Be a Barnabas
Lessons from the 1st Century Church | A Study through the Book of Acts • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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· 6 viewsGod brought a man named Barnabas to help Paul fight his past and embrace the plan that God had for future.
Notes
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Introduction
How many of us have a past? How many of us have done things that we are ashamed of? How many of us have raised our fist to God or rejected the truth of Scriptures? How many of us have lived as if we were sinners and still claimed to be saints? How many of us?
How many of us have seen our past keep us from serving the Lord in the present? Whether that was due to our own shame and guilt or others not believing we were changed, it didn’t matter, because truth was an issue on either side. How many of us have seen those who have left the church and then came back? Did we trust them to be faithful? Did we shun them and keep them from serving? How did we respond? Were we judgmental or were we encouraging. What we need to be is often what we are not. We need to be a Barnabas in a world of prodigal sons and daughters.
Focus Passage | Acts 9:26-31
Outline
Be a Barnabas (vv. 26-28)
Saul was rejected because of his past
We find within our text that Saul tried to make ends with the disciples of Jerusalem, he tried repeatedly. He was not one and done in his attempts to become part of and accepted by the Christians at Jerusalem. It seems that the more he tried to befriend them and be accepted by them he was shunned the more. Why though? Why not? He had a tainted past. Just look at his testimony.
He held the coats of those stoning Stephen in the very same city and began a crusade against the church the same day as as he held those coats (Acts 8:1).
1 Now Saul approved of putting Stephen to death. And on that day a great persecution began against the church in Jerusalem, and they were all scattered throughout the regions of Judea and Samaria, except for the apostles.
He was known for threatening, imprisoning, and killing the saints of God (Acts 8:3; 9:1-2).
3 But Saul began ravaging the church, entering house after house; and he would drag away men and women and put them in prison.
1 Now Saul, still breathing threats and murder against the disciples of the Lord, went to the high priest, 2 and asked for letters from him to the synagogues in Damascus, so that if he found any belonging to the Way, whether men or women, he might bring them in shackles to Jerusalem.
Sure, three years may have passed since they had seen him and heard for themselves the tyranny that he was known for, but has really changed as they had heard. For them, the answer was a simple one. No, he had not changed as he claimed, as they did not believe that he was a disciple. Due to their unbelief, they were afraid, yet they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had changed and they for sure did not think that he was an apostle. Why should they?
We find the in Scripture and Paul’s very own testimony, that he was not worried about getting approval from the other apostles. He was only worried about getting approval from God. He knew Peter and he knew James, the half brother of Jesus.
17 nor did I go up to Jerusalem to those who were apostles before me; but I went away to Arabia, and returned once more to Damascus. 18 Then three years later I went up to Jerusalem to become acquainted with Cephas, and stayed with him for fifteen days. 19 But I did not see another one of the apostles except James, the Lord’s brother.
I would submit to you that one should not let their past keep them from obeying God’s call on your life. Be obedient despite what others may believe or say. God knows. I would also submit to you another truth.
Saul was embraced because of present encourager (v. 27)
27 But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus at Damascus.
We’ve already heard of Barnabas and his character a few chapters earlier within the Book of Acts.
36 Now Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated means Son of Encouragement), 37 owned a tract of land. So he sold it, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.
As see within our text, this character is a character that we all need to have. His character is and the Spirit of God that dwells within him is on full display. Barnabas for reasons that we can only speculate, was not scared of Saul or driven away by his past. He willingly embraced the one who use to be the main hunter/destroyer of the church. He saw the change and gave credence of this change to the other disciples/believers there in Jerusalem. He began by encouraging Saul to not give up attempting to have a relationship with those that he once hunted down to imprison and destroy, Barnabas took hold him and brought him to the apostles. He followed this up by encouraging the apostles to accept Saul as a brother. He did this in several ways. He begins by testifying of the conversion experience of Saul and how he saw and heard the change of Saul.
27 But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus at Damascus.
It was no doubt this evidential change that was in view of Barnabas that allowed him to no fear Saul but embrace Saul. He continued to encourage them to embrace Saul to the point that he was able to move freely within the apostles and continue the sharing of the faith with his lost Jewish brethren.
28 And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord.
Truly, what the church needs today is more Barnabases. I encourage you today to be just that.
Be a Barnabas
To be a Barnabas as the Scripture calls every born again believer to be, we must be...
about reconciliation between God and man and brothers and sisters in Christ
18 Now all these things are from God, who reconciled us to Himself through Christ and gave us the ministry of reconciliation,
about interceding and enabling peace between brothers and sisters in Christ
about understanding our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ
As written in the Preacher’s Commentary on Acts:
The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 28: Acts When We Need a Barnabas
The few words, “but Barnabas took him by the hand,” would make a great text for a separate sermon or class on this portion of Acts. It focuses the calling we all have to be reconcilers. Where do we need to be a Barnabas? Where is there hostility and misunderstanding where we need to step in as an enabler of peace? It may mean going with a listening ear to both parties or to the group to allow them to talk out the difficulty. Going on from there, it means getting the people together for forgiveness and healing. It is the ministry of every Christian to be a Barnabas. Growing in Christ and being a peacemaker are inseparable. It means giving up the questionable luxuries of gossip and taking sides. But who needs these luxuries anyhow?
Sent a Way to Grow (vv. 29-30)
29 And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. 30 Now when the brothers learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.
Saul, once again, goes to his people to share the good news of the gospel - ‘...he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews...’
Saul, once again, faces the threat of death he formally propagated on the church - ‘…but they were attempting to put him to death...’
