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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.
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.
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
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
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
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
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