 So today we'll begin with chapter 11 by reading verse 22 through 24 then what I'll do is I normally do is I'll bring you up to speed by sharing a few things giving you some context and all and then we're going to move into our study today so let's begin reading here in Acts chapter 11 at verse 22 I'll read to verse 24 again give you an introduction and move into our study then news of these these things came to the years of the church in Jerusalem and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch when he came and had seen the grace of God he was glad and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord for he was a good man full of the Holy Spirit and a faith and a great many people were added to the Lord so as we've seen and again I'm giving you an introduction laying that foundation persecution has hit the church it had arisen over a man by the name of Stephen as we've gone through acts we've seen that Stephen was one of the men who had been given ministry authority and that was because there had been a division cause of the neglect of the what are called the Hellenistic widows the Hellenists were were Jews who spoke Greek and had Greek culture and there was a division over that what had happened is they had taken this problem to the apostles and the apostles felt the responsibility to do something to resolve it so they pointed out first that these kinds of issues were what we today would refer to as ministry distractions they had said in Acts chapter six verse two it's not desirable it's not acceptable it's not proper that we should leave the word of God and serve tables now when they said that it's not proper or acceptable it's not desirable to leave the word of God and serve tables it wasn't because such ministry was beneath them they knew there were servants who were following the greatest servant it was because their main job was to remain continually in prayer and and the word so they had a greater priority if you will and they needed to concentrate on that so this was a distraction it's reminiscent of the time when the great leader Moses had become distracted his father-in-law Moses his father-in-law saw that Moses would actually sit as the judge over the people and and he would do that from morning until evening and he was judging over their concerns after seeing this his father-in-law Jethro asked him what what are you doing and why are you doing that well Moses said well the people come to seek God's will and I have to decide that for them Jethro said this isn't good because both you and the people are gonna tire out you're gonna burn out so he said this is what you should be doing it's found in Exodus 18 20 through 23 Jethro said teach them God's his decrees and instructions and show them the way they are to live and how they are to behave but select capable men from all the people men who fear God trustworthy men who hate dishonest gain and appoint them as officials over thousands hundreds fifties and tens have them serve as judges for the people at all times but have them bring every difficult case to you the simple cases they can decide themselves that will make your load lighter because they will share it with you if you do this and God so commands you'll be able to stand the strain and all these people will go home satisfied so he said this isn't a good thing you need to remember what your primary responsibility is Moses it's to teach them his decrees and to show them the way to live and how they're to behave this is what your job is that is the job of the leader that is something that was brought into the church during the church age is there needs to be a leader who who teaches God's word and and lives God's word so that they see it evidence before them but in order to do all the work there needs to be a team there needs to be others and that's what took place here and that's what we saw in the in the book of Acts when this problem had arisen how how the men the apostles had said it isn't right that we should leave the word of God and and and wait on tables and so select from among yourselves these kinds of men and so that was the problem that had produced the first deacons and Stephen was one of the first deacons in the church he was a man scripture says filled with faith and power and he performed wonders and he performed signs because of this his opponents had tried to debate him but as we already had seen they were unsuccessful and so as a result false charges had been brought against him and as a result of that he was executed so the execution of Stephen is what opened up the floodgates of persecution against the church and that's what's being referred to in chapter 11 verse 19 when it says those who were scattered after the persecution that arose over Stephen so that's what had taken place his execution opened the floodgates of persecution and I want you to notice that persecution arose over the preaching of the gospel now it was directed towards Christians but in fact persecution is simply revealing a hatred for Christ in Luke 21 verse 17 Jesus said you will be hated but he went on to say by all for my name's sake so this persecution is not simply against the people who are followers of Christ but it's really a hatred for Jesus himself now remember Jesus commanded his followers to share the gospel with everybody and that's because the message of salvation is for all and is centered on him and the gospel is intended to reach both you as well as the Gentile it's not a message only for the Jews or those who lived in the Middle East it's a it's a message for the world and so in Matthew 28 19 and 20 he had said go therefore make disciples of all the nations baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit and teaching