Mike Breaux - What Are You Known By (01/14/2026)
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Summary:
In Acts 11, Peter explains to the Jerusalem church how God led him to share the gospel with Gentiles like Cornelius, showing that salvation is for everyone who believes, not just Jews. The key idea is that God’s kingdom breaks down racial and cultural barriers through Jesus and the Holy Spirit. The preacher highlights Barnabas as a shining example of encouragement—a generous, faith-filled man who saw potential in others like Saul (Paul) and John Mark, urging us to live as lights in the darkness by loving, giving, and lifting people up.
Welcome and Introduction
Hey, let me ask you college football fans: was there just one game yesterday, or were there two? I can’t remember how many. I had to get that in there. Hey, welcome to Lakepointe! Glad you’re here. Welcome from our campuses to those of you that might be joining us online as well. If it’s your first time here, I couldn’t be more honored that you would show up today. Thanks for having the courage to pull into one of our parking lots and show up. You’ve been maybe taking some curious steps toward your pursuit of God, or if you’ve been walking with Him a long time, wherever you’re at on your spiritual journey—whatever mile marker you might be at—we’re in this together, and I’m grateful for you and grateful that we get to do this together.
My name is Breaux, by the way, and I get to be on the teaching team. We are jumping back into the book of Acts today in our series called «There Is More, » and we’re going to be in Acts chapter 11 if you want to head over there. I had to laugh when I opened my Bible today to Acts 11. A couple of weeks ago, I was teaching, and I had almost a full cup of coffee up here, and my hand accidentally hit the table—because I talk with my hands a lot—and coffee spilled all over Acts chapters 10 and 11. So, my Bible is brown where I opened to today. So, turn to the brown section in your Bible, and that’s where we’re going to be today.
Recap of Last Week and Context
If you weren’t with us last weekend, let me just say you might want to jump online and give a listen to Josh’s message about the election. Now, you may have different issues that you’re passionate about, and you may come from a different background, and you might have a different perspective, but elections are important, and voting is a privilege in our nation. And while nobody can be your Holy Spirit, it just might be helpful to you as you try to navigate this whole season. The part that really inspired me last week was Josh’s challenge to live for a higher kingdom, to recognize that as followers of Jesus, we are citizens of Heaven who are just trying to do some earthly good while we’re here. As the salt of the earth, we’re trying to preserve goodness and godliness and slow down decay, and just point people to the only one who can actually save. That’s what we’ve been witnessing people do in the book of Acts, and today we are jumping into chapter 11. So, if you have a Bible or an app that you use, we’ll put it on the screens as well, and we can track along together.
Personal Story: Getting Caught
Just a couple of things before we get there: has anyone ever been reprimanded—called on the carpet—for something? Have you ever gotten caught doing something, and somehow word got out, and a boss or a parent or a friend or a spouse confronted you about it? Yeah, me neither. But we were laughing about this the other day with my daughter Jody. We were living in Las Vegas at the time; she was a freshman in high school, and one of her very best friends was going through some hard things, so she moved in with us for a couple of semesters. Debbie and I had to go on a retreat for the weekend, and we asked some friends to kind of just keep an eye out and see how they were doing. Since they were super responsible girls, we let them stay all by themselves at the house, and they had a blast until we came home early. We decided to only stay one night, so we came back the following afternoon, and when we pulled in, our car was gone—our other car—and we thought, well, maybe somebody at the church borrowed it.
We were right: two 15-year-old girls had borrowed it—two 15-year-old girls who had never even started a car before! They drove it up to a restaurant and around the northwest suburbs of Las Vegas. By the grace of God, they miraculously pulled into the driveway. When they pulled back, they saw that we were home early, and they about threw up. Neither one of them will ever forget when they walked through that door and were confronted by a couple of parents saying, «What were you thinking? What were you thinking?» As we jump into chapter 11, that’s where we find Peter. Now, he hadn’t done anything stupid like drive a car without a license, but word had made it back to Jerusalem about what had gone down over in Caesarea with him and Cornelius and all the Gentiles. So, his Jewish brothers were waiting for him with a «What were you thinking?» kind of confrontation.
