WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:06.480 Now, I want us to look back today at the passage we read together in Acts chapter 12. 00:00:06.480 --> 00:00:12.200 I'm not going to stay exclusively in this passage because today we're going to do a 00:00:12.200 --> 00:00:20.039 character study for part of our time and then apply that into our own hearts and lives. 00:00:20.039 --> 00:00:28.199 And it's a character study on Barnabas who we read about in this account and we read 00:00:28.199 --> 00:00:33.640 about him in different places in the book of Acts. 00:00:33.640 --> 00:00:41.359 And really, in a sense, it's a character study, but it's also looking at a gift, a 00:00:41.359 --> 00:00:49.960 spiritual gift that I think we should all aspire to in our lives more and more. 00:00:49.960 --> 00:00:52.439 And that's the gift of encouragement. 00:00:52.439 --> 00:00:55.039 And Barnabas was called son of encouragement. 00:00:55.039 --> 00:01:00.240 And that's really what we're going to look at today is the importance of encouragement 00:01:00.240 --> 00:01:06.519 in our Christian lives, the importance of being encouragers because we know the value 00:01:06.519 --> 00:01:11.079 of being encouraged ourselves in our Christian lives. 00:01:11.079 --> 00:01:18.560 And I think as we come to the end of the year, it's a good thing to consider what the last 00:01:18.560 --> 00:01:23.640 year has been like for us in terms of that characteristic, in terms of how we've lived 00:01:23.640 --> 00:01:31.799 our lives in relation to other people and also moving forward into the new year. 00:01:31.799 --> 00:01:34.799 It's very much a gift from God. 00:01:34.799 --> 00:01:38.680 It's a gift of the Holy Spirit. 00:01:38.680 --> 00:01:45.120 Romans 12 verse 8 speaks to us about that gift of the Spirit. 00:01:45.120 --> 00:01:49.719 But it's also a grace characteristic that should be in everyone. 00:01:49.719 --> 00:01:55.799 It's a gift that some people have in great abundance, but it's a grace character that 00:01:55.799 --> 00:02:02.879 we should all look for in our lives to develop, to example, and to pray more about. 00:02:02.879 --> 00:02:06.879 It's also a natural characteristic in people. 00:02:06.879 --> 00:02:11.639 There's many people who are not Christians who don't love Jesus, who don't know Christ 00:02:11.639 --> 00:02:15.960 in their lives, who are still great at encouraging. 00:02:15.960 --> 00:02:20.960 And that's a gift of common grace that we're thankful for. 00:02:20.960 --> 00:02:28.680 But we look to our motivation for being good encouragers in our lives to our own relationship 00:02:28.680 --> 00:02:34.760 with Jesus Christ and why that should motivate and inspire us to give Him the glory in how 00:02:34.760 --> 00:02:38.560 we relate to other people. 00:02:38.560 --> 00:02:45.120 But encouragement is a great theme through the book of Acts, and no more so than through 00:02:45.120 --> 00:02:49.240 the character of Barnabas himself. 00:02:49.240 --> 00:02:53.879 So the challenge you'll be today really, I think, is to, for the short while that we're 00:02:53.879 --> 00:02:58.599 together, just to look into your own heart, as I need to look into my own heart, to our 00:02:58.599 --> 00:03:04.640 relationships and to our responses to one another within the church family, but also 00:03:04.640 --> 00:03:07.759 within our lives at a broader level. 00:03:07.759 --> 00:03:17.280 And to look back and recognize how easy it has been over the last year to be discouraging. 00:03:17.280 --> 00:03:26.039 How easy it is for us to be discouraged in our lives and to recognize that so often we 00:03:26.039 --> 00:03:33.759 have a huge battle against selfishness and against negativity and discouragement, and 00:03:33.759 --> 00:03:39.359 that we have a duty and a responsibility and a privilege to be the people that stop that 00:03:39.359 --> 00:03:49.120 discouragement in our relationship with others and be those who bring hope and grace to them. 00:03:49.120 --> 00:03:56.519 So we're looking to the motivation of Christ in our lives and how that should impact the 00:03:56.520 --> 00:04:05.560 rare beautiful gift of encouragement as a community characteristic, as something we 00:04:05.560 --> 00:04:07.600 share with other people. 00:04:07.600 --> 00:04:13.040 And we're going to look briefly at Barnabas and then apply that character, characteristic 00:04:13.040 --> 00:04:19.160 to ourselves. 00:04:19.160 --> 00:04:26.160 His character is soaked through a lot of sections and acts, but primarily he is... 00:04:26.160 --> 00:04:32.800 There's five passages where we read about Barnabas. 