Read today’s texts first: Job 15; Acts 19,20
Every believer has something unique to contribute and every spiritual gift is needed to grow the church.
My title may sound like a folk-singing trio, but if it were, Barney probably wouldn’t be headlining – he’d be singing back-up! I can relate.
The first part of Acts features Peter as the early leader of the first church; the second half, which we are reading now, emphasizes Paul. Between and among these two dominant leaders are brief references to a man named Joseph, nicknamed Barnabas or “Son of Encouragement” by the Christians who recognized his spiritual gift of encouraging and developing leaders. While he doesn’t get a lot of attention in the pages of the New Testament, most of it may not have been written without him. He was the one who recommended Paul to the other church leaders and mentored John Mark when Paul lost patience with him (they wrote at least 14 of the 27 books of the NT).
When I read about the miracles (19:11,12), sermons , and converts (20) that happened through Paul’s ministry, I unfortunately tend to compare my life and ministry with his. If I lived at that time, not much of what I’ve done would be worthy of a write up in Acts, unless it was the times I messed up. But every believer has something unique to contribute and every spiritual gift is needed to grow the church (Ephesians 4:16). Without Barney backing Paul, much of the history of the church and the record of Scripture would be missing.
We all know and appreciate what Billy Graham has done, but how many of us know about Albert McMakin? He was the son of a sharecropper living on the Graham’s farm, who promised the rebellious 16 year old Billy Graham he could drive his truck if he came with him to hear Mordecai Ham. It was at that meeting Billy committed his life to Christ and eventually went on to preach in front of 2 billion people.
“Lord, I’m okay devoting my life, especially in my senior years, to encouraging and mentoring other leaders. I will never be like Paul, but it is enough to minister like Barnabas, or better yet, to be exactly who You created me to be!”
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