An invitation
I’m forming a band. And I’m inviting you to join me.
That may not be what you are expecting. Don’t worry, I am not looking for guys with strong vocals or who are good on drums. It is not that sort of band.
I’m inviting you to join a band of brothers. In fact, a specific type of brother – a band of Barnabas’s.
That may be even more confusing. What do I mean by that? If we go the Bible to see who Barnabas was he is described as “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.” (Acts 11:24) I am looking for guys who want to be like that.
I don’t mean who look like that now. If that were the case, I would have to exclude myself. But guys who are looking to be good men, to be full of the Holy Spirit and faith that overflows and empowers a life of ministry and mission using whatever gifts, capacity and abilities God has given us.
Why am I inviting you to join me? Because I want to be that kind of person and I think that can only happen in community. An intentional community that is committed to supporting and encouraging each other to be Barnabas’s together. I long for that kind of community.
My dream though is more than a community, it is a movement. From what I can see of the early church they more than a community of like-minded people who enjoyed being together. They had a clear direction and purpose that motivated and moved them to make a difference in the world around. They were described as “men who have turned the world upside down”. I long to be part of a movement like that.
It's all very well to dream but the big question is what are you proposing to make that happen?
Being the sort of people who are part of a community who turn the world upside down is built on a simple premise. The key to all of this and the thing that stops it being hubris and grandiosity is that it is not about us – at heart of that verse in Acts 11 is that Barnabas was a man full of the Holy Spirit. None of this is possible – being good, being effective in ministry and mission, turning the world upside down without the work of the Spirit.
Sure you say, but how does that happen? This invitation is built on a second premise. That we will be men full of the Holy Spirit when we have a relationship with God that is personal, close and deep. And that can only come from practices that foster and nurture that relationship.
To that end, the first part of this invitation is to take part in a program with a mentor. The aim of the program is to equip us to be Barnabas’s. To build into our lives practices that foster and deepen our relationship with God in the expectation that that will overflow into good ness of character and life-giving ministry. After all this talk of turning the world upside down you may get the idea it is an amazing program. It is not. The materials are not about anything very new and not written in a way that is inspiring. It is about the basics. It is discipleship 101. What is exciting is the life of following Jesus. The materials are simply meant to point you in that direction. It is not materials or programs that change us. It is the work of the Spirit. If there is to be any personal change, community or movement it can only come from people filled with the Holy Spirit and that can only come from people who know God deeply and intimately and are prepared to do what it takes.
What is the cost of joining the band? If you would like to come on board, the first step is to do the program. There is no financial cost. Mentors give their time free. But you will need to commit to ten sessions over 10 months with some background reading which all up will come to about 2 hours per month.
After doing the program, if you want to be an active member of the community, there will be an expectation of maintain those practices that you put in place during the program. There will also be activities and resources to support each and to build the sort of community that can truly be world changing.
If you are interested, contact me directly or use the contact form on this website.