Hi, I'm Pastor Floyd Bresee.
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And I have been thinking,
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it seems to me there
will be lot more Christians,
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if Christians were a
lot more Christ like.
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Let's pray about it.
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Heavenly Father, please
teach us something today
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that will help us become
more Christ like Christians,
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we pray in Jesus name, amen.
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Our focus today
will be on Barnabas.
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Barnabas, the encourager.
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Please open your Bible
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to the Book of
Acts and the 11 Chapter.
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I will be using the
New International Version.
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Did you ever
wandered through a graveyard
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looking at the
epitaphs on the tombstones.
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One tombstone in
our Georgia cemetery
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reads 'I told
you and I was sick',
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a very unique epitaph is
in the Maryland cemetery.
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'Here lies an atheist
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all dressed up
and no place to go.'
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I sometimes wonder
if I should die tonight,
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what my epitaph would be.
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What would people be able
to honestly say about you?
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What would your epitaph be?
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My favorite epitaph
is that of Barnabas.
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In Acts, the 11
Chapter and the 24 verse,
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"He was a good man,
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full of the Holy
Spirit and faith,
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and a great number of people
were brought to the Lord."
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He was a good man.
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How simple, how
profound, He was a good man.
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Actually, Barnabas
was also a rich man.
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He was a hardworking man.
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But the highest
praise that can be bestowed
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upon a Christian was
bestowed on Barnabas.
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He was a good man.
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How could the Bible
write that epitaph of Barnabas?
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He was a good man.
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What's the Bible definition
of a good man, or a good woman?
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Our lesson today is
from the life of Barnabas
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and it's just
this, the good are those
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who find good in
others, this good man.
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As we look at his life,
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we find a Bible definition
of what it means to be good.
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The good are those
who find good in others.
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For example, the good
encourage the discouraged.
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Barnabas' father
named him Joseph,
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which means one who gets ahead.
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But his peers
nicknamed him Barnabas,
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one who encourages others.
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If your peers nicknamed
you, those who live with you,
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those who work with
you, those who know you best.
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If they put you
into one nickname,
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one word, what
would that word be?
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What word would best
describe who you are?
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The word that best
described Barnabas,
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apparently he was an encourager.
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He encouraged the discouraged.
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Three years after
Paul's conversion,
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the Jews tried to
kill him in Damascus.
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His friends
lowered him over the wall
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and he barely
escaped with his life.
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Discouraged Paul
hurried for Jerusalem,
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greatly in need
of encouragement,
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but the brother and
sisters in Jerusalem
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didn't trust
their former persecutor.
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Acts, the 9 Chapter
and verses 26 and 27,
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"When he came to Jerusalem,
he tried to join the disciples,
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but they were all afraid of him,
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not believing that he
really was a disciple.
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But Barnabas took him
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and brought him to the apostles.
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He told them how Saul on
his journey has seen the Lord
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and that the Lord
had spoken to him,
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and how in
Damascus he has preached
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fearlessly in
the name of Jesus."
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Barnabas, the encourager.
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You ever have your car
stalled maybe off miles away
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from nowhere, or
maybe you had a dead battery
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and there you sit all
hopeless and all discouraged,
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you have appointments to keep,
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but you have no way to
get there, discouraged.
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And then someone
pulls up alongside you.
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Opens their hood and your hood,
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brings out the jumper
cables and in a few moments
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you're up and away and gone.
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This is what
the word encourager,
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Barnabas the encourager,
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it means one
who comes alongside.
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Barnabas was one
who came alongside
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those who were discouraged
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and helped them get going again.
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Out there somewhere,
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there is someone who
would be in your church,
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if they were not
fearful of rejection.
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Someone out there
who needs a Barnabas
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to introduce him
to the believers.
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You know, someone
who's discouraged,
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maybe sick or grieving
or having family problems
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or maybe financial hardships,
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what are you
doing to encourage them?
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Are you an
encourager of the discouraged?
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Jackie Robinson was
the first African-American
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who played in major league
baseball in the United States.
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And the people simply
were not used to seeing
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a black man playing
in major league baseball.
