Nexus of the Heart

Monday, May 16, 2022

Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria.  They preached the word of God, but only to Jews.  However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus.  The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.  When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch.  When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord.  Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith.  And many people were brought to the Lord.  Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul.  When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch.  Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people.  (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians).      Acts 11:19-26

Barnabas seemed to always be in the middle of good things happening.  He is what I would call a Nexus of the Heart, that connection that brings kindness, mercy, and the seeds of love to bear on any situation.

While it was God at back of all the events, orchestrating, and moving people by His Spirit, Barnabas was the nexus God used to hold it all together and cross-pollinate goodness, joy, and obedience throughout the process.

From Acts 10 through 15 we find Barnabas continually cooperating in bringing believers together, as well as leading unbelievers to believe.  The Holy Spirit chose Barnabas to work with Paul on his missionary endeavors, starting churches all over Asia Minor, especially at Antioch (in today’s southern Turkey).  When there was difficulty or disagreement on methods or what to do, it was Barnabas who helped people reconcile and get along[1].  Doing that God was glorified by Barnabas’ life!

Not all of us will have that kind of pivotal public life of building the church, or being instrumental in changing the world.  But we all can (and should) be part of that work; it is our calling to work in God’s vineyard.  You may be the one who cleans up after the master brewer gets done with the grapes, but, if you’ve invited Jesus to be your savior, you’re part of His business.

For You Today

If you take just a moment or two to consider the kind of love and care Barnabas had for bringing people into the fold, and then think about the people that you encounter in your neighborhood, work, shopping, school, or any other activity…those are the kinds of people Barnabas would embrace.  And Jesus would say:  Go, thou, and do likewise!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road with Jesus; have a blessed day!  

[1] Title image: Pixabay.com   Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation^©  

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[1] Compare Acts 15:37-39 and 2 Timothy 4:11

Remembering Before You Can't

[1]

Wednesday, August 7, 2019

Don’t let the excitement of youth cause you to forget your Creator. Honor him in your youth before you grow old and say, “Life is not pleasant anymore.” Remember him before the light of the sun, moon, and stars is dim to your old eyes, and rain clouds continually darken your sky.  Remember him before your legs—the guards of your house—start to tremble; and before your shoulders—the strong men—stoop.  Remember him before your teeth—your few remaining servants—stop grinding; and before your eyes—the women looking through the windows—see dimly.  Remember him before the door to life’s opportunities is closed and the sound of work fades.  Now you rise at the first chirping of the birds, but then all their sounds will grow faint.  Remember him before you become fearful of falling and worry about danger in the streets; before your hair turns white like an almond tree in bloom, and you drag along without energy like a dying grasshopper, and the caperberry no longer inspires sexual desire.  Remember him before you near the grave, your everlasting home, when the mourners will weep at your funeral.  Yes, remember your Creator now while you are young, before the silver cord of life snaps and the golden bowl is broken.  Don’t wait until the water jar is smashed at the spring and the pulley is broken at the well.  For then the dust will return to the earth, and the spirit will return to God who gave it.  “Everything is meaningless,” says the Teacher, “completely meaningless.”

That’s the whole story. Here now is my final conclusion:  Fear God and obey his commands, for this is everyone’s duty.  God will judge us for everything we do, including every secret thing, whether good or bad.  Ecclesiastes 12:1-8, 13-14[2]

I believe Solomon stops short of dementia, but not far short!  He mentions just about every low point you need to get depressed about the future.  Hair turned white, legs wobbly, eyes dim, sexual desire gone, drooping posture, and, for good measure he throws in a dental situation that even makes eating a chore.  As I write the sun’s morning glow is beginning to peek out from behind the tree line, so I got up and opened the shades so I won’t miss out on a pretty sunrise while I can still see and hear the birds chirping; assisted by trifocal glasses and powerful hearing aids, of course. It’s hard to place oneself on Solomon’s scale of physical woes increasing age seems to gradually, but gleefully bestow on the aging.  But that gets markedly easier as you do push the threescore-and-ten barrier.

This passage is generally preached with young people in mind, an urging to get right with God before it’s too late.  However, anything this side of the grave is appropriate.  Even at 70, 80 or 105, you are “young" compared to those  you read about in the obituary column. 

