The Encourager

Grad appreciation today. Honoring them for their accomplishments, celebrating success and encouraging their future.

Fisher Goode ( Dewey), Patrick Humby ( BVille), Devon Shoonech (Kiamichi), Brittany Canavan, (SNHU), Leon Russell (OWU), Brandi Williams (SE OSU)

In particular, I want to point out the encouragement we offer because one little lady thought it was so important.

Delma’s (Wilson) Fund has been instrumental in sending young people to Christian college to pursue ministry for several years, now.

One graduate, now two.

Two more in school and near finishing.

Hoping to send another next year.

Most of us are unlikely to be able to have that kind of financial impact but I submit to you that every one of us has the power to be a great encouragement to those around us.

Great ideas are a powerful means of shaping lives.

“Ask not what your country can do for you, but what you can do for your country,” was a great idea. And it has shaped many lives. But there is something even more powerful than a great idea, namely, a person who embodies that idea. John Kennedy’s ideas had power because people not only listened to the ideas, they also looked at the man.

Great Doctrines and People Who Live Them Out

In the Christian faith great doctrines are a powerful means of shaping lives. But even more powerful is a great doctrine lived out by a real person. This means that books about biblical doctrine are important. But many of us have found again and again that the story of a person who lived and died by that doctrine makes the truth more powerful in our lives.

Barnabas Was a Leader-Maker

Today we will focus on one of Barnabas’ remarkable accomplishments, namely, his making of a great leader, in fact his making of two great leaders. Barnabas was a maker of leaders, and my goal today is to stir you up to be as much of a leader-maker as you can.

What Is a Christian Leader?

Let’s begin with a definition. What is a Christian leader? Broadly speaking, a person is more or less a Christian leader as that person exerts more or less Christian influence in Christian ways. Or to put it another way, to the degree that you shape others toward the image of Christ you are a Christian leader.

That’s a very broad definition of Christian leadership, and should include every obedient Christian, because we should all be influencing someone to be more like Christ. But if we get more specific, what we usually mean by a good Christian leader is someone who is really good at influencing others toward Christlikeness. They have personal strengths that draw others into the sway of their influence and lead them to the ways of Christ.

The Need for Leader-Makers

And to get them we need hundreds and thousands of Barnabas-like leader-makers. I am not talking mainly today about leaders. I am talking about leader-makers. Are you one? Could you be one? Don’t rule yourself out too quickly.

The most important thing you may ever do for the cause of Christ may go unnoticed for 30 years. Don’t quench the Spirit of God this morning. He may be calling you to be a leader-maker.

Five Marks of a Biblical Leader-Maker

What are the marks of a biblical leader-maker? That’s today’s question. There are at least five that I see in the life of Barnabas.

We owe the ministry of two leaders of the early church to the initiative and advocacy of Barnabas.

The two leaders are Paul and John Mark. As far as we know, Barnabas wrote none of the New Testament. But the men he nurtured wrote a third of it: Paul wrote 13 of the epistles of the New Testament and Mark wrote one of our four gospels.

Let’s look at the marks of a biblical leader-maker in the life of Barnabas—the man whom the apostles nicknamed, “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36).

Leader- Makers are Risk-Takers

A biblical leader-maker takes risks to support hopeful leaders.

Acts 9:26 NLT

26 When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer!

says that some time after Saul’s conversion he came to Jerusalem and tried to join the disciples. You remember he had previously persecuted Christians. He was the High Priest’s hatchet man, you might say.

Now here he is claiming to be a Christian convert.

Is there anyone who will take a risk for Saul? Is there anyone who can see in him the making of a great leader? One man came forward. One man stuck his neck out when everyone else was afraid to give Saul a chance to prove himself—Barnabas.

Acts 9:27 NLT

27 Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus.

Barnabas became his advocate. The result? The church accepted him and his ministry flourished in Jerusalem. And Barnabas watched, and made note. This would not be the last time he supported Paul’s ministry.