00:04:32.800 --> 00:04:39.760 And the first is in Acts chapter four, where we actually find out his real name, because 00:04:39.760 --> 00:04:42.480 Barnabas was just a nickname. 00:04:42.480 --> 00:04:44.480 His real name was Joseph. 00:04:44.480 --> 00:04:52.840 Joseph, we're told in Acts 4, 36, was a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas, 00:04:52.839 --> 00:04:56.679 which means son of encouragement. 00:04:56.679 --> 00:05:01.839 He sold a field and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet. 00:05:01.839 --> 00:05:07.120 Now, it's the first thing we hear about Barnabas is that his real name is Joseph, and he's 00:05:07.120 --> 00:05:14.359 called Barnabas because that's what his character is like, and that's how he revealed himself 00:05:14.359 --> 00:05:18.919 or how other people saw him, at least the apostles saw him, and they give him this nickname 00:05:18.919 --> 00:05:20.479 of Barnabas. 00:05:20.480 --> 00:05:26.240 And he was a Cypriot Jew, as we're told there, so he would have left Israel in the diaspora 00:05:26.240 --> 00:05:28.759 and he was living in Cyprus. 00:05:28.759 --> 00:05:33.600 So he was someone who already had broadened his horizons a little bit. 00:05:33.600 --> 00:05:37.879 He wasn't insular, he wasn't just focused on his own group of people. 00:05:37.879 --> 00:05:42.360 He had moved to a different part of the world, he knew a different culture, a different language, 00:05:42.360 --> 00:05:46.960 and that maybe gave him a different perspective on life, which helped him to be an encourager, 00:05:46.959 --> 00:05:50.959 because maybe there was times when he was very discouraged in having to do that and 00:05:50.959 --> 00:05:56.680 isolated and alone, and he saw the value of his own relationship with Christ transforming 00:05:56.680 --> 00:05:59.879 the way he looked at others. 00:05:59.879 --> 00:06:03.599 And he was called here, as we told, son of encouragement. 00:06:03.599 --> 00:06:09.399 The early apostles recognized that gift in him, his reputation and his character was 00:06:09.399 --> 00:06:10.399 clear and known. 00:06:10.399 --> 00:06:11.399 Isn't that great? 00:06:11.399 --> 00:06:15.399 I wonder, nicknames tend to be negative, don't they? 00:06:15.399 --> 00:06:18.759 Not always, but sometimes they tend to be negative. 00:06:18.759 --> 00:06:24.279 Especially in school, maybe they tend to be negative, where they highlight unexposed weaknesses 00:06:24.279 --> 00:06:30.279 or failings in us, or character defects or even physical defects. 00:06:30.279 --> 00:06:36.000 But I wonder if people were, your friends and neighbors were to give you a nickname. 00:06:36.000 --> 00:06:37.159 I wonder what it would be. 00:06:37.159 --> 00:06:39.799 I wonder what our nickname would be. 00:06:39.799 --> 00:06:43.439 What name, what would be clearly known as? 00:06:43.439 --> 00:06:48.519 Could it be something as positive as this son of encouragement? 00:06:48.519 --> 00:06:54.079 And the other references in Acts refer to or reflect some of what Barnabas' character 00:06:54.079 --> 00:06:55.079 was like. 00:06:55.079 --> 00:06:57.399 He was clearly generous. 00:06:57.399 --> 00:06:58.399 We're told that here. 00:06:58.399 --> 00:07:03.759 He's very different from the other couple in the story in Acts who also sold land to 00:07:03.759 --> 00:07:05.319 Ananias and Sapphira. 00:07:05.319 --> 00:07:06.959 But here he's someone who owned land. 00:07:06.959 --> 00:07:09.120 He recognized the need of the early church. 00:07:09.120 --> 00:07:14.680 He sold that land and he gave the money to the leaders of the church to give to those 00:07:14.680 --> 00:07:22.000 who were in great need and those who benefited from his generosity. 00:07:22.000 --> 00:07:27.240 That was a great encouragement, a time of great need. 00:07:27.240 --> 00:07:36.319 And verse 30 tells us that at a time of famine he was supporting those who were to give money 00:07:36.319 --> 00:07:43.120 to the disciples in Jerusalem who were suffering under the famine. 00:07:43.120 --> 00:07:47.279 Later on we learn that he supported himself rather than take money from the church, from 00:07:47.279 --> 00:07:52.360 the young church to be a leader and a preacher and a teacher. 00:07:52.360 --> 00:07:57.519 We also recognize and know that he took risks on other people in his life. 00:07:57.519 --> 00:08:00.560 And that was a great encouragement. 