Content to be at his side

When the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord. (Acts 11:22-24)

We don't know much about Barnabas, but we do know that he was a Jew, likely well-acquainted with the teachings of Jesus, perhaps he could have been among the seventy or so who followed him throughout his ministry. We do know that he strong in faith and lived an upright life. He was an encourager - exhorting the believers to continue to grow and remain true to their testimony of faith. If you study his life a little closer, you will see he partnered with the Apostle Paul and was instrumental in helping to establish the New Testament churches as Paul itinerated throughout the land. He was generous - selling his parcel of land and giving the proceeds to aid in meeting the needs of those early believers. One of the things I find interesting about his life is his way of bringing out the best in people - one of the hallmark signs of one who is an 'encourager'.

As the church grew and new members were added to the 'ranks' of believers, he was overjoyed with their acceptance of Jesus. He knew life was changing for them, placing them at risk of persecution and even death, as not all the new believers would be embraced by the Jewish people who rejected the Messiah. He might have stood up for those who could not stand up for themselves, but that was because he knew the power of God in his own life. Then one day, "While they were ministering to the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for Me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them.” Then, when they had fasted and prayed and laid their hands on them, they sent them away." (Acts 13:2-3) As one called by the Lord, he was faithful to his mission. This is a great lesson we can learn from his life - be faithful to the position God places you within. He did not seek to be the Apostle Paul but was content to be at his side in ministry, supporting him in whatever way he could.

Sometimes more is accomplished by letting someone with differing gifts take the lead, while we simply support their calling. We each have our gifts, but there is great wisdom in knowing when our 'gift' is meant as a 'supportive gift'. If we all want to lead, there will never be anyone to help! Perhaps one of the greatest gifts we give is that of service - in whatever form that takes. It doesn't have to be 'public', for many of God's gifts are 'given' in ways that aren't 'public', such as spending time with the lonely, encouraging the downtrodden, or praying through the night for someone who is hurting or confused by what life has thrown their way. We fulfill God's mission when we assume the place he has prepared for us. We see the results of those 'gifts' best when we allow all our varying gifts to come together, each of us standing together in God's work. Just sayin!

Reach THAT one

Ever feel like you could do a little more in your community, or to help some world mission? The disasters that hit far off places seem to be never-ending, causing us to be always bombarded by opportunities to get involved. In the times of Jesus' ministry on this earth, things were quite similar - if not in the form of 'natural disaster', then in the form of persecution and oppression from kings of quite unfriendly kingdoms. The twelve disciples were being trained to "do" the ministry of serving those they were surrounded by - those in their immediate focus and influence. The simple instructions of Jesus speak volumes - "Don't begin by traveling to some far-off place..." He was focusing them on the immediate needs of those in the communities in which they lived and did business. People with indecision and confusion in their lives who simply need a helping hand to sort things out - help them. People with the need to know that Christ is here - now - in this very moment with the answer to their life challenge - help them meet him.

"Don't begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don't try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously." (Matthew 10:5-8)

World mission are quite important, but never lose sight of our calling to be involved in the lives of those in our immediate reach. These may be our neighbors, our work-mates, or our community leaders. Right now, the budget "wars" are raging in our national capital, walls are supposed to be built to keep out immigrants, and things just seem to be constantly in a state of upset. Leaders are pitted against each other, often taking a stand on one side of the issue, sometimes without any respect for the other side's perspective. In fact, our local media is probably playing this "battle of the budget" to the max - encouraging us to call our leaders and complain vehemently that they settle the budget issues and move on to more important business. This is exactly the type of thing where we need to be "light" in a rather dark place - the regular stuff of life that just mounts to catastrophic proportions without much effort! The disciples were being called to be concerned with the confusion and unrest in their neighbors' lives - to be light in their darkness. They were encouraged to be involved in the lives of their neighbors - rather than looking beyond them to only the needs of others in far off regions. It seems that we have lost sight of that today. We are surrounded by all kinds of hurting, confused, and destitute people - right here in our own backyards (maybe in our own families).