Recap of Acts Chapter 10
I’m not going to spend much time here, but if you weren’t with us for chapter 10, just a quick recap, because it’s on the way to where we’re going to be today. Peter is one of the original disciples of Jesus, and he’s a leader in this new thing called the church. He has this vision from God trying to tell him that all foods are edible, that what was taught previously as religiously unclean was actually okay. Now, Jesus had already declared this in Mark 7:19, and so Peter would have heard those words come out of Jesus' mouth. But it’s one thing to hear something and quite another to listen, right? So, God gives Peter a vision just to make sure that he gets it. God repeats it three times, and the vision was not so much about food as it really was about people and the inclusivity of the kingdom of God. God was trying to tell him that the outsiders, the ones who were known as the Gentiles, were now in through Jesus Christ.
At the same time, one of those outsiders has a vision, too. He’s a Roman military officer living over in Caesarea. His name is Cornelius. He’s got a soft heart toward God and toward other people, but he hasn’t heard yet about salvation through Jesus. So, an angel from God tells him to send for this guy named Peter. Some of his soldiers go over to the house where Peter was staying, and they bring him back. He gets there and meets Cornelius, and he finds a packed house waiting for him. Peter walks in and talks about how their people groups don’t really like each other and how even walking into their house was a strict no-no for a Jewish guy like him. He tells them, «God’s been rearranging my thinking; He’s been correcting my heart, and I now see that the good news of Jesus is for everyone, that there is racial diversity—not division—in God’s family.»
So, Peter tells them all about Jesus, and guess what? They all believe! The Holy Spirit verifies their conversion, and they are all baptized. Peter stays there, eats with them, and hangs with them for a few days. I mean, it is such a cool story of how the kingdom of God is wide open to anybody who will believe in Jesus Christ. Well, in Acts chapter 11, Peter gets back to Jerusalem, and folks are not happy with him. Now, there’s no social media; there are no cell phones, but news like this tends to travel pretty fast. So, Peter walks in, and they call him on the carpet. Check it out, verse 3: «Dude, you walked into the home of Gentiles! You even ate with them! What were you thinking, man? You know the rules! How could you do that?»
Peter’s Explanation and the Church’s Response
Then Peter explains what happened, goes through the whole thing—the vision God gave him, the vision God gave Cornelius, the trip over to Cornelius’s house, walking into the house. He tells them, «Listen, these six guys that went with me can tell you all about it; it was absolutely amazing! I’m telling you, the Holy Spirit fell on them just like He fell on us, and they were baptized into Christ like everybody there. I wish you could have been there! You see, God has always been trying to tell us; it’s always been His plan for everyone to come home. And who am I to stand in the way of God’s plan?»
When the others heard this, they stopped objecting and began praising God. They said, «We can see that God has also given the Gentiles the privilege of repenting of their sins and receiving eternal life.» This is such an important turning point for the early church. It’s where we get to see that the Holy Spirit—not race, not heritage, not religious rituals—but the Holy Spirit is the marker of God’s people, and Jesus is the unifier across racial and cultural divides. Now, even though Peter was used in this instance with those known as the Gentiles, he would be called primarily to carry the good news of Jesus to his fellow Jews. Then there was this other Jewish guy named Saul, whom we met back in chapter 9, who was chosen by God to primarily take the gospel to the Gentiles, or the rest of the people of the world.
Paul’s Words on Unity in Christ
I love what Paul, who used to be Saul, writes in one of his letters to a mainly Gentile church in a city called Ephesus. Check out what he writes. He says, «Don’t forget that you Gentiles used to be outsiders. I mean, you lived in this world without God and without hope. But now you have been united with Christ Jesus. Once you were far away from God, but now you have been brought near to Him through the blood of Christ. For Christ himself has brought peace to us. He united Jews and Gentiles into one people when, in His own body on the cross, He broke down the wall of hostility that separated us. Now all can come to the Father through the same Holy Spirit because of what Christ has done for us.» I am literally forever grateful for that truth, aren’t you? So, the door of the kingdom of God has flung open wide. These former outsiders like us are now coming to Christ, and they’re being welcomed into this brand-new family—this new community called the church.
The Gospel Reaches Antioch
Here in chapter 11, we see how the good news has traveled to the third-largest city in the Roman Empire, a city called Antioch. It was about 300 miles north of Jerusalem, and it was a city that was heavily influenced by Roman and Greek culture and their variety of pagan gods. A bunch of people now were hearing about Jesus, and they were connecting to the only true and living God, and their lives were starting to change. It is here in chapter 11 that we get introduced to one of my favorite guys in all the Bible. Even though this guy is not as famous as some, he doesn’t get as much ink as a lot of people. Because of him, the good news of God’s love eventually makes it all the way to Texas. So I want to spend the rest of my time talking about him.
