[Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Thursday, May 9, 2013

[Paul]

It was Bob Patterson, not Bill.  Sorry for the confusion.  Paul
----- Original Message ----- 
From: "Lauren Merryfield" <lauren1 at catliness.com>
To: "Faith-talk,for the discussion of faith and religion" 
<faith-talk at nfbnet.org>
Sent: Saturday, May 11, 2013 5:58 AM
Subject: Re: [Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Thursday, May 9, 2013


> Hi,
> I am a little confused.  Was that Bill or Bob Patterson as the author of 
> that very good article?
> Thanks
> Lauren
> "Life and death are of supreme importance. Time swiftly passes by and 
> opportunity
> is lost. Each of us should strive to awaken. Awaken. Take heed, do not 
> squander
> your life."
> ~Dogen Zenji
> Join us at www.catlines.com
> ----- Original Message ----- 
> From: "Paul" <oilofgladness47 at gmail.com>
> To: <iccshare at yahoogroups.com>
> Sent: Thursday, May 09, 2013 2:37 PM
> Subject: [Faith-talk] Daily Thought for Thursday, May 9, 2013
>
>
>> Well folks, we're well into, as the old song says, "the merry merry month 
>> of May." I hope that your day is going well or went well, depending on 
>> what time of day it is when you read this.
>>
>> We conclude our series on the topic of encouragement with an article 
>> written by Dr. Bill Patterson which originally appeared in the December 
>> 11, 2011 issue of The Lookout magazine.  The title of his article is 
>> "Sons and Daughters of Encouragement" and is rendered as follows:
>>
>> In my 20's I decided I didn't want to be a grumpy old man when I reached 
>> my senior years.  I wanted to be a person of encouragement, a person not 
>> wrapped up in self but in God and others.  Then it hit me:  grumpy old 
>> men usually get their start as grumpy young men.  I needed to work at 
>> being a God-yielded, encouraging young man because what I did that day 
>> and the next would set the pattern for my later years.  I didn't want to 
>> end up like King Saul, full of bitterness, envy and despair.  I wanted to 
>> end up like Barnabas, a man who gave of his time, energy and resources to 
>> build up others.
>>
>> A Biblical Encourager
>> LeRoy Eims served as a campus minister at the University of Pittsburgh. 
>> During his first year on the job a number of students came to know the 
>> Lord.  Eims often checked on their Bible study, Scripture memory, and 
>> Christian growth.  Some began to avoid him and gave him the name, "Old 
>> Mr. Check-up."
>>
>> Eims wrote, "I soon learned it was hard to help a person grow in Christ 
>> if he was avoiding me, so I changed and became known as "Mr. 
>> Encouragement." The more I encouraged, the more things changed.  The new 
>> converts grew and we had great fellowship."
>>
>> Can you think of times when an encouraging word or act helped shape your 
>> life? Someone loved you, spoke kindly to you, gave you a chance or put an 
>> arm around your shoulder and it changed you.  Their encouragement became 
>> the cure for your grief, your discouragement or your loneliness.  You can 
>> be that encourager for others in need.
>>
>> Barnabas was a Levite from Cyprus (Acts 4:36).  His name means, "Son of 
>> Encouragement." The apostles gave him a name that matched his character, 
>> and it stuck.
>>
>> Ways To Encourage Others
>> We can learn a great deal about encouragement from Barnabas.  He 
>> encouraged others through his giving.  The first time Luke mentions 
>> Barnabas in the book of Acts, he records how Barnabas sold a field and 
>> gave the money to the church in Jerusalem for the needs of others (Acts 
>> 4:37).  Later Barnabas accompanied Paul to Jerusalem with the Antioch 
>> Christians' offering for the poor.  Do you know some Christians or 
>> churches in need? Can you encourage them by giving?
>>
>> Greater than giving his money, Barnabas gave of himself.  The name 
>> Barnabas (_uios _parakleseos) literally means, "son called alongside." 
