Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
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Tone of specific sentences
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How are you with maps or gps?
Are you the navigator in your family?
So here is a map of the area where all these things are happening.
This is the mediterranean sea that borders Europe, the Middle East and Africa.
The large island you see is Cyprus, which is mentioned.
Barnabas is from there.
If you look to the right and go down you will see where Jerusalem is located.
Most of the early Jewish followers of Jesus were from that area.
If you go up from Jerusalem eventually you will see Antioch or Syrian Antioch as it is often called.
Then if you continue around the corner to the left you see the city of Tarsus.
All of these are important.
There is some distance between them but all of the areas are within reach.
Tarsus and Jerusalem are worlds apart.
Traditional Jewish influence starts to weaken by the time you get there.
The jews in Tarsus were influenced by both the Hebrew world and the Greek world.
This is where Saul who becomes Paul grew up.
But to go to seminary he travelled all the way back to Jerusalem to study under one of the two must famous Rabbis.
Stephen was also located in the Jerusalem area.
You remember he was the first Christian killed for his faith in Jesus.
Saul was there when it happened.
In between these two important cities is a place called Antioch.
That’s where most of the action happens in today’s passage.
Four places: Jerusalem, Antioch, Tarsus, and Cyprus.
Three key men: Barnabas and Saul.
Ok ready to dive in?
Remember Stephen?
It’s so sad that he is murdered by an angry mob just because he loves Jesus and spoke the truth.
Once this happens a persecution breaks out, which scatters believers all over the region.
Wherever they end up they end up talking to people about Jesus.
Spoke the Word to Jews.
Proclaimed the Lord Jesus to the Greeks.
These people were on fire for God and it showed.
What do you talk to people about?
The Bears?
The Weather? Politics?
Well I’m sure there was some of that stuff too back then.
But in a very fruitful way these people got into conversations that made all the difference.
Conversations about Jesus.
Folks the world is changing.
We can sit back and complain.
We can get bitter instead of better.
We can try to fight it with politics.
All these things are options.
The early church took none of these options.
They found opportunities every single day to bless someone and share Jesus.
In this generation it is falling to us.
If you’re a football fan it’s third and long.
We need a big play.
Not a sports fan?
Christians have stumbled during this important hour.
During this pandemic too many Christians have focused on their own personal freedoms and individual agendas.
It’s time to wake up.
Going out without a mask on doesn’t prove you have extra faith in Jesus.
What proves it is what you do and say to share Jesus.
Whether you are at home, at work, in person, on the phone or using technology, how do you share Jesus?
How do you encourage less experienced disciples?
How do you strategically avoid gossip and instead build others up?
When you plan your week and your day how do you plan for sharing Jesus and encouraging younger believers?
If you don’t spend any time during the week doing this, you’re doing it wrong.
(Repeat)
The persecuted church shared Jesus as they scattered
What’s your excuse?
There is none.
Now I get the sense that this is mainly sharing their story.
How God helped them and changed their lives.
How it’s a fulfillment of Scripture that Jesus came and died for us.
How the resurrection proves Jesus is the Messiah, God’s Son.
How the witnesses to the resurrection have demonstrated their character over time.
How Jesus is the way and following him is the best life possible.
I’m trying to make you aware of how important it is to live this way.
For this entire month of October, I’ve refused my pay to demonstrate a commitment to putting the kingdom first in our lives.
I can’t ask everyone to put a month’s worth of income on the line.
But I believe God is asking you to give to God off the top and to share Jesus everywhere you go.
As you can see, wherever God’s people have done that with energy and creativity God has done amazing things.
God has added to their number regularly those who were being saved.
I do three Bible studies a week.
I stay in touch with many people who need more of Jesus.
I try to empower our existing leaders to multiply their impact by pouring into others.
Your job is to soak up as much as you can from my teaching and from your own study of the Bible.
But I’m not just teaching about the words on the page.
I’m trying to teach about the lives witnessed to on the page.
And I’m praying that your life will catch flame with the same passion and energy only God can give.
Joseph called Barnabas was from Cypress.
But he was mostly all-in for Jesus and for encouraging new believers in their faith.
He was sent to Antioch where these other Christians had reached out to their neighbors and friends.
He saw the grace of God
It doesn’t say he found programs that appealed to his family.
It doesn’t say he liked the music.
It doesn’t say everyone there was a good fit for him.
It says he saw the grace of God.
How do you see the grace of God?
You see lives changing and you give God the credit for it.
You don’t criticize the way new believers don’t have it all together yet.
You get in sync through prayer and living out God’s mission daily.
By living as a productive believer every day, Barnabas learned to recognize it.
The Grace of God active in someone’s life.
People are gonna stumble from time to time.
But help them refocus and be forward focused.
Can you be like Barnabas?
Barnabas knew how to love people but he wasn’t as deep in the Scriptures as Saul, later called Paul.
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