Mexborough Baptist Church Sunday 24th January 2021
Welcome to you all wherever you are shining. When we met together in our church building on Sunday mornings, we often said that we were coming into the presence of God. That's no less true when we sit in our homes for our email service - we come into God's presence and the appropriate response is worship. Our first two songs lead us into worship of our holy God - 'Only A Holy God' and 'Holy Holy Holy Lord God Almighty' (click on the links)
Prayer
King of Kings, we love to sing praises to you. We rejoice in you, our maker. We exalt you, our King. We praise your name, for you delight in your people. We do not deserve to come into the presence of the Holy God of the Universe but you have crowned the humble with victory, you have lifted up those who are bowed down, you have clothed us in your righteousness. We come before you with confidence, not based on ourselves, but based on your love. Let your praises be in our hearts and on our lips. Through Jesus Christ, our Lord, Amen.
Family Corner
Do you have a nickname? How did you get it? My brothers and sisters (who are all younger than me) call me 'Deese' because they couldn't say 'Denise' when they were little. It stuck and they still call me 'Deese'; they're the only ones allowed to! Paul's nickname at school was 'Bomber' - a rather obvious connection as his name is Lancaster.
Lisa says, "Noah couldn't get his tongue round 'Grandma' when he was little so she's 'Banma'. We call Arla "Ko-Arla Beth" (like "koala bear" ) because she clings to me like a little koala bear."
Shortly, Trevor is going to tell us about a man in the New Testament who was given a nickname that said something about what he was like as a person.
If you could give yourself a nickname, what would it be and why?
In the Bible, the angel told Mary and Joseph separately that they were to give Mary's baby the name 'Jesus' (Luke 1:31 and Matthew 1:21). Here is a song that reminds us that Jesus' name is the best - 'Jesus, name above all names' click on the link
Trevor Mather shares his reflections with us about Barnabas. Please have your Bibles open at the Book of Acts in the New Testament. Thank you, Trevor....
I don’t know if it’s my age or the times we live in but I often go through the names of people I remember who have helped or encouraged me from my very young years. I am amazed by the number of those I can think of and feel so blessed by their contribution to my life.
We as a community are finding that, through the pressures of this pandemic and lockdowns, most need encouragement when they feel most alone and need a physical presence to help them through difficult times. The ministry of encouragement is one that we can all fulfil and it covers some of the criteria of Jesus’ command to love our neighbour.
In the New Testament church there was a man named Joseph, he was such an encourager that the apostles gave him a nickname ‘Son of encouragement’ or better known to us as ‘Barnabas’. He was drawn to people he could encourage and was a great help to those around him.
Barnabas came from a Jewish/Cypriot priestly family and became an early member of the group of Jerusalem Christians, selling his property (possibly in Cyprus) to help other believers. Read Acts 4 v 32 – 37. These early Christians found life hard, for many had been brought up in strict Judaism and were now believers in Jesus Christ as the promised Messiah; they had then been thrown out by their families and community for having this new belief.
The next time Barnabas is mentioned in Acts is after the conversion of Saul on the road to Damascus, whom we shall refer to as Paul – a changed man. From being a persecutor, he now professed and preached Jesus as the Christ. Paul had to escape those Jews in Damascus for fear of his life and eventually comes to Jerusalem for the first time after his conversion, and tries to join the believers there; but, knowing his past, they are afraid of him. Read Acts 9 v 21 -31. That small word ‘but’ in v 27 tells us that Barnabas was not swayed by what the others thought and what happened next, in a way, is so crucial for the existence of our New Testament writings. Barnabas, as an encourager, brings himself and Paul into a God-given relationship of trust. No wonder Luke, in Acts 11 v 24, says of Barnabas “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith”. It was Barnabas who took Paul and introduced him to the main apostles and convinced them of Paul’s conversion and sincerity. This is the first of at least four notable occasions when Barnabas’s warmheartedness and spiritual insight and the people’s all-round respect for him, led to momentous results in the spreading of the Gospel of Jesus into the world. We can only wonder what might have happened to Paul without Barnabas.
In Acts chapter 11 we begin to read that, not only was the gospel preached to the Jews, but to the Gentiles also. Read Acts 11 v 19 -24. It is through what is happening at Antioch in Syria and how God’s hand is at work with Gentiles, that Barnabas saw that this was a fitting situation for the forgotten Paul to come and share in the work of evangelising. Barnabas goes looking for Paul in the neighbouring region and brings him to Antioch and they spend the next year teaching great numbers of people about Jesus. Acts 11 v 25 – 30. Take note of v. 26b. This is the second occasion where Barnabas’s insight brings Paul back into the work of spreading the Gospel.
Our story of Barnabas continues at the end of Acts 12 v 25 where they go back to Antioch, taking with them, as their assistant and helper, a young man named John Mark. The young man belonged to the church in Jerusalem, his family home was used by the Christians there as a meeting place. Acts 12 v 12. He was also the cousin of Barnabas (Colossians 4 v 10).