>> Whenever there was a need, the early church could count on Barnabas to be 
>> there.  We see it when he welcomed Saul, the Christian persecutor, after 
>> his Damascus Road experience.  Other Christians were skeptical of Saul's 
>> conversion, but Barnabas wrapped an arm around his shoulder, took him to 
>> the apostles, and vouched for him (9:26-28).
>>
>> Do you know a new Christian you can encourage by sticking up for him or 
>> her? Could you sit with someone in church and introduce him to other 
>> members?
>>
>> Have you ever opened your car door, sat in the driver's seat, inserted 
>> the key, but heard nothing? The battery had died and no cranking sound 
>> emerged.  You needed a person with a live battery and jumper cables to 
>> give your car a boost.  When we encourage others, we become their battery 
>> charger.
>>
>> Learning by Example
>> Barnabas encouraged others by recognizing their potential.  The church in 
>> Jerusalem sent Barnabas as a missionary to Antioch.  The work was so 
>> successful that he needed help.  Barnabas made the 80-mile journey to 
>> Tarsus to persuade Saul (by then known as Paul) to join him.
>>
>> That kicked the apostle Paul's ministry into high gear.  Later he and 
>> Paul went on a missionary journey from Antioch.  Barnabas led the group 
>> at first and took his nephew John Mark along.  Although John Mark quit 
>> during his first missionary journey, Barnabas didn't give up on John Mark 
>> and carried him along on another mission trip.  By then John Mark was "up 
>> and running" for the Lord.
>>
>> Some people seem especially gifted of seeing something of promise in 
>> others.  All of this can practice this, however.  If you teach a Sunday 
>> school class, is there another promising teacher you can use as an 
>> assistant or a substitute? Can you teach others to witness by taking them 
>> with you when you share the gospel? Can you take someone under your wing 
>> and help her achieve her potential in the Lord? Why not pause right now 
>> to ask the Lord to show you someone for whom you can be a Barnabas.
>>
>> More Lessons From Barnabas
>> Barnabas also encouraged others by giving his time.  Often people need 
>> our presence more than they need our money.  Barnabas went to Antioch 
>> when there was a great need.  He preached the gospel there and led many 
>> to Christ.  When the church at Antioch prayed, they felt led to set aside 
>> Barnabas and Paul for mission work.
>>
>> Barnabas continued to give his time and energy.  He stretched beyond his 
>> cultural background to reach out to others for Christ.  Is there a person 
>> of another geographical or cultural background to whom you can witness, 
>> or with whom you can spend time and encourage in the faith?
>>
>> Barnabas planted churches in Jerusalem, Antioch, and all over Asia Minor. 
>> His name is synnomymous with encouraging others for Christ.  Perhaps the 
>> greatest way we can encourage others is to plant churches, witness, and 
>> nurture others in the Lord.
>>
>> If you felt God leading you to plant a church, would you? If you felt Him 
>> lead you to go on a mission journey or to give three years of your life 
>> to help a new group of believers, would you?
>>
>> Barnabas never regretted giving his time, his presence, his witness, his 
>> money, or his encouragement.  You and I will be glad we gave our time and 
>> resources to encourage others, too.
>>
>> A Ministry of Encouragement
>> When God begins a work, He usually starts with a human instrument.  Could 
>> you begin a ministry of encouragement in your church? Choose a group of 
>> like-minded people and begin to meet with them.  Seek God's help as you 
>> consider how you can become sons and daughters of encouragement.
>>
>> What about writing a letter or sending a card to those who visit your 
>> worship services? Studies show that within the first three months of 
>> moving into a new area, a family will be much more open to an invitation 
>> to worship.  Develop a group of people who have a "new member" 
>> consciousness to reach out to new people with a welcome basket of goodies 
>> and an invitation to church.