So the first mark of a biblical leader-maker is the willingness to take risks on behalf of potential leaders. All the other disciples were afraid. But the leader-maker had the courage to give this remarkable young man Saul a chance. What a pay-off!

Leader-Makers Have a Good Eye and a Glad Heart

A biblical leader-maker has a good eye and a glad heart for the potential of grace.

Looking for Opportunities of Grace

When the church in Jerusalem heard that a church had been planted in Antioch, the one man that they thought would be a good encourager for the new Gentile believers was Barnabas. Barnabas could always find something good to encourage in people!

So

Acts 11:23 NLT

23 When he arrived and saw this evidence of God’s blessing, he was filled with joy, and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord.

says, “When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad.” He had a good eye and a glad heart for the potential of grace. The church was new and imperfect, but Barnabas saw the work of grace and it made him glad. That is the mark of a leader-maker, or a son of encouragement, as the apostles called him.

Leader-makers have their heat sensors adjusted and alert for embers of grace that they can fan, while the other kind of people, it seems, have their buckets of criticism ready to pour on the ashes of imperfection. So a leader-maker has a good eye and a glad heart for the potential of grace.

Leader-Makers are Humble

Biblical leader-makers are humble.

That means that they have the beautiful gift of fading into the background while pushing others into prominence. They are not addicted to the praise of men and do not crave the limelight.

What He Does When His Ministry Flourishes

Where do we see this in Barnabas? It starts in

Acts 11:25–26 NLT

25 Then Barnabas went on to Tarsus to look for Saul. 26 When he found him, he brought him back to Antioch. Both of them stayed there with the church for a full year, teaching large crowds of people. (It was at Antioch that the believers were first called Christians.)

Barnabas’ ministry in Antioch had been so successful that the converts were everywhere. Now there is one kind of person who would say at this point: I am now a respected leader. I have earned a good reputation for my work. It is now time to consolidate my gains and establish myself as a prominent preacher in this part of Syria.

But what does Barnabas do? Instead of maneuvering for his own exaltation, he leaves town to look for an associate—an associate that he knows good and well is a more dynamic leader and a better preacher than he is, namely, Saul.

With this strategic investment in Saul’s life and career, Barnabas secured forever his secondary status in church history—and I love him for it.

What He Does When He Fades into Paul’s Shadow

Watch what happens as Barnabas fades into Paul’s shadow, like an aircraft mechanic fades into the shadow of the soaring pilot.

In

Acts 13:1–3 NLT

1 Among the prophets and teachers of the church at Antioch of Syria were Barnabas, Simeon (called “the black man”), Lucius (from Cyrene), Manaen (the childhood companion of King Herod Antipas), and Saul. 2 One day as these men were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, “Appoint Barnabas and Saul for the special work to which I have called them.” 3 So after more fasting and prayer, the men laid their hands on them and sent them on their way.

the Holy Spirit sets Barnabas and Saul apart for a missionary journey to the unreached cities of Cyprus and Galatia. Notice the order of the names in verse 2: it is still Barnabas first and Saul second, the way it has been back in Acts 11:30 and 12:25.

When they get to the city of Paphos on the island of Cyprus, the proconsul invites them to speak to him, and in

Acts 13:6–7 NLT

6 Afterward they traveled from town to town across the entire island until finally they reached Paphos, where they met a Jewish sorcerer, a false prophet named Bar-Jesus. 7 He had attached himself to the governor, Sergius Paulus, who was an intelligent man. The governor invited Barnabas and Saul to visit him, for he wanted to hear the word of God.

Barnabas still has the honor of first place: “he summoned Barnabas and Saul and sought to hear the word of God.”

But when Elymas the magician tried to turn the proconsul away from the faith, it was Saul who exploded with the Holy Spirit in

Acts 13:10 NLT

10 Then he said, “You son of the devil, full of every sort of deceit and fraud, and enemy of all that is good! Will you never stop perverting the true ways of the Lord?