Simple instructions can be the most difficult to follow! Somehow we read more into them than we see there. We just cannot believe that the instructions can be that simple - so we create more complex ones in our minds that we "believe" to be true. We cannot look beyond the simplicity of what Jesus tells us to do, though. He is quite simple in his instructions and we need to be a 'simple' in our belief and actions as he asks us to be! Go to the lost, confused people - those who have missed the way, are bewildered by life's circumstances, not sure of what direction to take next. These are the ones who may not have made good use of past opportunities and now live with all kinds of regret. These are our neighbors - look around you and you will see them everywhere. Bring health to the sick - we often think of these as those who have been affected by physical disease alone, but I challenge us to look beyond the physical to see spiritual, emotional, and relational "disease", as well. There are people all around us who have been affected by some unpleasantness that has left them with deep sorrow, plaguing their peace and stealing away their joy. To these, Jesus says to bring them health. Soundness of mind, freedom from what ails them.

Touch the untouchables - he was never afraid to reach out to the lepers and those who others considered "unclean". We think of these as those who society rejected - making them untouchable. Jesus encourages us to bring the touch of healing into their lives once again. Kick out the demons - there are very real evil spirits that exist in our world today. We indeed have been given the authority over them. But, I want us to look beyond what we believe to be "demons" to what also has "demon-like" power in a person's life. Those are the things that exert influence, or undo passion, in a person's life that keeps them bound by some measure of evil influence. It could be the "demon" of unforgiveness - we need to bring the ministry of reconciliation. It could be the "demon" of sexual violation - we need to bring the ministry of restoration and cleansing. It could be the "demon" of addiction of any sort - we need to bring the ministry of wholeness and healing. Yep, we need to see the entire world as our "mission field", but we cannot neglect our own backyard in the process! To whom is Jesus calling you to bring the ministry of hope, reconciliation, or restoration today? To that one, be faithful to reach out! Just sayin!

What is a church?

11 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. 12 Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. 13 This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ. (Ephesians 4:11-13 NLT)

Ever wonder why God didn't just give us pastors or teachers? Why are there prophets, evangelists, and apostles? Couldn't God get all the work done in the church with just a couple of "ministers"? Believe it or not, all these "offices" fill a particular 'function' in the Body of Christ. Understanding the function of each is important to seeing how it is God intends for the church to grow, become one with each other, and be a safe haven for those with hurts and hang-ups until they desire to say "yes" to Jesus themselves.

The apostle. like Paul, is responsible for laying the foundation upon which the church will build - not the literal one formed from concrete and rebar, but the foundation of truth upon which the church will be built. It is quite possible the most "agile" of these "offices" is that of the apostle, for the apostle many times will be a pastor for a short season until the church takes root and has others within it who may step into the role. He will function as a teacher, evangelist, and even prophet, based on the needs of the church and the place in which he finds his service is required. You would think of the apostle as a church "pioneer" - setting up a work in a new place, or perhaps with a new purpose than others around the community.

The prophet is probably the most misunderstood of offices, perhaps because we think they must always be the one giving some "utterance" of profound knowledge, insight, etc. Oftentimes, the office of prophet is simply to point the way - to guide into truth - even correct us on occasion when we are getting a little too lax in our faith or off-course in our zeal. At this point, I should tell you these offices don't necessarily represent AN individual, but are "roles" often fulfilled by individuals within the Body of Christ. It is quite possible the apostle and prophet may be one, or the prophet and teacher. They don't need to operate as "singular offices".

The pastor has probably one of the hardest jobs because he is literally there day in and day out FOR the church - it is more than a hobby for him - it is his life's work. He is there to shepherd those who gather to learn together, become healthy by Christ's power working in their lives, and to give welcome to those who are seekers of truth. Usually the pastor has a unique gift of being able to teach those he leads - making the function of pastor and teacher a twofold role. I have heard it said that almost all pastors also fill the role of teacher, but it isn't quite the other way around with teachers. Not all teachers are called, or capable of being pastors - they aren't called to shepherd.

The teacher helps those seeking and those who have already entered into relationship with Christ to begin to understand how the truth of his Word applies in their daily walk. I'd have to say this role is one of being able to rightly divide the Word, taking all contained within the pages of our Bible and dividing it into "bite-sized" pieces that we can easily chew upon until we get all the "nourishment" from it we are capable of taking at that time. This role is definitely part of the pastor's role, but it can also be filled by someone with a strong passion for the Word, a tender heart for God, and a gift of teaching (the skill to divide truth up into understandable and manageable portions).