>>
>> How many families move to a new area, attend church a time or two, then 
>> drop out because no one took the time to help them bridge the friendship 
>> gap? People aren't looking for a friendly church.  They are looking for a 
>> friend in church.  You can be a son or daughter of encouragement to them 
>> through a phone call, a friendly visit, a word of welcome, a listening 
>> ear, or a smile.  You might offer to meet with them to discuss how to do 
>> the things necessary for life in a new neighborhood (water, trash 
>> collection, schools, groceries, governmental services, and so on).  You 
>> may be used of the Lord to raise up a person who becomes like Paul for 
>> our day.
>>
>> A couple I know sat in a different area of the sanctuary each week.  They 
>> chose their seat by standing in the back to observe the congregation.  If 
>> a visiting family sat in one area, they would sit nearby and invite them 
>> to lunch after the services.  With that kind of unexpected encouragement, 
>> many guests became active members.
>>
>> If we have money in our pockets, we can encourage those in need of food 
>> or clothing.  If we have any love in our hearts, we can fortify those in 
>> need of acceptance.  If we have time on our hands, we can strengthen 
>> those in need of Christian growth.  In a thousand ways we can inspire, 
>> cheer, comfort, and give help and hope.  Like Barnabas, we can be sons 
>> and daughters of encouragement.
>>
>> More Encouragement From God's Word
>> "For everything that was written in the past was written to teach us, so 
>> that through the endurance taught in the Scriptures and the encouragement 
>> they provide we might have hope.  May the God who gives endurance and 
>> encouragement give you the same attitude of mind toward each other that 
>> Christ Jesus had" (Romans 15:4, 5).
>>
>> "Therefore encourage one another with these words" (1 Thessalonians 
>> 4:18).
>>
>> "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact 
>> you are doing" (1 Thessalonians 5:11).
>>
>> "Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, 
>> rebuke and encourage--with great patience and careful instruction" (2 
>> Timothy 4:2).
>>
>> "Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled" (Titus 2:6).
>>
>> "Encourage and rebuke with all authority" (Titus 2:15).
>>
>> "But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that 
>> none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness" (Hebrews 3:13).
>>
>> "God did this so that ... we who have fled to take hold of the hope set 
>> before us may be greatly encouraged" (Hebrews 6:18).
>>
>> "Let us consider how we may spur another on toward love and good deeds, 
>> not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but 
>> encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching" 
>> (Hebrews 10:24, 25).  BP
>>
>> And there you have Bob's article which, I hope and pray, was of spiritual 
>> benefit to you as the Lord led you to read and ponder what was written.
>>
>> aI'd like to close this message with a brief testimony of encouragement. 
>> When the Lord led me to join my new church, Rosemont Community Church, it 
>> was the third Sunday in August and their Communion Sunday.  Even though I 
>> was a new member, they allowed me to partake of the elements.  The 
>> pastor's wife, Lisa Cook, sat in the same pew with me and gave me 
>> pointers about the order of service as well as a personal welcome.  After 
>> the service was over one of the deacons, John by name, invited me to 
>> lunch at an Italian style cafe and, what was more, he picked up the tab. 
>> The pastor would have joined us, but he was detained by more pressing and 
>> necessary ministerial duties.  It was there that I met two wonderful 
>> single Christians, Beverly and Pam, and, although Pam lived a distance 
>> from my neighbborhood, we greet each other every Sunday, whereas Beverly 
>> and I go out to lunch every Thursday at a local eatery.
>>
>> But, beyond all this and uppermost in my mind, Pastor Cook's messages 
>> each Lord's Day are right on target, for which I am eternally thankful to 
>> God and to him.  I only mention all this because, if some of you may 
>> recall, you were praying that I'd find a good church, and your prayers 
>> produced fruit.
>>
>> And now until tomorrow when, Lord willing another Daily Thought article 
>> will be presented, may the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob just keep us 
>> safe, individually and collectively, throughout this night or day and 
>> especially in these last days in which we live.  Your Christian friend 
>> and brother, Paul
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