Brown's Daily Word

Good Morning,
The Great News of the Gospel of Jesus Christ is that He changes people. We witnessed the work of the Lord in and through the Holy Spirit in the lives of people during the Franklin Graham Festival. According to the official report over 2800 people gave their lives to Jesus Christ. They aged from 7 year olds to 96. The Lord did an amazing work of grace. We had our last NYPENN Executive meeting yesterday. It was a great time of Thanksgiving to the Lord of the harvest. Over 27,000 people attended the Festival. This was the highest attendance of any event in the History of the University. The Lord transformed the Event Center in to a Cathedral. The Name of Jesus was proclaimed with truth and grace. The best news of it all is that the Lord transformed lives.
We read in the Book of Acts about an ordinary man who was transformed into an extraordinary one by the work of the Lord. Barnabas is known as the epitome of friendship. He is known as the son of encouragement. Acts 4:36-37 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
This was at least one of the acts that earned Barnabas his name. He sold a property that belonged to him and gave the money to the church to care for its poorer members. That’s putting teeth into your encouragement. This is the foundation of what it means to be a real friend; it’s the divider between fair weather friends and true friends. A genuine friend helps out even when it comes at great personal cost.
I read about a true story some time ago, that on the 19th of November, 1967, in the vicinity of Dak To, Viet Nam Chaplain Charlie Waters was moving with one of the companies of his Battalion when it engaged a heavily armed enemy battalion. As the battle raged and the casualties mounted, Chaplain Waters, with complete disregard for his personal safety, rushed forward to the line of contact. Unarmed and completely exposed, he moved among, as well as in front of the advancing troops, giving aid to the wounded, assisting in their evacuation, giving words of encouragement, and administering the last rites to the dying. When a wounded paratrooper was standing in shock in front of the assaulting forces, Chaplain Waters ran forward, picked the man up on his shoulders and carried him to safety. At least 6 more times Chaplain Waters went outside the perimeter to rescue wounded soldiers, exposing himself to both friendly and enemy fire. Chaplain Waters was giving aid to the wounded when he himself was mortally wounded. [from CH Waters’ Medal of Honor Citation] On that day chaplain Waters was a true model of friendship, as he made the ultimate sacrifice for the men he cared about.
In Acts Chapter 9 we meet up with Barnabas again. A man named Saul had experienced a radical conversion. This man who once had persecuted and executed Christians had now become a Christian himself, but he was having a little trouble gaining acceptance among his former enemies. Acts 9:26-27 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
Saul the former Christian Killer was being shunned by the church, but Barnabas, the encourager, takes him by the hand, brings him to the leaders, and says let me tell you about the change in my brother Saul. In Acts chapter 11 news has come to the Church leaders that revival has broken out in Antioch--people are becoming Christians. The Apostles know just the guy to send down there to encourage the new believers... Acts 11:22-24 News of this [revival] reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
Barnabas encouraged the new believers in their faith, and he was a strong spiritual example. This is an important aspect of friendship that’s often overlooked. A friend who helps physically but doesn't offer spiritual help--sharing the good news about Jesus, encouraging others to follow the Lord--that friend isn't really all that great of a friend.
In his book "Another Chance," Dean Merrill, tells the story of a professional man who lost his job and was forced to take a menial construction job. Day after day, he was subjected to the crude language and humor of his boss and coworkers. One day he made a rookies mistake which made him the butt of jokes for days. Finally he decided that he would work one more day and quit. That day happened to be payday. As the offensive foreman brought him his check, he made his first civil comment to him in three weeks. "Hey, there’s a woman working in the front office who knows you. Says she takes care of your kids sometimes." "Who?" He named the woman, who sometimes helped in the nursery of the church where the man and his family worshiped. The foreman then went on with his rounds. When the man opened his envelope, he found, along with his check, a handwritten note from the payroll clerk: "When one part of the body of Christ suffers, we all suffer with it. Just wanted you to know that I'm praying for you these days." He stared at the note, astonished at God’s timing. He hadn't even known the woman worked for this company. Here at his lowest hour, she had given him the courage to go on, to push another wheelbarrow of mortar up that ramp. [Dean Merrill, Another Chance, Zondervan, 1981, page 138]
A good friend brings the spiritual aspect into daily life. When friends shares about struggles they’re facing what stops us from offering a prayer right then and there? When a friend is obviously failing to meet the Lord’s expectations, a true friend doesn’t just let it go, because a true friend is a spiritual influence on others.
Acts 11:25-26 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
At the end of the year at Antioch the pair headed out on a missionary journey and the Scripture refers to them as Barnabas & Saul, but at some point along the way Saul got a name change, and from then on it’s Paul & Barnabas. Barnabas has trained Saul so well that he surpasses him in leadership, and Barnabas cheers him on.
Acts 15:36-39 Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, "Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing." Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus.
Barnabas again saw potential in Mark despite a past failure. Rather than labeling him as a quitter, Barnabas gave him another chance and anyone who has read the Gospel of Mark in the Bible is glad that Barnabas was that kind of friend. In fact even Paul himself later decides that Barnabas was right about Mark. In his second letter to Timothy Paul wrote, "Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry." 2 Tim 2:11
So that’s the story of Barnabas--he really was a great friend and a great example to us of what a friend should be. Yet there’s one friend in the Bible who demonstrates friendship in a way that makes Barnabas pale in comparison. That friend is Jesus Christ and He wants to be our friend today.