The Spirit of Barnabas

After last week, most of us know who Barnabas was. Today, I want to share a brief story with you about a few Barnabas’ I know. Can you think of any in your life? Here is how I found mine.

After 14 years of making pool cues in the shop in my back yard, I was in a rut. I had lost my motivation to work as hard I should have been, and with the money not coming in like it should, my wife had to take a job to support my family while I struggled to keep my business afloat. Most days, it was hard for me to even go into my shop, let alone stay there for the required hours. I had jobs that were piled up that I lacked the motivation to complete, and as a result I had several angry clients, some of whom had been waiting quite some time for their product. Rather than motivating me however, that fact just made me more depressed and brought on bouts of anxiety.

Throughout this period, I continued to keep a relationship with God, but never bothered him with my business struggles. I prayed about family, friends, my wife and my kids…but never about my own lack of motivation. My feeling was that God would not present me with challenges that I couldn’t handle, but what I had failed to realize is that God would never give me a challenge that we couldn’t handle. Somewhere along the way I started to leave Him out of the equation.

My shop and my house are right next to both the University and CNM. As a result, I enjoyed the company of all of the college-age youth leaders—Amanda, Stephanie, and Aaron. One day, Stephanie and Amanda came to me and asked if they could fix up a small room in my shop, the one that is accessed by visitors from the street. Their plan was a good one, they wanted to clean up and paint some walls in order to create a place for me to do retail business. I agreed immediately, since it was a plan that had been moving around in my head for years.

When it came time to start the clean-up, most of the high school youth as well as Paul showed up ready to work. It became clear almost immediately however that things were going to go far beyond a little paint and rearrangement. That day we ended up knocking out two walls and pushing a lot of my old machines out of the way; the shop project had begun. Over the next few weeks, things just got bigger. Paul brought in sheet rock for the roof and a load of ideas for the rest of the shop about lighting, flooring, and furniture. Over the next few months Amanda and Stephanie saved what money they could and bought much needed supplies for the project. Their level of giving was no small feat given their college student status. As the weeks went by I became overcome with feelings of joy as a bunch of different kids, some of whom I am close to and others who I had never even met, showed up joyfully ready to serve wherever needed. Through their actions I was able to see that God had not abandoned me or my little shop, and that knowledge lifted me higher than I had been in over a decade.

Today, my shop is unrecognizable from the building it once was and my motivation to turn out quality products is at a peak. I could go on forever with thanks for Paul, Amanda and Stephanie. Their encouragement has renewed my spirit and filled me with a new sense of purpose and desire to serve; as well as a motivation to encourage everyone I meet. Thank you so much Cottonwood Youth, and all of your leaders! God Bless you guys!

By Adam Franks

Keeping the Faith

The opening chapters of the book of Acts illustrate the duality of Christian life. On the one hand the people are witnessing the Holy Spirit work in their lives and bring followers to Christ at record pace. Miracles are being performed and the Good News of Christ is being spread further and further.

On the other hand, persecution is on the rise as well. As the Christian church grows in number, Jewish leaders start to become uneasy, and seek to stop the ministry of the disciples, going so far as to call them time and again before the Sanhedrin—the Jewish High Court!

I think the lessons found in these first few chapters are very important for us today. It’s one thing to praise God in the face of a growing church, new friends, an awesome health plan, and a grass roots social welfare program. It’s another to praise God in the face of persecution by the very keepers of the law you are trying to fulfill. The disciples, however, did both.

If you pay attention to one thing during your next read through of these chapters, watch the disciples as they stand before the Sanhedrin. Their muscles are relaxed, their eyes are focused, their feet are firm, their tongues are quick, and their hearts are light…a perfect model of how Christians should face their accusers when being held accountable for their faith. Especially Peter. We know Peter from the Gospels as Jesus’ right-hand man, but the Gospels also show us that he wasn’t exactly the bravest of the brave, the boldest of the bold, or the wisest of the wise. He was the guy who, after gathering the courage to step off the boat, fell down into the water. He was the one who couldn’t shut up, even in the presence of Moses and Elijah. He was the guy who tried to take on a dozen Roman soldiers, and managed to fell half of an ear. He was the Defender one moment and the Denier the next.