Very often in ministry I’ve had the privilege to visit very senior saints confined in nursing homes or their own homes, unable to do much for themselves because of a litany of maladies.  And with hardly an exception, they all remark in one way or another their wonder at why God still has them here.  I quickly agree that I wonder that too, but then pose the possibility that exists for ministry at every age and stage of life, unwell in body or not.  The inference, of course, is that God is not done with us here if we’re still breathing.

I give you Iris Jones as a prime example.  Confined the last decade to a nursing home for a good bit of Solomon’s medical chart, Mrs. Iris ministered more than most, writing cards of encouragement to her pastor and wife with shaky hand, praying long and strong, and smiling.  Those were what she could do, and, despite severe headaches, failing strength of legs and balance, and bodily pain more than most could bear, she made you feel like you were the most important person walking on planet earth.  She should’ve been named Barnabas, the Encourager!

For You Today

Whatever you can do today, use the strength God still allows; it won’t last forever!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image:  Pixabay.com        Unless otherwise noted, Scripture used from The New Living Translation©

[2] For another post on Ecclesiastes 12:13 see:  Something Better

The Barnabas Effect

[1]

Monday, May 20, 2019

Meanwhile, the believers who had been scattered during the persecution after Stephen’s death traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch of Syria.  They preached the word of God, but only to Jews.  However, some of the believers who went to Antioch from Cyprus and Cyrene began preaching to the Gentiles about the Lord Jesus.  The power of the Lord was with them, and a large number of these Gentiles believed and turned to the Lord.  When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch.  When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith.  And many people were brought to the Lord.  Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul.  When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch.  Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people.  (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)   Acts 11:19-26

It is God who ordains people to the ministry, setting apart those whom He has called to give their lives in calling others to faith in Christ.  In the ceremony we see the hands of the ordained (bishops, and other clergy) placed on the head of the candidate as a symbol of that calling, consecrating the blessing of God.  But, there is a great and largely unseen force at work also…the Barnabas effect.  The art of blessing from “behind the scenes” is truly a magnificent thing to discover in life.  Most of the encouragers I know seem effortless about it; it is a gift that flows as naturally from them as the joy you see on an infant’s face when she first notices that shiny, dangly mobile above her crib.

Christians were scattered out in all directions from Jerusalem because of persecution told everybody about Jesus.  It spread from being a new sect of Judaism into an everyone welcome movement.  Gentiles began flooding into the faith at Antioch, and Barnabas was sent to check out the reports.  What this encourager of the first order found made his heart leap for joy…the fulfillment of prophecy that, through Abraham’s line all the world would be blessed.  Barnabas stayed just long enough to encourage and support the revival, but couldn’t wait to go get Paul.  When the Apostle arrived at Antioch the floodgates bringing tons of new Christians into the fold required the next year to train and turn-loose for ministry. 

While it was God at back of all the events, orchestrating, and moving people by His Spirit, Barnabas was the nexus God used to hold it all together and cross-pollinate goodness, joy, and obedience throughout the process.

The importance of encouragement cannot be underestimated.  I have seen, firsthand, how the Barnabas effect changes first the life of those who would minister…but the trickle-down result of the spiritual mid-wife, encouraging the new believer from the womb of being born-again is the miracle of the Great Commission in action.  Without Barnabas there would be many still-born of the faith, and very few effective evangelists.

From this preacher’s perspective, my undying gratitude to all the Barnabas saints in my life…my bride, Missy, Anne, Mom, Thom, Rodney, David, Kenneth, Don, Marshall, Jennifer, Carrie, Sarah, and a truly great cloud of others.

For You Today

Scripture tells us that winning people to faith in Christ is the work of all who would be obedient

The fruit of the righteous is a tree of life, And he who wins souls is wise.  Proverbs 11:30

Barnabas encouragers fill a big gap in what the evangelists among us cannot do nearly as well as those called to pave the path to Heaven with encouraging words and ways.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[1] Title Image: Pixabay.com  
             Unless otherwise noted, all Scripture quotations are from The New Living Translation©

Being Barnabas

[i]

Friday, February 8, 2019

When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him.  They did not believe he had truly become a believer!  Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul.  He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus.  So Saul stayed with the apostles and went all around Jerusalem with them, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.  He debated with some Greek-speaking Jews, but they tried to murder him.  When the believers heard about this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus, his hometown.  The church then had peace throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria, and it became stronger as the believers lived in the fear of the Lord. And with the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, it also grew in numbers.    Acts 9:26-31(NLT)

In 1983 the Southern Baptist Convention was held in Pittsburgh.  At one session there was a huge crowd in attendance.  The president, Dr. Jimmy Draper was handed an announcement just as he was calling the meeting to order.  He read, Corey Morgan knows where he is.  Would his parents kindly come to the information booth so Corey can know where they are?"  Ten thousand people laughed.  But for a few moments those thousands of people stopped what they were doing because a 7-year old little boy needed to be reunited with his parents.

