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That's connectwithskip.com. Now, let's get into today's teaching from Pastor Skip Heitzig. Barnabas took Paul and brought him to the apostles and testified how boldly he had proclaimed Yeshua, Jesus, up in Damascus, that he was indeed safe. He stood for him.
So he encouraged in chapter 4 with his finances. Now he is encouraging a second time with his friendship. Man, I'm his friend.
I was with him. I'll stand up for him. Now he is encouraging the church with follow-up. He's going to go up there and fellowship with them and follow up on the decision that they made and make sure that they stay that way. So notice what it says that he told them to do. He encouraged them.
There's that word. That they, all with purpose of heart, should continue with the Lord. His message was basically, don't quit. Don't give up.
You made the right choice. Life's going to get hard around here. It's not going to be easy following Jesus.
I just want to warn you now, but don't, it's sort of like Winston Churchill. Never give up. Never give up.
Never give up. And they needed to hear that because any relationship, even a relationship with the Lord himself, can have issues, can have problems, can be tested, can have difficulties. You know, a relationship with the Lord is sort of like a relationship between a husband and a wife.
At first they're overcome by emotion. It's all feeling and ooh, you know, the sun's brighter and the colors are more awesome. But if you expect to feel exactly the same way that you did on your wedding day, you're in for a surprise.
Am I right? I feel wonderfully toward my wife. I'm more maturely in love with her today, but it's different.
It's better, but it's different. And so if you think that your walk with the Lord is always going to wake up feeling, wow, man, and sometimes you see others getting all excited and you go, I don't feel all that excited about the Lord. Don't be surprised by that.
Don't be shocked by that. Don't think that you're less of a believer than that. At first it could just be pure feeling.
Wow, this is awesome. Following Jesus is amazing. But you're not always going to have that peak level of emotional output or feeling. That's where you need to hear the commitment message. Stay with it, man. Don't give up. Don't quit. With purpose of heart, follow the Lord. Keep walking. Keep at it. Because some people will say, yeah, yeah, I'm just sort of not into Jesus anymore.
I used to come to church and read the Bible. But it's like the feelings have waned. Oh, really? And you thought they would never wane? That's like a husband and wife saying, yeah, you know, we were so madly in love, but, you know, I've lost the feeling.
So get it back. Be committed. Watch what happens when you live by commitment and watch how the how the feelings will follow.
The commitment that you make. This is where the gift of encouragement is needed. Now, the old King James says that he exhorted them. The new King James that I'm reading from says he encouraged them. That's a better translation. Could be translated either or. But when you hear the word exhortation, he exhorted them. It conjures up the idea of the gift of exhortation, which can be to stimulate a person into action. But encouragement is a little bit different than just telling a person, you know, stay with it, get right. Encouragement is. It can take you all the way through.
So here's an example. I had a friend who was an expert outdoorsman. He became like a forest ranger. He went to school for it and he loved the outdoors and he loved to backpack. And one day, Jerry was his name. He talked me into backpacking into Death Valley, California. And I loved it. I had a great time. But.
His idea of hiking was to start at the base and climb up to the peak. So in theory, that was good. In theory, good. I'll do that. I like that. I put a backpack on. I started following. Jerry was not only an expert backpacker, he was an expert encourager.
Because just. A few steps. And I'm already complaining. Hey, are we going to like camp here? Oh, no, no, no. We keep walking. Well, up to the top.
Top? Oh man, this is hard already. And then, you know, as minutes went by and hours went by and the legs are burning and I'm huffing and puffing.
Jerry just poured on. You can do it, man. It's not that much further. We'll take a rest just right up here.
Up in that little area. But just keep. And he just encouraged me all the way up to the top.
So. You encouragers, if you have that gift, if you're that person. Keep at it. We need you desperately. Find those brothers and sisters whose hands are hanging down and knees are weak.
And get behind them and give them a second wind. Encourage them that with purpose of heart, they should continue with the Lord. Says he was a good man. He was full of the Holy Spirit.
That was his gift. And he was full of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians at Antioch.
