Barnabas The Encourager

Acts 11:22–26 KJV 1900

Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should go as far as Antioch. Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

Barnabas was a man who worked mainly behind the scenes. He was a generous man in the cause of the Lord. Not only in the matter of his finances but also in his personal influence. He was one who took the time and effort to encourage people, and in fact the very name Barnabas means “the son of consolation.” in particular, God used him to rescue and restore his nephew John Mark, who had been dismissed from Paul’s missionary team, and he took a chance on Paul when no one else would.

All of us need encouragement from time to time, and we all remember time when a little encouragement made a great difference to us. Perhaps we can also recall times when we were used by God to encourage someone else, and what a blessing that was to us as well. Through the life of Barnabas, we will see how we can be encourages whom God can use to be great positive influences in the lives of others.

Introduction

Barnabas us an excellent illustration of someone we should all seek to imitate. While sometimes we look at Paul and think I don’t do that or we look at Moses and may be intimidated by a man who was a leader to millions, Barnabas is someone who can be an example for each and every one of us. Barnabas was an encourager, and one who made a difference in the lives of many others.

Gave to God

One of the most well-known verses in all of Scripture is John 3:16

John 3:16 a (KJV 1900)

For God so loved the world, that he gave...

God gave His Son; the Son gave His life. Believers who truly desire to follow Jesus also will be involved in giving - and giving sacrificially. The life of Barnabas is a wonderful example of someone who was willing to give to God. He was generous both with his finances and with his personal influence.

A. Finance

Acts 4:36–37 KJV 1900

And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

God’s Word states in Matthew 6:21

Matthew 6:21 KJV 1900

For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.

Barnabas gave to the cause of Christ by selling his land. It has been well said, regarding earthly treasures, that we cannot take them with us - but we can send them on ahead. Those who trust God in the area of giving will find that they cannot out-give God.

Luke 6:38 KJV 1900

Give, and it shall be given unto you; good measure, pressed down, and shaken together, and running over, shall men give into your bosom. For with the same measure that ye mete withal it shall be measured to you again.

Malachi 3:10–11 KJV 1900

Bring ye all the tithes into the storehouse, That there may be meat in mine house, And prove me now herewith, saith the Lord of hosts, If I will not open you the windows of heaven, And pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room enough to receive it. And I will rebuke the devourer for your sakes, And he shall not destroy the fruits of your ground; Neither shall your vine cast her fruit before the time in the field, saith the Lord of hosts.

B. Influence

Acts 9:27 KJV 1900

But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.

Our influence - for good or for bad - can have a very powerful effect in the lives of others. When Saul of Tarsus, who had been making havock - rampaging, ravaging, and devastating the church - claimed a sudden conversion and acceptance of Jesus Christ as Lord, people were undoubtedly skeptical of his statement and afraid of him. Barnabas, however, realized that his conversion was real, and used his influence to bring him into the fellowship of the church. The generosity of Barnabas in putting his own reputation on the line for the sake of a new believer undoubtedly made a great difference in the life of Paul, and therefore to all who have since been influenced by Paul. Paul then spoke of the ongoing power of influence to the young pastor Timothy.

2 Timothy 2:2 KJV 1900

And the things that thou hast heard of me among many witnesses, the same commit thou to faithful men, who shall be able to teach others also.

C.S. Lewis put it well when he said, “I’m afraid biblical charity is more than merely giving away that which we could afford to do without anyway.”

John Bunyan, author of The Pilgrim’s Progress wrote, “A man there was, and they called him mad; the more he gave, the more he had.”

Marguis de Lafayette was a French general and politician who joined the American Revolution and became a friend of George Washington. An influential man in the U.S. and France, Lafayette was also a man of compassion. The harvest of 1782 was a poor one, but the manager of his estate had filled his barns with wheat. “The bad harvest has raised the price of wheat,” said his manager. “This is the time to sell.”

Lafayette thought about the hungry peasants in the villages and replied, “No, this is the time to give.”

Real love is often measured by our willingness to let go of what we possess.

Served the Saints

Once people decide to give to God, they will also seek to serve. The same attitude that leads a believer to be generous with his money and his influence will lead him also to give generously of his time and his abilities. Here again, those who serve will themselves in imitation of Christ. “O to be like thee, blessed redeemer” runs the old hymn - is that the desire or your heart? Then be willing to give, and be willing to serve - and go beyond just being willing; live out that willingness on a daily basis. As you faithfully do this, to quote another hymn, you will be “more like the master.”

Matthew 20:26–28 KJV 1900

But it shall not be so among you: but whosoever will be great among you, let him be your minister; And whosoever will be chief among you, let him be your servant: Even as the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.

In many ways, Barnabas illustrated Christ-likeness in his life. He realized that the ministry was not all about him, but about being a blessing to those around him.

What is the difference in a job or ministry? Do you have a job in the church or do you have a ministry? There is a difference.

