If you have heard a person referred to as an unsung hero, it means that person made a significant contribution to someone or something but did not receive recognition for what he or she did. Most people are familiar with Winston Churchill, the Prime Minister who led England through World War II. But do you know the name Elizabeth Everest? Elizabeth Everest was the nanny who raised Winston. As a child, Winston longed for love and affection but his mother was a distant, cold person and his father was stern and demanding. Mrs. Everest filled this void and was able to instill her sound, Christian values in Winston to such a point that in his later years he considered her to be one of the greatest influences on his life. Their friendship remained strong until her death.
Now let’s switch to a well-known Bible character, Paul. If you know anyone from the Bible, you are likely to know Paul. He is the great missionary of the early church and is credited with writing more of the New Testament than any other single writer. Of the 27 books of the New Testament, he wrote 13 or 14, (depending on whether or not he wrote the book of Hebrews).
But what about Barnabas? If you know Barnabas, you may only think of him as Paul’s travelling companion on his missionary journeys. That would be correct, but he was also the key person who introduced Paul to the apostles in Jerusalem. When every other believer was afraid of Paul because of his recent violent past, Barnabas was willing to take a risk and reach out to bring him in. God used Barnabas to impact Paul’s life that would in turn impact countless numbers of other lives through the gospel message.
For the next three Sundays we are going to take a short trip through Barnabas’ life. He was: 1) Willing to Risk, 2) Willing to Sacrifice, and 3) Willing to Stand. No matter who you are, there are helpful things to learn from Barnabas. He certainly was not a perfect person, but he was in love with Jesus and he was obedient to God’s call on his life. That is a good example to follow.
His,
Pastor Martin
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