Introduction to Barnabas
Verse 22: when the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent—here’s our guy—Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy and encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. I love this description: Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith, and many people were brought to the Lord. When the apostles—Jesus' original twelve disciples, minus Judas—heard about what God was doing, how He was including all people into His kingdom and that the good news of Jesus Christ was now touching all kinds of people’s lives, they said to each other, «We need to go to Antioch and check out what’s happening. You know what, James? I think you ought to go. Or maybe John. John, why don’t you go? Peter, you know you’ve had some recent experience with this. Why don’t you? Oh, you know who we need to send? We need to send Barnabas. We ought to ask him to go because that guy would be such a blessing to those people!» And they were right, because Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith.
Barnabas' Nickname and Background
Now, his name is actually Joseph; that was his birth name. Barnabas is simply a nickname. Y’all got any nicknames? I’ve had a few nicknames in my life, some less flattering than others. Anybody here ever actually change their name? I mean, celebrities do it all the time, right? Let’s just play a quick little game for fun and see if you can match the person’s real name or their nickname with the name that everybody calls them. Ready? Just real quick: Trivial Pursuit kind of things—like Lou Alcindor. Anybody know what his name is? Kareem Abdul-Jabbar. What about this guy? Cassius Clay? Muhammad Ali, you’re right. What about this person? Karen Johnson? That’s Whoopi Goldberg. What about this person? Jennifer Aniston? That’s Jennifer Aniston. You can see why she changed her name. Thomas Mapother IV? That’s Tom Cruise, you’re right. What about Eric Bishop? Jamie Foxx. What about John Roger Stevens, a singer? John Legend. Country singer—some of you might be familiar with this guy, Jason Deford. He is Jelly Roll. What about Terry Bollea? Anybody know this one? Terry Bollea? That’s Hulk Hogan, you’re right. What about this? Alicia Moore? That’s Pink. What about Reginald Dwight? Elton John. What about Steveland Morris Hardaway? Stevie Wonder. Some people just kind of go by a nickname, like «the something, » right?
See if you can—I’m going to go way back, old school, old school basketball—the Doctor. Julius Erving, you’re right. What about this guy—the Rock? Dwayne Johnson. What about—I’m going way back now—what about the Duke? That’s John Wayne. What about the King? I was thinking Jesus, but wow! I cannot tell you how disappointed I am. I’m sorry I set you all up so bad. Sorry about that!
Even though this guy’s real name was Joseph, his nickname was Barnabas, which, by the way, as we’ll see, is a very cool nickname. We read about him, I don’t know how many weeks ago now, in Acts chapter 4—how the church was just flourishing. They were telling everybody about Jesus. They were all unified, they were selfless, they were taking care of each other and the people that Jesus referred to as the least of these. Then Luke, who is the writer of Acts, points out somebody as an example of what’s going on in the church. He says, «For instance, there was Joseph, one of the apostles, nicknamed Barnabas, which means 'son of encouragement.' Isn’t that a cool nickname?» He was from the tribe of Levi, came from the island of Cyprus, and he sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.
So, there you have it: Joseph, AKA Barnabas, the son of encouragement—a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith.
Barnabas' Generosity
As I was reading all about Barnabas this week through a bunch of different scriptures, some qualities about him just stood out to me—some character traits that made me think this week, man, I want to be a whole lot more like that guy! One of them is the one we just read аbout: his generosity. You’ve got the early church trying to get off the ground. They have a very limited budget. They’re not even a 501©(3) yet, just a bunch of people trying to pool their resources to help others. Barnabas, wanting no credit whatsoever—probably not even happy for Luke for writing this line into the story—starts to think, «You know what? I have been so blessed, and this world is not my home anyway. I live for a higher kingdom. I think I’ll sell this piece of property, because it belongs to God anyway, and I’ll see if it might help us get rolling and perhaps help some other people as well.» You see, encouragers are just others-focused! The world does not revolve around them. They just live lives of gratitude, and as a result of their gratitude, they are just generous with their time, their energy, their words, their prayers, their money, their stuff—always thinking, «How can I help somebody else?»