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They booed him
every place he went,
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when he went down south,
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they booed him from the stands
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and when he
came back to Brooklyn
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and played at Ebbets
field, they booed him there too.
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One day in the midst of a game,
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Jackie Robinson committed
an error playing second base.
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The stands
erupted, they really gave
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the poor second
basement the raspberries.
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Pee Wee Reese was Brooklyn's
much admired shortstop
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and Pee Wee Reese
didn't say a word,
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but he walked
over to a second base
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where Jackie was
standing with his head down
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and the shortstop reached up
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and he put his hand on
the arm of Jackie Robinson
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and as he stood there,
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the stands out of respect
for Pee Wee Reese went quiet.
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Jackie Robinson later said,
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it was that hand on his
arm that saved his career.
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Have you put
your hand on the arm
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of someone who is discouraged?
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The good according to the
life of Barnabas are those
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who find good and help
the discouraged people.
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The good are those who find
good in all kinds of people.
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Christians were
persecuted in Jerusalem
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especially after
the stoning of Stephen
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and they, they fled,
then that's how Christianity
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actually was dispersed.
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Some of them went
some 280 miles north
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to a town called Antioch,
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and there these
Jewish Christians
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began to actually share
their faiths with the Gentiles.
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We get the story in Acts,
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the 11 Chapter and the 22 verse.
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Acts 11 and verse 22,
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"News of this reached the
ears of the church at Jerusalem
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and they sent
Barnabas to Antioch."
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Barnabas, you see,
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was able to see good in others,
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both the holier than thou Jews
and the licentious Gentiles.
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He found the way to
bring people together.
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He was a good
man, because he knew
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how to bring people together.
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Down in New Orleans,
Katrina drowned people
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out of their
homes and up in Detroit,
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there was a Victor Martin,
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who owned a best
western motel in Detroit
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and he called the
Detroit City officials
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and said that if
some of the refugees
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were to come here his way,
he would give them free rooms.
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And sure enough,
it wasn't too long
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before an old Grand Cherokee
pulled up in front of his motel
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and out piled 11 people
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and they were able to
get 11 people in that old car
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because they didn't have
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a single thing
to bring with them.
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So he sent out to
word to the community
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and they began
bringing close and before long,
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he had two of his
ballrooms filled with clothes.
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He put a box out in the,
the entrance to his motel
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and people filled that
up with cash day by day.
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And he sent word
out to the community
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and they had a picnic together
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and this man had the gift
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of bringing very
different people,
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usually of different race
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but he brought people together.
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This was the gift of Barnabas,
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one reason he was
called a good man,
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because he had the gift
of bringing people together.
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Now when Barnabas saw
results, he welcomed change.
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Very important, especially
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for conservative
Christians to understand.
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Note, if you will now, verse 23,
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"When he arrived and saw
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the evidence of
the grace of God,
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he was glad and
encouraged them all to remain
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true to the Lord
with all their hearts."
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He welcomed change.
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Now, this must not
have been easy for Barnabas.
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He was a Levite
from the priestly tribe.
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He had been
emerged in Jewish law
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and Jewish tradition deeply
steeped in Jewish thinking
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but he could change.
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To many Christians find nothing
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so unbearable in all the
world as the pain of a new idea.
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A new approach to worship,
or new kinds of songs to sing,
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a new kind of
evangelistic outreach.
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Now, it's
important to know this,
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not every change is good.
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It says that Barnabas
first of all checked it out
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and after he had checked it out
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and he had seen the good results
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then he gave his
whole-hearted support.
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Now the good find
good in problem youth.
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Discouraged by circumstances,
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young Mark had
once given up traveling
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with the other evangelists
and serving the Lord.
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Now, little later on in Acts 15
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and verses 36 to 38 of Acts 15,
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"Some time later
Paul said to Barnabas,
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"Let us go back and visit
the brothers in all the towns
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where we had
preached the word of the Lord
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and see how they are doing.
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Barnabas wanted to
take John, also called Mark,
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with them, but Paul did not
think it was wise to take him,
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because he had
deserted them in Pamphylia
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and had not continued
with them in the work."
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And so there was a problem
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that developed
between Paul and Barnabas.
00:14:12.83\00:14:20.12
This fellow Mark had once
worked together with them.