There are people, millions of people in this world who need reuniting with the Father who created them.  Barnabas was just such a uniter.  When all the other disciples were afraid and just couldn’t believe Paul had changed, it was Barnabas who encouraged them to get over it and embrace God’s miracle.  Barnabas’ name even means son of encouragement. [ii]

Another time[iii] after the stoning of Stephen, many of the believers from Jerusalem fled for their lives.  Those who went as far as Antioch (in today’s southern Turkey) began preaching of Jesus to Jews they found there, but also the Gentiles.  Many of the Gentiles began believing and were baptized.  The elders of this mainly Jewish movement couldn’t believe God was actually including Gentiles.  They sent Barnabas to check it out.  He went with an open mind, saw what God was accomplishing there and couldn’t wait to go get Paul to help teach the new disciples all about how to serve God.

When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch.  When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord.  Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith.  And many people were brought to the Lord.  Acts 11:22-24(NLT)

From Acts 10 through 15 we find Barnabas continually cooperating in bringing believers together, as well as leading unbelievers to believe.  The Holy Spirit chose Barnabas to work with Paul on his missionary endeavors, starting churches all over Asia Minor.  When there was difficulty or disagreement on methods or what to do, it was Barnabas who helped people reconcile and get along[iv].  In doing so God was glorified by Barnabas’ life!

Being Barnabas isn’t easy today; it’s never been easy to reach out to opposite sides of any fence – especially when tempers run hot – but the middle way of mediation, grace, peace, and reconciliation is what Christ has called his most capable followers to be.  As a preacher I can tell you it is a joy to stand with one hand holding-on to God, and another hand reaching out to those who don’t know Him…and inviting a meeting.  It’s entirely different, and much more perplexing to get in the middle of believers who lose their way and get angry at each other.  But that’s what the Barnabas believers are called to be in this strange time!

For You Today

So, who’s your hero?  Billy Graham?  Joel Osteen?  Donald Trump?  Nancy Pelosi?  Tom Brady?  Kobe Bryant?  Socrates?  Einstein?  Great leaders?

Let me suggest a heavenly hero – be a Barnabas; it’s the 2^nd fiddle that creates sweet harmony!

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road; have a blessed day.

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[i] Title Image:  via Pixabay.com

[ii] Acts 4:36

[iii] Acts 11

[iv] Compare Acts 15:37-39 and 2 Timothy 4:11

Shaking-Off the Dust

[1]

 Tuesday, June 21, 2016

The following week almost the entire city turned out to hear them preach the word of the Lord.  But when some of the Jews saw the crowds, they were jealous; so they slandered Paul and argued against whatever he said.  Then Paul and Barnabas spoke out boldly and declared, “It was necessary that we first preach the word of God to you Jews.  But since you have rejected it and judged yourselves unworthy of eternal life, we will offer it to the Gentiles.  For the Lord gave us this command when he said,

‘I have made you a light to the Gentiles,
    to bring salvation to the farthest corners of the earth.’”

When the Gentiles heard this, they were very glad and thanked the Lord for his message; and all who were chosen for eternal life became believers.  So the Lord’s message spread throughout that region.  Then the Jews stirred up the influential religious women and the leaders of the city, and they incited a mob against Paul and Barnabas and ran them out of town.  So they shook the dust from their feet as a sign of rejection and went to the town of Iconium.  And the believers were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.   Acts 13:44-52^(NLT)

Hearing a “new message” is not an easy thing.  This is especially so when it appears that the new message tramples on the old.  Entrenched feelings and beliefs do not give up their space easily.

In the case of the Gospel, Paul was on shaky grounds with the ruling elders of his faith.  For centuries the Gentiles and Jews were as separate as night and day.  But the Apostle had been called to proclaim the news that the so-called “outsiders” were welcome. 

Paul and Barnabas tried again and again to go to the synagogues with the Gospel, but were rejected at every turn.  Finally they gave up and shook the dust off their sandals, telling the elders their rejection of the message of Christ would be their undoing.  So Paul turned to the Gentiles.