00:08:00.560 --> 00:08:08.319 In Acts chapter 9 we're told of the amazingly pivotal role he had in the development of 00:08:08.319 --> 00:08:10.480 Saul who became Paul. 00:08:10.480 --> 00:08:15.800 When he came to Jerusalem at Saul, and remember Saul's amazing conversion story, he tried 00:08:15.800 --> 00:08:20.519 to join the disciples but they were all afraid of him believing that, not believing that 00:08:20.519 --> 00:08:25.519 he was really a disciple because remember he was going to be coming to Jerusalem to 00:08:25.519 --> 00:08:32.960 prison and to kill Christians and believers, but Barnabas were told, took him in and brought 00:08:32.960 --> 00:08:33.960 him to the apostles. 00:08:33.960 --> 00:08:38.000 He told them how Saul in his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to 00:08:38.000 --> 00:08:42.679 him and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. 00:08:42.679 --> 00:08:47.960 So he took risks on other people when the kind of established church weren't willing 00:08:47.960 --> 00:08:49.519 to take a risk on Saul. 00:08:49.519 --> 00:08:54.639 Barnabas was a great encourager of Saul and took him before the disciples and he trusted 00:08:54.639 --> 00:08:58.439 that what God had done was real in his life. 00:08:58.439 --> 00:09:01.559 And later on we also see that he forgave John Mark. 00:09:01.559 --> 00:09:04.360 I'll say a little bit more about that later. 00:09:04.360 --> 00:09:09.759 But he was willing to give John Mark a second chance after John Mark had deserted the work 00:09:09.759 --> 00:09:11.639 of the gospel. 00:09:11.639 --> 00:09:16.399 He was positive about the church in Antioch which we read about here. 00:09:16.399 --> 00:09:21.159 He reports back to the church, the main church in Jerusalem about the great things that are 00:09:21.159 --> 00:09:26.439 happening in this Gentile territory and that many people were becoming believers. 00:09:26.439 --> 00:09:28.240 He was a team player. 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:30.279 He worked really well with other people. 00:09:30.279 --> 00:09:31.799 That was encouragement. 00:09:31.799 --> 00:09:33.199 He worked with Paul. 00:09:33.199 --> 00:09:34.719 He worked with John Mark. 00:09:34.719 --> 00:09:38.480 He worked with the leaders in Antioch of the church. 00:09:38.480 --> 00:09:45.559 We learn in verse 25 that he saw out Saul to take him back to Jerusalem and to take him 00:09:45.559 --> 00:09:51.879 – sorry, to Antioch – to be a teacher, to be a leader, because he saw his gifts and 00:09:51.879 --> 00:09:55.879 he wanted to encourage him and mentor him as a leader. 00:09:55.879 --> 00:10:01.439 And interestingly, in terms of encouragement, he was also willing to take the backseat as 00:10:01.439 --> 00:10:03.679 a leader. 00:10:03.679 --> 00:10:08.959 There's a little, very interesting little change of language as we go through the story 00:10:08.959 --> 00:10:13.439 of Barnabas and Paul because it always starts in the early stages. 00:10:13.440 --> 00:10:18.040 Barnabas and Paul and they go to Antioch and they go on their first missionary journey 00:10:18.040 --> 00:10:21.240 and it's Barnabas and it's Paul. 00:10:21.240 --> 00:10:27.200 But as time progresses, we see that changing and the language becomes Paul and Barnabas. 00:10:27.200 --> 00:10:32.840 Now, it's maybe fairly insignificant, but it seems to be that Barnabas was willing to 00:10:32.840 --> 00:10:37.600 be that kind of leader that brought on young leaders and was then willing to recognize 00:10:37.600 --> 00:10:41.040 their gifts and give them that place of significance. 00:10:41.039 --> 00:10:47.599 He realized that Paul was set apart for this marvelous ministry and he was willing, in 00:10:47.599 --> 00:10:52.439 a sense, to become the support man to him. 00:10:52.439 --> 00:10:59.719 So he was someone who by his life, exempled great encouragement within the church family. 00:10:59.719 --> 00:11:07.000 And in Acts 11 where we read in verse 24, we're told that he was spirit-filled. 00:11:07.000 --> 00:11:12.240 And that really is what I want to focus on in terms of the key to his being an encouraging 00:11:12.240 --> 00:11:14.840 Christian was that he was spirit-filled. 00:11:14.840 --> 00:11:19.879 Verse 24, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. 00:11:19.879 --> 00:11:20.879 It's a good... 00:11:20.879 --> 00:11:21.879 Why? 00:11:21.879 --> 00:11:26.240 Wouldn't that be a good thing to put in our gravestones? 00:11:26.240 --> 00:11:32.240 Good man, good woman, full of the Holy Spirit and faith. 00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:37.680 And he understood... he was in relationship with Christ. 00:11:37.680 --> 00:11:40.960 He understood prayer and dependence on God. 00:11:40.960 --> 00:11:48.320 He was clearly wise and exercised spiritually in that relationship with Jesus. 00:11:48.320 --> 00:11:53.159 And it was attractive and it molded his character. 