Good Morning Everyone,
Our theme for this month: “Enthusiasm”
Our Bible verse for today: “When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with a firm resolve of the heart, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.” Acts 11:23-24 (HCSB)
Our thought for today: “Enthusiasm is encouraging.”
I love Barnabas. He was known in the early church as “The son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36). The people admired him for his generosity, his integrity, his willingness to be a friend to those who were shunned by others, and because he was a great encourager in the church. So much so that in Acts chapter 11 we find the leaders in the mother church in Jerusalem sending Barnabas to visit a new church in Antioch, which evidently needed a shot-in-the-arm of encouragement and enthusiasm.
I love the way “The Message” translates these verses. “The Message” isn’t an actual translation of the Bible, it’s a paraphrase. The author’s intent was to use colorful and poetic language to capture the essence of what transpires in the Biblical scene. Here’s how he described this scene with Barnabas in the Antioch church in Acts 11:23-24:
“When the church in Jerusalem got wind of this, they sent Barnabas to Antioch to check on things. As soon as he arrived, he saw that God was behind and in it all. He threw himself in with them, got behind them, urging them to stay with it the rest of their lives. He was a good man that way, enthusiastic and confident in the Holy Spirit’s ways. The community grew large and strong in the Master.”
What a great picture of an encouraging and enthusiastic person having a profound impact on a church. He saw that God was at work among them and so “he threw himself in with them,” “got behind them”, “urging them to stay with it …” And the result was that “The community grew large and strong in the Master.”
What impact are you having on your church? Are you an encouraging and enthusiastic force for good? Is your church alive and dynamic and growing as a result of the way God uses you and works through you in that congregation?
Barnabas is a great example of the truth that enthusiasm is contagious and encouraging. When you gather with your church family this Sunday make it a point to follow the example of Barnabas by being an enthusiastic encourager.
God Bless,
Pastor Jim
Oak Hill Baptist Church 