00:14:20.13\00:14:27.11
But when he found
that the team was going
00:14:27.12\00:14:31.29
to head into the
interior of Asia Minor,
00:14:31.30\00:14:34.92
Mark looked at the mountains
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and the
inhospitable country ahead
00:14:36.73\00:14:38.99
and he looked down in the harbor
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where a ship was
heading for Jerusalem
00:14:40.90\00:14:43.26
and this mama's boy
went out and headed for home.
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How many have started
their Christian journey
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and given up when
the going gets hard?
00:14:51.31\00:14:55.48
Some Christian has been unkind
00:14:55.49\00:14:58.29
or some prayers seem
to have been unanswered.
00:14:58.30\00:15:02.64
But encouraged by Barnabas,
00:15:02.65\00:15:04.96
Mark later got a second chance.
00:15:04.97\00:15:08.13
In verse 39, they had
such, that is Paul and Barnabas,
00:15:08.14\00:15:13.19
"They had such a
sharp disagreement
00:15:13.20\00:15:15.23
that they parted company.
00:15:15.24\00:15:17.11
Barnabas took Mark
and sailed for Cyprus,"
00:15:17.12\00:15:23.06
Barnabas took Mark
and sailed for Cyprus.
00:15:23.07\00:15:27.52
How I would love to
be your Barnabas today.
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If you have failed,
if you have turned away
00:15:32.61\00:15:35.38
and you want another chance,
00:15:35.39\00:15:37.18
everybody deserves a
second chance and this day,
00:15:37.19\00:15:42.57
God offered you a second chance.
00:15:42.58\00:15:46.82
The Christian
army has a dreadful
00:15:46.83\00:15:48.94
history of shooting its wounded.
00:15:48.95\00:15:51.70
It's true, we must
stand up for beliefs,
00:15:51.71\00:15:55.36
but we must always love people
00:15:55.37\00:15:57.71
who are hurting and
people who are failing.
00:15:57.72\00:16:01.36
Everybody has
right to a second chance.
00:16:01.37\00:16:04.14
How many
marriages could be saved
00:16:04.15\00:16:06.29
if you were just
willing to give a second chance?
00:16:06.30\00:16:10.14
How many youth would be saved
00:16:10.15\00:16:12.83
if we would just
be willing to overlook
00:16:12.84\00:16:15.51
some of their
mistakes in the past
00:16:15.52\00:16:17.26
and give them a second chance?
00:16:17.27\00:16:20.58
Be a Barnabas, one who
encourages the discouraged.
00:16:20.59\00:16:25.72
It's tough time of
life when you're young.
00:16:25.73\00:16:30.56
Catch young people doing
00:16:30.57\00:16:32.10
something right and
commend them for it.
00:16:32.11\00:16:34.39
We're inclined to catch them
00:16:34.40\00:16:35.74
doing something wrong
and condemn them for it.
00:16:35.75\00:16:40.23
Paul judged Mark by his past,
00:16:40.24\00:16:43.42
Barnabas by his
potential, not by what he was,
00:16:43.43\00:16:48.72
but by what he might become.
00:16:48.73\00:16:52.32
And by the way, have you thanked
00:16:52.33\00:16:54.92
the Barnabases in your life?
00:16:54.93\00:16:57.84
Those in your past
and maybe in your youth
00:16:57.85\00:17:00.58
who believed in you
when others wrote you off.
00:17:00.59\00:17:05.21
Pastor William Stager was
attending one of these classes
00:17:05.22\00:17:08.21
where he encouraged to
write a note of appreciation
00:17:08.22\00:17:11.04
to somebody in your background
00:17:11.05\00:17:12.57
and he wrote to his
old literature teacher.
00:17:12.58\00:17:16.64
She was the one who had somehow
00:17:16.65\00:17:19.35
brighten his mind
and turned him on to,
00:17:19.36\00:17:22.02
to towards in
language and literature
00:17:22.03\00:17:24.28
and he wrote to thank her for it
00:17:24.29\00:17:26.79
and received a reply back.
00:17:26.80\00:17:30.54
She said, 'I'm in
my 80s and I'm alone.