00:11:53.159 --> 00:11:59.639 And this, therefore, is the key to understanding the encouragement that's spoken of in the Bible 00:11:59.639 --> 00:12:03.799 because Christ was his encouragement. 00:12:03.799 --> 00:12:09.679 It was Christ that encouraged him, enabled him to see others in the light that he was 00:12:09.679 --> 00:12:11.319 able to see them in. 00:12:11.319 --> 00:12:18.159 And it was because of Christ's grace in his life and the forgiveness of Christ that enabled 00:12:18.159 --> 00:12:21.360 him to forgive others and be an encouragement. 00:12:21.360 --> 00:12:25.759 It was Christ's patience with him that enabled him to be patient with others. 00:12:25.759 --> 00:12:32.439 And it was this ongoing recognition of an encouraging spiritual relationship with Christ 00:12:32.439 --> 00:12:40.319 that enabled... that was the motivation for him to be an encouragement to others. 00:12:40.319 --> 00:12:43.439 He was a central leader in the early church. 00:12:43.439 --> 00:12:48.039 If you read these Middle Chapters in Acts, you'll see his name coming up again and again. 00:12:48.039 --> 00:12:50.200 He's a powerful evangelist. 00:12:50.200 --> 00:12:53.139 He shared the gospel and it was greatly blessed. 00:12:53.139 --> 00:12:57.439 He was a teacher, he was an apostolic leader to the Gentiles. 00:12:57.439 --> 00:12:59.919 He was set apart for the first missionary journey. 00:12:59.919 --> 00:13:01.279 He was a church planter. 00:13:01.279 --> 00:13:06.159 He encouraged new Christians to stay true to the Lord, as we see in this passage here 00:13:06.159 --> 00:13:08.319 in verse 23. 00:13:08.319 --> 00:13:14.759 And all that came from his own relationship with Jesus Christ that he was spirit-filled 00:13:14.759 --> 00:13:19.960 and knew the righteousness and goodness of Christ transforming his life. 00:13:19.960 --> 00:13:29.560 Now, lest that seems a bit unrealistic for us, we also recognize that it wasn't all plain 00:13:29.560 --> 00:13:31.360 sailing for him. 00:13:31.360 --> 00:13:36.680 It wasn't all just a bed of encouraging roses for him to live in. 00:13:36.680 --> 00:13:38.480 He wasn't perfect. 00:13:38.480 --> 00:13:44.960 He wasn't part of a perfect church, neither we, nor all part of a perfect and easy world 00:13:44.960 --> 00:13:47.200 to be an encourager. 00:13:47.200 --> 00:13:54.480 But we're reminded that it's this gift of grace is not an unattainable giant because 00:13:54.480 --> 00:13:59.360 Barnabas was just an ordinary person like we are. 00:13:59.360 --> 00:14:06.520 But there was times where he stumbled and he failed to be an encouragement. 00:14:06.520 --> 00:14:11.680 There was an argument at one point with the legalists, the Jewish legalists who had become 00:14:11.679 --> 00:14:17.199 Christians who wanted the Gentiles should become Christians to fulfill all the law of 00:14:17.199 --> 00:14:18.639 Moses as well. 00:14:18.639 --> 00:14:23.599 And he sided with these legalists as we're told in Galatians 2.13. 00:14:23.599 --> 00:14:30.839 And the other Jews were told, joined him, that is James, in his hypocrisy. 00:14:30.839 --> 00:14:32.399 So that by their... 00:14:32.399 --> 00:14:33.959 You know, it's mentioned here. 00:14:33.959 --> 00:14:40.319 And I think it's mentioned because it was so unremarkable and unexpected, it says, 00:14:40.320 --> 00:14:44.760 and so that by their hypocrisy, even Barnabas was led astray. 00:14:44.760 --> 00:14:49.840 Even Barnabas, can you imagine Barnabas being led astray by these legalists? 00:14:49.840 --> 00:14:54.440 This grace filled encourager, he was led astray. 00:14:54.440 --> 00:14:57.400 And it's mentioned specifically. 00:14:57.400 --> 00:14:59.920 He sided with James's men and with Peter. 00:14:59.920 --> 00:15:07.880 And Paul, his mentee, roasted them. 00:15:07.879 --> 00:15:12.279 And he was humble enough and gracious enough to learn from that. 00:15:12.279 --> 00:15:14.720 And clearly he learned from that. 00:15:14.720 --> 00:15:16.559 And he was rebuked by that. 00:15:16.559 --> 00:15:21.159 And as later he and Paul were sent to Jerusalem, he defended the church and defended the Gentile 00:15:21.159 --> 00:15:22.879 Christians. 00:15:22.879 --> 00:15:27.960 And we see in Barnabas's life, therefore, that forgiveness was wrought in the fires of failure. 00:15:27.960 --> 00:15:30.759 Oh, we can appreciate that, I hope. 00:15:30.759 --> 00:15:34.039 I hope we can see that in our own lives. 00:15:34.039 --> 00:15:45.439 Surely the greatest encouragers are those who recognize the most they've been forgiven. 