A Change of Heart

Best game of the day, Texas Tech Red Raiders 41, Oklahoma Sooners 38!  Oh yes, I loved it!  The Raiders may not be on my list of favorite teams but somewhere near the top of the list is anyone who beats OU!!  I will definitely be sporting my Kansas State attire next week.  Go Cats!!!  Let me see if I can offer some words of encouragement to my OU friends:  1) It wasn’t the Longhorns 2) it’s only one game – never mind it crushes the delusion that your beloved Sooners are the best in the nation!  I’m not finding the right words here, am I?  So do you think if I ditched by burnt orange for crimson, changed my ringtone from the “Eyes of Texas” and flew a Boomer Sooner flag, anyone would believe I had had a change of heart?    

There is no doubt that the conversion of Saul was a game changer for the mission of the early church, but it was a change of heart that faced raised some eyebrows. Even the disciples were not so sure he was for real.  Enter our 12^th man in a critical role.

“When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer! Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus. So Saul stayed with the apostles and went all around Jerusalem with them, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.” Acts 9:26-28 NLT

So how was Barnabas able to accept and lead others to accept the conversion of a man who was “uttering threats with every breath and was eager to kill the Lord’s followers”?  (Acts 9:1) 

The story recorded in the verses above doesn’t provide a simple answer to the question.  We have no record of how Barnabas came to know of Saul’s story.  Had he heard him preach in Damascus? Had he heard from Ananias, the man sent to Saul after his conversion?  Who knows, but if we read ahead to the next mention of Barnabas in scripture, we may find a hint or two.  The setting is Antioch where Barnabas had been sent to check out a report of conversions among the Gentiles.

^“When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.” Acts 11:23

However it happened that Barnabas came to know of Saul’s conversion, he saw what the grace of God had done!  While others were understandable focused on their fear of Saul, Barnabas saw what God had done and he was glad. True to his nickname, he encouraged others to see the same.  Barnabas’s actions facilitated a game changing play in the spreading of the gospel. In this short account of a seemingly small event, we see the beginning of relationships that prove essential to the mission.

What about you?  Are you willing to see and testify to what the grace of God has done?  Are you willing to accept the work of His grace in others?  Your actions could change the game for a team mate or even an opposer. (Yes, even a Boomer Sooner fan!)

Thanks for listening,

See you next Sunday,

Ronda

The 12^th Man

1.       Gives generously recognizing that all that he has is gift from God.

2.       Encourages others by accepting the work of the grace

What's in a name or a nickname?

The LSU Tigers remain rated #1 denying OU the spot the Sooner nation is convinced belongs to them.  The K State Wildcats remain undefeated after defeating a Texas team which makes my son-in-law extra happy! And yes, the Longhorn’s lost again. At least this week it was to the OK State Cowboys. You gotta love a 27 year old college quarterback! And I do live in Oklahoma after all.  As if that wasn’t enough victory for the weekend, the Rangers are headed to the World Series! Let’s go Rangers!

Before I get carried away, let's get back to the idea we kicked off last week. How can we serve as the 12th man? Ready to serve, desiring to support and inspiring the whole body.

My nephew, Joe, and his little
Ranger, Ian.

First, go ahead and admit it. When I said a man named Joseph last week, Barnabas is not who came to your mind.  I don’t think I had ever even noticed his real name. Men named Joseph, like my nephew have nicknames like Joey or Joe. (By the way, he maybe the Texas Ranger’s greatest fan. He even named his sons, Ian and Michael!)  So how did this man Joseph come to be called Barnabas by the apostles? 

We meet Barnabas at a critical time in the life of the early church. Jesus had returned to the Father, the Holy Spirit had come, and the fellowship was growing every day.  However, in chapter 4 just before our first encounter with our star player, Peter and John have been arrested and threatened with harsh punishment if they continue to speak of Jesus. We find the believers praying for courage and then we are introduced to Barnabas.

“All the believers were united in heart and mind. And they felt that what they owned was not their own, so they shared everything they had. The apostles testified powerfully to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and God’s great blessing was upon them all. There were no needy people among them, because those who owned land or houses would sell them and bring the money to the apostles to give to those in need.