00:17:30.55\00:17:35.99
I've spent my lifetime teaching.
00:17:36.00\00:17:38.86
I feel like I'm the last
leaf to fall from the tree.
00:17:38.87\00:17:43.76
You're the first one
to write and thank me."
00:17:43.77\00:17:48.21
If there is someone who
helped you through your ills,
00:17:48.22\00:17:51.96
why not thank your Barnabas?
00:17:51.97\00:17:55.95
Now, how can we
call Barnabas a good man?
00:17:55.96\00:17:59.72
Well another
description we find,
00:17:59.73\00:18:01.64
the good grow
where they're planted.
00:18:01.65\00:18:04.69
Barnabas did a first
class job of second place.
00:18:04.70\00:18:10.09
I found 22 times, the
names of Paul and Barnabas
00:18:10.10\00:18:15.52
are mentioned together
and the first six times,
00:18:15.53\00:18:19.07
it was always Barnabas and Paul,
00:18:19.08\00:18:21.90
Barnabas and
Paul, Barnabas and Paul.
00:18:21.91\00:18:24.55
Later on, almost invariably
it became Paul and Barnabas,
00:18:24.56\00:18:29.36
Paul and Barnabas, the one
who had first been paramount,
00:18:29.37\00:18:33.26
it became secondary.
00:18:33.27\00:18:36.40
When you're behind
someone pushing them forward,
00:18:36.41\00:18:40.44
you're not going
to be very visible.
00:18:40.45\00:18:44.01
But Barnabas was contained,
00:18:44.02\00:18:45.94
he grew where he was planted.
00:18:45.95\00:18:49.64
You ever hear that
silly little ditty,
00:18:49.65\00:18:52.66
'I'm the only little
petunia in an onion patch,
00:18:52.67\00:18:57.17
an onion patch, an onion patch.
00:18:57.18\00:19:00.14
I'm the only little
petunia in an onion patch
00:19:00.15\00:19:03.91
and all I do is cry all day.
00:19:03.92\00:19:07.54
Boo hoo, boo hoo,
all I do is cry all day."
00:19:07.55\00:19:14.88
Some people spend
their lifetime crying
00:19:14.89\00:19:19.54
about where they
have been planted.
00:19:19.55\00:19:24.37
If I just had different parents,
00:19:24.38\00:19:26.55
if I just had a different
job or a different spouse
00:19:26.56\00:19:30.02
or different
looks or different gifts
00:19:30.03\00:19:31.70
or different circumstances.
00:19:31.71\00:19:37.38
Now how would you go
about seeing good in others?
00:19:37.39\00:19:41.84
We learn this
lesson also from Barnabas.
00:19:41.85\00:19:45.52
How do we go about
seeing good in others.
00:19:45.53\00:19:48.10
We do it by comparing
ourselves only with Christ.
00:19:48.11\00:19:51.99
You see, when we
compare ourselves with others,
00:19:52.00\00:19:55.55
we are tempted
to look further bad
00:19:55.56\00:19:58.63
in order to make
ourselves look good.
00:19:58.64\00:20:04.31
Notice Acts, the 11
Chapter and the 24 verse,
00:20:04.32\00:20:10.28
Acts 11:24, this
was our first text
00:20:10.29\00:20:13.97
and notice once more,
00:20:13.98\00:20:15.14
"He, speaking of
Barnabas, was a good man,
00:20:15.15\00:20:18.18
full of the Holy
Spirit and faith,
00:20:18.19\00:20:21.60
and a great number of people
were brought to the Lord."
00:20:21.61\00:20:27.02
A great number of people
were brought to the Lord,
00:20:27.03\00:20:32.60
because he had faith.
00:20:32.61\00:20:36.15
What does it mean?
00:20:36.16\00:20:37.80
Christian faith means trusting
Christ, faith in Christ.
00:20:37.81\00:20:42.19
He trust in Christ to put
him where he needed to be,
00:20:42.20\00:20:45.41
to do what he ought to be doing.
00:20:45.42\00:20:47.69
Barnabas didn't have any need
to compare himself with Paul.
00:20:47.70\00:20:51.88
He trusted the
one Christ made him.
