Paul's Anchor Church Was His Home Base
NOTE:
The First Time Disciples Were Called "Christians"
Last time we
focused on the first three years of Paul's Christian life after he committed
his life to Jesus Christ. He was baptized immediately to become a Christian and
as he as he was coming up out of that river in Damascus, he immediately
connected with Christians. He began going into the synagogues, proclaiming
Jesus as not only the son of God but as the Christ -- the promised Messiah.
Then very
soon after that, Paul went into the Arabian desert for the better part of three
years. We spent some time on this last time talking about how Jesus Christ
spent the better part of three years meeting one-on-one with Jesus Christ. It
was Jesus's world changer, “Boot Camp” for the apostle Paul. He was preparing
him to change the world. We saw that even though he would be martyred for his
faith just 30 years later, it was critical that he spends several years at the
feet of Jesus being equipped, trained, and prepared for the ministry that was
ahead. Even though he would only have 30 years to write half the books of the
New Testament and become the most influential Christian leader of the next 2000
years. Jesus Christ felt the most important thing for him to do would be to
prepare by spending one-on-one time at His feet.
Well, as you
read the Bible, you'll discover that there are many different locations for
God's “world changer” for boot camp. But more times than not, as you read
through Scripture, it seems that God prefers to prepare his “world changers”
somewhere in the desert. It is somewhat interesting we find that with Moses. We
find that with John the Baptist. We find it with the apostle Paul and with
many, many others. Now God doesn't always hold his boot camps in the exact same
desert, but it seems that more times than not, he chooses some desert to spend
one-on-one time with that person. That man or that woman in order to prepare
them for their best work in serving God. Jesus Christ does some of his best
work in the desert.do you suppose God is telling you something today? I think He
is.
Let us be
honest with each other. Most of us live in the high desert. Many of us do not
really like it. You know, I hear complaints often. The summers are too hot, the
winters are too cold, and springtime is too windy. I look out over the desert and
it's nothing but brown. Sometimes we complain about this desert we live in,
right? But never forget, God does some of his best work, equipping his Saints
in the desert.
I want to
share this with you. Jesus Christ has placed you here in the desert for a
reason. He is revealing himself
to you. He is teaching you how to
follow him better. He is preparing
you to make a greater impact in our world for Jesus Christ. Can you receive
that today? I think that's a powerful word the Lord has for you.
Well, after
Paul escaped from Damascus in a basket, you remember that from Acts 9 they
wanted to kill him. Some of the other Christians in Damascus lowered him
through a window in the wall of that city. He was lowered in that basket and
then we know that Paul spent the better part of the next seven years away from
the limelight. Then we pick up in Acts 11, where we will be placing our focus.
The Antioch Church: Phase 1 (Acts 11:19-21)
I want you
to look in your Bibles there to Acts 11. We are going to pick up here in verse
19. We are going to see what happens after this first ten-year period in Paul's
Christian life. For the first three years, most of that time he was out in the
Arabian Desert one-on-one with Jesus. For the next seven years, he was in Damascus and
a few other regions there outside of Israel doing a lot of preaching, but also
continuing to be prepared by Christ for the work ahead. Then we pick up in Acts
11:19.
The
Church in Antioch
19 Now those who had been scattered by
the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as
Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some
of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to
Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good
news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand
was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the
Lord.
Now, this
passage here in Acts 11 marks a pivotal moment in the life of the early church.
At the end of Acts 7, remember, Stephen became the first Christian martyr. Do
you remember what city Stephen was martyred in? Some of you probably remember
he was martyred in the city of Jerusalem. Since the day of Pentecost that's
recorded for us there in Acts 2, probably a year or two had passed and
Jerusalem had become the launchpad of Christianity. Jesus had been crucified in
Jerusalem. Jesus had risen from the dead in Jerusalem, and all 12 of the
apostles lived in and led the church in Jerusalem.
But in Acts 8:1,
4
The
Church Persecuted and Scattered
On that
day a great persecution broke out against the church in Jerusalem, and all
except the apostles were scattered throughout Judea and Samaria… 4 Those
who had been scattered preached the word wherever they went.
It's pretty
remarkable when you think about it, the great persecution that broke out
against the Christians in Jerusalem was led by none other than Saul of Tarsus.
