For the Love of Us All

WITNESS

4-21-13

BUILDING EACH OTHER UP

Are you like me

Do you long to hear

Some encouraging words

Some appealing words

About you---about yourself

In today’s world

We are all fighting heavy spiritual battles

And losing

Losing battles of health---physical, mental, and spiritual

Losing battles of finances

And losing battles of temptation

Both sexual and otherwise

So what are we to do

We are to pick each other up

When one or another of us falls

“Therefore encourage one another

And build each other up

Just as in fact you are doing”                                               1 Thessalonians 5:11

2000 years ago

Those same spiritual battles

Were taking place---with the same results

Until Christ’s death and Resurrection

After Christ paid our debt in full

There was such a man

A man known for building others up

A man known for working with Paul

To build up the Kingdom of God

His name was Joseph

But the Apostles called him Barnabas

Which means---Son of Encouragement

Barnabas came close

To being an original Apostle

In fact he was responsible

For introducing Paul

To Peter

And the rest of the Apostles

In fact

Mark---the writer of the third Gospel

Was Barnabas’ cousin

So when we fall in today’s world

And at one time or another

We will

Let us be there

To pick each other back up

“But encourage one another daily

As long as it is called Today

So that none of you

May be hardened

By sin’s deceitfulness”                                                Hebrews 3:13

So in this broken world

That we live in

Where churches are broken

Where families are broken

Where people are broken

And where---it seems---at times

Not a single soul

Seems to care

I call on you

To build others up

I call on you

To live with the spirit of Christ

I call on you

To live with the Spirit of Barnabas

I call on you

To live with a Spirit of Encouragement

And so

As this never ending

Battle of life

Seems to be pulling us down

I call on you

I call on me

To keep trying

To lift one another up

“We HEAR oh Lord

The desire of the affliction

You encourage them

And you hear them cry

Defending the fatherless

And the oppressed

In order that man

Who is of the earth

May terrify no more”                                       Psalm10:17

Robert P. Wallman

6-10-11

Ps         WITNESS        4-21-13

“Unless the Lord BUILDS the house-the BUILDERS labor in vain

Unless the Lord watches over the city-the watchmen stand guard in vain”

Psalm 127:1

“It was he who gave some to be apostles-some to be prophets-  

Some to be evangelists-and some to be pastors and teachers

To prepare God’s people for works of service-so that he

The body of Christ may be BUILT up-until we ALL reach UNITY

In the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature

Attaining to the whole measure of the FULLNESS of Christ”

Ephesians 4:11-13