This was no easy crowd. This was the same crowd that he stood before while holding the coats of those stoning Stephen.
58 When they had driven him out of the city, they began stoning him; and the witnesses laid aside their cloaks at the feet of a young man named Saul.
They had succeeded in stoning Stephen, why not finish the job with the one they began it with. They followed suit with the same hatred that he had shown for the church, the message of the cross, But Saul began ravaging the church (Acts 8:1). For them, just like it was for Saul before conversion experience, a message of foolishness.
18 For the word of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God.
For Saul, the message of the cross was no longer foolishness but salvation, and he wanted that for them more than any other thing. May we realize that the message of the cross is still foolishness to those who are perishing but salvation for those who are redeemed. We must not be ashamed of this truth.
16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek.
Saul, once again, was rescued not for complacency but for cultivation (cf. Acts 22:17-21)
We find what took place within this moment on two sides. God was speaking to the hearts of the brethren, when the brothers learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus, and through the spirit of Saul. He would later testify that the Lord warned him to leave through a dream (Acts 22:17-21).
17 “It happened when I returned to Jerusalem and was praying in the temple, that I fell into a trance, 18 and I saw Him saying to me, ‘Hurry and get out of Jerusalem quickly, because they will not accept your testimony about Me.’ 19 And I said, ‘Lord, they themselves understand that in one synagogue after another I used to imprison and beat those who believed in You. 20 And when the blood of Your witness Stephen was being shed, I also was standing nearby and approving, and watching over the cloaks of those who were killing him.’ 21 And He said to me, ‘Go! For I will send you far away to the Gentiles.’ ”
God was going to send Saul away to Tarsus for a period of around seven to ten years to cultivate his new found relationship with the Lord and for the struggles of his ministry to come. During this time we can with some certainty assume that Paul would used his home town to begin his ministry to further the gospel. We can infer that during this time he took the only Bible he had, the Old Testament and began to grow in knowledge of the Lord Jesus Christ through it. We can also see that possibly during this time he would find himself in and out of court because of his faith, a couple ship wrecks along the way would also grow his faith. This was not a time of complacency but cultivation. God was going to cultivate him into the man he wanted him to be.
As written by Warren Wiersbe in his commentary on Acts:
The Bible Exposition Commentary Chapter Nine: God Arrests Saul (Acts 9:1–31)
We will not meet Saul again until Acts 11:25, when once more it is Barnabas who finds him and brings him to the church at Antioch where they ministered together. That took place about seven years after Saul left Jerusalem, about ten years after his conversion. We have every reason to believe that Saul used Tarsus as his headquarters for taking the Gospel to the Gentiles in that part of the Roman Empire. He ministered “in the regions of Syria and Cilicia” (Gal. 1:21) and established churches there (Acts 15:41). Some Bible scholars believe that the Galatian churches were founded at this time.
It is likely that some of the trials listed in 2 Corinthians 11:24–26 occurred during this period. Only one Roman beating is recorded in Acts (16:22), which leaves two not accounted for. Likewise, the five Jewish beatings are not recorded either in Acts or the epistles. Luke tells us about only one shipwreck (Acts 27), but we have no record of the other two. Anyone who thinks that the apostle was taking a vacation during those years is certainly in error!
And as the Preacher’s Commentary states:
The Preacher’s Commentary Series, Volume 28: Acts When We Need a Barnabas
We are startled by that. Why so long? The Lord had work to do in the Pharisee. Saul needed to hammer out the implications of his experience for all of life. His theology needed to be refined and spelled out for all dimensions of thought. When he reappeared on the scene, he was ready. And out of the resources of those years, later he preached, wrote epistles, founded churches, trained leaders, and assured the future development of Christianity.
There are times in our lives when we are impatient to get on with what we believe God has called us to do. It is painful to wait. But the Lord knows what He is doing. Saul would have been less the man in Christ if he had not had that time of profound depth with the Lord. That’s the salient point. Christ was life for Saul—in Tarsus, Philippi, Jerusalem, or Rome!
This was not only a time of cultivation for Paul, the eventual single most important figure to the Christian church and faith outside of Christ, we find that it was also a ...
Time to Regroup and Refresh (v. 31)
31 So the church throughout Judea, Galilee, and Samaria enjoyed peace, as it was being built up; and as it continued in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it kept increasing.
The Lord is faithful to provide times of refreshing after seasons of persecution. This time was a prime example of such. Saul, the catalyst of this persecution was converted to the faith and the church sees a decline in persecution until Herod, the great grandson of Herod the Great, comes to power. During this time of peace we see the church regroup and refresh. The Luke testifies to this season as a season in which the church enjoyed peace, which is defined in the Greek as "possessed prosperity.”
What does a season of prosperity look like in the church?
A season of prosperity of the church is defined by a time of regrouping - ‘…it was being built up…it kept increasing...’
A season of prosperity of the church is defined by a time of reverence - ‘…continued in the fear of the Lord...’
A season of prosperity of the church is defined by a time of refreshing - ‘…in the comfort of the Holy Spirit...’
Conclusion
Do you know the Lord? Are you letting your past interfere with your present? Are you keeping your past from accepting Christ? Are you allowing your past to keep you from being obedeint in service to the Lord? Are you allowing the past of others and fear of that past from serving with other brothers and sisters? May we understand that fear is of the devil. May we understand that God takes the lowest of the lows and changes hearts and desires. He makes something new out of something old.
He has accepted you warts and all! Have you accepted him? For those of us that are seeing that brother or sister that walked away come back to the faith, let us not judge them or shun them. Let us embrace them and serve with them. For their past and our past is covered by the blood of the Lamb.