104/260(III);       ‘Strengthening the Churches’

Acts 15:41 And he went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

Paul was an Apostle, he started churches.  Now he and Silas are backtracking through Syria and Cilicia strengthening the churches.  The church is not a building, the church is people.  What Paul and Silas were doing was going to the believers in the churches and sharing the things of God with them, in order to strengthen them.  You may say to yourself, that was Paul and he had started those churches.  That is true, but the Bible teaches that we are ministers of reconciliation (2 Corinthians 5:18) and ambassadors for Christ (2 Corinthians 5:20).  Therefore we should strengthen the body of Christ in the church we are part of.  Always look to the Lord for a scripture or a word of encouragement for Christians in the church you attend or wherever you are.  The world takes things out of us, we are in this world, but we are not part of this world, so we do the opposite, we put good stuff into fellow believers.  What a privilege.  Purpose in your heart to always leave someone better than you found them.  The Holy Spirit will surely help you do this if you ask Him in the morning.  Tell the Lord that you intend to be a blessing and an encourager.  Declare that you will not let Paul do it and not do it yourself.  What an incredible truth.  We can and really we should and must determine we will bless anyone, but especially Christians.  Before I was saved an usher in a church we visited encouraged me and I purposed to do the same.  I do and so can you.