The Barnabas File

“…for I have learned in whatsoever state I am, to be content.” Philippians 4:11

“It is good for me that I have been afflicted, that I may learn Your statutes.” Psalm 119:71

“Show me Your ways, O Lord, teach me Your paths….teach me, for You are the God of my salvation; on You I wait all the day.” Psalm 25:4-5

I am writing to leaders. I don’t know about you but I never sought or chose to be a leader. It was not on my “bucket list” of things to do as a child, as a youth, or even when I began ministry. I would say that I was chosen by default. In checking the word “default” in my handy dictionary, one of the meanings listed states: “a selection automatically used by a computer program in the absence of a choice made by the user.” It might sound facetious, but from my perspective, I was absent in the “choice decision” made by God in calling me to be a leader (Ephesians 3:7). I think Moses was also. He definitely came sputtering and dragging his feet into the position that God had for him in leading Israel.

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“For I delivered to you first of all that which I also received: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, and that He was buried, and that He rose again the third day according to the Scriptures.” I Corinthians 15:3-4

For several years I pastored in the Detroit area where within one mile of each other there were three Baptist Churches. On I-75 south at the 10 mile exit was Calvary Baptist Church; at 9½ mile was First Baptist Church; and at the 9 mile exit was Tabernacle Baptist Church. The Calvary Baptist Church for 35 years was pastored by Dr. David Allen, noted pastor and Bible conference speaker; the First Baptist Church was pastored for 30 years by Rev. Bill Bach; and I was the new kid on the block, just having come to the Tabernacle as a rather young pastor. When we would get together they would call me the “Rookie Rector!”

Each of the churches would have summer daily vacation Bible schools and many children of the community would go to all of them, including mine. Calvary Baptist Church had an active bus ministry so they would reach out into surrounding communities to pick children up. At the very front of their auditorium was a large sign that read, “Christ Died for our Sins!” On one particular day, sitting in front of our children, were some kids, who upon arriving and seeing the sign, shouted, “We been here before – Christ died for our sins!” Our family still chuckles about that when we reminisce the past. [Read more…]

”Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us with all spiritual blessing in heavenly places in Christ.”Ephesians 1:3

I am convinced that the Devil delights in detouring the Lord’s servants from spending more time reflecting upon the manifold blessings of God. Someone once said that, ”The Lord Jesus spreads a large table every day!” There have been some days in ministry that I didn’t even see the table let alone the blessings! Oh, my friend, we have been so blessed! Even through the treacherous times of turbulent turmoil ‑ among family, friends and flock ‑ we are so blessed. And how do we know? Well, the answer is found in that simple chorus that we teach our little children, ”Because the Bible tells me so!”Ephesians 1:3 is just one verification. More often than not, the physical facets of life have clouded the spiritual heritage that I have in the Lord. They have caused me, all too many times, to withdraw and reflect more upon what is happening in the present than pondering upon all that I have in Christ. [Read more…]

Luke Chapter 24

Every word of God is inspired.  Every sentence of God’s Word is inspired.  Every paragraph of God’s Word is inspired. And every chapter of God’s Word is inspired.  I have always enjoyed the study of the great chapters of the Bible: Hebrews 11 – Followers of Faith; Psalm 23 – the Shepherd’s Psalm; Deuteronomy 33 – Happiness through Obedience; I Corinthians 13 – Love; Luke 15 – Lost and Found Department; I Corinthians 15 – the Resurrection;  I Thessalonians 1 – the Model Church; and the list goes on.  But the Gospel of Luke, chapter 24, has become one of my favorites.  Here we have the Easter Chapter of the Bible. For your personal reading and study, I am sharing a simple outline with key verses following the resurrection of our Lord.
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“And He Himself gave some to be… pastors and teachers for the equipping of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ.” Ephesians 4:11-12

On a cold, winter January day, I learned that the pastor under who’s ministry the Lord brought me to Himself, had finished his course and entered into the glorious presence of His Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. He was approaching 95 years of age. Many years ago upon his arrival at my home church in a small Michigan town, he immediately called a missionary appointee to the Philippines to serve as an apprentice and he led me to Christ when I was 16 years old.

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