church growing for the glory of God? Will you dedicate your life in your own congregation for such a high, holy and honorable pur pose? The Responsible Church Which Sent Barnabas There are some excellent pat terns for church growth given to us in the Bible. In Acts 11:22 we read, "The news about them (the people who had turned to Christ in Antioch) reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas off to Antioch." Here were people who were aware of a need somewhere else. Barnabas' real name was Joseph and he was a Levite. The very name meant,
"the son of encouragement." Such was his character. He went to the people in Antioch and shared with them the grace of God. He encour aged the people to remain true to the Lord. We need more people around who are like that! We take note that the Lord Himself is re ferred to as the "God of all en couragement" (comfort). Barnabas, in a specific way, reflected one of the vital facets of God's character. If you had such a nickname, what would it be? Which particular and glorious facet of God's character would you reflect? What type of contribution would you make on the lives of others? One of the big problems we have today is howto secure missionaries
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