He was the main reason several 1000 Christians fled Jerusalem and took the
gospel throughout Judea and Samaria. But his plan to wipe out Christianity
and keep it from spreading “backfired.”, It accomplished the exact opposite
effect that Saul of Tarsus had hoped for. The persecution actually helped
Christianity spread, just like Jesus had planned for it to spread.
Acts 11:1
give us the insight that some followers of Christ spread the gospel hundreds of
miles away in Phoenicia, in Cyprus, and in Antioch of Syria. (I would encourage
you to look at a map. Antioch in Syria is about 300 miles north of the city of
Jerusalem. When this persecution broke out in Acts 8:1, these Christians
dispersed from Jerusalem. Some Christians went into Phoenicia, that is
perhaps maybe 100 miles away from Jerusalem. Then they dispersed over to the Island
of Cyprus, out there in the Mediterranean. Others dispersed as far north as
Antioch, 300 miles away. This dispersion that took place helped to spread the
gospel in an amazing way.
Antioch was
an interesting city. It had been founded about 300 BC by Alexander the Great’s
General by the name of Seleucus I Nicator. In fact, he named the city after his
dad “Antiochus”. Isn't that sweet? He named that city after his dad. A little secret that some people do not know. He named several cities after his dad. He
had this penchant for his dad's name. He named over a dozen cities the exact
same name Antioch. I'm thinking either Seleucus was really fond of his dad, or
he was in really hot water with his dad. Whatever it was, there were over a
dozen cities named Antioch. When you come across that name, Antioch in the New
Testament, you have to first ask yourself which Antioch is it talking about?
Here in Acts 11 it is talking about what is called Antioch of Syria. Sometimes it's also called
Antioch of Orontes River, the river that ran through that city. It was a very
important city. Antioch was actually the third-largest city in the Roman
Empire. It had around 500,000 residents. Only Rome and Alexandria had larger
populations, and the city of Antioch was beautiful. Warren Weirsbe describes
the city of Antioch in Syria “Its magnificent buildings helped give it the
name Antioch the Golden, the queen of the east. The main street was more than 4
miles long, paved with marble and lined on both sides by marble colonnades.
Antioch was the only city in the ancient world at that time, that had its
streets lit at nighttime.” Warren Wiersbe goes on to write this. “He says
because it had a busy port and was a center for luxury and culture. Antioch
attracted all kinds of people, including wealthy retired Roman officials who
spent their days hanging out in the baths or gambling at the races with its
large cosmopolitan population and its great commercial and political power
Antioch presented to the church an exciting opportunity for evangelism.” That's
pretty well said. It's a nice summary of that city. Something else that's
important to know. It was a very worldly and very wicked city -maybe only
second to Corinth. There were plenty of bars all over town, “Temple
prostitution” with prostitutes all over the place. It was a very wicked city.
Antioch was also a very strategic city for spreading the gospel. Look at the map again. I
want you to take a look at this again. According to verse 20, some Christian
men from Cyprus and Cyrene began doing something very unique, and groundbreaking in
the city of Antioch. Picture those of the island of Cypress not too far away,
but some of them came all the way from North Africa. Across the Mediterranean
to Antioch and these Christian men from Cyprus and Cyrene, notice what they did
that was revolutionary. It's right there in verse 20. It said they began
speaking to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord
Jesus. Well from a 21st-century Western perspective, we might say, well, big
deal. What's so important and revolutionary about that? Well, this may not seem
like a big deal to you, but it was a huge deal. You see, up until that point,
Christians had only been leading Jews to salvation in Christ. That is one of
the main reasons why Jerusalem had been the launchpad for Christianity.
Jerusalem was the launchpad for Judaism, therefore it made sense for Jerusalem
to be the launchpad of Christianity as well.