I’ve got to say, Lakepointe is full of people like that—grateful people who are crazy generous with their time, their money, and their energy—always thinking, «How can I serve somebody else? How can I help somebody?» I just have to say I’m so grateful for people like you. Jesus said one time, «Give, and it will be given to you, » and He said, «In fact, it’s a lot better to give than it is to get.» When Jesus said all that, He wasn’t unpacking a sermon about tithing; He was just stating a fundamental law of life: that generosity is simply the best way to live your life. Many of you know exactly what I’m talking about because a bunch of us were formerly very selfish and stingy, but now we’re experiencing the fun and the freedom of just being generous people. I mean, when you know that a sizable chunk of your income is building an orphanage somewhere in this world, when you’re using your resources to help feed and clothe kids around the world and even in your own city, when you’re bringing hope to inmates and victims of sex trafficking or the homeless, when you’re advancing the cause of the local Church of Jesus all over Texas and beyond, it is such a deeply satisfying feeling. There are all kinds of secular studies that back this up, showing that the happiest people on the planet are the people who just give themselves away. That defined Barnabas: a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith.
Barnabas Sees Potential in Saul
I also love the way Barnabas saw potential in other people. You might remember the story of that really bad dude named Saul. He was persecuting the followers of Jesus, dragging them off to prison, even applauding as they were executed. We read about his dramatic conversion back in chapter 9—a super cool story of his encounter with the resurrected Jesus. So, God forgives his sin; he’s baptized into Christ, and God begins to transform his life and change his heart. He calls him Saul to preach the good news. However, people aren’t so sure that this guy has actually changed his ways. They’re very suspicious. I mean, the last time they saw Saul, he was holding the coats of people so they could get their arms loose to throw rocks to kill Stephen. But check this out—verse 26, chapter 9: when Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe that he had truly become a believer.
Then guess who? Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on his way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus. So, Saul stayed with the apostles and went all around Jerusalem with them, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. Man, I love this! Barnabas goes to bat for him! He introduces him; he vouches for his story. He tells the apostles—and anybody else who would listen—"Hey, listen, this guy is the real deal!» He takes him all around town, then takes him under his wing and begins to mentor him. Barnabas, the son of encouragement, believed in Saul when nobody else would. Y’all got anybody like that in your life who just believed in you? Are you like that for somebody else? I mean, maybe you’re that teacher who sees in that student what nobody else sees. Maybe you’re that coach who sees in that player what nobody else sees. Maybe you’re an employer, a friend, or a parent who just dreams with people and sees the God-given potential in them. I am so grateful for people who took a chance on me!
Here in chapter 11, Barnabas decides, «I’m going to take a chance on Saul.» After Barnabas gets to Antioch and sees what’s going on with all these new believers coming to faith, he starts thinking to himself, «You know who would absolutely kill it here? Saul! He’s smart; he’s articulate; he’s passionate; he’s humble; he’s fearless. Plus, he’s so grateful for the grace of God in his own life; he would be perfect!» So, he says, «Better Call Saul.» That was so bad, sorry!
Verse 25: Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul. When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch, and both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. Then, in parentheses, it says it was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.
Now, actually, «Christian» was a derogatory term making fun of these people who followed some invisible King, but this begins a partnership and a friendship between Barnabas and Saul that would literally bless the entire world. The two of them get sent out by the Holy Spirit to preach the good news of God’s love to those places that Jesus once described as the ends of the earth—sharing with those who had been considered outsiders that God wanted them to come home, too—both guys just living beyond themselves, dispensing the grace of God to everyone they met.
Barnabas Defers Leadership to Paul
Now, here’s something I love about Barnabas—this is kind of between the lines—but I love how Barnabas starts out mentoring Saul, who has a name change to Paul. In Scripture, when it came to listing a pair of people, they would always list the leader’s name first. So, early on, they are listed as Barnabas and Saul, and then it just suddenly switches to Paul and Barnabas. It just seems to me that he deferred to Paul as the leader. I love this: Barnabas believes in him; Barnabas goes to bat for him; Barnabas invites him in; Barnabas invests in him; he coaches him up and says, «You know what? You’re ready, Paul! You have grown so much. God is at work in you; He has gifted you; He has called you. Man, I believe in you! You are such a good leader—why don’t you lead? I’ll just come alongside and support you, and we’ll do this together. Whatever you need, man, I got your back.» What a gift to have an encourager as your partner!