them to observe all things that I've commanded you and lo I'm with you always even to the end of the age amen so when persecution arose the believers became more intent on preaching now at first as we've seen they only spoke to Jews but the doors were being open to others the evangelized the Samaritans then they shared with the Gentiles and the Bible tells us in verse 21 here in chapter 11 the hand of the Lord was with them and a great number believed and turned to the Lord and so God is moving through them there are many people still coming to faith in Christ the persecution had been intended to crush them but it actually had worked for their good Psalm 76 10 says even human wrath will praise you so the people left they left Jerusalem they went into the world God was moving and that brings us to our part of the study notice in verse 22 then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch after persecution had erupted many had left Jerusalem they were scattered throughout the regions of Judea which was in the South Samaria which is in the center and they went everywhere according to Acts 8 verse 4 and they went everywhere preaching the word some Samaritans had received the word of God and even Gentiles had and even the great enemy of the church a man by the name of Saul had been saved so verse 22 news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem the leaders were aware of what was happening and they were blessed to hear these things and they wanted an accurate understanding so they sent a representative they sent a man by the name of Barnabas now we've already been introduced to Barnabas Acts 4 36 and 37 tells us that he had sold land and donated the money to the church on behalf of those who were in need when Saul had been saved the disciples in Jerusalem wanted nothing to do with him and in Acts 9 at verse 27 it says that Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and he speaking of Saul declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road and that he had spoken to him and and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus and so we've been introduced to this man Barnabas his name means son of encouragement it was wise for them to send such a man to investigate what was happening he was also a Hellenist it made him a great choice for that kind of task and so it says in verse 22 they sent Barnabas to go as far as Antioch so to get a picture of what's taking place that reveals that he's on his way going to Antioch he's ministering to other churches along the way when you see the name Antioch being mentioned it was the capital of Syria it was 300 miles north of the city of Jerusalem is part of the great Greek Empire it was founded by Alexander it was a third largest city next to Rome and Alexandria Antioch was well known for its commerce it was well known for its culture but it was also well known for its immorality the people worshiped a goddess named Artemis and Apollo as well as the Syrian worship of Astarte and her cult a ritual prostitutes it was a very debate city but it was also the home of a man by the name of Nicholas who was one of the first seven deacons men from Cyprus and Cyrene had preached in Antioch many had believed so the church sent Barnabas to investigate how everything's going now remember Barnabas was a Hellenist he was from Cyprus he was a good pick and so what happens well notice it says in verse 23 when he came and had seen the grace of God he was glad and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord he saw the grace of God he saw how people responded to God's grace he saw how people were coming to faith in Jesus Christ and as he saw this he rejoiced because people were being saved you won't very often you won't know what the grace of God is if you haven't experienced the grace of God yourself it's one of those things that you rejoice in because you've experienced it's one of those things that causes you to have a joy when you see other people get saved because you yourself have been saved and people who have not experienced the grace of God don't understand why you would rejoice when somebody gets saved people who have never been saved if they come to a church like this and there's an invitation that's given and people come forward and these people who aren't saved will hear you clapping and and happy to see that they don't understand why you rejoice they don't understand what's the big deal that person's walking forward they don't understand that they don't understand how how that person had been as us in sin and been in bondage and they don't understand the joy that happens in the heart of the person who witnesses it let alone the person who's being saved and to try and explain that to somebody it's very difficult it it's like if I were trying to explain to someone who has been born blind what the color blue is how can I explain that they haven't ever seen it therefore they don't know it and there's nothing I can say to liken it or if I say to somebody who hasn't got the sense of smell how beautiful a rose may smell they don't have an understanding of that there's nothing I can say because those are things that you have to have experience in the beauty of a song if somebody can't hear how can you explain the beauty of the voice or it just doesn't happen there are so many things that you have to experience to understand the taste of a strawberry so when somebody hasn't tasted of the grace of God they don't understand it but but he had and when he saw these people are getting saved it caused him to rejoice he was glad the scripture says he had seen the grace of God and he was glad about it I received a message this week that I asked if it would be possible if I might share it because