Notice the change in the Corinthian’s lives in verse 11, “For observe this very thing, that you sorrowed in a godly manner: What diligence it produced in you, what clearing of yourselves, what indignation, what fear, what vehement desire, what zeal, what vindication! In all things you proved yourselves to be clear in this matter.” What a change!!! Their hearts were activated by faith, their sorrow was activated by God’s word, which reveals powerful truths, which are greater burdens than any heart of true understanding, and pure conscience will be able to bear. The difference in the two possible reactions is found in the book of Acts. Last weeks lesson demonstrated godly sorrow. The Jews of Acts chapter 2 repented after hearing God’s word proclaimed. It produced in them the desire to make their lives right with God. “Men and brethren what shall we do?” was the question. In Acts chapter 7 we see a different reaction to God’s word proclaimed. Stephen preached God’s word to the Sanhedrin council. One would think of all the people in Israel that these men would have sincere and honest hearts to receive God’s message. But, in reality, they exemplify the opposite reaction to those of chapter 2. In Chapter 7:54 the Bible says, “When they heard these things they were cut to the heart…” Don’t forget the Jews of chapter 2 were also cut in the heart (2:37). However, these folks reacted differently. The latter part of the verse says, “they gnashed at him with their teeth.” In verses 57-59 Luke writes, “Then they cried out with a loud voice, stopped their ears, and ran at him with one accord; and they cast him out of the city and stoned him. And the witnesses laid down their clothes at the feet of a young man named Saul. And they stoned Stephen as he was calling on God and saying, ‘Lord Jesus, receive my spirit.’" This is worldly sorrow, which produces death.

Repentance therefore is, simply speaking, Godly sorrow, leading to a change of the mind and the will, and resulting in a change of life. If any of these are lacking, then no repentance has occurred. Consider it then on its broadest level. In Rom 3:9-11 Paul writes, “What then? Are we better than they? Not at all. For we have previously charged both Jews and Greeks that they are all under sin. As it is written: ‘There is none righteous, no, not one; There is none who understands; There is none who seeks after God.’” He also writes in verse 23, “for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God.” In chapter 6 of Romans Paul again writes, “For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.” These are Bible facts!! It weighed so heavily in Acts 2 that they actually interrupted Peter’s sermon to find out if there was any way to absolve them from the guilt of sin, which they knew was theirs. The only way to get rid of the guilt, and receive the remission from God, is to repent, or change the mind. Repentance is the key that unlocks the door of guilt and accountability and brings forgiveness and seasons of refreshing. Acts 3:19. In essence, Repentance therefore is the simple change of mind that accompanies a new set of facts that proves a previous conduct wrong. It is simple, yet essential to membership where salvation is found.

What Makes a GLAD Preacher?
by David Lemmons

When the great encourager whose name is, being interpreted, The son of consolation" (Acts 4:36) came to the city of Antioch he was himself encouraged and the Bible tells us specifically that he was GLAD (Acts 11:23). What made Barnabas glad was seeing "the grace of God," in that great city. Going back to verse 22 we see that "tidings of these things" had reached the "ears of the church in Jerusalem." The "THESE THINGS" happened when men of Cyprus and Cyrene came to Antioch preaching the gospel (v. 20) and the result was that "a great number believed and turned to the Lord" (v. 21). Any right-thinking person would be made to be glad by such wonderful good news as that which Barnabas found in Antioch.

Let us for a moment focus in on the words WAS GLAD as words Luke used, by
inspiration, to describe this preacher at Antioch. The word "glad" is found some 89 times in the KJV, 21 of which occurrences are in the New
Testament. The Greek term from which our word is translated in Acts 11:23 (kairo) is found 74 times in 68 New Testament verses. Some of the other words used to translate the word are: various forms of the word "rejoice," "joyfully," "godspeed," etc. The idea of the word is the state of being calmly happy or well off. One good way to get the idea of this word is to
consider its use in Acts 13:48. Here it is used to describe how the Gentiles felt when Paul declared that he had been sent to deliver the saving message to the Gentiles. The Bible tells us, "And when the Gentiles heard this, they were glad."

The great church at Antioch was able to accomplish much good. Without a doubt the things that made them a great church were some of the same things that made their preacher, Barnabas, a glad preacher. It is my strong belief that we need more churches today like the church at Antioch. Further, when we have more churches like the church at Antioch, we will have more glad preachers.

I am no fan of the David Letterman show, having seen only snatches of it a few times. However, he has popularized those "Top Ten Lists," that are now seen quite frequently in various media and from various writers. Let me then call upon you to consider a list of the "Top Ten Factors Producing a GLAD Preacher."

NUMBER TEN: Members who are not ashamed of the gospel (Rom 1:16).

The preacher who preaches for a congregation where the members are not ashamed of the gospel is blessed indeed. Such members will recognize the value of the good news that the preacher is delivering and will not hesitate to invite their friends and neighbors to come hear the valued message. When it comes time for gospel meetings or special opportunities for the proclamation of the gospel, they will work hard to bring precious souls to the meetinghouse. As they go about their daily activities there will no doubt arise many blessed opportunities to speak up for that which is right and good according to God's word. Such members will seize upon these opportunities. When the truth is attacked these members will boldly speak out in its defense (Prov 23:23; 1 Pet 3:15). The results of this kind of appreciation of the gospel will greatly aid the efforts being put forth by the preacher and he will preach his heart out, recognizing the work of evangelizing is a cooperative one.

NUMBER NINE: Members who have the vision of the Carpenter (Mt 13:55; Mk 6:3).

Brother Goebel Music once preached a sermon about "Things Jesus May Have Learned from Carpentry." In this sermon he listed four things that Jesus may have learned from the trade of carpentry. The list included…

To look beyond things as they are to see them as they might become.

