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LifestyleTranscript
00:00Connect.
00:03When I realized I was made to not only serve in the church, but to serve others as a church,
00:08connecting with people became paramount.
00:11You can't serve without connecting.
00:14And who you connect with will change the stories you tell tomorrow.
00:18This has been true throughout history.
00:21Just consider the man who wrote more than one-third of the New Testament, the Apostle
00:25Paul.
00:27Paul wasn't always a Christian.
00:29Before he was a follower of Jesus, he was Saul from a city called Tarsus, an angry guy
00:35who persecuted and killed Christians.
00:38If you don't like Jesus groupies, you'd have loved Saul.
00:42But after taking the lives of those who believed Jesus was raised from the dead, Paul became
00:47one of them himself.
00:49His transformation was so big, so radical, so life-changing that Saul immediately wanted
00:54to tell others about Jesus.
00:57The problem was that no Christians trusted him and for obvious reasons.
01:02The book of Acts puts it simply.
01:04When came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him,
01:09not believing that he really was a disciple.
01:13Acts 9 verse 26niv.
01:15You can't blame the disciples for their skepticism.
01:19I wouldn't want the guy who killed Christians last month leading my Bible study.
01:24Would you?
01:25Paul had a problem.
01:27He lacked credibility with other Christians.
01:31So Paul reached out to anyone who would give him a chance to share his newfound passion.
01:36Paul's decision to connect didn't just change his story, it changed history.
01:42You see, Paul was one friend away from altering the course of his destiny.
01:47And that friend was a man named Barnabas.
01:50You may be one friendship away from changing your story.
01:54Today you'll read about when Barnabas risked taking Paul to the apostles, who were the
01:58leaders of the people Paul had been trying to kill in his previous life.
02:03What happened?
02:04Paul's new friend Barnabas staked his reputation on Paul.
02:09And because of Barnabas, the other disciples gave Paul a chance.
02:14The rest is history.
02:15You may be one friendship away from changing your story.
02:19You're one friend away from a better marriage.
02:22You're one confession away from overcoming an addiction.
02:26You're one conversation away from getting in better shape.
02:30You're one mentor away from understanding your gifts and becoming a better leader.
02:35Ask yourself, what do I need to do to connect with the right people?
02:39Is there anyone I need to disconnect from?