it blessed my heart so much I'm not going to share the whole message with you but I'm trying to illustrate to rejoice at the grace of God and what that means and so I'm reading a portion of something I I printed out so you can hear and understand what I mean by rejoicing at that good morning I wanted to share with you what happened 20 years ago in November on November 30th in O3 a 19 year-old me walked into your church alone I tried meth that marching was immediately hooked I did that evil drug every single day for eight months with multiple attempts to quit after failing every time losing a ton of weight passing out from overdosing multiple times being told by a doctor I was going to die if I didn't stop it happened I was driving one night I saw a sign that said 107.9 I was curious so I checked it out I heard a sermon about vessels of honor and dishonor it was 3 a.m. I've been drinking and getting high all night having accepted that that is how I was going to die and I knew I couldn't quit I just partied the doctor told me it would be impossible to quit on my own that I would seize your up and go into cardiac arrest and I heard the pastor talk about having to be smashed put in a fire to become pliable I instantly felt a warm honey or wax like substances from my head to my fingertips and toes I was instantly sober a few hours later I drove to Calvary Chapel Chino Valley I'd been invited there in the past by friends you see I was raised in darkness all my family members are either addicts alcoholics are both I was born of a 16 year old girl like to party with musician rock and roller dad I lived everywhere and and I was exposed to everything I started drinking and getting high in the sixth grade was the only life I knew I listened to as you spoke I was sure someone called you she said I cried so hard she said people were rubbing strangers were rubbing my back and bringing me tissue I was struggling to breathe and walk but I walked up to the invitation and I got on my knees I gave my life to Jesus that day he changed my life I knew God loved me because I prayed that day for my withdrawals to be horrible so I'd never go back to the drug but he took away my addiction I didn't feel a thing no shakes no sweat no temptation or desire to return to that drug or any other friend for that matter I had to get high multiple times a day I wasn't able to go a few hours without a hit I'm so blessed to have experienced such a miracle I attended your church for years I had to stop because I moved she says I now have three God-loving children who I'll know of you I occasionally listen to your podcast thank you pastor I'm eternally grateful rejoiced the words that she closed with that I got to choked up to say she said I'm eternally grateful eternally grateful my life has been changed that's why we clap that's why we rejoice and that's why he did he went there he saw that God was moving and it says and he came and had seen the grace of God see that's why people will clap that's why people get excited that's why why why we we do that we rejoice why because we know God's grace we know what it's like to be lost we know what it's like to wake up and in a pool of our own vomit at least I do we know what it's like to be so lost that you don't have any clue it's what's gonna happen in your life and then when God saves that person then people like us we who have been there we who understand his grace we see it and it causes us great joy and that's what's taking place with him he sees it and he's rejoicing and seeing this faith in Christ had blessed him Paul wrote in 1st Corinthians 1 verse 4 he said it like this he said I always thank my God for you because of the grace he has given you in Christ Jesus and so he saw how God's grace that have brought them to salvation and he encouraged them with with purpose of heart notice he said that they should continue with the Lord the word continue means to abide or remain in place it means to persevere to stick it out Barnabas knew that the grace of God made salvation possible but he also knew that man's will can frustrate the grace and work that God intends to do in us we can know what God wants us to do and frustrate his work by resisting his spirit and there are temptations that can come our way that draw our enticements to try and draw us back to the life that we've been saved from and he knew this and so he encouraged them he encouraged them to be resolute he encouraged them to be disciplined in the pursuit of the Lord and he knew that to grow and mature would require them to discipline themselves in Jesus Christ it would require that they abide in him that they might grow in him in 2nd Peter 3 18 it says grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and save your Jesus Christ to him be glory both now and forever amen so as we grow in our understanding of his grace we grow in our knowing of who he is God has saved them and knowing this inspired them to walk properly to walk worthy of the gospel again Paul wrote in Philippians 2 12 and 13 therefore my beloved as you not only in my presence but now even more in my absence continue to work out your salvation with fear and trembling for it is God who works in you to will and act on behalf of his good purpose he didn't say continue to work for he said work out your salvation because God is working in you so we need to know that the one who is within us gives us the power to be pleasing to him so the Christian life is one of the spiritual built on spiritual discipline it's built on knowing the Lord it's a daily thing it's not a weekly or or a couple times a week it's a daily thing like Jesus in Luke 9 23 said he said whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves take up their