Acts 13:13

SINGING IN YOUR DARKEST HOUR!

(August 20, 2025) Dr Richard Winter challenges troubled Christians to sing in our darkest times.

There are times in life when things are hard, and life is difficult. Has that been the case in your life? Encountered dark hours?

In Acts 16, Paul and Silas were beaten and thrown into prison. They didn’t know whether they would be rescued or killed for their faith. Nevertheless, they prayed and sang to the Lord in their darkest hour. How were they able to do that, you ask. Because God is worthy of our worship no what matter our circumstances.

Hence a question for any troubled reader, any troubled Christian…
It’s easy to sing when times are good, but how easily do you sing when times are bad?

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BARNABAS – ‘SON OF ENCOURAGEMENT’

(September 4, 2022) Brian Bell reflects on Barnabas’example…

‘Son of encouragement’ is a tremendous accolade for anyone to receive from their contemporaries. Not that it means a person is without imperfections, but it says something special about how other people find them to be in the general demeanour of their character and daily living.

As with other biblical characters, the life and witness of Barnabas has profitable lessons for us all to consider, and I share with you those which have spoken to me.

The disciple
We are introduced to Barnabas by Luke the writer of Acts, who tells us that the early believers were of one heart and mind. They freely shared their material possessions not considering what they each owned to be their own! Some even sold land or houses and gave the proceeds to the apostles to give to others in need (Acts 2:44-45).

Among those who sold land was a disciple named Joseph nicknamed Barnabas which means the Son of Encouragement (Acts 4:36-37). Luke also tells us Barnabas was a Jew from the tribe of Levi and came from Cyprus. Clearly the Holy Spirit had done a wonderful work in the life of Barnabas since he had come to faith whether it was before or even among one of those 3,000 who responded to Peter’s message (Acts 2:41).

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