Okay, so picture this. In Tarsus, there's a man waiting. In Antioch, there's a man thinking. In Tarsus, the waiting man is Saul.
He's thinking thoughts like, okay. The first prophecy I ever got in Damascus was from Ananias who told me that I'm going to be a witness before kings, Gentiles, and the children of Israel. That was ten years ago. I've been waiting ten years.
I spent three years in Arabia, tried to go to Jerusalem, got kicked out. I'm here in Tarsus. I've been waiting for a decade. Nothing.
That's the waiting man. In Antioch is a thinking, praying man. Barnabas. Barnabas is thinking thoughts like, huh, this is a very unusual city. We have a mix of Jewish people, Greek people, and Roman people.
Who would be the best leader to bring to this city? He thought, I know that guy Saul who's over in Tarsus, not far away. Because Saul, you see, was Jewish.
Hebrew, a Hebrew of the Hebrews knew all the traditions and rituals of Rabbinic Judaism. But he was also Greek by culture being a Hellenistic Jew, Greek speaking, Greek culture Jew in that part of the world. In fact, when he'll stand on the Areopagus in Athens, he will quote Epimeneids, a Greek writer, a Greek scholar, and Aretas of Soli, another Greek writer.
He'll just quote them. He knows Greek thinking, Greek speaking, Greek literature, so he's Jewish and trained in Rabbinic Judaism. He's also Greek by culture, but he's also, third, a Roman citizen. And you know how he will pull out his Roman citizenship and say, I'm freeborn. I was born. I didn't buy this. My father was a Roman citizen.
Pass it on to me. So Jew, Greek, and Roman. Saul of Tarsus, perfect guy. So once again, Barnabas, the son of encouragement, risks life and limb to find Saul in Tarsus and bring him to Antioch for a year.
You know what? Had he not done this, half the New Testament would not have been written. That's how important Barnabas is. Just took that finding him, encouraging him.
He was a perfect guy to find him and encourage him. Saul of Tarsus, Paul the Apostle, will go on to write 13 of the 27 New Testament books if you count Hebrews as some do. There's a dispute.
That's 14 out of the 27. So about half the New Testament books he wrote. What Saul of Tarsus is discovering after a decade is the power of applause. An applause.
It goes so far. One of my favorite stories from Newsweek magazine, an editorial by Deborah Shouse, she said, when I was growing up, I envied Sally Culver. Though she was five years younger, she had somehow managed to get herself a fan club. It began one summer evening when Mrs. Culver brought her one-year-old daughter Sally to our house. I want to show you the most remarkable thing, Mrs. Culver told my mother.
She set the baby down on our driveway and Sally, diaper rustling, took a step. Bravo, Mrs. Culver said, clapping. Wasn't that just marvelous, she asked, turning to me.
I was standing back, my jump rope in hand, wondering why anyone would make such a big deal over walking. Weren't her legs just the straightest things you've ever seen, Mrs. Culver gushed to my mother. Her posture is exceptional, my mother said. I took a breath and stood up straighter. My mother didn't notice.
Sally took two steps before she plopped down. Again, applause. This time, my mother joined in. I entangled my rope and jumped ten times in a row without missing. No one noticed.
My mother was too busy clapping and cheering for Sally. It was my first experience with the power of applause. It is powerful when it's appropriate.
It's powerful to come and encourage someone in the Lord. You can do it, man. I'm with you. I'll stand with you. I'll stand next to you.
We'll do it together. That's what I see here. So for a whole year, they taught many people. That's where Saul cut his teeth in ministry. It says, and the disciples, now this is one of the most important verses in the book.
The disciples were first called Christians in Antioch. You're listening to Connect with Skip Heitzig. Before we get back to Skip's teaching, we want to help you learn more about God's radical love for all people by sending you four booklets by Skip Heitzig that will encourage you in God's abounding love and challenge you to love even the unlovable, just like Jesus did. This resource is our thanks for your gift of at least $50 today to help share solid biblical teaching with more people around the world through Connect with Skip Heitzig.
