You see, the great thing about miracles is that God does them! We don't have to do anything. We're off the hook.

There may be those who would be content to say our job in the church would be successfully completed if we send people out doing the spectacular.

I'm not so sure. I think there's more. It's part of the "more" that I want to address this evening.

Who's your ACTS hero?

PETER! Stands out among the 12 and preaches such a powerful sermon that thousands are baptized. Held in such high esteem that people believe his shadow alone will cause miracles. James gets the axe, but not Peter - he's miraculously delivered from prison and certain death. Peter speaks a word of knowledge and a conniving couple are exposed and carried to an early grave. A confrontive word brings an aspiring Simon Magus to his knees begging for mercy. Peter gets special messages from God in mid-day visions.

PHILIP! Though we render him to a lesser status as "Deacon" (though the baptism never calls him such), look at what he does. Preaches and performs miracles in Samaria and a revival sweeps the town. But he's also the "personal evangelist" par excellence, bringing the Treasurer of Ethiopia to a point of requesting baptism. Then Philip is bodily transported by the Spirit to his next preaching appointment!

(Note: not too many will want to emulate Stephen.)

PAUL! Now here's a real hero. A dramatic conversion experience - from persecutor to proclaimer. Travels the length and breadth of the Empire planting churches everywhere - his letters of concern and instruction get packaged into a collection now called Epistles, thirteen of them being included in the church's canon of New Testament Scripture. Goes jaw to jaw with the pernicious Judaiazers, and comes up a winner every time; winning also in contests with demons and death. What a hero! Would to God that today we could have men and women like Peter, Philip, and Paul!

But there's another, not so heralded champion whose praises we should sing. Though referred to one time as an apostle, he was neither one of the 12 nor one of the 7. No miracles are listed in his resume. We don't know if he spoke in tongues or exercised the gift of knowledge or if he cast out any demons. None of his letters, if he wrote any, were published or included in the canon. Although he was brought up within a group which at least in one occasion was belittled in one of Jesus' stories, nothing extraordinary is on record about his conversion; none of his sermons made enough of an impression to get included in the chronicle. But if we're looking for a hero, that he is.

Let me review the high points of this man's ministry:

1. Made a name for himself with a large donation to the church.

2. Introduced to the church a person who had the reputation of being anti-Christian. Everyone else was reluctant to accept this killer into the church, but not our hero.

3. Sent on an inspection trip to check out rumors from a distant church. Perhaps he was the only one who had the finances to make this trip, or maybe it didn't seem important enough to send in the big guns like they had done earlier when someone was needed at Samaria. Or it could have been because it was known that this church was begun by evangelists from the same island our hero was from, Cyprus. Certainly he would be the best one to straighten them out, get them to stop this evangelizing among the Greeks!

4. Traveled to recruit an obscure teacher to join the ministry team in a church on the coast. He was rewarded for his effort by getting to travel with this teacher on the first recorded missionary trip.

5. Got into an argument with his co-worker, a disagreement which resulted in a separation which lasted many years. The reason for the conflict? our hero believed in a young minister and insisted he be given another chance to show that he really was called of God.

Who is our mystery hero? Many of you already know him. You may have forgotten his name - his name was JOSEPH.
He was the one who insisted that the big name apostle be included in the preaching rotation, and later be brought into another church to teach the saints.

The thirteen books in our New Testament may never have been written except for this Joseph.

He was the man who rescued a young man who later became the first to write an account of Jesus, an account which became the basis for three of the Gospels now found in our baptisms.

This truly is one of our greatest unsung heroes!

Of course Joseph is not the name you remember him by, he had another name which represented his most noticeable character trait and spiritual gift. It's that trait, that gift, that we want to promote.

For now, let others applaud the power, let others feature fabulous faith,

let others mention the miraculous - we will name this man "our hero".

The creators of the Church Calendar failed to give him a day, so let's make every day his day. Let's search diligently each day to find reason to do what this tallest of Biblical characters did.

What did he do? What this man did is so simple, and so plain.

It requires no great intellect, no tuition driven training.

It does flourish, however, when the Spirit is truly gracing a person's life, and it grows with practice.

When this activity is successful, someone else gets the applause, and at times the one exercising this gift is even criticized as being too soft.

Wouldn't it be wonderful if we could experience in our day a genuine revival?

We say "yes", as long as that revival carries in its wake a resurgence of this important gift.

Look at what might happen if revival is a recurrence of signs. Sooner or later, those who are so used will be lifted up, and everyone else will be relegated to a lower level of Christian experience.

If it's the prophetic ministry that dominates the revival fervor, sooner or later the self righteous will rejoice in the bashing others get as orators denounce the sins of everybody else.

