Carlton Colville and Mutford Parish.
‘Thought for the Week’ Sunday, 29th March
‘Thought for the Week’ is part of our desire to try to keep in touch with fellow church members.We are aware that not all members of the church have email and we need to keep in touch with them as well. It would be good if we can all think of fellow church members and contact them on the phone just to touch base with them. It might be a chance to speak to people that we do not often get the opportunity to talk to.
We also want this email contact to be a way that people can pass news and requests for prayer around church members.
Anything passed on as a reply to this email can be the shared with the entire group should that be the wish.
Along with the regular ‘contact’ with this ‘Thought for the Week’ is the suggestion that where possible we make time to pray at 10:30 each Sunday – our regular church service time at Carlton Colville.
We have taken our ‘Thought for the Week’ from Acts 11:19-26, which we have printed below:
19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews.
20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus.
21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
22 News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
23 When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.
24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch
Today we want to share a ‘Thought for the Week’ from this passage.
If we were asked the question, ‘have you heard of Joseph of Cyprus’ what would your answer be?
Most of us do not know this man by his real name, Joseph of Cyprus, but we may have heard about him by his nickname which is Barnabas.
We find him referred to in verse 22 of our reading where it says, ‘News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch’. Barnabas means ‘giver of encouragement’ and the church in Jerusalem recognized that this new congregation in Antioch needed encouragement – so they sent the ‘encourager’. It is an incredible thought that a person has gone down in history because he was recognized by his nickname and the reality that his nickname was being seen in the everyday way in which he conducted himself.
As we read through the New Testament book of the Acts of the Apostles – today’s passage from chapter 11 forms a kind of ‘hinge’ around which the events described in the book change direction.
In the first ten chapters it has been largely about Peter and the rest of the early disciples. From this point on The Acts of the Apostles is going to focus on Barnabas and Paul – and eventually on Paul and Silas.
This great encourager, Barnabas, not only encouraged this new congregation in Antioch – he also went to Tarsus to find Saul, who would become known as Paul. Soon after this time in Antioch, Barnabas and Saul began a Missionary journey to preach about Jesus and to form new congregations in many towns and villages. Barnabas was living up to his nickname in a big way and many were blessed by his encouragement.
There is a great need for the quality of ‘Barnabas’ to be seen among us in our everyday life, and especially at a time like the present.
We have printed out the words of the Hymn ‘Father, I place into Your hands’ as a song to help us in our worship – and even if you cannot remember the tune, you can read the words and let them speak to you.
Father, I place into Your hands,
the things that I can’t do.
Father, I place into Your hands,
the times that I’ve been through.
Father, I place into Your hands,
the way that I should go,
for I know I always can trust You.
Father, I place into Your hands,
my friends and family.
Father, I place into Your hands,
the things that trouble me.
Father, I place into Your hands,
the person I would be,
for I know I always can trust You.
Father, we love to seek Your face,
we love to hear Your voice.
Father, we love to sing Your praise,
and in Your name rejoice.
Father, we love to walk with You
and in Your presence rest,
for we know we always can trust You.
Father, I want to be with You,
and do the things You do.
Father, I want to speak the words
that You are speaking too.
Father, I want to love the ones
that You will draw to You,
for I know that I am one with You.