cross daily and follow me so this kind of awareness was part of their concern for believers to grow again in Acts 13 43 it says when the congregation was dismissed many of the Jews and devout converts to Judaism followed Paul and Barnabas who talked with them and urged them to continue in the grace of God how am i going to continue in the grace of God well one of the ways is being faithful to what his word teaches because it's through his word that we're fed it's by his word that we're equipped in his spirit working within us empowering us to do these things it's our love for him and it's our love for his word that reveals that we actually know him it's like what John 8 31 and 32 says when Jesus said if you abide in my word you are my disciples indeed and you shall know the truth the truth will make you free so Barnabas was concerned that these new believers would grow in their faith he's a good man he's filled with the spirit and faith and that's why he exhorts them to resolutely continue in their following of the Lord Jesus Christ learning God's word and growing in his grace strengthens them the bible teaches us in first Peter 2 verses 2 and 3 like newborn babies crave pure spiritual milk so that by it you may grow up in your salvation now that you have tasted that the Lord is good as newborn babies desire the sincere milk of the word that you may grow thereby every mama in this room knows that if you were a nursing mom that if your baby that you were nursing was not thirsty was not hungry there was probably something wrong either the baby was full or the baby was ill and when a believer is not hungry for the word of God that's a spiritual check for themselves if you're not hungry for God's word there may be something wrong with your walk because even as babies desire mama's milk a believer should desire the word of God why so that we may grow up in Christ now persecution was growing against believers they were going to suffer for their faith they were going to suffer but they must remain true to the Lord they must cleave to him they must remain with him they must continue with him now again it mentions in verse 24 he was a good man full of the holy spirit in faith when it says he was a good man that speaks of his character that speaks of his morals and that's what defines a person as good he was filled with the spirit he was filled with faith and it was under his moral and faith filled ministry that many came to to know the Lord Jesus Christ again those are qualities of a true minister of the gospel he's good in morals and he's filled with the power of the spirit so God uses Barnabas and in his ministry many came to faith there were so many coming to faith in Christ that he needed help in the ministry and so verse 25 says Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek out Saul now they knew each other they were friends when Saul first tried to join the disciples in Jerusalem remember he was rejected it was Barnabas who vouched for him in Acts 9 26 and 27 it says when he came to Jerusalem he tried to join the disciples but they were afraid of him not believing that he was really a disciple but Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles he took he told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord in that that the Lord had spoken to him and how in Damascus he had preached fearless thing in the name of Jesus and so Barnabas knew that this would be a good man to be of help in ministry you see they accepted him in their fellowship he ministered there he began preaching the gospel to Hellenists and they tried to kill him so in Acts 9 30 it says when the brother and found out they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him out to Tarsus so Saul's been in Tarsus where he had lived before and most likely he's heard news of what's going on and since Saul had ministered to Hellenists it would be good for him because he was qualified to minister to these people and so verse 26 again says they found him and brought him to Antioch so Barnabas wanted Saul to work alongside of him in the ministry there in Antioch he was a Hebrew scholar he was fluent in Greek he was acquainted with Gentile culture he would be a great asset in disciplining and winning converts the work was too big for Barnabas alone many people were getting saved in ministry you always need to have people who can work alongside of you if the Lord is doing a work it's good to be able to divide the work up into the hands of others because you want people to be equipped for works of service so you train up and minister alongside of because there are so many people it's difficult sometimes for one person to handle everything and that's a fact I mean that's ministry itself you see it here in the case of of Barnabas and his ministry he needs to have Saul come alongside of him this man was well qualified to help him in in every way shape and form and we've seen that to be true even in our fellowship where where I can't do everything and I don't think that the senior pastor is supposed to now we we we look at the scriptures where Ephesians 4 11 and 12 tells us he gave some to be apostles prophets evangelists pastors and teachers for the quickening of the saints for the work of ministry so we're to work together many hands make work light you need to have people who are out there doing the work of ministry when Jesus selected people he didn't just select one person to be his chief follower he he selected the 12 and from there they grew into having deacons and they went on to have elders and all of that because there needed to be a number of people working together and that's what's happening here there's a pouring into and there's a using for the things of the Lord and and