Go to connectwithskip.com slash offer or call 800-922-1888 and request your copies when you give at least $50 today to reach people around the world through Connect with Skip Heitzig. Now, let's continue with today's teaching from Pastor Skip. The word Christian was not a friendly term. It was not a term used by Jesus. It was not a term used by the early church. It was not a term used by Jewish people. It was a term used by unbelievers in Antioch first. Now, it's not a common term in the New Testament.
It's used three times, I believe. The other time it shows up in the book of Acts, I can read it to you, is in Acts chapter 26. Paul is in Caesarea. He's standing trial.
He goes through three trials. And he's standing before King Agrippa, Herod Agrippa. And Paul says in Acts 22, I'm reading out of verse 26, For the king, before whom I also speak freely, knows these things, for I am convinced that none of these things escapes his attention, since this thing was not done in a corner. Paul goes on and he says, King Agrippa, do you believe the prophets?
I know you do believe. And King Agrippa said, Paul, you almost persuade me to become a Christian. Now, the better translation is, do you think in such a short time that you would be able to persuade me to be a Christian? And Paul said, I would to God that not only you, but also all who hear me today, might become both almost and altogether such as I am, except for these chains. So the term Christian shows up twice on the mouth of unbelievers. Jesus called his followers disciples. He called them friends.
He called them my children. The early church referred to Christians not as Christians, but as believers, as saints, as beloved. The Jews would never use the term Christian because Christ means Messiah and they did not believe Jesus was the Messiah.
So that would not be a term they would be favorable to use. But it was a term used in Antioch and what's interesting is that Antioch, I mentioned nicknames, Jesus used nicknames, the early church used them. Antioch was sort of famous for names and coming up with nicknames for people. For example, it was in Antioch where the Emperor Julian was nicknamed the Goat. And that's because he had a goatee.
He had a long beard that came to a point. So they just sort of nicknamed him fondly, our Emperor the Goat. And so it's interesting that the term Christian shows up on the lips of unbelievers in a city fond of coming up with names, nicknames especially, and they were first called Christians in Antioch. Now the last time it is used, it is used by Peter and by now it has become a very standard common term to call believers Christians even by believers. So this now is in 1 Peter 4 where he says, If you are reproached for the name of Christ, blessed are you for the spirit of glory and of God rests upon you. On their part he is blasphemed, but on your part he is glorified. But let none of you suffer as a murderer, a thief, or an evildoer, or as a busybody in other people's matters.
And yet if anyone suffers as a Christian, let him not be ashamed, but let him glorify God in this matter. Now let me tell you about the word Christian. Christianus is the Greek term, Christianus. And that little suffix, eanus, was a common suffix to refer to, first of all, a slave in a household. For instance, if you were a slave in the household of Caesar, they would call you Caesarianus, a slave in the household of Caesar. Or if you were a follower of a leader or a political party, they would use the suffix eanus.
So if you were of the Herodian party, they call you Herodianus. So it meant a slave or a follower. My question, Christian, is does that describe your life? Are you a slave of Jesus Christ?
One that follows Jesus Christ personally, not just I think there's a God up there somewhere and I hang out at church once in a while. Are you a slave of Jesus and a follower of him? That would imply that you follow him and you take orders from him. He is the Lord.
You are not. You are the servant. And somebody once said, some folks have a hard time obeying Jesus Christ because they have a hard time taking orders from a stranger. It could be that Jesus personally is a stranger to you. And though the term Christian is widely used to label anybody who has any kind of affiliation with the church, are you a slave of and a follower of Christ?
Because that's the original term that was used. Christianus. They were first called Christians at Antioch.
Let's finish out the chapter in the evening. Verse 27, in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch. And one of them named Agabus stood up and showed by the Spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world, which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar. A prophet was either a fourth teller, that is spoke predictably about the future, or a foreteller of God's word, spoke forth the word of God. He was a fourth teller, spoke forth, or a foreteller, spoke in advance. A prophet could have the gift of anticipating the future, predicting the future, or simply proclaiming truth. Both of them were seen in the first couple of hundred years as having a prophetic gift. Now, there was a problem that happened with prophets. Agabus was a prophet that could predict the future. And he does here, and he does later on with Paul.