Personal Reflections on Encouragers
You know I’ve got more than just a few Barnabases in my life. I mean, Josh and the team here are like that to me, and hopefully I’m like that to them. I have a few long-term buddies—some dudes who are like brothers to me. They encourage me; they speak the truth to me; they keep it real with me; they pray for me; they laugh with me; they text me; they cry with me; they lift me up. I was thinking back this week, thinking through my Barnabases. I thought of a couple of older couples in a church that I served as a young pastor—one of my first churches—constantly encouraging me. They would always come out to the lobby and say, «Son, that was the best sermon I’ve ever heard in my life!» And I knew it was terrible, but they were trying to encourage me. I was thinking of this old farmer who would often come out and shake my hand, and he’d have a $20 bill tucked in his hand—just slipping a $20 from his calloused hand to mine. I was thinking back to high school students who offered to babysit for us so Debbie and I could get a break—people who knew our young family couldn’t afford a vacation—and they’d say, «You know what? Our condo is available if you guys want to use it!» People who would drop by the funeral home and just give a hug when we were going through a time of loss. People who would send me a note or text me out of the blue saying, «Hey bro, just praying for you!» I have in my garage a trunk full of encouraging emails, letters, and cards from so many men and women who have been like Barnabas to me. They were just good people—men and women full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. When I thought about all that this week, I thought, «I want to be more like them.»
Barnabas and John Mark
Now, there’s a bump in the road in the relationship between Paul and Barnabas, but it centers around the way Barnabas always tried to believe the best in others, how he was able to see potential and invest in others. On their first missionary trip together, they take Barnabas' younger cousin—a guy named John Mark—as their assistant. Probably more like an intern. It says this in verse 36 of chapter 15: «After some time, Paul said to Barnabas, 'Hey, let’s go back and visit each city where we previously preached the word of the Lord and see how the new believers are doing.' Barnabas agreed and wanted to take along John Mark, but Paul disagreed strongly, since John Mark had deserted them in Pamphylia and not continued with them in their work. Their disagreement was so sharp that they separated. Barnabas took John Mark with him and sailed for Cyprus. Paul chose Silas, and as he left, the believers entrusted him to the Lord’s gracious care. Then he traveled throughout Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches there.»
Now, we don’t know exactly why John Mark left. I don’t know; maybe he was just really young and hadn’t traveled much. He was from Jerusalem; maybe he got a little homesick and just decided to go home. Most scholars believe that Peter was kind of John Mark’s mentor, and so perhaps hanging out with Paul, he began to think, «You know, man, you’re so different than Peter. I think I’ll quit.» We’re not sure what went on, but he went home, and Paul writes him off. He just moves on: «He’s a slacker; he’s not cut out for this; no way we’re taking that guy.» But Barnabas, the son of encouragement, saw potential in Mark. He says, «Okay, I’ll take him with me, and we’ll go this direction.» I’m guessing—I’m just guessing—he might have wanted to add, «Paul, do you remember how I saw potential in you when nobody else did? Look at what you’re doing with your life these days! I see potential in him too, so I’ll just take him with me.»
You see, encouragers don’t give up on people easily; they see what could be. I am so grateful that Barnabas did not give up on Mark, because Mark ends up writing the second gospel in the New Testament of the Bible—introducing Jesus to the rest of the world through the eyewitness testimony of Peter. Just a footnote here: we don’t hear anymore about Barnabas in the book of Acts; he just continued preaching wherever the Holy Spirit sent him. But check out what Paul writes in the closing remarks of a little letter called Colossians, tucked in the back: «My fellow prisoner Aristarchus sends you his greetings, as does Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. You have received instructions about him. If he comes to you, welcome him.» In other words, Paul is saying, «Barnabas was right! I shouldn’t have given up on that guy. John Mark has turned into such a great guy, and now I just want to vouch for him the way Barnabas vouched for me.»
Living for a Higher Kingdom
Man, I want to live a life like that, don’t you? I mean, what kind of world would this be if we just had some more Barnabases in it? Just people who live full of the Holy Spirit—just good people strong in the faith. You know, I agree with what Josh said last week: how we vote matters—it really matters. But I also know he would agree with me when I say how we live matters more. You see, we can disagree politically, we can disagree strategically, we can disagree philosophically, culturally, even theologically, but according to our leader Jesus, we have to love each other unconditionally. We have no option. He said, «I give you a new command: as I have loved you, love each other.»