the work was just too big for Barnabas to to do this alone and therefore he he asked for help now it says in verse 26 that when Saul arrived for a year they assembled with the church and notice and they taught many people so once again the Lord is moving many are being saved earlier it was noted that many an Antioch had come to the Lord and and this is what brought Barnabas to Antioch in the first place now working alongside of Paul even more coming to faith in Christ now Barnabas had encouraged believers to continue with the Lord in his desire for them was to grow it was so great that he remained there for a year and again it's good to minister with more than one person now I want you to see something in verse 26 and I'll take a moment to develop this because it's something that you could pass up and not notice it says that the last portion of verse 26 the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch I want to develop that for a minute you may find this interesting at least I did if you don't well I do why is that well when you read we'll say in the book of Acts when you begin in chapter one and you travel through the book of Acts and those of you who've been traveling with us and those of you who've read the book of Acts you'll notice this that when when followers of Christ are mentioned they're called different by different names they're called disciples or they'll speak of the brothers or it speaks of the saints it speaks of the church or or followers of the way those are the way believers were spoken of in the first several chapters of Acts but now you have in verse 26 in chapter 11 a simple phrase the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch Antioch was a city that was known for inventing nicknames some of us understand that we were raised in families that gave you nicknames I had a friend his name was leaper I don't even remember his first name it was leaper why was he called leaper one of my friends said you know why we call him leaper I said no I never really thought about that well he said we were at the beach and there was a fire pit and there had been a fire in it and there were some metal bars in it and he tried to leap over it he says have you ever looked at his leg he has a big old burn mark he said he didn't make it so it called him leaper I don't know about you you know a lot of families my family my uncles all of them had nicknames my uncle Wettel I can't give you the rest of the nicknames but they always are something they've done or are known for my dad my dad had a nickname his is a good one Panchito Pancho his mama never even called him his name his name was Francisco why was he called Pancho because he was born January 29th which is St. Francis observation and so Mexicans from Mexico and even to this day would give their son the name Francisco my dad's name was Frank but his family all called him Pancho and that's how I knew him Pancho Waters in Manabello he said I know why your dad's name is Pancho I said why is that he said he was born January 29th wasn't he I said yeah how'd you know that he said because that's why my nickname is Pancho and he's the one who explained that to me I said I didn't know that so I don't know how many of you I look around here I think many of you probably are familiar with nicknames you know they they have a girl he's sad girl or they have this guy hey there's a little savage little savage is like five foot two but they all have nicknames every I had my uncles had nicknames a lot of us do all of my kids have nicknames so I understand this I understand this and many of us I'm sure do they were known as a city that invented nicknames that's why they were first and I want to develop this with you that's just a little introduction to why that's an important thing to even bring up believers in Christ were called Christianus Christianus that the word Christianus means belonging to or in possession of Christ that's what it means belonging to or owned by Jesus Christ now why is that important because it was an insult it's interesting to note that one commentator pointed out that the disciples didn't use the word of themselves we do when somebody says what is your religious faith will say I'm a Christian but the disciples did not refer to themselves that way it was an insult why is that because in a world that valued being free the Christians said that they were bought at a price and Christians referred to themselves as servants of Jesus now here's something you might find interesting in the versions of Scripture the translations that we have when it speaks of being a servant of Christ and the word servant in your scripture it'll say servant very often that word servant is a softer word than what it actually means because what the word servant actually means is a slave and during the time of the writing of the Scripture it was valued to be free and it was derogatory to be called a slave because that meant you were owned by somebody and so the Greeks looking down on the Christians because you guys are slaves and that's how they thought you guys are slaves it was not used as like oh there are the Christians it was there's a Christian he's a slave she's a slave they're owned by somebody else and it was actually derogatory and that is why we actually accept the name Christian first Corinthians 6 20 says you were bought at a price therefore honor God with your bodies and your spirit which belong to God we were in the marketplace of sin this is New Testament theology we were in the marketplace of sin we were slaves to sin in the marketplace of sin and in in the ancient cities they would have marketplaces where they sold slaves and people would come and they would bring the cost or the price of redemption