This is probably not the way Barnabas would have said it. But from this point on, Saul (now called Paul for the first time in verse 9) is in charge.

We see this immediately in verse 13. Luke says, “Now Paul and his company set sail from Paphos.” Barnabas is not even mentioned. In verse 16 it is Paul not Barnabas who delivers the sermon in Antioch of Pisidia. When both of them are mentioned, it is now “Paul and Barnabas” not “Barnabas and Paul” (13:43, 46, 50; 15:2, 22, 35; except in Jerusalem where Barnabas is on his home turf, 15:12, 25; and in Lystra where Barnabas is called Zeus and Paul Hermes).

In chapter 14 we get a glimpse of what their partnership looked like. They have come to Lystra and a man has been healed through the hand of Paul. In verses 11 and 12 look at how the local people describe the relationship between Barnabas and Paul:

Acts 14:11–12 NLT

11 When the crowd saw what Paul had done, they shouted in their local dialect, “These men are gods in human form!” 12 They decided that Barnabas was the Greek god Zeus and that Paul was Hermes, since he was the chief speaker.

Zeus of course is the father of the Greek gods. His Roman name is Jupiter. And Hermes is his son and is the fleet footed messenger of the gods. His Roman name is Mercury.

So evidently Barnabas is perceived as older and more venerable and dignified than Paul. But Paul is the one who speaks with amazing force. Barnabas keeps a consistent strategy: put this young leader forward. Let him have the word.

Free from Materialism

A biblical leader-maker is free from materialism.

He Doesn’t Love Money, He Loves People

In

Acts 4:36–37 NLT

36 For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus. 37 He sold a field he owned and brought the money to the apostles.

Luke tells us that the apostles gave Joseph the name Barnabas because it meant “son of encouragement.” The very next verse says, “He sold a field which belonged to him, and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” Why did he do this? Verse 34 says that it was to meet the needs of the poor in the Christian community. This is what Luke associates with Barnabas’ being a “son of encouragement.”

So I conclude that Barnabas does not love money and things, he loves people. This is essential for being a biblical leader-maker. Twenty years later Paul writes to the church in Corinth like this:

1 Corinthians 9:4–6 NLT

4 Don’t we have the right to live in your homes and share your meals? 5 Don’t we have the right to bring a believing wife with us as the other apostles and the Lord’s brothers do, and as Peter does? 6 Or is it only Barnabas and I who have to work to support ourselves?

Twenty years have passed and here is the old Zeus and the younger Hermes keeping themselves lean for the Lord, working with their hands, refusing to take gifts from Corinth. Why? In order to make perfectly clear that they do not minister for money. They minister for people.

What Biblical Leader-Makers Dream Of

If you want to be a biblical leader-maker, ask yourself this:

when my mind is free to dream, do I dream of clothes or cars or houses or lake property or sports or profits or stereos or videos or computers or vacations or food or movies or investments …?

In other words, am I materialistic in the moments when I dream about what I would like to do and to have? Does my mind naturally fill up with possessions?

That is not what fills the mind of a biblical leader-maker.

When leader-makers lie awake at night, their minds turn to people—people potentials and people strategies. They dream about how to maximize their influence on people for the sake of Christ.

We could get behind that 14 year old missionary with our 20:20 group …

We could ask that student over for Thanksgiving dinner …

We could give an anonymous gift to that struggling seminary student …

We could pay her way to Urbana …

I could send him a note of thanks for that pastoral prayer …

I could write that short-termer a letter of encouragement …

The list is endless for biblical leader-makers—people who are free from the heart-deadening mentality of materialism.

Summary

Well, there is Barnabas, the maker of a great leader.

He took a risk to support a dangerous new convert.

He had a good eye and a glad heart for the potential of grace.

He was humble and self-effacing and let himself fade behind the rising star of the apostle Paul.

He was patient with the failures of others.

And he was free from materialism and filled with thoughts and dreams of how to make leaders for the Lord of glory.

May the Lord fill this church with leader-makers for the cause of Christ here and around the world.