Today, we continue our series entitled “Living the Grace Life,” where we will learn to embrace and walk in God’s unmerited, unearned, and often undeserved favor throughout 2025.
Today, we continue our series entitled “Living the Grace Life,” where we will learn to embrace and walk in God’s unmerited, unearned, and often undeserved favor throughout 2025.
As part of this series, I am teaching a verse-by-verse exposition of the book of Galatians. Let’s get into it.
Key scriptures for this year:
2 Corinthians? ?9?:?8? ?TPT??
“Yes, God is more than ready to overwhelm you with every form of grace, so that you will have more than enough of everything—every moment and in every way. He will make you overflow with abundance in every good thing you do.”
Galatians? ?5?:?4? ?TPT??
“If you want to be made right with God by fulfilling the obligations of the law, you have cut off more than your flesh—you have cut yourselves off from Christ and have fallen away from the revelation of grace!”
Romans? ?6?:?14? ?ERV??
“Sin will not be your master, because you are not under law. You now live under God’s grace.”
1 Corinthians? ?15?:?10? ?NIV??
“But by the grace of God I am what I am, and his grace to me was not without effect. No, I worked harder than all of them—yet not I, but the grace of God that was with me.”
Scripture(s) we will study today:
Galatians 2:1 TPT
“Fourteen years later I returned to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas and Titus.”
Acts 11:25-26 NIV
“Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.”
Acts 11:22-24 NIV
“News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.”
Setting the Stage:
Yesterday, we saw how Barnabas advocated for Paul in Jerusalem when everyone else was afraid of him. But that was just the beginning of their relationship. What happened next shows us that grace doesn’t just give people a chance—it actively pursues them to fulfill their destiny.
After Paul’s time in Jerusalem, he faced death threats and had to flee to his hometown of Tarsus (Acts 9:30). For three years, Paul was basically in hiding. Meanwhile, God was moving powerfully in Antioch. So powerfully that the Jerusalem church sent Barnabas to provide leadership to the movement.
When Barnabas arrived in Antioch and saw the revival breaking out, he didn’t just manage what was there. God put it on his heart to remember Paul. And that’s when God’s grace went into pursuit mode in one of the most amazing aspects of Paul’s story. But, for some reason, it is one I don’t hear many people talk about. We will, however, discuss it today.
So, what does this mean to you today? A few things.
1. God Remembers When Everyone Else Forgets.
Paul had been in Tarsus for three years. In ministry terms, that’s a lifetime. Most people had probably forgotten about him. After all, he’d caused controversy in Jerusalem and had to be smuggled out of town. But Barnabas remembered.
When Barnabas saw the exploding growth in Antioch, and he knew he needed help in ministry, he didn’t think about anyone who was nearby or convenient. He thought about Paul, the controversial man hiding out in Tarsus. This is what grace does; it remembers people others have written off or forgotten.
How this applies to you:
— God, by His grace, will bring someone up in your heart that you have not thought about in years. Why? Because there is a blessing waiting to manifest for you, for them, or both.
— God may remind you of someone you haven’t thought about in years. That nudge might be grace calling you to pursue them for their destiny or yours.
— This has happened to me many times. When God brings someone to my remembrance (especially someone I haven’t thought about in years), I usually call them to see how they’re doing. And in many cases, I wound up praying for them or them praying for me. There was a blessing connected to the remembrance. That’s what happened with Barnabas and Paul.
— The person who disappeared from the scene might be in their preparation season. Like Paul in Tarsus, they might be being prepared for something greater.
— Don’t assume someone’s absence means God is finished with them. Sometimes, God hides people to prepare them for greater influence. Remember, with God, greatness is developed in obscurity.
— Grace enables you to see value in people others have forgotten about. That person who used to be active but disappeared? God hasn’t forgotten them.
— Your willingness to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit when He brings the person up in your memory may be the key to someone’s next season. Barnabas’s memory of Paul changed church history.
— Sometimes, the greatest treasures are hidden in plain sight. Paul wasn’t really hidden. Everyone just stopped thinking about him.
— God remembers the forgotten not just as a sentiment but as an active pursuit. He doesn’t just remember—He sends someone to find them.
2. God’s Grace Will Prompt You to Make the Journey.
When Barnabas remembered Paul, he didn’t just send a messenger or write a letter. He personally traveled over 80 miles from Antioch to Tarsus to find Paul. To put this in a modern perspective, this would be like traveling from New York City to Philadelphia or from Washington DC to Baltimore—except Barnabas was making this journey on foot or by donkey, not in a car. In the first century, without cars or planes, that was a significant journey. It would have taken several days each way, involving rugged terrain and dealing with the potential dangers from bandits. This was no small feat. Barnabas sacrificed to go see Paul.
Think about this: Barnabas left a thriving revival to go find someone who might not even want to come back. He did not do this out of convenience because it was not convenient. He did it because the Holy Spirit was leading him to do it. That’s grace!
How this applies to you:
— The grace of God will lead you to do inconvenient things to be a blessing to someone else. Isabella and I can give you all sorts of examples of this.