they would purchase the slave and that slave was called redeemed so they were redeemed from the marketplace of sin with silver or gold but the Scripture says you have been redeemed not with silver or gold but with the precious blood of Jesus Christ you have been bought out of the marketplace for you were a slave to sin but he paid the price to set you free and seeing that he paid that price to set you free we are bought at a price glorify God with your body and your spirit because he owns you he is your lord and that's why you bow your knee to him he is your lord that's christianity and people don't understand that people don't understand that and so they would call them Christian and that was intended to be a slight a derogatory they were they were putting them down for that those are Christians they were first called Christians in Antioch it's humiliating to be a slave so what happened is the early church took this name upon ourselves because we're voluntary servants of Christ and instead of humiliating us it liberated us from being the slave of sin and that's why in 1 Peter 4 verse 16 this is what Peter said he said if you suffer as a Christian what is that is speaking of the persecution that comes because we are identified as slaves if you suffer as a Christian he said don't be ashamed but praise God that you bear that name so we took those word that word which was a slur and we owned it that's who we are why because we're not so proud as to say that we belong to ourself none of us belongs to himself either you're a slave of sin the enemy or you're a slave of Jesus but you are a slave even as that Jewish prophet Bob Dylan said you got to serve somebody and people do either you serve your flesh in the devil or you serve the one who saved you Jesus Christ and said they were first called Christians he says in Antioch that'll give you some insight next time somebody asks you are you Christian in verse 27 it goes on to say this in in these days prophets came from Jerusalem to Antioch one of them named Agba stood up and showed by the spirit that there was going to be a great famine throughout all the world which also happened in the days of Claudius Caesar then the disciples each according to his ability determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea and this they also did they sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul and so moving on in the chapter notice it says in verse 27 in those days there were prophets and they came from Jerusalem to Antioch prophets were used in the church primarily to preach as well as predicting future events remember with me that the apostles were the building blocks they were the transmitters of the word of God or God's will to man but the prophets would confirm the word that was being preached and they also would reveal on occasion things to come and here we see a man by the name of Agabas Agabas will be mentioned again in chapter 21 and Agabas predicted a widespread famine and that famine came to pass in 41 to 54 AD and it speaks concerning a famine throughout the world that speaking of the known world to them at that time they would use the the term the world in reference to the Roman Empire so there was a famine that struck that went throughout the Roman Empire and so what did they do well verse 29 the disciples each according to his ability determined to send relief to the brethren dwelling in Judea so what did they do they met an urgent need that is something that the church has done almost from the very beginning as a matter of fact from the beginning that is something that the church has done when there's been a need the churches gathered together to meet that need in Acts 4 34 and 35 it says there were no needy persons among them for from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them brought the money from the sales and and put it at the apostles feet and it was distributed to anyone as he had need so that's what they did they they would meet the needs and and they would reach out to help and and that is something that we just spoke about today how we had a team that went out 20 people went out to to help those in Maui who had been suffering through the fire and we have another team going out that'll be doing the same we they go out and they help and that's what the church has always done the church is very generous the body of Christ not just his fellowship here but the body of Christ historically is very very generous you may find this interesting there have been books written about this maybe you're aware of it yourself but there are those who have actually said are Christians more generous than the average person who doesn't profess faith in Christ and so there have been books and studies done and i'll give you one little brief excerpt and that was this that that somebody wanted to know so what they did is they went to two cities that were of the same basic population size one city was san francisco and the other was a conservative city in a midwestern town similar population and what they did is they actually see who was giving to those who were standing there in street corners this with the Salvation Army and then they asked for the revenue that had been brought in in san francisco and then then they compared it with the the revenue that came in from this conservative city and the revenue that came from the conservatives was greatly more than that that came in san francisco and so they asked the question why is that and the answer was simple and you all understand this the people in san francisco were saying well we pay taxes and taxes go to help people so they're already taking money from us so they can help people that's what our taxes do but when they asked the Christians the