If ecstatic religious experience is the keynote of this revival, feelings may indeed replace faithfulness, and those who don't get so blessed will be shunted aside as though they weren't even Christian after all.

But if the gift exemplified by our hero becomes the daily experience of thousands of truly anointed followers of the Anointed One, then all the gifts will find their place, and all the church will be edified.

By now you know I speak of the GIFT OF ENCOURAGEMENT, and our hero is best known as Barnabas.

Quick review of ACTS 1-15

1. Jesus departs, commissions His disciples

2. Holy Spirit fills the 120 and the first preaching of the Gospel brings 3,000 into the church.

3. Peter and John heal the lame man by the temple gate and preach to the curious crowd.

4. First persecution. vs. 36 - brought proceeds of sale to help with the meeting of a human need (vs.34-35).

(One wonders what the history of the church may have read like if this practice of using offerings to help disadvantaged members had been continued, instead of using people's tithes and offerings to fund elaborate church buildings and well paid professional church staffs.)

5. Ananias and Sapphira try to be like our hero, but obviously have mixed motives and end up lying and dying for it.

6,7. The seven are chosen and appointed. Stephen is martyred.

8. Philip conducts crusade in Samaria. Peter and John visit, the young Christians there receive the Spirit.

9. Saul's dramatic conversion - Ananias is sent to pray for him. He preaches in Damascus, arouses hatred, is secreted out of town, comes to Jerusalem but is rejected when he tries to join the disciples. vs.27 -

10,ll. Peter is dramatically convinced to preach in Cornelius' house, the Spirit falls, Peter defends his actions in Jerusalem.

11. News reaches Jerusalem concerning the church in Antioch, non-Jews were being admitted into the church. vs.22-24 Then Barnabas remembers Saul who had been sent back to his home town of Tarsus. Saul's zeal had caused a lot of problems in Jerusalem, perhaps he would be suited for ministry in this Gentile city. vs. 25-26 A year later the two of them are sent to Jerusalem bearing an offering to help the famine stricken disciples. They take John Mark back with them to Antioch.

12. Peter's miraculous deliverance

13,14. Barnabas listed first among the prophets and teachers, vs.1, sent out with Saul, first stop, his home land of Cyprus. John Mark is their helper.

15. Sent to Jerusalem to resolve the circumcision question. vs.24-26 Parted company because of Barnabas' insistence to take John Mark. vs.39

1. Materialistic encouragement provided for those who are deprived and in need.

2. Encouragement provided to those whom others are quick to reject.

3. Encouragement for wholehearted faithfulness. Affirmation for what is, encouragement to keep on.

4. Ability to identify others' gifts and help them find their place.

5. Quick to give a "second chance" to someone who had "blown it".

Doesn't that name sound familiar? Do you remember when Jesus went away He promised the Paraklatos? The "comforter", the "counselor", the "encourager". One of the essential ministries of the Holy Spirit is that of encouragement, and as with all His ministries, He works through believers.

So Joseph, the Levite from Cyprus was given a name of high distinction, a name associated with the Holy Spirit Himself. Wouldn't you call this "Pentecostal"?

There are no miracles,

no "power evangelism",

no flaming tongue oratory,

no dramatic visions or revelation; just encouragement.

He sold a piece of property and gave the money to care for the needy, they could have called him "Bar Donator".

As far as I can see, no where is it said that "Barnabas was filled with the Holy Spirit."

But they called him "Son of comfort, son of encouragement."

Perhaps God will respond to the prayers of millions and send the Great Revival this generation needs.

Perhaps there will be an explosion of signs and wonders, blind eyes opened, lame leaping, AIDS victims recovered as a result of prayer, even the dead raised.

We pray there will also be powerful preaching of the Gospel bringing conviction and repentance to the hearts of all men, from the factory to the halls of government.

We long for true spiritual worship to replace the performance fads, worship which will reach the heart of God, not just excite the feelings of man.

But in this revival there will also be this, there will be Barnabas. Many sons and daughters of encouragement.

This too is Pentecost.

Will you pray also for this?

And while you pray, will you not also begin looking for daily opportunities to do the work of an encourager?

Where is the human need to which you may respond with sacrificial generosity?

Where is the young zealous Christian who needs to find meaningful membership in the Body of Christ? Find him/her and put your arm around him and say, "Come with me, I'll introduce you to a group of loving people."

Where is the little group of Christians, near or far, to whom you can go, witness with joy what God is doing there, and give firm but tender words of encouragement so that they will remain faithful in times of distress?

Are you noticing the giftedness of the people around you? Help them by affirming their gifts, and giving good counsel as to where their God given abilities may best serve the Body of Christ.

And where is that young person who has been put aside because of some past example of immaturity or failure? Let him/her know that you believe in them, say "come with me, be my friend and helper, together we can do a great work for God."