How Deep is Your Love (1Thes 5:11)


Six to one you would be thinking that Paul led Barnabas into mission work but that's not exactly how it was. In fact it's Barnabas who first mentored Saul, after eight years in the shadows from "ex-persecutor of Christians," to what we know as "Paul, Apostle to the Gentiles." Originally named Joses (meaning consolation) he was renamed by the Apostles to Barnabas (son of encouragement).
 

Barnabas is the sort of Christian we all should be; identifying the call of God on a person, his or her gifting, and helping get them working towards building the kingdom of heaven on earth. Unloving people put others down and raise themselves up but inhibit the spread of the Gospel.  Loving people raise others up for the good of the Gospel of Christ. When Barnabas realised Paul was beginning to lead the missionary effort into the rest of the world he placed himself in a followers role where he could still encourage Paul on the difficult road to successfully leading others in the way.

Mark was another one Barnabas mentored with Paul on the journey and who at one point couldn't cope with the hard knocks they were receiving from the crowds. In his focus on the calling to the Gentile mission, Paul let Mark go, while the more patient focus of Barnabas overlooked and valued Mark who is eventually recommended by Paul to the Galatians for his steadfastness to the Gospel. Christians in this country are not overly good at encouraging, not unlike Paul perhaps, in their determination to make their own gifting work.

The fight for our own piece of light in the forest of gloom can be so very debilitating to the kingdom of heaven. It's time to see what has been happening as a work not of Christ but of the world. When we are exhorted to be encourager's and to build each other up is is a call to love one another as Christ has loved us. Jesus uplifted everyone he met; healed and set free all who came before him, taking doubt and unbelief and turning it into faith in God who makes us into His likeness as sons and daughters of love.

The world is a discourager and people are struggling to find light in that dark place, but the kingdom is of encourager's who shed their light to help others through to their own light. How much time are you shining? How focused are you on building your own thing? Can we take a moment here and there deliberately building up others, who build leaders, who build leaders? How deep is your LOVE!

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