Now Jesus
Christ creates a strategic shift here in Acts 11. You see Jerusalem had been the effective launchpad for the Christian Church to
reach Israel for Christ. But Antioch would now become the effective launchpad
to reach the World for Christ. This is a critical chapter in the spreading
of the gospel recorded in the book of Acts. Unlike Christ, followers in Acts
1-7 these men from Cypress and Cyrene came to Antioch, and they didn't just share
the gospel with Jews. Unlike Christ-followers in Acts 8, these men in Antioch
weren't just sharing the gospel with Samaritans, “half-Jews”, unlike Peter in
the prior chapter Acts 10, these men in Antioch weren't just sharing the gospel
with God-fearers, men who for the most part were Jewish. They weren't
circumcised, but they believed in God. They practiced Judaism as much as they
were allowed to, and they tried to follow the laws of Moses. According to Acts
11:20, these Christ-following men didn't hold back from sharing the gospel with
anyone. They even shared the gospel with the Greeks -- this was earth-shattering in
those days. There's a big thing going on here. It is so significant because the
Greeks referred to here were complete pagans. You might call them complete
heathens. They had never stepped foot in a synagogue. They didn't know anything
significant about Judaism. these Greeks were out there at the various temples
worshipping these false Greek and Roman gods. These were men that likely spent
their weekends getting drunk in the local taverns and shaking up with the
temple prostitutes because the local temple of choice for men in Antioch was
the temple to Daphne. Daphne was like the lover of the god Apollo, how would we
worship Daphne? Obviously, we worship Daphne by having sex with temple
prostitutes. This is the kind of lifestyle these so-called Greeks were coming
out of when the Gospel of Jesus Christ is shared with these complete heathens
that had never stepped foot in a synagogue and knew next to nothing about God.
They lived a very perverse and pagan lifestyle. This was a huge moment in the
life of Christ’s Church. These were not God-fearing men they were leading to
Christ. These were not moral men. These were not even good men. They were
pagans who desperately needed to hear and be transformed by the power of the
gospel.
Some
Christian men in Antioch were willing to stick their necks out and do what had
never been done before in the short history of Christ’s Church -- to lead
complete heathens to salvation in Christ. No matter how awkward or
uncomfortable it was, no matter how much it felt like the odds were stacked
against them, and no matter the cost to their own reputations, they share the good
news of Jesus with their neighbors who were furthest from God. Look what
happened in Acts 11:21. The Lord's hand was with him and a great number of
people believed and turned to the Lord. Wow, that is cool and honorable. Men who had worshipped many gods began
worshipping the one true God. Men who had completely ignored God's word began
following God's word. Men who had never stepped foot inside a church service
became active members of a church. Men who had spread moral and spiritual
darkness in their city became salt and light in their city. Only the Gospel
of Jesus Christ can transform men like that. It was all because a handful of
Christians were bold enough to introduce them to Jesus Christ.
The Antioch Church: Phase 2 (Acts 11:22-24)
This phase
begins in Acts 11:22.
22 News of this reached the church in
Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When
he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and
encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He
was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of
people were brought to the Lord.
Now, what
was going on in Antioch? It was so revolutionary that word of it spread 300
miles south, all the way to Jerusalem. Church leaders in Jerusalem knew that
they needed to send someone to check it out to see if this is legit, and what was going on in Antioch. They knew just the man for the job, good old Barnabas. His
given name was Joseph, but early in the book of Acts, we learned that the early
church nicknamed him Barnabas, which means son of encouragement. They knew that
the son of encouragement was the man for the job, so they sent him 300 miles
north to check out what was going on in Antioch. Barney accepted the mission and
read again Acts11:23-24. Well, based on what we read later in the book of Acts
about certain Jewish Christians giving Gentile Christians a difficult time
about not eating kosher food and not getting circumcised, and not obeying all
the Old Testament laws. I think there's a really good chance that these Gentile
Christians in Antioch were asking some important questions after they gave
their lives to Christ. Questions like, Will Christians outside of Antioch ever
accept us? The Jewish Christians know we have not been circumcised. They know we
have never stepped foot inside a synagogue. They know the kind of lives we
live. Will they ever accept us? In answer to their question, the son of
encouragement stepped into the church and answered with a resounding YES. You
will be accepted. You have been accepted by Jesus Christ and you will be
accepted by the Church of Jesus Christ as well. You see the church accepted
Saul. Even though Saul had murdered Christians and had persecuted Jesus Christ.
If Jesus Christ could accept Saul and bring him into the church, and Christians
could accept Saul and bring him into the church, then certainly the church
would accept and bring in these former pagans as well. You allow them to rest
assured that Jesus Christ and the church would both accept them.
But Barnabas
does encourage them with these words, saying you need to keep growing in your
faith and remaining true to the Lord with all your hearts. Notice what it says
at the end of Acts 11:24 about the results of Barnabas' ministry. It says a
great number of people were brought to the Lord. Now if the passage had stopped
there, we would probably draw the conclusion that this church in Antioch was
good to go, Right? You think about what we've read so far according to verse
21, the Lord's hand was with him a great number of people believed and turned
to the Lord according to verse 24, a good man who was full of the Holy Spirit
and faith was helping to take the church to the next level and as a result, a
great number of people were brought to the Lord. This church seems to have been
firing on all cylinders, don't you think? I think so. But evidently, Barnabas
didn't think so. Barnabas takes probably as much as a month, maybe longer, to
leave the church and find someone else who can help him build the church even
better than he could on his own.
