Ep 16: I Know a Barnabas

Speaker1: Hey. Good morning, I'm Daniel D'alp, and this is for your Sunday morning drive. The short podcast designed to put you in a Colossians three two mindset and prepare your mind for worship on those hectic Sunday mornings for your Sunday morning drive, is part of the Ministry League network of podcasts. Please check out the other great podcasts on the network at Ministry league.com or by checking out their app. I certainly hope you're having a great day so far. I hope you enjoy today's episode, and I also hope that you find it encouraging. As always, if you do enjoy the podcast, please give it a share with someone that also might enjoy it. That's the best way to help us grow. Let's dive in to today's episode. This is episode 16. I know a Barnabas. Let's go to church.

Are we there yet?

Speaker1: I know a Barnabas, but we'll get to my Barnabas in a moment. For now, let's look at the one that we find in Scripture. Speaking of, do you know his reputation? The reputation of Barnabas? Did you know that his given name was Joseph? Acts 436 Now Joseph, a Levite who was also called Barnabas by the apostles, which translated means son of encouragement. I find it interesting that this man named Joseph was given this moniker, this nickname by the apostles. Why? Well, it was clearly because of the way he lived his life. For example, in acts chapter four, he sold some land and he gave the proceeds to the church. In acts chapter nine, Barnabas took up for the newly christened Paul, calming the fears of the brethren in Jerusalem who had heard of his prior reputation. In acts chapter 11, he exhorted and built up the brethren in Antioch, where the term Christian was first applied to the Lord's people, and in acts chapter 15 he handled his disagreement with Paul concerning John Mark gracefully, not letting it stop the building up of the church. Yes, it truly seems that the life of this Levite named Joseph was well deserved to be branded as Barnabas son of encouragement. Earlier I said that I know a Barnabas. And it's true. While Barnabas is not his given name, he is a dear brother in Christ, and to know him is to be encouraged by him.

Speaker1: Let me give you a brief example. I tried out for a congregation in Paducah, Kentucky in June of 2013. That's 11 years ago, if you need a reference for that. And during this process, I met my Barnabas, and we've only seen each other probably a handful of times since then. But every Sunday, almost without fail, every Sunday since June of 2013, this dear brother in Christ has sent a text message to me and I'm, I'm sure to many others with a scripture and a short message of edification. That's 580 text messages at the time of this recording, by the way. Such a small thing sending a text message, but so very encouraging. And there's a lesson that can be taken away from that. It doesn't have to take a ton of time, money or bravado to do something tremendous for the Lord and his people. Sometimes it really is the thought that counts. And I think that sometimes that's what stops us from seeking out ways to encourage others. We make it this whole thing right where we think, well, because it's not some grand gesture or because it doesn't require tremendous sacrifice or expense, then it's just not worth doing. My friends, that is so false. The little everyday gestures of kindness can be exactly what somebody needs. I can't tell you how many times that text arriving on Sunday morning has been exactly what I needed that day.

Speaker1: It's provided me with that extra motivation, that extra push, that extra ounce of encouragement to serve the Lord in their precious to me. That a brother that I only met briefly takes the time out of his morning to send out some positive and uplifting thoughts. And sometimes a spiritual challenge is so motivating and so meaningful. And what's amazing is, even though I know for a fact that I have not responded to him all 580 times, he still sends those messages anyway, every Sunday for 11 years, like clockwork. What a fantastic example of a stalwart encourager. What can we do to encourage others in those small but profound ways? Because I want you to understand something. You too can make a difference with just a small act of kindness. So to my Barnabas, thank you. Please don't stop. And I hope that this has been encouraging to you, and may we all strive to live worthy of the title. Son of encouragement. Well, those are my thoughts for your Sunday morning drive. Now it's time to hear yours. Our discussion questions for this week are. Do you know a Barnabas? Have you thanked them lately? What are some small but impactful things that we can do to be sons and daughters of encouragement? And lastly, who can you encourage today?