It is at Antioch, while the believers are worshipping the Lord, that the Holy Spirit speaks to the gathering, instructing the church to set aside Barnabas and Paul for a special work to which He has called them. The church blesses them and lays hands on them, consecrating them for this special task and sends them off with John Mark as their helper. They sail to Cyprus on their first missionary journey – the country of Barnabas’ birth - and then across the Mediterranean Sea to Perga in the region of Pamphylia. It is there that the young man John Mark decides to leave them and return to Jerusalem Acts 13 v 13. Until now, Luke, who is writing the Acts of the Apostles, has always put Barnabas first by name and Paul second, making the point that Paul has been the protégé of Barnabas. In Chapter 13 v 42, 43, after the departure of John Mark, Luke now gives Paul the leading name more often. Even so, as we read the account of that first missionary journey, it gives the impression that they are on equal terms so far as leadership and authority was concerned. On their return to Antioch they reported to the church all that had happened and what God had done, through them, opening the door of faith to the Gentiles.
The third contribution made by Barnabas was to stand against a group of Jewish Christians who had come from Judea, maintaining that all Christian males should follow the Jewish law of being circumcised. The question of circumcision became acute in Antioch so that the church sent Paul and Barnabas with others to see the apostles and elders in Jerusalem about the situation. Acts chapter 15 reads like the minutes of the most important council meeting. It is worth a read as it opens up the way forward for the Gospel of Jesus Christ to the world, as people debated the question from both sides of the argument. Just imagine the scene - apostles and elders and silence falls - as Barnabas takes the floor of the assembly, and tells of his and Paul’s experiences of signs and wonders that God had done among the Gentiles through them. If you don’t want to read the whole chapter, read the letter sent from the Jerusalem council to the believers at Antioch. Acts 15 v 23 – 29 and note v 25-26. Barnabas and Paul were men who risked their lives for the name of the Lord Jesus Christ.
Paul and Barnabas stay in Antioch teaching and preaching and after some time Paul suggests that he and Barnabas go back and visit all the believers in the towns from their first missionary journey, to see how they are doing. Barnabas wants to take his cousin John Mark with them again. Paul disagrees because of how he deserted them in Pamphylia. Acts 15 v 39 tells us that they had such a sharp disagreement that they agreed to part company. Barnabas takes John Mark with him and sails for Cyprus. Very little reference to Barnabas is made after this disagreement between the two men. In principle and practice they were identical, but we can glean from Paul’s writings that they still respected each other and remained friends. When 1 Corinthians was written Barnabas was still alive and like Paul, supporting himself in the work financially 1 Corinthians 9 v 6.
Let me finish on a positive note as we look at Barnabas. In taking John Mark with him to Cyprus, he is encouraging this young man in spreading the gospel message, as well as teaching commitment and responsibility. Those who learn from their mistakes are wise. John Mark was a good learner who just needed someone to encourage him. Paul, writing some time later, asks Timothy to bring Mark with him 2 Timothy 4 v 11.
This is the fourth momentous occasion in enabling the gospel to be made known throughout the world. Barnabas plays a key role in nurturing the life of John Mark, for Mark becomes a valuable helper and companion to three early Christian leaders - Barnabas, Paul and Peter. From being with Peter, Mark hears Peter’s account of his years with Jesus which led to the Christian Church having the Gospel of Mark which John Mark, as we now know him, wrote!
So Barnabas, throughout his life played a key role in spreading the gospel of Christ. It shows we are rarely in a situation where there isn’t someone whom we can help and encourage. Is there a Barnabas in your life that you need to thank or to give thanks for? Is there a Barnabas in you?
This next song reminds us of the encouragement we receive from the Lord and that we can encourage and bless others by the way we live - 'I Then Shall Live' click on the link
Response
Think of people who have encouraged you during your life and give thanks to God for them.
Think of people you know who need encouragement at this time. Ask God to show you how you can encourage them.
Prayers
Father God, we pray for those around the world at the mercy of extreme weather conditions and for those in our own country who live with the fear that their homes and communities will be flooded in storms and those who experienced it this week. We pray for those tackling the climate change challenges of our time and for our own response in our day to day lives.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for all who are pushed to their limits at work and at home, whatever they do. We pray for our Government and all whose decisions affect millions of lives. And we pray for one another as we respond to the restrictions locally and nationally.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for those whose businesses are closed, whose shops are locked up, whose cafes are empty, whose rooms have no guests, for those whose money is running out, for those on the brink of despair.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for those whose lives have been changed by COVID-19, those who struggle with the disease at the moment, those who are living with long COVID, those who are bereaved, those who are still waiting for other treatment because COVID has had to take the priority in recent months.
Lord, hear our prayer.
We pray for your church, worldwide and in its local expressions, entrusted with the good news of Jesus, and charged with serving all those in need. We pray for one another as we seek to share our faith and our hope in Jesus Christ.
Lord, hear our prayer. Amen.
In Galatians 2:20 Paul writes, "I am crucified with Christ: nevertheless I live; yet not I, but Christ liveth in me: and the life which I now live in the flesh I live by the faith of the Son of God, who loved me, and gave himself for me." (King James Version) This is our encouragement as Christians that the best outcomes of our lives do not depend on us, but on what Jesus has done for us and continues to do in and through us. click on this link
Benediction
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word. Amen.
2 Thessalonians 2:16-17
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