— Sometimes pursuing someone’s potential requires personal sacrifice. Barnabas had to leave his comfortable position to make an uncomfortable journey.
— The distance you’re willing to travel reveals the depth of grace operating in your life. For example, every time Isabella and I leave our own children to help minister to someone else’s children, who many times don’t even appreciate it (the parents), we are not doing something that is convenient. But we are doing what the Lord is leading us to do. This is an act of God’s grace.
— Grace doesn’t send representatives; it shows up personally. Barnabas could have sent someone else, but grace compelled him to go himself.
— Your willingness to be inconvenienced might be exactly what someone needs to believe they’re valuable again.
— Don’t underestimate the power of pursuit. The fact that Barnabas came looking for Paul communicated value that words never could.
— Grace is willing to leave the 99 to find the one—even when the 99 are experiencing a revival and the one is in hiding.
3. Grace Sees Partnership Possibilities Others Miss.
When Barnabas arrived in Antioch, he could have thought, “I can handle this myself.” The text does say, “a great number of people were brought to the Lord” under his ministry (Acts 11:24). He was succeeding! But grace doesn’t think in terms of personal success—it thinks in terms of Kingdom impact.
Barnabas saw the harvest in Antioch and immediately thought, “Paul needs to be part of this.” He didn’t see Paul as a competition; he saw him as a partner. That’s what grace does; it creates partnerships where others only see competition.
How this applies to you:
— When you embrace the grace of God, you will be secure enough to share your success. Barnabas wasn’t threatened by bringing in someone as gifted as Paul.
— When God blesses you, look for who else needs to be included. Your blessing might be the platform for someone else’s breakthrough.
— Sometimes, the best thing you can do with your success is share it. Barnabas’s ministry multiplied when he brought Paul into it.
— Grace eliminates the scarcity mentality that says, “There’s only room for one.” There was room in Antioch for both Barnabas AND Paul.
— Your willingness to include others in your success reveals whether you’re operating in grace or performance. When you are performance-based, and you want the spotlight for yourself, you won’t share your success.
— Kingdom multiplication happens through partnership, not isolation. Together, Barnabas and Paul accomplished what neither could alone.
— When you’re walking in grace, you actively look for people to empower with your platform. If God has blessed you richly, you feel obligated to use your platform to bless others.
4. Grace Produces Results That Change History.
Look at what happened when Barnabas brought Paul to Antioch: “The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch” (Acts 11:26). This wasn’t just a nice nickname—this was a world-changing identification. The term “Christian” means “little Christ” or “Christ-like ones.”
Their partnership was so powerful that it created a new identity for all believers. This changed history!
How this applies to you:
— Grace-motivated pursuit produces results that outlive you. We still call ourselves “Christians” today because of what happened in Antioch.
— When you pursue people others have forgotten, you might be unlocking world-changing potential in them. Paul wrote more than half the New Testament after Barnabas pursued him.
— The inconvenient journey you take today could impact generations. Barnabas’s trip to Tarsus is still bearing fruit 2,000 years later.
5. Grace Creates Synergy That Multiplies Impact.
For “a whole year,” Barnabas and Paul taught together in Antioch. Not a week, not a month—a whole year. This wasn’t a guest-speaking engagement; this was a committed partnership. And during that year, they didn’t just add to the church—they multiplied it.
The synergy between them was so powerful that it launched the missionary movement. Acts 13 tells us that while they were ministering together, the Holy Spirit said, “Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them” (Acts 13:2).
How this applies to you:
— Grace creates partnerships that multiply, not just add. Together, Barnabas and Paul reached more people than both could have separately.
— Grace-based relationships create atmospheres where the Holy Spirit moves. Their unity created an environment for the supernatural. This is what can happen in your life when you connect with the right people.
— Sometimes, God’s next move requires the right team. The Holy Spirit waited until Barnabas and Paul were together before launching the next phase of the growth of the church.
— You can work as hard as you can, but you will not produce the same results as God will when you simply do what He leads you to do. Many times, He will lead you to connect with someone who will UNLOCK things in BOTH OF YOU that would never have been unlocked by yourselves. Simply put, two are better than one! (Ecc 4:9,10).
— Synergy is a sign of grace. When 1+1 equals more than 2, you know grace is multiplying your efforts.
Declaration of Faith:
Father, I thank You that You remember the forgotten when everyone else has moved on.
I declare that You are giving me eyes to see hidden treasure in overlooked people.
I receive grace to make inconvenient journeys to pursue those You’ve placed on my heart.
I will not be satisfied with personal success—I want Kingdom impact through partnership.
I am secure enough in Your grace to share my platform and multiply my influence.
I declare that my pursuit of others will produce historic results that outlive my lifetime.
I will not wait for people to find me—I will go find them like Barnabas found Paul.
Thank You for grace that pursues, grace that partners, and grace that multiplies.
I am willing to leave my comfort zone to find those You’ve hidden for such a time as this.
I am living #TheGraceLife, which means I actively pursue others for their destiny, not just my benefit.
GREATER IS COMING FOR ME and for everyone I’m called to pursue!
I declare this by faith. In Jesus’ name. Amen!
This is Today’s Word! Apply it and Prosper!
