Acts 9:26-31 “Building By Design”

Acts 9:26-31 “Building By Design”

A young man gets on a bus and heads to SanDiego CA. He arrives at marine boot camp where during the coming weeks he is yelled at, cursed at, put beyond his physical limits, and runs everywhere so he can wait in line when he gets there. Women get the same treatment in their boot camp. Every part of their life is planned to turn them from ordinary people and into marines.

Jesus took three years took 12 men and turned them into Apostles. They were an unlikely group of fishermen, tax collectors and young men. He would teach them, train then and guide them for 3 years. At the end of that time He died on a cross and trusted the spiritual life of the world to them.

How many of you here today would say that what Jesus did and taught was accidental and not planned? Everything Jesus did was planned even when it did not look like it. Johns 9:1-7

How do we become believers and Christ Followers? How do we learn to pray, read the Bible? Or carry out a ministry? Sadly most of what a Christian learns is by accident and not on purpose.

Matthew 28:19-20 “Go and Make….” God gave us a direct command to make disciples and teach. Our Session is developing a blue print for the ministry for our church. A plan for how we can deliberately accomplish God’s goal of making disciples. A plan for how we can build each person up to become Adult, mature, and ministering followers of Jesus.

Proverbs 27:17 As Iron sharpens Iron….

How do we do this? To get an answer we will start with the life of Paul.
a. extreme hate for the church
b. confronted by Jesus
c. becomes an evangelist
d. Builders of churches
e. the writer of much of our new testament

Paul had Barnabas.
a. Barnabas is the “son of encouragement”
b. Barnabas sticks up for Paul
c. Barnabas trains Paul
d. work, study, pray, reflect on life, and work together.

We all need a Barnabas
a. A person to teach us what it means to be a follower of Jesus
b. A person who will show us how to live and think like Jesus
c. a person who will encourage us to grow
d. A person who knows you
e. A person who teaches you to read your Bible, how to Pray, etc.

When I look out I see a group of people who should be Barnabas and very few Paul’s. But the truth is there are more of us that are in need of a Barnabas. So you will need to be Barnabas for each other.  Over the coming weeks I am going to teach you how to be a Jesus Follower and how to be a Barnabas for each other. I call it “Building by Design”

What I ask of you is going to take time every week. What I ask will take courage to get out of your comfort zone. Some of you will think you don’t need to do this because you’re to old. But I tell you our church needs you to do this. Someone else in our church needs you to do this. And You need you to do this.

The first step in doing this is to choose one other person in the church to go through this process with. Men with Men, Women with Women. Once you have decided who you will meet with take time this week and go out for coffee together and just talk. No Bible, No agenda, just coffee and a friendly conversation. What we do and learn in the coming weeks depends on you partnering with another person.

Don’t you need a Barnabas in your life? Someone who will believe in you even when others do not? Don’t you need someone to encourage you in your walk with Jesus instead of brining you down? If you’re going to have a vital Christian faith you need a Barnabas. Right now in your life there is someone that needs you to be a Barnabas for them.

Please don’t let your church down. Please don’t let me down. But most of all don’t let yourself down. Team up with one other person this week and be a Barnabas for each other.