Lastly, the evangelist is added to this mix. Most of us associate this role to that of the one who makes there way into places where the truth is not yet known and brings a message of hope into dark places. Yep, they are indeed "soul winners" - introducing others to Christ - but they aren't the ones to stick around, helping those who have come to Christ to grow up in him. This role belongs to the pastor and teacher - as the evangelist moves into new areas and brings truth to light in new ways within the communities into which they are called.

These "roles" are all necessary - sometimes fulfilled by one individual having more than one role, but rarely do we see one fulfilling all five. What Paul is saying to us is that we need them all - for they serve to help us grow up in Christ - from the point of introducing us to him, to the point of keeping us on track, and helping us to have all we need in order to grow. Their purpose is to help grow us up in unity - keeping us tightly connected to each other, but also helping us not become so tightly "woven together" that others cannot join our ranks. The church isn't a building - it is a well-founded gathering of individuals all seeking truth and growing in Christ together - reaching others for Christ as a result of the evidence of the vibrant relationship they have with him. Just sayin!

Your own backyard

 "Don't begin by traveling to some far-off place to convert unbelievers. And don't try to be dramatic by tackling some public enemy. Go to the lost, confused people right here in the neighborhood. Tell them that the kingdom is here. Bring health to the sick. Raise the dead. Touch the untouchables. Kick out the demons. You have been treated generously, so live generously."

(Matthew 10:5-8)

The twelve disciples are being trained to "do" the ministry of serving those they are surrounded by. The simple instructions of Jesus speak volumes - "Don't begin by traveling to some far-off place..."  He was focusing them on the immediate needs of those in the communities in which they lived and did business.  People with indecision and confusion in their lives who simply need a helping hand to sort things out.  People with the need to know that Christ is here - now - in this very moment with the answer to their life challenge.

I am not opposed to supporting world missions - I do so myself.  What we cannot lose sight of is that Jesus called us to be involved in the lives of those in our immediate reach.  These may be our neighbors, our work-mates, or our community leaders.  Right now, the budget "wars" are raging in our national capital.  Leaders are pitted against each other, often taking a stand on one side of the issue without any respect for the other side's perspective.  In fact, our local media is playing this "battle" to the max - encouraging us to call our leaders and complain vehemently that they settle the budget issues, or else our future vote for their re-election could be compromised.

This is exactly the type of life-event that we need to be "light" in - the regular stuff of life that just mounts to catastrophic proportions without much effort!  These disciples are being called to be concerned with the confusion of their neighbors - to be light in darkness.  They are encouraged to be involved in the lives of their neighbors - rather than looking beyond them to others in far off regions.  It seems that we have lost sight of that today.  We are surrounded by all kinds of hurting, confused, and destitute people - right here in our own backyards (maybe in our own families).

Simple instructions can be the most difficult to follow!  Somehow we read more into them than we see there.  We just cannot believe that the instructions can be that simple - so we create more complex ones in our minds that we "believe" to be true.  We cannot look beyond the simplicity of what Jesus tells us to do:

1)  Go to the lost, confused people - those who have missed the way, are bewildered by life's circumstances, not sure of what direction to take next.  These are the ones who may not have made good use of past opportunities and now live with all kinds of regret.  These are our neighbors - look around you and you will see them everywhere.

2)  Bring health to the sick - we often think of these as those who have been affected by physical disease alone, but I challenge us to look beyond the physical to see spiritual, emotional, and relational "disease", as well.  There are people all around us who have been affected by some unpleasantness that has left them with deep sorrow, plaguing their peace and stealing away their joy.  To these, Jesus says to bring them health.  Soundness of mind, freedom from what ails them.

3)  Touch the untouchables - he was never afraid to reach out to the lepers and those who others considered "unclean".  We think of these as those who society rejected - making them untouchable.  Jesus encourages us to bring the touch of healing into their lives once again.

4)  Kick out the demons - before you freak out on me, hear me out!  Yes, there are very real evil spirits that exist.  We indeed have been given the authority over them.  But, I want us to look beyond what we believe to be "demons" to what also has "demon-like" power in a person's life.  Those things that exert influence, or passion, in a person's life that keeps them bound by some measure of evil influence.  It could be the "demon" of unforgiveness - we need to bring the ministry of reconciliation.  It could be the "demon" of sexual violation - we need to bring the ministry of restoration and cleansing.

Yep, we need to see the entire world as our "mission field", but we cannot neglect our own backyard in the process!  To whom is Jesus calling you to bring the ministry of hope, reconciliation, or restoration today?  To that one, be faithful to reach out!