00:15:45.439 --> 00:15:54.039 But he also not only did he have this strange siding with the legalists, which was a point 00:15:54.039 --> 00:15:56.679 of sorrow for him and regret. 00:15:56.679 --> 00:16:02.919 He also had a huge disagreement with Paul. 00:16:02.919 --> 00:16:13.279 His mentee, his disciple, as it were, the one that he had been so patient and generous 00:16:13.279 --> 00:16:17.000 with in bringing to maturity. 00:16:17.000 --> 00:16:23.559 We're told in Acts 1539 that they had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. 00:16:23.559 --> 00:16:28.279 This was over whether to take John Mark with them on the missionary journey. 00:16:28.279 --> 00:16:34.799 This took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left commended by the 00:16:34.799 --> 00:16:37.480 believers to the grace of the Lord. 00:16:37.480 --> 00:16:39.839 Barnabas said, no way, Paul. 00:16:39.839 --> 00:16:40.839 No way. 00:16:40.839 --> 00:16:42.039 I'm taking John Mark with me. 00:16:42.039 --> 00:16:43.600 And I'm going off this way. 00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:44.600 You can go your own way. 00:16:44.600 --> 00:16:48.480 A deep, deep disagreement between Paul and Barnabas. 00:16:48.480 --> 00:16:56.720 And we don't know, we're not told exactly, or we don't know his motive behind that disagreement. 00:16:56.720 --> 00:17:02.480 Maybe it was, maybe he did struggle a little bit with Paul's dominance, with Paul's character, 00:17:02.480 --> 00:17:03.960 with his attitude. 00:17:03.960 --> 00:17:08.839 Maybe Paul was a bit bossy and Barnabas maybe felt, well, listen here, I'm the one that's 00:17:08.839 --> 00:17:09.839 brought you along. 00:17:09.839 --> 00:17:14.279 I'm your spiritual father here. 00:17:14.279 --> 00:17:19.960 Maybe it was more positive that he was just keen to give John Mark a second chance because 00:17:19.960 --> 00:17:22.480 we know he was an encourager. 00:17:22.480 --> 00:17:27.960 But remember also, John Mark was his cousin, we're told that in the Colossians chapter 00:17:27.960 --> 00:17:28.960 4. 00:17:28.960 --> 00:17:33.120 So maybe he was a bit biased in his dealings with John Mark because he had this familial 00:17:33.120 --> 00:17:35.360 blood relationship with him. 00:17:35.360 --> 00:17:40.480 Anyway, whatever it was, they agreed to disagree, or maybe they didn't agree to disagree, maybe 00:17:40.480 --> 00:17:41.480 they just disagreed. 00:17:41.480 --> 00:17:43.720 And they went their separate way. 00:17:43.720 --> 00:17:50.799 Thankfully God used even their division to be a blessing as they went out with the gospel 00:17:50.799 --> 00:17:52.519 to different places. 00:17:52.519 --> 00:17:56.440 But it's not always easy, is it, to work with others? 00:17:56.440 --> 00:17:59.879 It's not always easy to be an encourager. 00:17:59.879 --> 00:18:03.319 It's not always easy to do the right thing. 00:18:03.319 --> 00:18:07.639 And Barnabas is an example and a reminder to us of that. 00:18:07.639 --> 00:18:13.879 So just before we close, just let's look briefly and more broadly at that gift of encouragement 00:18:13.879 --> 00:18:15.960 for ourselves. 00:18:15.960 --> 00:18:23.720 Going from Barnabas in our lives, something that needs to be nurtured intentionally in 00:18:23.720 --> 00:18:29.519 our lives, because we're not, I don't think, we're not naturally glorifying God by being 00:18:29.519 --> 00:18:32.079 encouragers in our lives. 00:18:32.079 --> 00:18:37.240 It may be something you're not bad at, it might be latent in you, it might be something that 00:18:37.240 --> 00:18:44.200 is a spiritual gift, it may be something very special to you, or something that is general 00:18:44.200 --> 00:18:46.200 for all of us. 00:18:46.200 --> 00:18:53.000 But we can all look at being better, encouraging one another in the Christian faith. 00:18:53.000 --> 00:18:56.600 And what's significant is where it's rooted. 00:18:56.600 --> 00:19:00.519 It needs to be rooted as it was with Barnabas in grace and truth. 00:19:00.519 --> 00:19:04.120 We see that, we're full of the Holy Spirit and faith. 00:19:04.120 --> 00:19:08.400 Grounded in the truth of the gospel, that is what's tremendously important. 00:19:08.400 --> 00:19:10.360 That's the question you must ask yourself. 00:19:10.360 --> 00:19:12.039 And I must ask myself today. 