A Band of Barney's

A Christian who attempts to experience all that the Lord intends for his life while walking alone is abnormal. He will not develop the fully fruitful life in the Spirit that God intends for him. He will be exponentially more vulnerable to spiritual attack, deception by false teachers, and self-delusion. Beside all that, he robs himself of an incredibly rich source of blessing and encouragement. In short, you and I need the Church.


Yesterday, four men that I love, Elders (local pastors) in Christ's Church, gathered and ministered to me. They did so in keeping with the word of James 5.16 which says, "Are any of you sick? You should call for the elders of the church to come and pray over you, anointing you with oil in the name of the Lord. Such a prayer offered in faith will heal the sick, and the Lord will make you well. And if you have committed any sins, you will be forgiven. Confess your sins to each other and pray for each other so that you may be healed. The earnest prayer of a righteous person has great power and produces wonderful results." (NLT) In the Jerusalem Room at our Assembly an altar was built, a holy place where the Lord met us. It was sweet! Brotherhood does not begin to describe the relationship in the room. No, these were not sterile prayers. They were heart cries - for me!

Later that day, a quiet friend rang my doorbell and prayed a simply eloquent prayer and left me with his benediction, words that I can still 'hear.' At least a couple of hundreds of emails and phone calls have brought promises of prayer my way in the last week. (Please do not misunderstand what I am about to say here. I do not intend to polish my halo, but to make a point.) Such love cannot be found in casual, 'when it's convenient' relationships with other Christians. It requires giving, time, effort, and investment. It demands that we stay together when it's good and not so great. These who are praying for me and I are invested in each other's lives.

The book of Acts introduces us to a man who invested himself in the first generation church. He was not noted for preaching like Apollos or teaching like Paul. He was loved for something we often take for granted. His given name was Joseph, but nobody called him that. His nickname became the name we use to this day. He was called, Barnabas, which means "son of encouragement." (Acts 4.36) Barney was a man who loved people and they loved him back. He's a model for us. The medical crisis in my life at this time gave my band of Barney's reason to gather 'round me. I only pray that when the opportunity presents itself, that I will be that kind of Barney, too!

Are you investing yourself in a local Body of Believers? I don't mean just showing up to sit in a pew, either. I mean are you taking time to serve, to get to know others, to care? Are you loving others even when they disappoint you, hanging with them because God called you into that Boldy? Time will come when you need a band of Barney's. Do not wait until then to connect, it will be too late to really experience the kind of blessings I have been so wonderfully privileged to know in the last few days.

To all my Barney's - THANK YOU!

Here's a word from the Word:

 "Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it." (1 Corinthians 12:27, NIV)
 "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." (1 Thessalonians 5:11, NIV)

"Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another-and all the more as you see the Day approaching." (Hebrews 10:25, NIV)