Barnabas: Serving with a Team
August 3, 2022 Barnabas was an influential leader in the early church, but he didn’t serve alone. Barnabas served with a team. Nearly every reference to Barnabas includes him with at least one other person. This can be seen most clearly at the church in Antioch where Barnabas was sent to provide leadership after a […]
#329 Barnabas: Serving with Generosity
July 20, 2022 The first recorded action of Barnabas was one of extreme generosity. 36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet (Acts 4:36-37, NIV). Barnabas sold a field he owned and […]
#328 Barnabas Serving with Encouragement
July 6, 2022 If I asked you to name the top 10 leaders in the New Testament church, I doubt that Barnabas would be on the list. Yet, he served the church in amazing ways. He was the catalyst for Paul’s acceptance into the church. Barnabas helped establish the church where followers of Jesus were […]
#327 A Flourishing World: Failure is Anticipated
June 22, 2022 God’s world was beautiful and perfect! It was filled with all the ingredients that would allow flourishing to continue for generations. Yet, while God had created a perfect and flourishing world, He was not caught off guard by the failure of Adam and Eve! As He cursed the serpent, He revealed His […]
# 326 A Flourishing World: Accountability is Natural
June 8, 2022 God’s flourishing world included clear standards as we have already observed. God told Adam that there was one tree from which he was not to eat. Sadly, it wasn’t long before that command was broken. 6 When the woman saw that the fruit of the tree was good for food and pleasing to […]
# 325 A Flourishing World: Growth is expected
May 25, 2022 A significant part of God’s flourishing world was the marvelous and diverse animal kingdom. God quickly gives Adam an assignment in relation to the animal world. 19 Now the Lord God had formed out of the ground all the wild animals and all the birds in the sky. He brought them to the […]
# 324 A Flourishing World: Relationships are honored
May 11, 2022 God created a lovely world that was flourishing, alive, and good in every regard. But then, for the first time, something in this world was described as “not good.” The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him” (Genesis […]
#323 A Flourishing World: Standards are Defined
April 27, 2022 God’s creation was awesome, a beautiful place filled with life and beauty. People were valued, diversity was affirmed, and work was purposeful. Animals, plants and humans flourished as they interacted freely. In this environment, God added some clear instructions. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, “You are free to eat from […]
#322 A Flourishing World: Work is purposeful
April 13, 2022 God created a flourishing world abounding with life and beauty. He created abundant plants and all kinds of animals and then added humans made in His own image. God assigned specific roles to the man and woman. 28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the […]
#321 A Flourishing World: Diversity is Affirmed
April 6, 2022 A second ingredient in a world that flourishes is that diversity is affirmed. God created a world that was beautiful and flourishing…and diverse! So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. (Genesis 1:27, NIV) From the beginning God […]