00:19:12.039 --> 00:19:17.599 Not our natural gifts and abilities, however significant and good they are to have, but 00:19:17.599 --> 00:19:24.879 is our life rooted and grounded in the Lord Jesus Christ and in our relationship with 00:19:24.879 --> 00:19:33.240 Him, and are we full of the Holy Spirit by that great gift of salvation in Him? 00:19:33.240 --> 00:19:40.519 Are we grounded in Jesus Christ so that encouragement for us is not just a natural characteristic, 00:19:40.519 --> 00:19:42.559 which of course it can be. 00:19:42.559 --> 00:19:45.480 But in Christ it has a deeper hue. 00:19:45.480 --> 00:19:56.680 It has a deeper three-dimensional aspect that brings in servanthood and the glory of God 00:19:56.680 --> 00:19:59.759 as our motivation to do it. 00:19:59.759 --> 00:20:01.720 We're to mimic Christ. 00:20:01.720 --> 00:20:03.799 Can I ask the leaders among us here? 00:20:03.799 --> 00:20:09.000 Might be leaders in the workplace, might be leaders in the church, might be elders or 00:20:09.000 --> 00:20:12.359 deacons, might be leaders in the home, whatever it is. 00:20:12.359 --> 00:20:18.119 Do you mimic Christ's style of leadership? 00:20:18.119 --> 00:20:24.079 Being a servant leader, an encourager, a builder up of those in the faith. 00:20:24.079 --> 00:20:30.880 Not lording over people, not being discouraging by your words, by your attitudes, by our 00:20:30.880 --> 00:20:33.119 thoughts. 00:20:33.119 --> 00:20:39.919 You know, we have this great call to unity which glorifies God, and encouragement is 00:20:39.919 --> 00:20:47.839 a great glue to that unity because it's a humbling reality reflecting Christ. 00:20:47.839 --> 00:20:51.199 You know, the road for us all is really steep. 00:20:51.199 --> 00:20:54.799 The battles are real for us in the Christian life. 00:20:54.799 --> 00:20:55.799 We need endurance. 00:20:55.799 --> 00:20:58.919 We're all amateurs at this. 00:20:58.919 --> 00:21:01.839 Christ is the only one who is the great expert. 00:21:01.839 --> 00:21:06.480 We're all amateurs in the Christian life, and we need to be encouraged. 00:21:06.480 --> 00:21:08.879 It's easy to knock down. 00:21:08.879 --> 00:21:10.759 There are so many tears. 00:21:10.759 --> 00:21:12.879 There are so many setbacks. 00:21:12.879 --> 00:21:20.759 We don't need more from one another, from our words, from our attitudes, from our distance, 00:21:20.759 --> 00:21:24.079 from our selfishness or whatever it might be. 00:21:24.079 --> 00:21:26.480 The Christian life is like a marathon. 00:21:26.480 --> 00:21:29.359 It needs endurance. 00:21:29.359 --> 00:21:34.319 And we have great promises from God, great power from God, great friendship. 00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:38.199 But we should be on this Christian walk shoulder to shoulder. 00:21:38.199 --> 00:21:43.879 If you've ever seen a marathon, there'll be various times where people hit the wall, and 00:21:43.879 --> 00:21:47.919 what they need at that time is encouragement. 00:21:47.919 --> 00:21:49.799 They need someone to come alongside them. 00:21:49.799 --> 00:21:51.599 They need someone to help them. 00:21:51.599 --> 00:21:55.199 They need re-energized. 00:21:55.199 --> 00:21:57.359 And that's what the Christian life often... 00:21:57.359 --> 00:21:59.479 How do you feel that at the end of the year? 00:21:59.479 --> 00:22:04.839 Maybe at the end of the year is a difficult time for you as a Christian. 00:22:04.839 --> 00:22:10.719 You feel discouraged at the lack of growth in your life over the last year, or the battles 00:22:10.719 --> 00:22:11.719 and the struggles. 00:22:11.719 --> 00:22:15.519 When you look back a year, you actually think you've regressed in your faith. 00:22:15.519 --> 00:22:18.199 You've grown further away from Jesus than closer. 00:22:18.199 --> 00:22:20.839 Your prayer life has ceased to be. 00:22:20.839 --> 00:22:22.199 You've harlever read your Bible. 00:22:22.199 --> 00:22:26.000 Maybe lots of things that discourage you. 00:22:26.000 --> 00:22:35.279 That's when we need to reroute ourselves in the gospel and in Jesus Christ and be encouraged 00:22:35.279 --> 00:22:40.200 by those around you. 00:22:40.200 --> 00:22:44.039 And so not only do you need encouragement, as Christians we need to give encouragement. 00:22:44.039 --> 00:22:47.160 We need to know that the battle is hard for the people around us. 00:22:47.160 --> 00:22:52.440 And we need to be the ones that build them up, not knock them down. 00:22:52.440 --> 00:22:54.119 So rooted in grace and truth. 00:22:54.119 --> 00:22:56.159 It's also rooted in generosity. 00:22:56.159 --> 00:23:02.359 Isn't that what we see with Barnabas? 00:23:02.359 --> 00:23:06.919 With the generous resources that we've been given in the Holy Spirit in our lives. 00:23:06.919 --> 00:23:10.639 I think discouragement is often married to... 00:23:10.639 --> 00:23:13.919 What do you think it's married to? 00:23:13.919 --> 00:23:14.919 Meanness. 00:23:14.919 --> 00:23:17.599 Discouragement is often married to meanness. 