Devo Acts 11

19Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with
Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message
only to Jews. 20Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to
Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about
the Lord Jesus. 21The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people
believed and turned to the Lord. 22News of this reached the ears of the church
at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23When he arrived and saw the
evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true
to the Lord with all their hearts. 24He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and
faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. 25Then Barnabas
went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26and when he found him, he brought him to
Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught
great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

Meditation:
1. Barnabas appears as a minor character taking a backseat to Paul. His name
means “son of encouragement.” He brought the money, having sold a field,
to the apostles for charity use (4:37). Later he encouraged the believers to
accept Paul(9:27). Paul and Barnabas began an itinerary ministry, teaching,
caring and evangelizing. Barnabas is described as “a good man, full of the
Holy Spirit and of faith” (11:24). The last time they minister together, they
had a fierce disagreement and they separated (Ch 15). Though Barnabas
enters and disappears in Acts quietly, we hear echoes of Jesus: “Whoever
wishes to be great among you must be your servant” (Matt 20:26).
2. Who in my life has impacted me most deeply? Who was like Barnabas that
has believed in me, supported me when I sorely needed it? Who, as Barnabas
did, “strengthened (my) souls… and encouraged (me) to continue in the faith”
(14:22)?
3. Barnabas could be characterized as a giver – he gave of his money, time,
energy, and position. Which of these types of giving is most difficult for me?
In what way might God be asking me to give right now?
4. How can I imitate Barnabas as an encourager of others, seeing their potential,
and spurring them on in proclaiming the good news of Jesus?

Personal Reflection
There are quite a few people who impacted and encouraged me like Barnabas.  Rev. Siu, Cecil, Ken, Eman, Jeremy, Steven, Jimmy, Rev. Chan, Nathan, Sang, Marcus... and a lot more people strengthened my soul and encouraged me to continue with the faith.  A person who is strong is known to be a giver.  Currently, the most difficult thing to give is energy.  It is ironic because I was full of energy at some point in time.

My role as the pastor in PGC is to encourage brothers and sisters to grow in maturity as a disciple of Jesus Christ.  I believe that in order to encourage others to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.  I need to fight to remain true to the Lord with all my heart.  This is a spiritual warfare as Satan will attack those who are faithful to God.  I can only be a good man, when I have full faith in Jesus Christ and be filled with the Holy Spirit.  Our goal in Crossroad is to have a great number of friends brought to the Lord.