00:20:51.89\00:20:54.01
He didn't need
another great preacher.
00:20:54.02\00:20:55.91
He needed a great encourager.
00:20:55.92\00:20:59.77
Barnabas was
continually looking on to Jesus,
00:20:59.78\00:21:03.61
the author and
finisher of our faith.
00:21:03.62\00:21:09.03
In my school, when I was a kid,
00:21:09.04\00:21:12.43
we used to have the
alphabet on the border,
00:21:12.44\00:21:18.14
just above the blackboard.
00:21:18.15\00:21:22.50
And when I was
trying to learn, to write,
00:21:22.51\00:21:26.33
I wasn't very good at it.
00:21:26.34\00:21:28.61
But I didn't have to
look at the student next to me
00:21:28.62\00:21:31.05
or even the teacher who wrote,
00:21:31.06\00:21:33.04
I thought so beautifully.
00:21:33.05\00:21:35.14
I could look up there,
like the perfect pattern
00:21:35.15\00:21:38.07
and by watching and studying
00:21:38.08\00:21:40.61
and following
the perfect pattern,
00:21:40.62\00:21:43.35
eventually even
I learned to write.
00:21:43.36\00:21:48.84
You don't have to look at your
peers to know what is right.
00:21:48.85\00:21:52.03
You don't have to
look at just the leaders
00:21:52.04\00:21:54.73
around you, you look at Christ.
00:21:54.74\00:21:56.09
Look up at the perfect pattern.
00:21:56.10\00:22:00.19
Looking on to Jesus.
Looking for Jesus everywhere.
00:22:00.20\00:22:06.58
We're able to find something
00:22:06.59\00:22:08.59
a little bit
Christ like in everyone.
00:22:08.60\00:22:15.55
Did you catch that?
00:22:15.56\00:22:17.09
If we look for Jesus everywhere,
00:22:17.10\00:22:20.91
we will find a little
bit of Christ in everyone.
00:22:20.92\00:22:29.64
You look at world
around you and you see Christ
00:22:29.65\00:22:34.50
because you're wanting to
look for Christ everywhere.
00:22:34.51\00:22:38.57
You open the book
and you see Christ,
00:22:38.58\00:22:41.33
because you're
committed to finding Christ,
00:22:41.34\00:22:44.70
looking for Christ everywhere.
00:22:44.71\00:22:46.67
If you're totally committed
00:22:46.68\00:22:48.57
to looking for
Christ everywhere,
00:22:48.58\00:22:50.42
then when you
look at other people,
00:22:50.43\00:22:52.01
you're going to look
for the Christ in them too,
00:22:52.02\00:22:54.10
because there is a
little bit of Christ
00:22:54.11\00:22:56.09
in every man and every woman.
00:22:56.10\00:23:00.31
So it starts
with focusing on Jesus
00:23:00.32\00:23:04.27
and I am going to
see Jesus everywhere
00:23:04.28\00:23:09.46
in everything and in everyone.
00:23:09.47\00:23:13.61
It changes our
whole approach to living
00:23:13.62\00:23:15.95
and it certainly
changes our approach
00:23:15.96\00:23:18.41
to relationships
with other people.
00:23:18.42\00:23:22.07
Because if I look
for Christ everywhere,
00:23:22.08\00:23:25.02
I'm going to look for
Christ in every person I meet.
00:23:25.03\00:23:30.69
So what a
contribution encouragers make.
00:23:30.70\00:23:37.05
Without the encourager,
00:23:37.06\00:23:38.93
possibly there would
have been no Gospel of Mark.
00:23:38.94\00:23:44.05
Perhaps, wouldn't have
been no writings of Paul.
00:23:44.06\00:23:48.91
If Barnabas had
not taken Mark back,
00:23:48.92\00:23:51.80
he might have just kind
of slipped into oblivion.
00:23:51.81\00:23:55.69
If Barnabas had not
brought Paul to the brethren
00:23:55.70\00:23:58.99
and encouraged them
to pay attention to Paul,
00:23:59.00\00:24:02.10
then writings of Paul
00:24:02.11\00:24:03.90
would probably
never have been accepted,
00:24:03.91\00:24:07.48
perhaps the books would
never have been written.