You'll see, he'll show up again. So he predicted that there would be a famine, which by the way happened. There are antiquity shows there were four famines around this time, two in Rome, one in Greece, and one in Judea. Judea was the most affected, it was the worst of all the famines, and that is the one he predicted. So ancient records bear testimony that there was a famine during this time. Here was the problem with the prophets. The prophets would travel around, and they would speak forth, or they would foretell the future.
But because they were unattached to any one particular assembly, they lacked a rooted accountability. Just like somebody comes in, the Lord sent me to give you a message. Well, how do you test that? I mean, what group do you belong to? I don't belong to any group, just me and Jesus. Well, you could be a fruitcake and say that, and many fruitcakes are in abundance, by the way.
I could write books just on the fruitcakes of my life. They seem to be unending. There's an unending supply of weirdness in the name of God. So because it became a problem in the early church, around 100 A.D., there was circulated what was called the Didache, the teaching of the apostles on church order, including what's a true prophet and a false prophet. That aside, Agabus was a true prophet, predicted something would happen, a famine, and it did. It says, Then the disciples, each according to his ability, determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea.
That's that worst famine in antiquity from 41 to 54 A.D. That's the reign of Claudius Caesar. This they also did and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul. Now, note that, mark that as we close this chapter and close the evening. It's Barnabas mentioned first and Saul mentioned second. You'll see that for a while, but you'll also read soon enough in the chapters ahead where that changes to Paul and Barnabas. And the leader becomes subservient to one that he is trained and encouraged, and Paul will take the lead.
I love the story of Barnabas, and as we leave, just let that ministry sink into your hearts. Because when we think of great people, we fail to think of what's behind the great person. You think of Charles Lindbergh, what a great person to make that long flight across the Atlantic in 1927. But nobody speaks about Claud. Who? His mechanic. Who made sure that his airplane called the Spirit of St. Louis was in working condition.
Couldn't have made that flight without Claud. We all know Martin Luther and the 95 Thesis on the Wittenberg Door in 1570. Martin Luther, the reformer. But nobody mentions Melanchthon, his assistant who helped translate the New Testament for Luther. People know of Billy Graham, but nobody talks much about T.W.
Wilson or Grady Wilson. Those great friends and encouragers who in the dark moments pushed him onward. So in God's sovereignty, the gift of encouragement.
So needed. Now again, King James says exhortation, but I know a lot of people go, I have the gift of exhortation. And what they mean is I have the gift of condemnation. There's no such thing as that gift. It ain't a gift.
Not in any list. Well, I have the gift of pointing fingers at people, telling them where they're at error and they're wrong. No, there's a gift of discernment, but the gift of condemnation and finger pointing, it's not in the text. The gift of encouragement, however, is. You say, well, maybe I'm not so soft-spoken.
Think of it this way. A kick in the pants, though just a few vertebrae removed from a pat on the back, is miles ahead in results. So a pat on the back, that's what I meant to say. A pat on the back, though it's a few vertebrae removed from a kick in the pants, is miles ahead in results. So a few more pats on the back, a few less kicks in the pants.
Some need it, I understand it, but maybe not as much as you think. Let's be gracious. Let's understand the grace that God was trying to get through to Peter when he said, what I've cleansed, don't call common. Let's be gracious with each other, tender-hearted, forgiving one another, even as Christ has forgiven us. We're glad you listened today and hope you've been strengthened in your walk with Jesus. Before we let you go, we want to remind you about this month's resource, the Jesus Loves Them bundle, which comes as thanks for your support of Connect with Skip Heitzig today. Request your bundle when you call and give, 800-922-1888.
That's 800-922-1888. Or visit connectwithskip.com slash donate. We'll see you next time for more verse-by-verse teaching of God's word here on Connect with Skip Heitzig. Have a great day. Make a connection Make a connection At the foot of the crossing Cast all burdens on his word Make a connection Connection Connect with Skip Heitzig is a presentation of Connection Communications, connecting you to God's never-changing truth in ever-changing times.
