Find Your Barnabas (Acts 11:25-26)

The setup

After Stephen's death scattered the church, the gospel spread to Antioch, a city of Jews and Gentiles, Greek and Aramaic speakers, with almost nothing in common. A revival broke out there. Barnabas went to Tarsus to find Saul, brought him back, and the two taught there for a full year.

Get a friend

Barnabas could have gone alone. He went looking for a partner. DeWayne shared something he heard from a guest speaker years ago: everyone needs someone less mature in the faith to pour into, and someone more mature to learn from. For him, finding younger believers to help was easy. Finding a mentor took much longer, and when he finally asked, it changed his walk.

How to find one

Someone asked what to look for. DeWayne said to start by praying. Look for someone farther along, not necessarily older in the faith, ideally in a similar season of life, and probably in a men's or women's group at church. Then ask. As he tells his sales team, you get 100 percent of what you don't ask for.

Christ ones

In Antioch, the only thing these people shared was Christ, so outsiders called them "Christians."

Try this

• Pray for a mentor this week, then ask someone.
• Look for one newer believer you can encourage.