Sermon Tone Analysis

Generosity

The price of land in Cyprus meant Barnabas had a degree of financial comfort, yet he considered it more important to surrender it to help others.

Brave

It was Barnabas who was convinced that Saul was now a Christian and was willing to be the one to take the first step to vouch for the former persecutor of the church.

Trusted

With a new congregation in a foreign, Gentile city, it was Barnabas who was chosen to best represent the apostles’ doctrine in Antioch.

Good

“Good” has little to do with moral righteousness.

It is to be useful, meeting a high standard of quality, beneficial.

Barnabas was a good man: useful to God, useful to the church, and useful to the lost.

His quality of character and faith made him the good man he was.

Humble

Such was the success of Barnabas’ ministry in Antioch that the church was growing.

Barnabas though was not afraid to admit he needed help, nor was he chagrined that he needed help in his ministry.

He seeks out Saul.

Honest

Who knows how much money was raised by the church in Antioch?

However, when it came to ensuring that that money was delivered to the struggling brethren of Jerusalem, Barnabas was the reliable man to turn to.

Mentor

Barnabas was never one to self-aggrandise.

He seems to be the lead man on this first mission journey, especially in Cyprus, but when they arrived in Cilicia, he was happy to see Paul rise to more prominence in preaching and teaching.

Righteous

It’s easy to be swayed by the crowd, but when Barnabas and Paul realised what the crowd was doing, they wanted only God to receive any worship.

Just

Paul would later write to the churches in Galatia to say that Barnabas had let down the Gentile brethren at one point, but here in Acts, he is with Paul in asserting the equality of all of God’s people.

Devoted

Barnabas had sacrificed his wealth for the sake of others.

More than that, he was willing to risk his own life that Christ would be preached.

Forgiving

While Paul was opposed to John Mark getting a second chance with mission work, Barnabas saw the potential in his young cousin (Col 4:10) and was willing to try again with a young man whom Paul would call on later in his ministry (2 Tim 4:11).

Barnabas could see what even Paul could not and worked to encourage even the weakest to attain to highest of ministries.

Encourager

Ultimately, Barnabas was an encourager.

As a preacher, he was an encourager by declaring faithfully the word of God.

As a missionary, he was an encourager by helping brethren continue in their faith.

As a co-worker, he was an encourager by recognising potential in men like Paul and John Mark.

As a Christian, he was an encourager by his willingness to serve.

Loving Always

He was vigilant for his own soul and the souls of others.

He was a constant, faithful Christian.

He was a mature believer in Christ.

He was an encouragement to remain firm in his faith!

Barnabas was all this because for him, everything he did, whatever it was, he did with love.

He wanted those in need to have what he had.

He wanted the persecutor to be accepted because Jesus had accepted him.

He wanted the truth to be known with integrity.

He wanted the best life for everyone and sought out help to facilitate it.

He wanted to forgive John Mark because he knew the value of others.

Barnabas was the encourager because he loved.

He knew love, he knew how to love, and he was willing to love with every act of his life.

Even when he failed, he returned to love and started again because that’s what the faithful Christian does.