00:23:17.599 --> 00:23:19.119 We're tight with our time. 00:23:19.119 --> 00:23:20.159 We're tight with our money. 00:23:20.159 --> 00:23:21.679 We're tight with our gifts. 00:23:21.680 --> 00:23:26.480 We're tight with our inner relationships because we fail to see what God has poured out into 00:23:26.480 --> 00:23:27.480 our hearts. 00:23:27.480 --> 00:23:29.440 We're mean spirited to... 00:23:29.440 --> 00:23:34.200 Discouragement is usually mean spirited towards others, isn't it? 00:23:34.200 --> 00:23:36.320 That's what discouragement is. 00:23:36.320 --> 00:23:42.600 So that discouragement is often married to meanness. 00:23:42.600 --> 00:23:50.360 So significant that we recognize a generosity of spirit. 00:23:50.359 --> 00:23:56.000 Because discouragement is often a way of making ourselves more important and ourselves 00:23:56.000 --> 00:23:58.959 more significant than other people. 00:23:58.959 --> 00:24:02.559 And encouragement is quite the opposite. 00:24:02.559 --> 00:24:08.319 So when it's rooted in grace and truth, it reveals itself in generosity, which comes 00:24:08.319 --> 00:24:10.319 from a heart that is self-forgetful. 00:24:10.319 --> 00:24:13.559 And we see that in Barnabas, don't we? 00:24:13.559 --> 00:24:17.919 That generosity rooted in grace and truth, that self-forgetfulness. 00:24:17.920 --> 00:24:24.440 And we see the importance of that in the Christian church, the willingness to invest in other 00:24:24.440 --> 00:24:30.920 people, to spend time with them, to spend time with one another, to worship together, 00:24:30.920 --> 00:24:38.360 to pray together, to learn from one another, to grow in the Christian life together. 00:24:38.360 --> 00:24:45.360 Again, I appeal to those who are older in the faith, not necessarily in age, but those 00:24:45.359 --> 00:24:48.240 who are mature in the faith have been Christians for a long time. 00:24:48.240 --> 00:24:53.439 What a great privilege you have to share your faith, the wealth of experience that you've 00:24:53.439 --> 00:24:54.679 had as a Christian. 00:24:54.679 --> 00:24:57.079 The failings like Barnabas, it's not... 00:24:57.079 --> 00:25:01.519 We're not saying that, you know, you're going to people and say, hey, watch me, I'm the 00:25:01.519 --> 00:25:02.519 great Christian. 00:25:02.519 --> 00:25:06.959 But you're like Barnabas who made some great whopping mistakes that have been recorded 00:25:06.959 --> 00:25:08.599 in Scripture for all of time. 00:25:08.599 --> 00:25:14.759 Thank God that that's not the case for all of us, isn't it? 00:25:14.759 --> 00:25:19.119 And take our mistakes and take our experiences of God's long suffering and His grace and 00:25:19.119 --> 00:25:25.759 His forgiveness and share that with others that we nurture one another and that we encourage 00:25:25.759 --> 00:25:30.039 one another and that we build one another up. 00:25:30.039 --> 00:25:34.119 And so doing, we are self-forgetful. 00:25:34.119 --> 00:25:42.680 And we recognize in that way that our spiritual relationships are very important, that peer 00:25:42.680 --> 00:25:45.160 to peer encouragement is important. 00:25:45.160 --> 00:25:50.680 Young Christians, encouraging other young Christians, sharing experiences, sharing answered 00:25:50.680 --> 00:25:56.080 prayers, talking about our faith, learning to do that so that it becomes easier, obviously 00:25:56.080 --> 00:26:00.799 to talk about our faith with those who are unbelievers. 00:26:00.799 --> 00:26:06.840 So that it's not in the Christian church or in St. Columbus that we're just matesy mates, 00:26:06.840 --> 00:26:10.039 that we're just all good pals together and it's great, it's a great church. 00:26:10.039 --> 00:26:12.120 Yeah, we all love each other. 00:26:12.119 --> 00:26:17.119 Not just that we're friends in that way, which is important, certainly, but that we're spiritual 00:26:17.119 --> 00:26:23.359 friends as well, that we're more than just mates that we're in spiritual encouragers, 00:26:23.359 --> 00:26:29.639 that we share our failings and our struggles and we look to one another for support and 00:26:29.639 --> 00:26:31.139 for prayer and for help. 00:26:31.139 --> 00:26:32.879 What's the greatest thing you can ever do? 00:26:32.879 --> 00:26:35.839 What's the greatest thing we can ever do for anyone? 00:26:35.839 --> 00:26:36.839 Just pray for them. 00:26:36.839 --> 00:26:43.839 And it's to tell them that we pray for them and that we encourage them in that, recognizing 00:26:43.839 --> 00:26:49.439 the value and the benefit of that in their lives. 00:26:49.439 --> 00:26:54.759 And self-forgetful as we share the gospel with others. 00:26:54.759 --> 00:26:56.720 Ask yourself what is it that stops you sharing the gospel? 