So, like I said, I was so inspired last weekend as Josh challenged us all to live for a higher kingdom—the radically countercultural, upside-down kingdom of God. It’s an eternal kingdom where the first go last, and the last go first; where the humble get exalted, and the exalted get humbled; where greatness is defined by washing feet. Jesus, the most humble man who ever lived, the most courageous man who ever lived, said all kinds of politically incorrect things like, «Love your enemies» and «Bless those who persecute you.» If someone forces you to go a mile, why not shock them and go two? While you’re at it, turn the other cheek. You ought to live in the awareness of your spiritual poverty. Pursue peace; don’t let stuff steal your heart away from God. Diffuse anger, show mercy, care for the least of these, repent of sin, hunger after God, and forgive as you have been forgiven. He told us to seek first that kingdom—His kingdom—to live such attractive lives that people would want whatever we’ve got and want to know the one who gave it to us. The way we live really, really matters.
Being Light in the World
I like the way The Message puts the words of Peter in 1 Peter 2. He says, «Friends, this world is not your home, so don’t make yourselves cozy in it. Don’t indulge your ego at the expense of your soul; live an exemplary life in your neighborhood so that your actions will refute their prejudices. Then they’ll be won over to God’s side and be there to join in the celebration when He arrives.» Barnabas lived a life like that—just humbly lifting other people up, wanting everybody to get in, seeing potential in other people, courageously moving out of his comfort zone, taking risks, walking by faith, breaking down barriers, sharing the good news, being a mentor, deferring leadership, giving generously, and being content to serve in the shadows without any recognition or applause. The son of encouragement—a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith; he was what Jesus described as the light of the world. He saw his job description as, «Go shine—to move out of the spotlight and throw a floodlight on the goodness and the greatness of God.»
Gang, we have that exact same job description. You know, light does a bunch of good stuff. Think about it: light brightens, light guides, light exposes, light warms, and the best thing about light is that it chases away the darkness. Barnabas was a light and Jesus calls you and me to be the same—just good men and women, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith, lovers of grace and truth and full of light. One of my favorite lines in the entire Bible is found in Genesis chapter 1 where it simply says, «And God said, 'Let there be light, ' and there was light.» That always just gives me chills every time I read it.
Closing Prayer: Let There Be Light
About five years ago now, right before the last election cycle, I went to bed one night kind of—honestly—overwhelmed by it all, and I woke up at 3:00 in the morning. I sat down at my kitchen table, and this prayer that I want to leave you with today just began to flow out of me. This is what I wrote down, sitting there:
The world has grown dark, surrounded by night,
And Jesus cries out, «Let there be light.»
When kids are abused and women are used,
Oh, let there be light.
When men are judged by their color or the race of their mother,
Let there be light.
When young hearts are broken and cruel words are spoken—
When they’re bullied and shoved and feel so alone,
And what happens at school also happens at home—
Let there be light.
When markets crash and hopes are dashed,
When dreams are squashed and a friend cries for help—
Let there be light.
When addictions wreak havoc and self-destruction becomes habit—
When they search for a bed, have to sleep on the street
With no hope in their hearts and no shoes on their feet—
When prodigals are lost and look for a way,
When depression comes and clouds their day—
Let there be light.
When children go hungry and corruption robs their dreams,
Because nations oppress and dictator schemes—
Let there be light.
When Satan spins lies and identities get stolen—
When you’re made to feel useless and shame becomes normal—
Let there be light.
When the chemo stops working and reality sets in,
And you wonder what’s waiting for you at the end—
When old minds become foggy and dementia takes over,
When the memories are blurred and the body feels colder—
Oh, let there be light.
You are the light of the world!
Shine, guide, warm someone’s soul.
A reflection of love from the Giver of hope.
With kindness and compassion, move through your day
So that others may see that there is a way—
A way that brings life and freedom and ultimate glory
To the only true God who is writing this story—
The epic story of love so relentless and fierce
That it led to a cross where His hands would be pierced
So all could live forgiven and free
And all may know the source of all light,
And this light will never be contained;
It cannot be put out, snuffed out, or restrained.
Though many have tried, His light still remains.
May His compassion be caught through us;
May His love be brought by us so that this world may spot in us—
Jesus, the light of the world-this is our calling, our destiny, our life,
To walk through our world saying, «Let there be light.» Amen.