The Antioch Church: Phase 3 (Acts 11:25-26)
Let us pick
up in Acts 11:25-26.
25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to
look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought
him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and
taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians
first at Antioch.
They were
called Christians first at Antioch. It had probably been around seven years
since Barnabas had spent time with Saul back in Jerusalem when he had brought
him to the apostle Peter, and to Jesus's half-brother James. But Barnabas knew
that Saul had been chosen and equipped by Jesus Christ to reach Gentiles with
the gospel. He knew in his spirit that Saul could take the Antioch Church
further than he could ever take the church by himself. Even though it was a
150-mile journey to Tarsus from Antioch, Barnabas believed the trip was well
worth the effort. Barnabas left Antioch, and if he took the land route, he did
travel 150 miles to Tarsus to find Saul and bring him back with him to Antioch.
It might not have been easy to find, Saul. I don't know for sure, but Barnabas
eventually found him there in Tarsus. He brings him back to Antioch. Please focus on what it says in verse 26 it says for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with
the church and taught a great number of people. Don't miss this last
sentence in verse 26 the disciples were
called Christians first. There in Antioch.
Do you
remember what Jesus said to his disciples before he went to heaven? It's
recorded for us in Matthew 28:18-20. Before you send it into heaven, he gave
them a charge. We call it the Great
Commission. He gathered his disciples together on that mountain, and he
said this.
18 Then Jesus came to them and
said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore
go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the
Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and
teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am
with you always, to the very end of the age.”
Now I want
you to notice what Jesus does not say here. He doesn't say. Therefore, go and
make converts of all nations. He doesn't say. He says he. Doesn't say go and
make just believers of all nations. He doesn't tell us to go lead people in a
sinner's prayer and then pat him on the back and say good luck with that and
take off and find someone else to do the same thing with. He doesn't say dunk
them and drop them, does he? We don't just baptize someone and say see ya. He
says go and make disciples. The
word disciples means learners, students, and individuals who are mentored by their
teacher. Notice that Jesus says make
disciples of all nations, baptizing them and teaching them to obey everything I
have commanded you. Barnabas knew that Jesus wasn't interested in simply making
converts. He was interested in building disciples, students, learners, and
followers of Christ. They would grow in their faith and become more and more
mature. Become more and more like Jesus in the way they think, the way that they
talk, the way they act and the way they love God and people. Who is better
to disciple these baby Christians that used to be complete Pagan Greeks? Who
better to disciple them than the man chosen by Jesus Christ himself to become
the apostle to the Gentiles, the man who would go on to write half the books of
the New Testament, Saul of Tarsus.
Barnabas put
in the time and effort necessary to help the Antioch Church make it to the
next level. He found Saul in Tarsus and he brings him back with him to Antioch.
Together Barnabas and Saul meet with the church and teach great numbers of
people.
I do not
think it's any coincidence that the followers of Christ are called Christians,
first in Antioch. Now, why were Jesus's followers in Antioch the first to be
called Christians? Many Bible scholars and students of the word have asked that
question for the past 2000 years. Why were they called Christians first there?
Well, for starters, it's important to note that this was most likely not a name
that Jesus's followers gave themselves. Non-Christians were most likely the
ones who coined this term for Christ-followers there in Antioch. Up until this
point in the book of Acts, Luke has referred to Christ's followers by a few
different names, but never Christian. Luke referred to them in Acts 6:1 as
disciples. He called them saints in Acts 9:13. He called them brothers in Acts
1:16 and again in Acts 9:30. He called them believers in Acts 10. He called
them “those who are being saved” in Acts 2. He called them people of the way in
Acts 9:2.