00:26:56.720 --> 00:26:59.639 What is it that stops me sharing the gospel? 00:26:59.640 --> 00:27:08.800 Are my people pleaser, scared of being rejected, not sure what to say, lots of reasons that 00:27:08.800 --> 00:27:10.840 all revolve around me. 00:27:10.840 --> 00:27:15.000 And that's often the case with us, isn't it? 00:27:15.000 --> 00:27:22.800 But let's be those who are encouraged to share our faith in Jesus Christ because we've been 00:27:22.800 --> 00:27:24.960 encouraged by Jesus Christ. 00:27:24.960 --> 00:27:32.799 I think that's a great thing to remember that we are sharing a relationship that has been 00:27:32.799 --> 00:27:37.200 a huge encouragement in our lives, much more than just an encouragement. 00:27:37.200 --> 00:27:40.600 It's redemption, it's eternal life. 00:27:40.600 --> 00:27:48.799 And we can share that knowing that God will bless what we seek to do. 00:27:48.799 --> 00:27:57.000 So I want us as we go into the new year to remember that particular gift and challenge 00:27:57.000 --> 00:27:58.000 in our lives. 00:27:58.000 --> 00:28:09.319 And I was looking over my notes this morning and there was a mistype, a typing mistake 00:28:09.319 --> 00:28:12.079 at the end of my notes. 00:28:12.079 --> 00:28:17.000 And I was wanting to encourage you all to soar on wings like eagles. 00:28:17.000 --> 00:28:22.680 So what I typed was sour on wings. 00:28:22.680 --> 00:28:27.960 So but I thought, well, I think I'll mention that because you don't want to be a sour-faced 00:28:27.960 --> 00:28:33.759 Christian this year, next year, tomorrow. 00:28:33.759 --> 00:28:36.440 Discouragement is sour-faced, sad-faced. 00:28:36.440 --> 00:28:38.920 It doesn't help anyone. 00:28:38.920 --> 00:28:42.240 And we're often discouraged ourselves. 00:28:42.240 --> 00:28:52.039 And in a sense, the best way to come out of that is to re-root ourselves in Jesus Christ 00:28:52.039 --> 00:28:55.839 and see how we can be encouragers to others. 00:28:55.839 --> 00:29:00.000 But let's not be sour Christians. 00:29:00.000 --> 00:29:03.799 There's enough sourness in the world as they're not. 00:29:03.799 --> 00:29:05.160 Let's not be sour Christians. 00:29:05.160 --> 00:29:13.640 But as we bed our hearts and lives in Christ, let us soar on wings like eagles in the current 00:29:13.640 --> 00:29:18.880 of His grace and then fall on our knees and pray for change. 00:29:18.880 --> 00:29:23.480 The greatest thing St. Columbus can be this year in many ways is a community of grace 00:29:23.480 --> 00:29:26.440 filled encouragers. 00:29:26.440 --> 00:29:31.519 And that's, I'm sure, what you need from your fellow Christians, certainly what I need 00:29:31.519 --> 00:29:36.039 from my fellow Christians, and what we can offer to one another. 00:29:36.039 --> 00:29:38.720 Let's bow our heads and pray. 00:29:38.720 --> 00:29:45.480 Father, help us to learn this great grace. 00:29:45.480 --> 00:29:48.519 Help us to pray for it. 00:29:48.519 --> 00:29:52.720 Help us to see how encouraging you are in our lives. 00:29:52.720 --> 00:29:54.599 You don't walk away. 00:29:54.599 --> 00:29:57.200 You don't turn your back. 00:29:57.200 --> 00:29:59.839 You don't fail to forgive. 00:29:59.839 --> 00:30:04.199 You don't hold our sins against us when we confess them. 00:30:04.199 --> 00:30:08.319 You make promises never to leave us, never to forsake us. 00:30:08.319 --> 00:30:10.839 You don't discourage. 00:30:10.839 --> 00:30:12.480 You're honest. 00:30:12.480 --> 00:30:14.319 You tell the truth. 00:30:14.319 --> 00:30:20.839 But not to discourage, but to turn us from darkness to light. 00:30:20.839 --> 00:30:28.199 You're the ultimate, you're the greatest example of encouragement by your life and by your 00:30:28.200 --> 00:30:30.880 death and resurrection and ascension. 00:30:30.880 --> 00:30:32.240 We have great hope. 00:30:32.240 --> 00:30:35.160 We have an amazing future in Christ. 00:30:35.160 --> 00:30:39.880 We have many reasons to be encouraged today as believers. 00:30:39.880 --> 00:30:49.279 May we take that experience and knowledge spiritually and may it mold and perspectivise 00:30:49.279 --> 00:30:56.799 and be what we are as Christians to one another, especially to one another, in our homes as 00:30:56.799 --> 00:31:04.960 dads, as mums, as parents, as children, as brothers and sisters, as individuals, in our 00:31:04.960 --> 00:31:11.399 workplace as colleagues, as students, as school friends. 00:31:11.399 --> 00:31:17.519 May we be the sons and daughters of encouragement that you want us to be. 00:31:17.519 --> 00:31:19.079 We ask in Jesus' name. 00:31:19.079 --> 00:31:27.079 Amen.