Barnabas File

When the Apostle Paul came to Philippi, he probably planned to use his usual strategy.   Paul and Barnabas had developed a particular strategy on their “first missionary journey.”   They went to urban centers of influence; they started in synagogues where there might be “low hanging fruit”—people with some background in faith; they were willing to stay in one place if the results were positive (two or three years)—much like Paul and Barnabas’ experience at Antioch; they kept in touch with the resulting congregations.   From the beginning, the second missionary journey was different.  A vision (16:6-10) led them on a different path.  In Philippi, a different strategy came into play.  Listen to Acts 16:9-15: 9  During the night Paul had a vision of a man of Macedonia standing and begging him, “Come over to Macedonia and help us.”  10  After Paul had seen the vision, we got ready at once to leave for Maced...

Benjamin Franklin said this about mentoring: “There are two ways to acquire wisdom; you can either buy it or borrow it.  By buying it, you pay full price in terms of time and cost to learn the lessons you need to learn.  By borrowing it, you go to those men and women who have already paid the price to learn the lessons and get their wisdom from them.” Mentors are important in our personal and professional development.  They not only share their experiences with us, but they open doors by introducing us to people in our field and sponsoring us to be involved in special projects or events. Is it possible that one can outgrow her or his mentor?  This is not only a possibility but very likely. In the Book of Acts, we read the story of a mentor-protégé relationship that prospered for a period but ended with some discord.  We sometimes forget that Barnabas was a mentor for Saul, the persecutor of the Way who would become its most arti...

If I asked you to give me a word that describes your impression of the Apostle Paul, I doubt that “flexibility” would be one of those words.   We generally tend to see Paul as a driven, committed follower of Christ who overcame all obstacles to proclaim the Gospel.   Dedicated, yes. Willing to adapt his message to reach others, yes.   We might consider, however, this memorable passage that Paul writes to the church at Corinth: “ Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law.   To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all peo...