The
non-believers in Antioch were most likely the ones who coined this term for the
followers of Christ. They might have intended that name Christian to be a
criticism, basically calling them a bunch of “little Christs” or a “little
Christ clones” or something like that. But in all likelihood, it wasn't a
derogatory term. It was simply the way they described those followers of
Christ. Here are a couple of examples. Back
in those days, if someone was a follower of Herod, they would call them “Herodianioi”,
which meant Herodians -- followers of Herod. If someone was a big fan and
follower of Caesar, they would call that person kaisarianioi, which means
Caesar's people. It was very natural for those Pagan Romans to refer to
Christians as christianoi, which means Christ people. That's what they call
them. The Christians, the believers, and followers of Christ, there in, Antioch
said, you know what, I. don't mind that term. They adopted it for themselves
once they started being called that and it kind of spread. Here we are, 2000
years later, still being called Christians. You see outsiders who observed those
followers of Christ in Antioch, and notice that their lives were all about Jesus.
Their lives were all about him. Christ was first on their lips. Christ was
first in their actions. Christ was first in their worship. It reminds me of the
wonderful morning prayer written by Saint Patrick. He wrote Christ with me, Christ before me, Christ
behind me, Christ in me. Christ beneath me, Christ above me. Christ on my right
and Christ on my left. Christ when I lie down, Christ, when I sit down, Christ,
when I arise Christ in the heart of every man who thinks of me. Christ in the
mouth of everyone who speaks of me. Christ, in every eye that sees me, Christ
in every ear that hears me, I arise today. Isn't that a marvelous prayer?
It was no
coincidence that Jesus's followers in Antioch were the first to be called
Christians. They were the first to freely share the gospel with all people,
regardless of their socioeconomic, ethnic, or moral differences. Sounds a lot
like Jesus doesn't it? Regardless of how unchurched they were, regardless of
how godless they were, regardless of how immoral they were, they shared Jesus
with them. But it was much more than that. Notice that the citizens of Antioch.
Who followed Christ? Didn't start. Let me say it this way. Step back. It wasn't
the citizens of Antioch who called the followers of Christ Christians until
Paul came and began ministering in that church. Until Paul got on board, they
weren't called Christians, it seems. What was it about? Paul being there,
caused them to coin the term “Christians” Well, what were Paul and Barnabas doing,
when they worked together? They were equipping those believers to live out
their faith every single day.
Here's the
takeaway to living up to the name Christian, you and I need to do two things. We
need to be radical in our evangelism, reaching beyond social, economic, and
religious barriers to introduce people to Jesus Christ. Once they are baptized,
we must to disciple them to maturity. Help them to build a brand-new life
centered on Jesus Christ on my right, Christ on my left, Christ, when I lie
down, Christ, when I sit down, Christ, when I arise. Christ in the heart of
every man who thinks of me, Christ in the mouth of everyone who speaks of me.
Christ in every eye that sees me. Christ in every ear that hears me. If anyone
ever asks you what is a Christian? Tell him that. That's a Christian, someone
all about Jesus Christ. He's what I talk about. He's who I think about. He's
the one in my heart. He's the very center of my priorities in life. That's what
it means to be a Christian.
3 Life Lessons
Lesson Life lesson #1 if you are a Christian, you have to think, act, and
share Christ outside of the box.
What is
outside of the box? Well, the church will say today is the box. We must share Christ and talk about Christ and
live for Christ outside of the box that we call the church building. I don't
want you to miss something very significant about the missionaries who left
Jerusalem and took the Gospel 300 miles north to Antioch. They weren't trained
and sent out by the church as missionaries, were they? Why did they go outside
of Jerusalem and start spreading the gospel? Because they were kicked out of
Jerusalem, right. They were running for their lives. They weren't coming from
missionary school. They were from the school of run for our lives. They were
being persecuted, so they took off. As they took off, wherever they stopped
running, that's where they told people about Jesus. Some stop running in
Samaria, so they told the Samaritans about Jesus. Some stopped running in
Judea, and they told the people in Judea about Jesus. Some didn't stop running for
300 miles. They end up in Antioch, so who did they tell about Jesus? The people
of Antioch. It's critical you don't just share Christ and talk about Christ and
pray to Christ inside the box of the church building. Oh, you don't have to be
a trained missionary. Just take Jesus with you wherever you go. Take him to
work. Take him to school, take him on vacation. Take him by all means to your
family gatherings. “As you go”, wherever you go, take Jesus with you. Don't
wait for leadership to schedule an evangelistic outreach – Jesus is our Lord
and he asked his disciples to do this. You go and start sharing Jesus with
those outside of the box. Remember, wherever you go, that's where you are. Therefore,
wherever you are, share Jesus there.
