Barnabas & Lydia: Second Chance & Opened Heart 9AM

God is not only the God of second chances; He is the God of another chance. This is good news because most of us mess up the second chance fairly quickly. The Bible is full of people who received second chances, and even third and fourth chances: Peter, Jonah, Mark, Samson, David, and others. All trophies of God’s grace.

This Sunday we will learn that Paul didn’t want Mark to go with he and Barnabas on the second missionary journey because, back in Acts 13, Mark had left one of their previous mission trips early in order to go back home. We discover here that Barnabas stood up for John Mark and defended him to the point that he and Paul got into an argument and split up. So, Barnabas, the "encourager, took Mark with him and continued spreading the Gospel. He gave Mark a second chance.

We will also learn about Lydia. Lydia was a worshiper of God but, like Cornelius in Acts 10, had not yet heard the gospel. The Holy Spirit rerouted Paul and friends and also ensured that Lydia would be in the right place at the right time to encounter Paul and hear the good news of Jesus. And, as Lydia heard the gospel, God opened her heart so that she received the life-giving message. Lydia, although a native of Asia Minor, is the first person recorded to have been saved in Europe. The Holy Spirit continues working through Paul and Barnabas and Lydia. And continues to work, in and through us, today.