Throughout the centuries any new message is generally met with opposition, and even angry backlash.  Some of the clash between old and new is silly, and merely boils-down to a cultural spat, we like this, versus we want that!  The key of this is found in the verbs; when you like something, you want it, and you don’t very much appreciate anyone else meddling with it. 

This is the same problem Adam and Eve had in the Garden – their “wanter” got them in deep trouble, as it has for every one of their family members down through the centuries.

But sometimes the new is right, and rejecting it is wrong.  In the case of the elders who opposed Paul, holding on to the old way was the latter, and they missed welcoming the Son of God.

Freshly returned from yet another deeply-divided annual conference of the United Methodist Church, I am nagged by the question which has plagued this denomination for forty years:  are the progressives right – that homosexuality isn’t a sin?  Or are the conservatives right – making the prevailing wind of change in American culture (both secular and church) a stench in God’s nostrils?

For You Today

It is no secret that there is little room to sit on the fence in this issue; tempers flare the moment the bell rings for the next round. 

When all is said and done, I pray the side you have chosen will not be where the dust from God’s sandals will fall on you.

You chew on that as you hit the Rocky Road today…have a blessed day!

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[1] Title Image: By Johnathon (Own work), via Wikimedia Commons

Hitching a Ride

 ^[1]   

Monday, June 15, 2015

All the believers were united in heart and mind.  And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had.  The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all.  There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.  For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”).  He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus.  He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.  Acts 4:32-37 ^(NLT)

In a perfect world…is how many depressing or cynical sentences begin. 

In a perfect world…there would be no diseases, poverty or crime.

In a perfect world…there would be no child abuse.

In a perfect world…everyone could take a turn at being president.

The reason we say the tenor of those statements is depressed, or cynical, is because we immediately recognize there is never going to be a time when they are more than wishful thinking; utopia is out of reach; Camelot was a brief moment, unsustainable!

The “Camelot moment” of the church followed Pentecost for a brief moment.  The church grew exponentially, and so did unity and radical generosity. 

It aint so lately!

Of the volumes of characterizations that could be written or spoken about the church, this is our Age of Camelot is not one.  You can’t begin to describe the church today as united in heart and mind…shar[ing] everything they ha[ve].^{(Acts 4:32)}

The church today stands in some pretty dire need of encouragement to remember her roots.

Joseph was such an encouraging sort that they nicknamed him Barnabas, and he encouraged people with bold actions.  Saul (who became Paul) persecuted the church.  After meeting Jesus face to face, he came to the church leaders and wanted to join in.  Everyone wanted to string him up, flog him and give him a dose of his own persecution.  Barnabas stood in the gap and encouraged the leaders to give him a chance.

Later, when Paul and Barnabas went on a road trip visiting the churches, they took John Mark with them, but Mark got cold feet after a short time and went home.  As they planned a second journey to encourage the churches, Barnabas wanted to take Mark along; Paul said are you joking…no way!  He’s a deserter; forget it! 

Barnabas wanted Paul to remember his roots…how a persecuter (much like a deserter) was despised.  But Paul wouldn’t be persuaded, so Barnabas took John Mark and went on a different route.  Barnabas found a way to encourage everyone he encountered.

If I had to characterize Barnabas by choosing an animal, I’d say he was a mother walrus.  A walrus mother knows her cub needs a little lift at times, and that was Barnabas’ specialty – the word or deed done at the right time and in the right spirit/way to bring courage back.

This is the need of the church today – courage to remember our despised roots – not the glory days of bold mission advance, or success stories of money rasied, or buildings built.  We need to remember the Barnabas effect of a bloodstained cross caused by our sin.  We were as despicable as any enemy or deserter, and God gave His Son for us.

Overwhelming, isn’t it?  At least it should be; it should lead us to such great gratitude that nothing should stand in our way of being like that.

It cost Barnabas plenty to be an encouragement to the church…more than the money he got for selling his property so others could eat.  At times the cost was lonely leadership; it isn’t easy when you stand up for despised ones like Peter and John Mark. 

But think how much poorer the record of the church would have been without Paul and Mark’s ministry?  We needed Barnabas; we need him more now than ever!

For You Today

In a perfect world…the church would be full of Barnabas Christians. 

Well, at least it would be better off if the ONE Christian I have any control over was like that.  We can all be Barnabas if we choose!

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[1] Title image: By U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (National Digital Library) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons