Bible Verses for Sunday Service September 11, 2022
1 Thess 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
Psalm 119:64
The earth, O Lord, is full of your steadfast love;
teach me your statutes!
Announcements:
Awana again featured twice in the announcements this Sunday. It starts on September 14th at 6:30PM and runs to 8:00PM, and we will be meeting every Wednesday until April. Please get the word out to encourage children to come, and please be in prayer for this important ministry.
Besides reminded you about Awana’s impending start, Pastor also reminded us that although we have 12 leaders committed to help, we could always use some more help, and it is a rewarding ministry. You could also help by baking cookies thus saving the kids from Walmart cookies.
We will hosting a special missionary speaker on October 16, 2022. Dr. Alvin Low, director of Acts International. He will be with us to speak during the Sunday School hour, the morning service and a service right after lunch. He will speak on world missions. Please do all you can to be there and hear him speak at each service.
We were all very happy to see Phil and Rosemary back again to the service today, and Phil looking a bit better than last week.
Sermon:
Continuing in Acts, Pastor spoke to us on “A Noteworthy Nickname” using as his text Acts 4:36 to introduce us Barnabas. Now in covering Barnabas and his qualities, Pastor ranged all over Acts to get each facet of his character. But first Pastor provided a topical note on nicknames, referencing the recently deceased queen of England. Her nickname was Lilibet, related to her real name Elizabeth. However, in our example in Acts, Barnabas means one who encourages. So his nickname described his qualities. Now we know what Barnabas means, Pastor asked the question, how did Barnabas live up to his nickname?
Pastor started explaining by stating that in order to be an encourager, we have to have the right kind of character. Once we know that we can look to our first verse, Acts 4:36 to see evidence of Barnabas’s character. He had a goodness about him, a heart for others. We know this based on how he treated others, how he spoke of them, and our scripture, Luke 6:45 where Jesus tells us about how our routine words reveal our heart. Besides goodness, Barnabas was also godly, Pastor stated he had a heart for God. This godly outlook comes from the fullness of the Holy Spirit, something Pastor spoke on last week.
Now with the stage set, we can look for the other events in Acts that demonstrate Barnabas’s character. Pastor put these acts of his under the heading adventures of an encourager, and it starts first with his gift to the church of the proceeds he received from selling a field. So his start is being a giver, a very generous one. How many sell an investment to give it to church?
Next Pastor illustrated how Barnabas was a developer. He developed Saul as he turned into Paul through friendship when others were skeptical of Paul’s conversion, Acts 9:26-27. He also developed the first Gentile church at Antioch, visiting it on behalf of the Jerusalem church and reporting back, Acts 11:22-30. Lastly, under this heading he developed early missions, traveling with Paul, Acts, 13:1-2.
Lastly, Pastor preached on Barnabas as forgiver in the lives of others. Acts contains the very famous sharp disagreement between Paul and Barnabas over John Mark, who would go on to write the Gospel of Mark. It was Barnabas who forgave Mark and took him under his wing, giving him that second chance, Acts 15:37-39. This last example is again an illustration of heart issues and leads to the question, how can we encourage those we are mad at?
To conclude, Pastor asked us who we could encourage this week, utilizing or seeing these qualities in ourselves, and applying them our personal ministry of encouragement.
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