Barnabas, doing what nobody would

INTRO

Today is Pentecost Sunday, celebrated 50 days after the Passover, and marks the descend of the Holy Spirit for the first time (to the church), nothing better to choose a hero that was very relevant and filled with the Holy Spirit to be one of our heroes today;

It’s very possible that if I ask you who was the Apostle Paul, probably 99 percent of you would know who I was talking about. But if I said the name “Barnabas”, does that turns any light on?

Barnabas is the second character of our Anonymous Heroes Series, and we will study about him today;

The first mention of Barnabas is in Acts chapter 4, when we learn that his name was Joseph, and that he sold some land and donate the funds to the incipient Church in Jerusalem. But his life was much more than that episode;

Barnabas was a great companion of the Apostle Paul in his first missionary trips, and He’s probably the one of more relevance when you watch the whole career of the Apostle, because without Barnabas, there probably wouldn’t be a career for Paul, to start with;

MAIN TEXT

Acts 9:26–28 NKJV

And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. So he was with them at Jerusalem, coming in and going out.

Acts 9:26–28 RVR95BTO

Cuando llegó a Jerusalén, trataba de juntarse con los discípulos, pero todos le tenían miedo, no creyendo que fuera discípulo. Entonces Bernabé, tomándolo, lo trajo a los apóstoles y les contó cómo Saulo había visto en el camino al Señor, el cual le había hablado, y cómo en Damasco había hablado valerosamente en el nombre de Jesús. Y estaba con ellos en Jerusalén; entraba y salía,

These are the main lesson we can learn with our today’s hero:

1. DOES WHAT NOBODY WANTS TO DO

HACE LO QUE NADIE QUIERE HACER

Before the Apostle Paul was converted to be a Christian, he was a terrorist. When he got saved, nobody would believe him. It’s like bringing a terrorist to the church and asking to give him a chance to preach...

NOBODY believed him, but Barnabas; he stood up for Paul before the Church in Jerusalem;

Our mission today is to take TO JESUS all of those who need a chance, an opportunity, a new life.

You and me are called to lead people to God, people who nobody believes in, people with potential to become great servants of God!

2. ACKNOWLEDGES THAT ALL GLORY BELONGS TO GOD

RECONOCE QUE TODA LA GLORIA PERTENECE A DIOS

Jesus said that nobody in the NT was greater than John, the Baptist, and this is the John who always led all the glory to Jesus “He must increase, while I decrease...”

In the beginnings of their journeys, in Antioch of Syria , Barnabas and Paul, but after, Paul and Barnabas; Barnabas did not care at all with that;

In Lystra, after the healing of a crippled man, the multitude thought that Barnabas and Paul were gods: Zeus x Hermes (son of Zeus, herald)

Acts 14:12 NKJV

And Barnabas they called Zeus, and Paul, Hermes, because he was the chief speaker.

Acts 14:12 RVR95BTO

A Bernabé llamaban Júpiter, y a Pablo, Mercurio, porque este era el que llevaba la palabra.

Even being a man of God, filled with the Holy Spirit and very active in the leadership of the early church, Barnabas never brought the spotlight to his own life;

Heroes live not for themselves, but for a cause!

Our ministry needs to point to the Lord, we are only vessels at His service!

3. UNDERSTANDS HOW OUR ACTIONS DEEPLY AFFECT THE FUTURE

ENTIENDE QUE SUS ACCIONES AFECTAN PROFUNDAMENTE EL FUTURO

John Mark’s episode; (came back to Jerusalem during first missionary trip);

Barnabas knew that Paul would need Mark for ministry, and even when confronted by the apostle in Antioch, he kept himself humble and kind;

That is the same Mark who would work closely to the Apostle Peter, and that would be the author of one of the Gospels we have today! As a matter of fact, maybe the first Gospel written!!

Now Paul was now on the verge of his martyrdom, the time had come… his last words to Timothy were very emotional, and now he asks for John Mark; that was possible only because of Barnabas!

Paul in Colossians 4:10 and 2 timothy 4:11

All we do, our behavior and reactions, have a lot of influence in the Kingdom of God! Barnabas teaches us that submitting his whole life to the guidance of the Holy Spirit, in the right time, we will reap good fruits for the Kingdom.

FINAL APPLICATIONS

We need more Barnabas today; we need more anonymous heroes:

1. ANONYMOUS HEROES WHO DO WHAT NOBODY WANTS TO DO;

2. ANONYMOUS HEROES WHO ACKNOWLEDGE THAT ALL GLORY BELONGS TO GOD; we are nothing but servants;

3. ANONYMOUS HEROES WHO UNDERSTAND HOW OUR ACTIONS DEEPLY AFFECT THE FUTURE.

You can be this hero today! You might not be a hero from Marvel, but you serve the One Who perform marvels!

You do not need a cape, a hammer, an invisible airplane, to become green, or even being made of steel, you only need to be connected with Jesus, and be filled with the power of the Holy Spirit!

Let’s pray.