Now fast forward a little bit, and put that same man in front of the Jewish High Council. If you’re on the sidelines shaking your Magic Eight Ball, it will come up “Outlook not so good” every time. But what happens? He’s great! He not only stands up for what he believes in, the Truth of Jesus Christ, but even manages to use his time before the Council to proclaim that Truth to the very faces of those trying to beat it down!

Okay, so for many of us it is unlikely that we will ever be hauled before the Supreme Court to give an account of our beliefs, but persecution takes all forms. While persecution takes on many different forms today in our schools, our jobs, and our politics—the remedy remains the same as it has for 2,000 years. Stand strong in your faith in the face of persecution, rejoice that you have been found worthy to suffer for the Name, and use every attack on yourself to glorify the One who has given you new life! Are you being persecuted right now? By co-workers, bosses, neighbors, friends, or even family? If so, just remember Peter: The Sinker, The Talker, The Denier…The Defender, The Leader, The Martyr.

By Aaron Blackwell

Following the Leader

Wow. Has it really been three months since my last blog? Well, good news everyone, the blog is back! I will continue on with my plan to “Blog through the Bible” in line with the Read-the-Bible-in-a-Year guides soon. Today, however, I want to discuss a topic that I think is very important to all of us.

Actually, the discussion began a couple of nights ago at a late night Flying Star meeting. (Thanks to Justin and Paul for encouraging me to get some of these ideas on “paper”.) The topic is the idea that we do not have the power to change our worth in God’s eyes once we have been saved. To put it in terms of a question to all of you, Is there a divine difference between a deathbed believer and someone who has devoted their whole life to serving Jesus as far as the reward is concerned?

This is both an easy and a difficult question to answer. On the one hand, we know through Scripture that God’s love for us is limitless. (See John 3:16 for starters) So, it only makes sense that the man who accepts Jesus as his Savior days or even minutes before his death will go to Heaven. He will stand side by side with the woman who has devoted her entire life to Christ and they will worship together.

The problem with this is that for many it begs the question: Why should I bother trying to live out a Christian life after I’ve accepted Jesus? Especially if His love for me won’t change? That is not to say that the above idea is wrong. I don’t think there is a requirement for how long you have to stay alive after accepting Jesus in order to be guaranteed that spot in Heaven. The reality is, however, that there is just more to the story.

Jesus talks about storing up treasures in Heaven by obeying His commands. He also warns a crowd about what happens to vines that don’t produce fruit. And finally, He warns His followers of the persecution they are going to face. The bottom line: Christ expects us to act on His behalf. The simple command He gave to Simon Peter reverberates through the years directly to us, “Come. Follow me.”

In my immediate circle of friends and perhaps elsewhere we are fond of noting that we do not want to be known as Christians, but rather as Followers of Christ. So what does it mean to follow? Anyone who has ever played Follow the Leader already has a perfect idea. When you are playing the game, the object is not to sit and close your eyes and try to think about what the leader might do, where they might go. Nor is it to wander around alone cautiously until you come to a tough spot, a wall perhaps, and then trying to imagine what Billy might do when he comes to this same wall. No, the game demands mysterious action. You are required to follow without knowing exactly where Billy might take you. It may get hard sometimes. You might wander into a ditch or be forced to climb a high wall, but the whole time you know that Billy has already gotten out of the ditch or over the wall and led others who have done the same, which makes it a little easier. And hey, if you can’t do it alone, the person in front of you or behind you will be glad to lend you a hand…I think you get my point.

The truth is, the life we lead post-acceptance is important. It is important to Jesus, but it is also important for you. A life that is lead with Jesus at the front of the line is infinitely better than following yourself. So, while your worth will not be diminished in God’s eyes if you stumble along the way, your worth to yourself and others increases exponentially when you are in step behind Jesus. Thoughts?

By Aaron Blackwell