“The same thing occurred in Iconium, where Paul and Barnabas went into the Jewish synagogue and spoke in such a way that a great number of both Jews and Greeks became believers. ² But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brothers. ³ So they remained for a long time, speaking boldly for the Lord, who testified to the word of his grace by granting signs and wonders to be done through them. ⁴ But the residents of the city were divided; some sided with the Jews, and some with the apostles. ⁵ And when an attempt was made by both Gentiles and Jews, with their rulers, to mistreat them and to stone them, ⁶ the apostles learned of it and fled to Lystra and Derbe, cities of Lycaonia, and to the surrounding country; ⁷ and there they continued proclaiming the good news. ⁸ In Lystra there was a man sitting who could not use his feet and had never walked, for he had been crippled from birth. ⁹ He listened to Paul as he was speaking. And Paul, looking at him intently and seeing that he had faith to be healed, ¹⁰ said in a loud voice, “Stand upright on your feet.” And the man sprang up and began to walk. ¹¹ When the crowds saw what Paul had done, they shouted in the Lycaonian language, “The gods have come down to us in human form!” ¹² Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul they called Hermes, because he was the chief speaker. ¹³ The priest of Zeus, whose temple was just outside the city, brought oxen and garlands to the gates; he and the crowds wanted to offer sacrifice. ¹⁴ When the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their clothes and rushed out into the crowd, shouting, ¹⁵ “Friends, why are you doing this? We are mortals just like you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these worthless things to the living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.” Acts 14:1-15

Since we will be spending some time this month at the St. Barnabas Center in Harrisburg, I thought it might be appropriate to talk a little about the saint. St. Barnabas was a companion of St. Paul in the early apostolic ministry of the Church. He was highly regarded for his preaching and the effectiveness of his witness. Barnabas the Levite lived with the earliest Christians in Jerusalem. He was one of the first to welcome Saint Paul, the former persecutor of the early Church. Paul and Barnabas were missionaries to the Gentiles. Traveling with them was John Mark, a cousin of Barnabas. At one point, John Mark left Barnabas and Paul but returned once some of the heaviest persecutions they encountered had subsided. Once they were together again, Barnabas wanted Paul and John Mark to continue their travels with him, but Paul had a falling out with John Mark–perhaps because John Mark had abandoned them at Perga. In spite of Paul’s extremely forceful character, Barnabas took Mark’s side, demonstrating that he was a man of considerable determination and courage.   Little is known of the subsequent career of Barnabas. He was still living and laboring as an Apostle in 56 or 57, when Paul wrote I Corinthians. He was believed to be martyred sometime in 61 AD.  

Pastor Dave

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. ¹⁰⁶ I have sworn an oath and confirmed it, to observe your righteous ordinances. ¹⁰⁷ I am severely afflicted; give me life, O Lord, according to your word. ¹⁰⁸ Accept my offerings of praise, O Lord, and teach me your ordinances. ¹⁰⁹ I hold my life in my hand continually, but I do not forget your law. ¹¹⁰ The wicked have laid a snare for me, but I do not stray from your precepts. ¹¹¹ Your decrees are my heritage forever; they are the joy of my heart. ¹¹² I incline my heart to perform your statutes forever, to the end. ¹¹³ I hate the double-minded, but I love your law. ¹¹⁴ You are my hiding place and my shield; I hope in your word.” Psalm 119:105-114

“Your word is a lamp to my feet and a light to my path. ¹⁰⁶ I have sworn…to observe your righteous ordinances.” There are many reasons why people suffer in this world. Sometimes it is because of our own poor choices. Other times it is because of the things that people do to us. And finally, suffering can come for no reason at all. In all of our circumstances in life, if we are steeped in the word of Jesus Christ and the Wisdom of so many of the prophets in the Old Testament, then the word will be a lamp to our feet – for it will guide us in the ways of this life. Yes, we will not always be able to stay on the path – because there are so many things looking to lead us astray. But when we are suffering, we need to have some idea, some message, some assurance that someone has our back – and I am here to tell you, G-d always has your back.

Do you consider yourself to be a suffering servant?  Have you ever suffered significantly in body, mind or spirit?  Do you consider yourself a servant?   What does the servant life look like?  Should we all suffer for the gospel – the sharing of the good news of Jesus Christ? And finally, if we suffer less, does that necessarily mean that we have been more obedient to the word – or does suffering make us more “holy”?

Pastor Dave