Life lesson #2. You need a Barnabas
in your life: a faithful Spirit-filled Christian who will encourage you to love and serve Christ
with all your heart and will stand with you as you do.
We all need
at least one Barnabas in our lives, don't we? Everyone Christian has this need.
There are so many great “Barneys” in a great church family. There are so many of
them where my family worships. We have a very loving and encouraging Christian
family. Our church is a great place to receive the encouragement you need to
grow in your faith and in your obedience to Christ. Please don't isolate
yourself from God’s family. Make sure your fellowshipping with your church
family and receiving that encouragement that you need and that I need in order
that we can continue to grow in our faith and serve Jesus Christ with all that we
have.
Life lesson #3. Just like Barnabas and Saul, we are much better and
stronger together. Don't be a lone-ranger
Christian. When God calls you to do something for him, enlist at least one other Christian to do it with you.
We're going
to see in the weeks to come that Antioch became Saul’s home church. The man,
whose name was shifted to Paul just a few chapters later. His home base, his
home church, wasn't in Jerusalem. It wasn't even in Tarsus. Paul’s home base and his home church were right there in the city of Antioch. It became his
launching pad for reaching 2 continents with the Gospel of Jesus Christ.
It's
critical how he got there. Barnabas went and got him and brought him back to do
ministry with him. How come you and I don't do the same? God has been
convicting me a bit more recently about the importance of doing ministry
together with others. Ministers do a lot of ministry solo. For most of my first 25
years in full-time ministry when I was a church planter, I figure it just comes
with the territory of being a small church leader. You know what, if something
needs to be done, I'll roll up my sleeves and do it. A lot of times I don't ask
anyone to join me in doing that, but God's really has really convicted me
recently. Whenever possible, I need to bring someone along to do ministry with
me.
As I get older,
I realize our time is limited. There are a number of things that I do on my
own, but equipping others is what God wants from us. It's critical, whatever it
is that God asks you to do for him, recruit at least one other person to do it
with you. There's a reason when Jesus sent out the 72, he sent them out two by.
There's a reason when he sent out his 12 apostles into the towns ahead of him,
he sent them out two by two, Jesus set a wonderful example of doing ministry in
pairs. Therefore, make sure don't just do it on your own. You recruit, you
enlist at least one other Christian to do it with you.
The
19th-century evangelist DL Moody. Had a policy of giving new Christians small
tasks to do in the church as soon as possible after they were saved. Whether it
was handing out hymnals or setting up chairs, he would give them jobs to do. He
wisely said, “It is better to put ten men to work than to do the work of
10 men.” We need to remember that idea. Learn the lesson from Barnabas. You
grab another faith-filled, mature Christian to serve with you. Or if you're
doing something small, just grab a baby Christian to do it with. It doesn't
even have to be at times, someone who's really mature in their faith, but
someone that you can spend time with and do ministry together because two are
better than one and a cord of 3 strands is not easily broken.
Prayer: God,
we come to you through our Lord Jesus, thanking you for the privilege of
studying your word today. Help us to follow in the footsteps of Saul, who spent
as much time with you as needed to prepare for the great ministry ahead. Help
us to learn the lesson from the Christians in Antioch. We don't know the names
of those men from Cypress and Cyrene who began sharing the gospel with Greeks, but
Lord their impacts sent ripples through eternity. Lord, thank you for their
boldness and for reaching outside the box to share the message of Jesus Christ with
anyone who would listen. Help us to follow in their footsteps. Help us to learn
the lesson from Barnabas to not do ministry alone, but to recruit others to do
ministry with them, because we can be so much more effective together than we
are on our own. Father, help us to learn the lesson from Paul to be responsive
to the call of Ministry and go wherever you tell us to go, stay whenever you
call us to stay. Father, not just to create converts and win people to Christ
and then abandon them, but to take the time and put in the effort to build
disciples who grow in their faith in Jesus and serve you with all their hearts.
God bless us in our work of discipleship as Christians and making disciples. As
we build men and women who serve you, who love you, who trust you, and carry out
your mission for the glory of God in Jesus' name.
May God
bless you as you serve our Lord. Today, you have some exciting work of ministry
to do. I don't know all that the Lord has in mind for you to do. I know it's
something important for you to do. I know it's something meaningful, life-changing,
and the building up of the body of Christ – His Kingdom. Whenever possible,
bring another Christian alongside you to do that ministry with you side by
side. I encourage you to go and be a “Barnabas” today.
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