That sometimes the best furniture is made of the hardest wood.

That effort spent on building a foundation is not spent in vain.

That a little bit of carelessness can be the source of great problems.

The kind of vision that Jesus had allowed Him to look at two sons of thunder (Mk 3:17), who once wanted to call down fire from heaven to blast a Samaritan village (Lk 9:54), and to see John, having become the Apostle of love. It also allowed Him to call Saul of Tarsus, a definite example of "hard wood," to become the great missionary to the Gentiles (Acts 9:15). His teaching emphasized the importance of building upon a solid rock foundation (Mt 7:24-27). One unacquainted with carpentry might make the mistake of measuring one cut of wood with the measuring tape and then using that one cut to measure the next, and so on, and so on. Doing this rather than measuring each cut with the measuring tape is a small mistake, but will add up to things not being square when they are put together. I believe members of the Lord's church need the vision that comes from such lessons as these that Jesus may have learned from carpentry. We need members who believe in the ability of the gospel to change the lives of men and women, boys and girls for the better. We need members who will not automatically exclude some person as a prospect simply because they are strong in their false beliefs. We need members who realize that it takes time and persistence in teaching to bring forth fruit. We need members who hold firmly to the pattern of book, chapter, and verse for all that we do (Col 3:17). Such members make glad preachers!

NUMBER EIGHT: Members who have the kind of love described in 1 Corinthians 13.

Paul makes clear to us in the first three verses of 1 Corinthians 13 that we may do many great things without love as the motivation and it will profit us nothing. Loving hearts in members of the Lord's church will be noticed by those outside the flock. It will be an attraction that will be quite winsome (Acts 2:47). In our presentation of the truth, love must be evident (Eph 4:15). Loving members make glad preachers!

NUMBER SEVEN: Members who are personal evangelists (2 Tim 2:2).

"And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also." Brother Ivan Stewart's book, GO YE MEANS GO ME, still states a truth. Members of the church have received a special blessing in knowing the blessed gospel and have a special and PERSONAL obligation to be zealous in evangelism. Members who recognize this great truth and are actively participating in spreading the gospel make glad preachers.

NUMBER SIX: Members who encourage world Evangelism (Mark 16:15).

How easy it is for members of the church who live in the USA, and particularly in the so-called "Bible Belt," to develop a mindset that ignores the vast population of our planet, thinking that every place there is such ready access to Bible teaching as there is here. Such is certainly not the case! For the saving message to be heard in foreign lands requires men to be sent and those few who are sent need lots of
encouragement to continue their work. Members who put forth effort to be like Onesiphorus (2 Tim 1:16), often refreshing foreign evangelists, like he did Paul, are surely rare and much appreciated by gospel preachers.

NUMBER FIVE: Members who give liberally, sacrificially, and cheerfully of their means and their time (1 Cor 16:1-2; 2 Cor 8, 9).

What encouragement the churches of Macedonia were to the apostle Paul! It was out of their deep poverty that they gave and the reason they gave was that they had first given themselves to the Lord (2 Cor 8:5). Unselfish members who recognize the seriousness of their stewardship responsibilities are a pleasant dream for the gospel preacher. It is my opinion that Judgement Day will see more Christians parted to the left, to the place prepared for the devil and his angels, over the sin of covetousness than for any other sin. What a JOY and what REJOICING when preachers see members who are good stewards of their possessions and time!

NUMBER FOUR: Members who take seriously the words of Hebrews 10:24-25.

So much good has been designed into the worship assemblies by our blessed God and Father! How is it possible that the members of the church can so often forsake such meetings? We do need to consider one another and get the point that our gatherings together will edify us and spur us on toward love and good works. Members who understand the sinfulness of forsaking the assemblies contribute to the gladness of any preacher.

NUMBER THREE: Members who use the New Testament as their standard of ethics and morality (1 Cor 11:1).

Paul urges: "Be ye followers of me, even as I also am of Christ." Any other system of ethics other than that of following the teaching of Jesus Christ is by far an inferior system. Too many members of the church seem to be following the system of hedonism. That is, if this thing brings me more pleasure than pain, then I ought to do this thing. To follow such an ethical system will lead to eternal destruction. Our efforts in preaching are too often contradicted by the lives of the members of the church.
Preachers who preach where members live lives consistent with their teaching are made to be glad indeed!

NUMBER TWO: Members who love the truth and study their Bibles (2 Tim 2:15).

Preachers are charged with preaching the word in season and out of season (2 Tim 4:1-4). To have hearers who truly love the truth and have no itching ears is a tremendous blessing. Lovers of truth will also be those who walk in truth, and the sentiments of the apostle John are the sentiments of every faithful gospel preacher--"I have no greater joy than to hear that my children walk in truth" (3 John 4). The very idea that a Christian can attain the needed instruction of God's word in three or four hours of assemblies per week is ludicrous. Members who have studied before coming to Bible class are a wonderful source of gladness for the preacher.

NUMBER ONE: Elders who are scripturally qualified and who shepherd the flock (1 Tim 3:1-7; Titus 1:6-9).

If this one quality be present in any local congregation, a preacher is so far down the road toward gladness that he would be foolish to turn down the opportunity to serve in such a locale.

Yes, Barnabas was a glad preacher. Antioch was a great church. It is certainly possible for there to be great churches and glad preachers today. Much cooperation and communication is needed to produce such happy results. The effort on the part of both preacher and congregation surely commends itself to each of us.

We hope you find this bulletin useful in your Bible study.

2 Sam 22:31
 As for God, His way is perfect; The word of the LORD is proven; He is a shield to all who trust in Him. NKJV

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