For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.” Acts 4:32-36 NLT

I am curious what acts of service and support he had provided before this verse that earned him his nickname. However, in our brief introduction we find our first clue. He gave his resources to support the vision. His desire to support was put into action! Scripture is full of instructions on giving.  All the way back in Deuteronomy, we find the game plan for God’s people included generous giving.

“But if there are any poor Israelites in your towns when you arrive in the land the Lord your God is giving you, do not be hard-hearted or tightfisted toward them.  Instead, be generous and lend them whatever they need. Do not be mean-spirited and refuse someone a loan because the year for canceling debts is close at hand. If you refuse to make the loan and the needy person cries out to the Lord, you will be considered guilty of sin.” 

This verse makes me think of some advice my father-in-law offered my husband.  It’s always better to be taken advantage of than to miss an opportunity to meet a real need.  His example reinforced his advice!

But let’s be honest, giving our hard-earned assets is not always easy. Back up to the beginning of our passage and I think we find some insight to Barnabas and the other believers’ attitude toward giving, “And they felt that what they owned was not their own…”  A principle echoed in 2 Corinthians, chapter 9, “For God is the one who provides seed for the farmer and then bread to eat. In the same way, he will provide and increase your resources and then produce a great harvest of generosity in you.”

Like the Texas A&M student, Barnabas desired to support the disciples at a critical time in the mission. We see this evidenced first in his giving, but there is more to learn from this 12^th man, nicknamed Son of Encouragement.

So, what’s your nickname?

Thanks for listening,

See you next Sunday,

Ronda

The 12^th Man

1.       Gives generously recognizing that all that he has is gift from God.

Go, Team, Go!

Ginny & Gabe
Go Cats!

I love football!  I love Saturdays that begin with College Game Day and end with at least one of my favorite teams scoring a win. So despite, the fact the Texas Longhorns lost to OU yesterday it was a good day. The LSU Tigers won, keeping OU from a number one ranking! The Oklahoma State Cowboys won and the KS Wildcats upset Missouri. All in all a good day! There is nothing quite like the enthusiasm, passion and sometimes downright craziness of college football fans!

A few weeks ago one of my mentors referred to himself as the 12^th man at a banking affiliation meeting.  He is retired and often is called upon to draw on his experiences to serve and motivate those of us who wish we were retired!  His reference to the Texas A&M story of the 12^th man kicked off a chain of thoughts in my mind. It started with something like, isn’t it great to know I have people who stand ready to support and encourage me and quickly moved to am I being the 12th man?

If you’ve never read the story of E. King Gill, the Texas A&M student who began the tradition that now has millions of college students standing through games every Saturday I suggest you read the story on the A&M website. It is inspiring. 

The following is my favorite excerpt; “Gill later said, ‘I wish I could say that I went in and ran for the winning touchdown, but I did not. I simply stood by in case my team needed me.’ That spirit of readiness for service, desire to support, and enthusiasm helped kindle a flame of devotion among the entire student body; a spirit that has grown vigorously throughout the years. The entire student body at A&M is the Twelfth Man, and they stand during the entire game to show their support. The 12th Man is always in the stands waiting to be called upon if they are needed.”

Readiness for service, desire to support and enthusiasm to kindle a flame of devotion among the entire body - Sounds rather scriptural to me!

“For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve others and to give his life as a ransom for many.”  Mark 10:45 NLT

 “Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together … but encourage one another,”  Hebrews 10:24 &26 NLT

Over the next few weeks I want to explore how we act as a 12^th man for our team. One of the best examples from scripture is a man named Joseph.  Just as Gill was nicknamed the 12^th man by his team, Joseph was nicknamed, Barnabas, which means “Son of Encouragement” by the apostles.  He too was called to service at a critical time in the game. We’ll start there next week.

Are you ready to serve, support and encourage?

Thanks for listening,

See you next Sunday,

Ronda

Hook'em Horns!  (There's always next year!)