Robert E Rasmussen.com

If you care about your church, here is a tip from the church at Antioch as to how you should pray. An excerpt from THE AMAZING POTENTIAL OF ONE SURRENDERED CHURCH (p.31).

One of the most beautiful aspects of every church is the way God skillfully prepares and uses simple people to fill vital roles at precisely the time they are needed. If you think about it, you’ll discover that God has done this in your church. In one way or another, God provided someone to encourage your church the way Barnabas did Antioch. These people of faith and grace share certain qualities, no matter when they live.

First, an Encourager gains trust. As Barnabas had proven his reliability in Jerusalem, anyone who provides an essential link in a church’s life has prepared him or herself by being dependable. When the critical moment comes, he is able to encourage because he has established himself as one having sound judgment and godly character.

Second, an Encourager possesses and conveys spiritual optimism. The clearest description of Barnabas’ character is: “for he was a good man and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (Acts 11:24). These few words will describe any man or woman God uses to provide timely encouragement for one of His churches. They are “good”—not self-seeking or manipulative. They are “full of the Holy Spirit”—deeply spiritual and attuned to God, relying on God’s perspective more than their own. And they are full of “faith”—able to believe in God to be at work as only He can.

Third, an Encourager emphasizes grace. “Then when he had come and witnessed the grace of God, he rejoiced” (Acts 11:23). Barnabas surely saw much in the chaotic multi-cultural assembly that needed improvement. Others might have judged their practices as inappropriate. But an Encourager looks through the lens of God’s grace, asking whether or not God’s hand is at work.

FOR DISCUSSION

1. What encouragers has God used in your church?
2. What are the obstacles you face in encouraging new and different things the Lord does around you?

The Antioch church saw the grace of God every week as more Gentiles realized the blood of the cross was for their forgiveness too! That’s why they were super-charged with thankfulness. Here is an excerpt from THE AMAZING POTENTIAL OF ONE SURRENDERED CHURCH (p.36).

What would happen to a church today if everyone was seized with deep gratitude to God for His grace—if old and young felt the reality of salvation from eternal torment by the substitutionary death of Christ?

The Antioch experience is reproducible and transferable because the qualities that created their community-life emanate from the unchanging life of God. Every time they gathered, they saw thankfulness and wonder in each other’s expressions. They were a church amazed by God’s grace, amazed at their inclusion in the forever-family.

Can we not begin a long-term process of prayer, asking God to return to our church the joy of our salvation? Should we not begin sharing our stories of His profound grace to remind ourselves how good God has been to share His gift with us? Whatever the structure or staff, any church infected with gratitude will become an irresistible community.

FOR DISCUSSION

1. Take an inventory of ways God has been gracious to you personally. Do the same for your church. How has God shed His grace on your corporate life?
2. Have a season of prayer where you don’t ask God for anything. Focus wholly on praising Him for who He is and thanking Him for all that He has done for you. Reflect on your need for more gratitude as a lifestyle.

Though hell can attack large church attendance, it cannot withstand a surrendered congregation. Here is an excerpt from THE AMAZING POTENTIAL OF ONE SURRENDERED CHURCH (p. 42)

No local church is strong by itself, even a mega-church. Even a large church is small and frail in itself, able to fail in a single generation. Even a wealthy church is poor in itself, prone to pride and lukewarmness within years of its ascent. Every church needs the others, for we are one Body. Our strength is in seeing our partnership under one Head, Christ. Our assault against the gates finds strength in our diversity and our unity, our variety and our sameness—or else we will be a scattered army, unable to mount any assault that approaches the gates.

We have lost perspective when we see other churches as the competition, vying for prominence and distinction. Instead we should find ways to demonstrate our unity and serve each other.

The Church must draw inspiration from Whose it is, to rise to its greatest calling, to cease striving within and rise above. Instead of thinking conformity, the Church must think creatively. Instead of merely having an impact, the Church must settle for nothing less than transforming its culture through manifesting its Savior. Rather than working to boost its attendance, the Body of Christ must rise to the full stature of Christ’s character in the beauty of diversity of size, ethnicity and form.

The issue is not house churches versus traditional ones. Not post-moderns versus moderns. Not ethnic or Caucasian, nor denominational over independents. What matters is this: Where is the Spirit of Christ present, and where is the truth of Christ found? If these exist, their flickering flame must be coaxed into a hungry fire and blown into roaring conflagration.

FOR DISCUSSION

Take an inventory of the positive ways the churches in your community have reflected the unity of the Body of Christ. Celebrate ways in which your church has contributed to these efforts.

You may be ignoring your need for outside help, or overlooking a resource person right under your pulpit. An excerpt from THE AMAZING POTENTIAL OF ONE SURRENDERED CHURCH (p.46).

There seem to be two extremes among leaders today. One is to overlook potential resource people within the church, looking too quickly for outsiders to help. The other extreme is to ignore excellent resources outside the local church. In some cases the leaders want to seek outside help but the congregation members see this as weak leadership. In other cases, members of the congregation sense the need for outside help but the leaders feel they can and should find their own solutions and resources from within.

Barnabas’ example merits some of our reflection. “And he left for Tarsus to look for Saul” (Acts 11:25).

Barnabas concluded that the church would benefit from the resources of someone who wasn’t currently attending. In this case, the perceived need was for teaching, so the new disciples and the church as a whole could receive the deeper theological foundation they needed, especially as a Gentile church that needed to discover how known truth (with its Jewish emphasis) could reconcile with their Gentile background and culture.

Saul would have been known by Barnabas as one uniquely qualified to join him in instructing the church. But it must have required humility for Barnabas to go for help. If he had been more prideful, Barnabas might have insisted on being the only recognized teacher in the church. But he overcame any such pride and sought what was best for the church even if it meant diminishing his own role.

FOR DISCUSSION

If you take an honest look at your church, prayerfully asking God to show you what He desires to accomplish, what resources would advance the ministry and why?

That person only needs to be given an opportunity. Note how Barnabas did this (THE AMAZING POTENTIAL OF ONE SURRENDERED CHURCH, p. 50-51)

The only way a church leader like Barnabas can resource his church is to see himself as a steward of it, not an owner. He was not possessive of this young growing church. He knew the people needed teaching, so he got the best teacher he knew of.

So Barnabas did two difficult things: he “left” and he “looked.” He placed such importance on getting the church what it needed that he risked leaving it for a time. Then he looked for Saul. He found Saul’s home, asked his family and friends. Perhaps Saul had stirred up enough trouble in Tarsus that he was easy to find. But “when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch” (Acts 11:26).

From then on, Barnabas and Saul are a team. Even though they will have disagreements, they still are life-long friends and partners.

In one sense, Saul was unique. There could never be one who was so used of God throughout history. Yet in another sense, there are Saul’s everywhere—people prepared by God, waiting for their next, greater assignment.

It takes someone like Barnabas to leave what they are doing to go and look for that Saul, and having found him or her, to bring that person-of-potential to the new opportunity.

Can we pray for the eyes of Barnabas, to see that person waiting for a greater challenge? Can we prepare ourselves, like Saul, to be ready and willing when the call comes?

FOR DISCUSSION

1. Who can you see as people-of-potential who are being prepared by God for a new ministry challenge?
2. In what ways could their talents be matched with a ministry need so that both individual and church are encouraged?