Christians they said don't you pay taxes they said yeah but that's not charity that's taxes charity comes from a heart to care for somebody else the the church is known for that and the world is not and when things occurred the church would see and the church would would get together and would help when all the way back in when the tsunami hit in in uh in thailand in that region we went out and ministered out in uh in puquette thailand and i i never received an offering but i said to our fellowship at that time i said if you want to help just mark something for the tsunami we get we give every dime we don't keep any we give it we received in one offering over a quarter million dollars yeah because the church is generous because the church sees things and says how can we help that's what the body of christ has always done that's what it does we don't sit on our wallets we open them for those in need and that's what was taking place during that time they heard that there were things going on there was persecution there was famine there were so many things and so that became a pattern you see Gentile believers were taught to be concerned about their Jewish brethren Romans 15 verses 25 through 27 however i am on my way to Jerusalem to serve the saints saints there for Macedonia and Achaia were pleased to make a contribution for the poor saints poor among the saints in Jerusalem they were pleased to do it and indeed they owe it to them for if the Gentiles have shared in their spiritual blessings they are obligated to minister to them with material blessings so the church has always done that and that's what's taking place so what did they do verse 30 this they also did and sent it to the elders by the hands of Barnabas and Saul why Barnabas and Saul well they were trustworthy somebody said the character and labors of these men had marked them out as the most fit to be the bearers of this help and it was from Jerusalem that Barnabas had been sent at first to Antioch and so the aid was sent and was carried by those trusted to carry such sums of money because the draw of materialism is so great they needed trusted men to carry the finances the Bible tells us in 1st Timothy 6 verse 10 the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil it doesn't say the love it doesn't say that money is the root there's that's one of the scriptures that is so misquoted so often are you Christians you know money you say money is no the scripture says the love of money you have to actually teach people to be generous you have to we have to be taught even as Christ gave we give you have to be taught Paul tells that to to Timothy in 1st Timothy 6 in various places teach them to meet urgent needs teach them not to be caught up with finances why is that because it can cloud your vision of eternity so we have to be taught to to be generous it's something that isn't natural to us I know there are people who say oh no no you don't have to be taught we are naturally generous and and anybody who says that is somebody who's never raised a kid it's a bottom line because everybody here who's ever been with a three-year-old knows this if you've got a three-year-old and they have a pile of toys and they're playing with this one or playing with that one and another three-year-old comes to visit walks into the playroom and picks up a toy what is that three-year-old who's playing already normally do they throw down the one they're holding to grab the one that other kid just took because all of those toys are mine and you can't have any of them now I know some of you raised you know little jesus is but most of us most of us most of us had normal kids who inherited their mother's disposition to sit it's in our heart you say well you outgrow that really you outgrow that no the first time you told a lie you probably got caught right most of us did but you can polish your lying abilities you can you just learn how to and then you can you can become president you can learn how to lie okay that's the only safe and I make that just make a quick you you can look don't get mad at me anyway you can polish it you can learn to steal you learn to lie but but you you outgrow that no sin is never outgrown and self-centeredness is is never outgrown it's died to well I'm not self-centered pastor I've been a Christian a long time really if I took a picture of you and four people who's the first person you're going to look at in the picture why because oh look at me my eyes closed who I'm you know did you notice those are three other people no I hadn't noticed that I'm too busy that's this human nature am I putting it down no I'm just disclosing it it's true it's just true isn't it it's true so what you need is you need to die to yourself that takes teaching and discipline on your part in my part our part to die to self because I already live to myself I already want to do so I have to learn so when it comes to carrying money you don't just hand great sums of money to anybody you hand it to the one you trust and so that's what they did here they handed it to Barnabas and Saul they handed it because they could trust them because they knew that the love of money is the root of all kinds of evil and Paul went on to say some people eager for money wandered away from the faith pierced themselves with many griefs he was a man of character we've already seen that Barnabas was we've already seen he was a good man full of the holy spirit and faith we also now see that Saul is too a man who's filled with the holy ghost and faith and trustworthy to take this with the right purpose and so that should be a goal for every one of us is that we might die to the draw of materialism so that we can become trusted with the things of God