All That God Had Done

They Reported All Things

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When Paul and Barnabas came to Jerusalem, “they reported all things that God had done with them” (Acts 15:4). They told the story of God’s work.

Home first. After their first long journey, they gathered the church in Antioch, and “they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles” (Acts 14:27).

God did it. Paul and Barnabas did not talk about how great they were. They told what God had done “with them.” God was the One at work.

The sending church. The church in Antioch had prayed and sent Paul and Barnabas out (Acts 13:3). When they came home, the church heard what God had done in answer to its prayers.

A door of faith. A door lets people in. God opened a way for people from every nation to trust Jesus.

On the road. On the way to Jerusalem they told the believers in Phoenicia and Samaria how Gentiles had turned to God (15:3). Good news is meant to be shared.

Told clearly. In Jerusalem, Barnabas and Paul were “declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles” (15:12). To declare means to tell something clearly, step by step.

True stories. They told what God had really done in real places with real people. They did not make anything up or make it sound bigger than it was.

Peter told too. James said, “Simon has declared how God at the first visited the Gentiles to take out of them a people for His name” (15:14).

Only what Christ did. Paul later wrote that he would talk only about what Christ had done through him (Romans 15:18). He gave the credit to Jesus.

Why telling helps. When believers heard what God was doing, they understood His plan better and trusted Him more.

Remember and tell. It is easy to forget what God has done. Telling it out loud helps us remember His goodness, and it helps others see Him at work.

The best news to tell. The greatest thing God has done is send Jesus. We have all sinned, but Jesus died on the cross for our sins and rose again. Everyone who trusts Him is forgiven.

What to do. God is at work in your life too. This week, tell someone one thing God has done for you, and give Him the praise.

Paul and Barnabas carried more than an argument to Jerusalem. They carried a report: “they reported all things that God had done with them” (15:4).

The Antioch report (14:27). After the first journey, “when they had come and gathered the church together, they reported all that God had done with them, and that He had opened the door of faith to the Gentiles.” The church that sent them heard what the Lord had done through them.

The sending church (14:26). Antioch had fasted, prayed and laid hands on Paul and Barnabas (13:3). Now they came back to the place “where they had been commended to the grace of God for the work which they had completed.” The report let the church see God answer its prayers.

God at work. In both reports God is the One acting: “all that God had done,” and “He had opened the door.” Paul and Barnabas were witnesses, not heroes.

Exegeomai (15:12, 14). Barnabas and Paul were “declaring how many miracles and wonders God had worked through them among the Gentiles.” Declaring translates exegeomai (say: ex-ay-GEH-oh-my), to lead a story out, telling it fully and in order. James used the same word for Peter: “Simon has declared.”

Facts, not feelings. These were accounts of real events in real places: Cornelius’ house, Cyprus, Antioch in Pisidia and the towns beyond. Their report was the plain truth about what God had done.

On the way (15:3). In Phoenicia and Samaria they kept “describing the conversion of the Gentiles.” Hearing what God does strengthens His people.

Romans 15:18. Paul later wrote, “For I will not dare to speak of any of those things which Christ has not accomplished through me.” He refused to take credit for what only Christ could do.

The center of every report. Every true testimony comes back to the gospel: “Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures,” and “He rose again the third day” (1 Corinthians 15:3-4). God’s greatest work is saving sinners through the cross.

Application. Keep a record of God’s answers and help in your life, and tell them honestly, giving Him the credit. Your story is not about how strong you were. It is about how faithful He has been.

From One Generation to Another

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God wants His mighty works told again and again. The Bible says, “One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts” (Psalm 145:4).

A generation. A generation is a group of people born around the same time. Grandparents are one generation, parents another and children another. Each one tells the next about God.

Think about it. “I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works” (Psalm 145:5). To meditate means to think about something carefully and often.

Talk about it. “Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness” (Psalm 145:6).

Sing about it. “They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness” (Psalm 145:7). Righteousness means always doing what is right.

Paul told again. Years after the meeting in Jerusalem, Paul visited James again. “He told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry” (Acts 21:19).

They praised God. “And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord” (Acts 21:20). The elders praised God for what He had done.

Make it known. “They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, And talk of Your power, To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts” (Psalm 145:11-12).

Small things too. God’s works are not only big miracles. A prayer answered, a fear calmed or a friend who came to Jesus are all works of God worth telling.

A family job. Psalm 145 says each generation tells the next. Grandparents, parents and children all have a part. Even a young child can tell what God has done.

Write it down. One way to remember is to keep a list of prayers God has answered. Later you can read it and thank Him again, and you can share it with others.

Your family. Ask your parents or grandparents how God has helped them. Their stories are part of God’s big story.

The greatest work. The greatest work God ever did was saving sinners through Jesus. We have all sinned. Jesus died on the cross for our sins, and God raised Him from the dead. Everyone who trusts Him is forgiven and made new.

Pass it on. Someday you will tell younger people about God. Start now by telling a friend, or a younger brother or sister, what Jesus has done.

Psalm 145 makes telling God’s works a joy that passes from parents to children: “One generation shall praise Your works to another, And shall declare Your mighty acts” (145:4).

Generation to generation. Faith is not passed down automatically, like the color of your eyes. It is carried by people who praise God’s works and tell them to the ones coming after.

Meditate, speak, sing (145:5-7). “I will meditate on the glorious splendor of Your majesty, And on Your wondrous works. Men shall speak of the might of Your awesome acts, And I will declare Your greatness. They shall utter the memory of Your great goodness, And shall sing of Your righteousness.” Thinking, speaking and singing all keep God’s works remembered.

Naba (145:7). Utter translates the Hebrew naba (say: nah-BAH), to bubble up or pour out like a spring. Memories of God’s goodness are meant to overflow.

Acts 21:19-20. Years after the council, Paul met James and the elders again. “He told in detail those things which God had done among the Gentiles through his ministry. And when they heard it, they glorified the Lord.” Told in detail is exegeomai again, the same word used in 15:12.

Remembering on purpose. Israel was told again and again to remember what the Lord had done. Forgetting God’s works leads people away from Him; remembering them leads to trust and praise.

The same story, years later. Paul’s report in Acts 21 was about the same thing as the reports in Acts 15: Gentiles turning to God. Years later the story was still being told, and the church still glorified the Lord.

Praise is the goal. The hearers in Jerusalem “glorified the Lord” (21:20). Every report of God’s work should end the same way.

Psalm 145:11-12. “They shall speak of the glory of Your kingdom, And talk of Your power, To make known to the sons of men His mighty acts, And the glorious majesty of His kingdom.” Telling God’s works is how others come to know Him.

The mightiest act. The greatest of all God’s mighty acts is the cross and the empty tomb. Jesus bore our sins, died and rose again, so that everyone who believes is saved. Every generation needs to hear that news.

Application. Ask an older believer to tell you how God has been faithful to them, and write it down. Then look for a younger person and tell them what Jesus has done for you.

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