“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. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.” Acts 11:23-24, NIV. The above scriptures describe Barnabas perfectly; he was “the encourager,” and it highlights his gift of building others up. When I think about discipleship, I picture Barnabas and John Mark. Paul and Barnabas invited the young John Mark to travel with them on a missionary journey—an incredible opportunity to grow and serve. But ministry quickly proved harder than Mark expected, and he turned back for home. Barnabas could have given up on him. Instead, he chose to see past the failure and believe in the call God had placed on Mark’s life. Barnabas was so committed to giving Mark another chance that he even parted ways with his close friend Paul to make it happen. I understand Mark’s story. As a teenager I wandered away from God, and I’m forever grateful for the “Barnabases” who looked beyond my rough edges and told me, “I believe…

And Jesus went about all the cities and villages, teaching in their synagogues, and preaching the gospel of the kingdom, and healing every sickness and every disease among the people. But when he saw the multitudes, he was moved with compassion on them, because they fainted, and were scattered abroad, as sheep having no shepherd. Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest. Matthew 9:35-39, KJV. God’s Call Can Be Difficult A few years ago I attended a Home Missionaries Conference. I was surrounded by people who were driven by a call to reach their city, but who were also tired, weary, and broken. One man walked up to the pulpit to testify, but began to weep. He said, “I was asked to speak about all of the amazing things that is happening in our church, but to be honest I’m so discouraged. I just lost my job, my wife is pregnant, and even though I believe we are called to this city, I am questioning God’s purpose.” His honest emotion evoked tears into my eyes and I saw the room…

“Rivers of water run down from my eyes, because men do not keep Your law . . . I see the treacherous, and am disgusted, because they do not keep Your word.” (Psalm 119: 136, 158, NKJV). It is difficult to watch intense grief. We have all seen, or personally felt, the aching hurt that comes with loss and brokenness. Raw emotions rise within the person suffering. As we see their anguish, we struggle to find just the right words that we hope will bring comfort. There is another kind of grief that every child of God should feel, and that is grief over sin. God hates sin, yet it seems that His people have learned to coexist and even tolerate it.  Sin no longer disturbs us as it should. But sin is an affront to God’s holiness. Psalm 97:10 instructs, “You who love the Lord, hate evil!” According to this verse, there is no gray area in which we can coexist. GRIEVING FOR SIN In Scripture, we see several examples of this deep grief for sin. Our greatest example of such deep agony was as Jesus prayed in the garden the night before His crucifixion. Pouring out His soul in prayer,…

“Abram settled in the land of Canaan, while Lot settled among the cities of the valley and moved his tent as far as Sodom. Now the men of Sodom were wicked, great sinners against the LORD.” (Genesis 13:12-13, ESV) When someone moves to a new location, there are so many things to consider. How much will suitable housing cost? Is the neighborhood safe? What is the quality of the school district? Is the area convenient for shopping and for commuting to work? Do neighbors maintain their properties? Is there a church nearby that upholds biblical truth? Any move requires serious thought. Your family’s wellbeing is at stake. THE DECISION TO SEPARATE Genesis 13 tells the story of Abraham and Lot. Both men owned sizeable flocks and herds, and the land could no longer support both. With constant bickering between their herdsmen because of the situation, it was time for the two men and their households to separate. Although Abraham was the elder of the family, he graciously allowed Lot, his nephew, to choose the land he desired. Abraham would then move in the opposite direction. Lot quickly noticed the well-watered plains to the east and chose to move toward Sodom.…