Written by Mark Driskill:
Tuesday January 11, 2011
Read Acts 4:32-37
“Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles, Barnabas (which means son of encouragement)….”
What kind of sons and daughters is your church producing? When you read this passage in its entirety you can easily see the atmosphere of sharing and ministering to one another that existed in the early church. In such an environment of giving it is no surprise that from its ranks would arise people like Barnabas. He was a Levite, apparently wealthy enough to donate land to the church, and he was known for being an encourager, to the point that the apostles nicknamed him “Son of encouragement.”
No doubt the atmosphere of compassion that existed in that church influenced him and shaped him and probably others to be compassionate and encouraging. You can tell a tree by its fruit, Jesus said, and the life of Barnabas showed what kind of tree the church was. You see, the greatness of a church is not found in its programs or its doctrines or even in its ministries.
The greatness of a church is found in the kind of people it produces. Every Sunday morning I look out at the children who are growing up in our congregation. I pray that God will help us to pour the very best things into them, because the true story of our church will be told by their lives in the future. And guess what, The story will not come so much from what we say in the worship service, but from what we do in daily service.
The biggest lessons will come from overhearing our conversations about what is important, and from catching us by surprise in the midst of what we are doing. What story will the children of your church tell in future generations? Will they speak only of division and spiritual dryness, of empty hypocrisy and religious games? Or will they tell of passion for God and a vibrant faith that sought to make a difference in the world? Let us be the kind of church we want to see reproduced in our sons and daughters.
Mark Driskill and his wife Mary are homeschooling community ministers in Breathitt County Kentucky. They have four children. They co pastor Emmanuel fellowship Church, serve as Camp Pastors at Bethel Mennonite Camp, and Mark Teaches at Oakdale Christian Academy.
Mark is web minister for Begotten by theWord , a ministry of Helping Hands Christian Resources.
Once a month he preaches on the local radio station through the “Lion of Judah” program. Mark also preaches in youth rallies and revivals upon request at no charge. Their vision is to see true spiritual awakening come to the mountains of Eastern Kentucky and to the nation.
Contact information:
Email: driskill@hilbillymail.com
Facebook: Mark Driskill
Address: PO Box 1159 Jackson KY.
