TODAY’S SCRIPTURE
When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. Acts 11:23
Read: Acts 11:22-24
Listen: Acts 11
TODAY’S MESSAGE
When news of the new Jesus-followers in Antioch reaches Jerusalem, they send a church leader named Barnabas. He chooses to walk alongside the new believers and invests in them spiritually. It doesn’t say he does it with a fancy speech or a graduate degree. It seems his character as an encourager played the essential part. In fact, Barnabas is a nickname that means “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36). The church thrives in Antioch as Barnabas encourages the Jesus-followers to keep growing.
The choice Barnabas made to invest spiritually is vital today. When we circle up in a small group to discuss the sermons, we choose to invest in each other spiritually. When we volunteer in children’s ministry, we choose to invest in the spiritual growth of both the parents and the children. When we invite a young married couple over, we choose to invest in their marriage spiritually. When you share about your chair time practices with a friend or neighbor, you choose to invest in them spiritually. There are spiritual opportunities to invest in others all around us if we look for them.
IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY
Choose to invest in others spiritually. There are opportunities all around us if we start looking. One great way is through a small group. Groups for women, men, singles, couples and young adults will be launching in September. For more information, visit adabible.org/groups.
Download a printable PDF of the BTW week here.