00:24:07.49\00:24:11.19
Barnabas never
wrote a book of the Bible,
00:24:11.20\00:24:15.90
but Barnabas encouraged two men
00:24:15.91\00:24:19.56
who wrote nearly
one-half of the New Testament.
00:24:19.57\00:24:27.09
Be a Barnabas, the good man.
00:24:27.10\00:24:30.80
The good are those
who find good in others.
00:24:30.81\00:24:35.99
The good
encourage the discouraged.
00:24:36.00\00:24:40.32
The good find good
in all kinds of people.
00:24:40.33\00:24:45.86
The good find good in problem,
00:24:45.87\00:24:48.81
the young people
and the good grow
00:24:48.82\00:24:53.66
where they're planted.
00:24:53.67\00:24:56.41
How can I be that
kind of good person?
00:24:56.42\00:25:01.26
How can I see good in everybody?
00:25:01.27\00:25:04.71
To see good in others,
00:25:04.72\00:25:06.39
we compare
ourselves only with Christ.
00:25:06.40\00:25:09.32
Be so focused on Him,
00:25:09.33\00:25:12.61
that you see a little bit
of Him in everyone you meet
00:25:12.62\00:25:18.17
and you see a little bit
of Him everywhere you go.
00:25:18.18\00:25:21.85
Look for Christ
in your fellowmen,
00:25:21.86\00:25:24.22
that's what it means,
00:25:24.23\00:25:26.08
to always be
looking on to Jesus.
00:25:26.09\00:25:31.69
The U.S. Marine Corps is
always looking for volunteers.
00:25:31.70\00:25:36.48
They're always are in
need of more volunteers,
00:25:36.49\00:25:40.24
local recruiter,
he's given assignment,
00:25:40.25\00:25:42.42
he's got to attract
certain number of volunteers
00:25:42.43\00:25:47.07
and so they advertise
perpetually for volunteers.
00:25:47.08\00:25:51.93
And the slogan which I'm sure
00:25:51.94\00:25:53.69
you have seen many
times in many places,
00:25:53.70\00:25:57.34
'we're looking
for a few good men.'
00:25:57.37\00:26:04.10
Christ is too, you know.
00:26:04.11\00:26:06.59
Christ is in
desperate need of volunteers.
00:26:06.60\00:26:11.16
He's always
looking for volunteers.
00:26:11.17\00:26:15.41
He's looking for a
few good men and women.
00:26:15.42\00:26:20.32
He's looking for more
Barnabases in our day.
00:26:20.33\00:26:24.60
He's looking for volunteers
00:26:24.61\00:26:26.93
who will be like
Barnabas, encouragers.
00:26:26.94\00:26:31.07
Remember, the good are
those who find good in others.
00:26:31.08\00:26:38.65
Let's pray, Father,
00:26:38.66\00:26:43.96
we do want to be Barnabases.
00:26:43.97\00:26:47.77
Please help us focus our
lines on You and on our Lord
00:26:47.78\00:26:55.11
so completely that we see
00:26:55.12\00:26:58.55
a little bit of You
in everyone we meet.
00:26:58.56\00:27:03.77
Use us I pray, to always
be encouragers of others.
00:27:03.78\00:27:09.68
This is our prayer
in Jesus name, amen.
00:27:09.69\00:27:15.95
May I challenge you now,
go out and be a Barnabas.
00:27:15.96\00:27:21.81
Find somebody that
needs encouragement
00:27:21.82\00:27:26.14
and share
encouragement with them.
00:27:26.15\00:27:30.94
Thank you so much for tuning
00:27:30.95\00:27:34.16
into 'Faith Chapel' again today.
00:27:34.17\00:27:37.57
I hope I'd a
little time together.
00:27:37.58\00:27:40.70
Be of some
practical help to you,
00:27:40.71\00:27:43.91
as by looking to Jesus,
00:27:43.92\00:27:46.40
you want to become
more and more like Him
00:27:46.41\00:27:49.17
and see Him more and
more in other people.
00:27:49.18\00:27:52.28
May God richly
bless you and yours.
00:27:52.29\00:27:55.26