Barnabas and Saul

Acts 13:2

“And while they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.”

Now we see Paul become the central character of the book of Acts. So far, Peter has served in that role. Soon we will notice that Saul begins to be called Paul. Saul was his Jewish name and Paul his Roman name. The emphasis in the book will now turn toward Gentiles.

I’m impressed with the way God puts people together to labor for Him. I believe He is still doing that today. We should expect Him to do that because He knows each one of us better than we know ourselves. He knows our strengths and our weaknesses as well as all the details of our personality. He knows the kind of people that work best together and those that will struggle in their relationships.

Because of that we should be very careful how we unite with others in any effort. God calls pastors to churches and he also calls men and women to leadership positions in churches. The spiritual leaders of churches need to be careful to follow God’s direction as leadership develops in the ministry. That is also true for other ministry efforts such as seminaries and para-church organizations.

I believe God puts friends together also. He brings people into our lives that can minister to us in many ways. Our close friends can be our confidants. They are always available in time of need. Remember how Barnabas aided Saul when he first became a Christian. Friends comfort us in times of sorrow. They even rebuke us when that is necessary. Saul felt the liberty to rebuke Peter when he acted hypocritically.

Psalm 18:24 says that “there is a friend who sticks closer than a brother”. I believe that friend is Jesus. He is one who never fails us, who is always available, who gives great counsel through the Bible and the ministry of the Holy Spirit in our lives. We only have access to that friendship through a personal relationship with Him; we must accept Him as our personal Savior.
I pray that you will have a close, personal relationship with the Lord Jesus.

Pray – Expect An Answer

Acts 12:1-17

Today’s passage is about the story of Peter being released from prison for the second time. Herod had put James to death and now had imprisoned Peter. Notice the comment in 12:5 that “prayer for him was being made fervently by the church to God.” Although Herod had assigned four guards to watch him each shift, probably because of the previous escape, an angel led Peter out of the prison without any hindrance. Peter realized that God was doing a work in his life (v. 11).

Peter went to the house where his friends were gathered praying and knocked on the door. A servant-girl who knew him answered the door but in her excitement didn’t let him in. She told the others he was there but they didn’t believe (v. 15). When they finally realized it was him, they were amazed.

We shouldn’t be critical, because we are still amazed when God answers our prayers, especially when it seems really difficult. Our church has recently seen God answer prayer on behalf of a young man who was told by doctors he couldn’t have a kidney transplant because of a heart problem. A later examination revealed the heart problem had been completely healed and even the doctors said it was a miracle. He has now successfully had a transplant.

The point I want to make is that when we pray we should expect God to answer. We should be amazed at who He is, His willingness to listen to us, and to love us. God reveals many times in the Bible the answer to the prayers of His people. We do need to be alert that God may not answer in the way we expect. Sometimes His answer may be “wait” and sometimes it may be “no”, but we should be confident that He knows what is best for us and He wants to accomplish His best in our lives.

Prayer is a critical part of the Christian life. Through it you can draw very close to God as you watch Him work in your life. We are given many instructions about prayer in Scripture and are exhorted often to pray. I trust that you will make it an integral part of your life.

Giving

Acts 11:29

“And in proportion that any of the disciples had means, each of them determined to send a contribution, for the relief of the brethren living in Judea.”

This verse teaches us an important lesson about giving. The Christians in Antioch heard of a great famine occurring in Judea and felt led to do something about it. So they collected an offering and sent it to the elders of the churches in Judea by Saul and Barnabas.

Notice the phrase “proportion that any of the disciples had means”. This phrase speaks of proportional giving. There are a couple of other verses in Scripture that help us understand this term. The first is in I Corinthians 16:2 which instructs us “on the first day of every week, each one of you is to put aside and save, as he may prosper, so that no collections be made when I come.” Proverbs 3:9 says “honor the Lord from your wealth, and the first of all your produce.” I think the important word in both of these sentences is “first”. Each time we receive a paycheck, the first thing we should consider is how much we should give to the Lord’s work. “First of all your produce” means your best, not your leftovers.

God desires that giving be our number one financial priority. Americans generally consider giving as their last priority. Their first priority is paying off the debt they have incurred. Then they must pay taxes to the government. Thirdly they must pay their living costs; then, hopefully set aside some for saving. If any is left over they give. This is not God’s will. He wants us to consider Him first. Recently, a region of the United States was devastated by a hurricane and there was great need. Many felt a need to help, but could not because of other financial commitments. Often we have significant needs in our churches and God expects His people to meet those needs.

Another verse teaches about our attitude in giving. II Corinthians 9: 7 teaches “each one must do as he purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.” God wants giving to come from our heart. If we can’t give cheerfully, we probably shouldn’t give. You see, God doesn’t need our funds for He owns everything. We need to give for the benefit that accrues to us.
I pray that you will live your life financially so that you may be a cheerful giver.

The Church Cegins To Scatter

Acts 11;19-27

“So then those who were scattered because of the persecution that arose in connection with Stephen made their way to Phoenicia and Cyprus and Antioch…” (11:19a)

I believe God used persecution to cause the new Christians to begin to disperse themselves around the world. These people were bold about their faith. In verse 20 we see that some of these people began speaking to the Greeks. Notice v. 21 says “the hand of the Lord was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.” The Christians back at Jerusalem sent Barnabas to see what was going on in one of the cities; Antioch, which was over 300 miles from Jerusalem.

Once again Barnabas comes into the picture and we’ll see that he will be a prominent character throughout the remainder of the book of Acts. We see several more aspects of the man here. First, he was an encourager. We all need encouragers in our lives to help us when we are down and to spur us on when we are doing well. He also had a “resolute heart to remain true to the Lord” (v. 23). I think this means he was trustworthy and faithful; he didn’t get discouraged easily. “He was a good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (v. 24); three characteristics that all of us should strive for.

Barnabas also knew that these new Christians needed to mature in the faith and that the job was too big for him. So he went to look for Saul to come help him. The two of them ministered in Antioch for an entire year teaching these new Christians the Scriptures. All of us have a responsibility as we mature to help others grow in the faith. We may not have been given the ability to speak to many people, but we all can study the Bible with one other person and help them grow in the faith. We can also help hold them accountable for growth in their spiritual lives.

I pray often for my children and grandchildren that they will be good students of the Word and that they will mature in the faith just as they are maturing physically. I pray that God would bring others into their lives that will help build them up and will keep them from relationships that will harm them.

I encourage you to look for a Barnabas to develop a friendship with; someone who is an encourager with a resolute heart. Make it a point to develop relationships with good people who are full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.