If you are doing it because not one else will, it’s a job. If you’re doing it to serve the Lord, it’s a ministry.

If you are doing it just well enough to get by, it’s a job. If you’re doing it to the best of your ability, it’s a ministry.

If you’ll do it only so long as it doesn't interfere with other activities, it’s a job. If you’re committed to staying with it even when it means letting do of other things, it a ministry.

If you quit because no one praised you or thanked you, it’s a job. If you stay with it even though no one seems to notice, it’s ministry.

It’s hard to get excited about a job. It’s almost impossible not to about a ministry.

If your concern is success, it’s job. If your concern is faithfulness, it’s a ministry.

An average church is filled with people doing jobs. A great church is filled with people who are performing a ministry.

Exhorted the Saints

Acts 11:23 KJV 1900

Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.

The biblical word cleave here means “to bond in a very personal way” Barnabas urged the Christians to done with the Lord. Think of strong glue that you might use around your home to “bond things together. What an amazing challenge for believers today - that our words and lives would encourage other people to literally become one with the Lord. Barnabas wanted the believers to cleave to the Lord in a very personal and possessive way.

Encouraged His Brother

There is no question that the body of Christ as a whole needs encouragement. Proverbs 16:21 says that

Proverbs 16:21 b (KJV 1900)

… And the sweetness of the lips increaseth learning.

Truth taught in an encouraging manner will be more effective. Barnabas demonstrated this Old Testament truth in his New Testament life, as he deliberately went looking for Saul and brought him into the fellowship of believers in Antioch. Is it possible that the Christ-likeness of this man Barnabas - a man who would seek someone who was considered an enemy, for the purpose of bringing him back for a wonderful reconciliation and great usefulness - is what prompted other to bestow the tern “Christian” on those believers?

Acts 11:25–26 KJV 1900

Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul: And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch. And it came to pass, that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church, and taught much people. And the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch.

Luke 19:10 KJV 1900

For the Son of man is come to seek and to save that which was lost.

He loved the Unlovely

There would have been very few who would have met Saul of Tarsus without struggling with feelings of reproach and disdain; yet, Barnabas knew that Saul was a new creature in Christ. Often times, church families seem to take a “wait and see” attitude with new believers. This is wrong. The Bible teaches us that they are now new creatures in Christ and should be treated in a way that reflects this reality.

He loved the Gentiles

Acts 15:12 KJV 1900

Then all the multitude kept silence, and gave audience to Barnabas and Paul, declaring what miracles and wonders God had wrought among the Gentiles by them.

Barnabas did not only love Jews who came to Christ: he also loved the Gentiles. He realized that Christ loved the Gentile as He did the Jew. Paul and Barnabas began to minister to the Gentiles and share what Christ had done with a group of people who were looked upon with haughty disdain by the mainstream Jewish populace. Before you arrogantly condemn these Jews as foolish and prideful, ask yourself, “What groups are looked down upon today by the church, that the Lord would have us reach out to? Maybe the homeless, the unwed mother, drug addict, or alcoholic? There is no doubt that God loves these people just as much as He loves you. Barnabas realized this and would certainly have reached out to them as well.

A beautiful illustration of someone who loved the unlovely can be found in Amy Carmichael. Amy was born in 1867, and, after hearing Hudson Taylor speak, felt God calling her to a mission field. Amy spent 55 years in India without ever taking a single furlough. She founded an orphanage and a mission there. She was in the ministry of reaching that group of people whom Jesus called, “least of these.” This giving woman began her ministry by developing a Sunday school class for girls who she call “shawlies.” These were young ladies who could not afford to own even a hat. Several people wrote her while in India and asked what missionary life was like. She lovingly answered, “Missionary life is simply a chance to die.” After her life to reaching as many of the unlovely as she could, Amy Carmichael declared, “One can give without loving, bu one cannot love without giving.”

Rescued the Rebuked (John Mark)

You may recall a news story in the New York Times several years ago about a high altitude crisis of British Airways Flight 5390. The pilot of the passenger plane was sucked out of the cabin window on the nose of the plane after its windshield blew out at 23,000 feet. What took place next was incredible.

Timothy Lancaster, the pilot, had just pointed to his house in Abingdon, when a loud explosion blew out the windshield. Pressurized air bursting from inside the plane pull him part way out. Outside, the 320 mph air-stream bent the upper half of his body against the planes fuselage.

Several of the aircraft's passengers said they watched in horror as crew members frantically wrestled to pull the pilot back in the cockpit. At one point, the crew was faced with a terrible possibility: would they have to push their captain out to free the controls? The Co-pilot shook his head and shouted to the others, “Hold on if you possibly can” However, there were able to readjust the body enough to fly the plane. The plane went into a dive. With half of Mr.Lancaster’s body hanging outside, the co-pilot flew the plane towards Southampton Airport (70 miles southwest of London).

Crew members, who clung to his ankles for 15 minutes, were encouraged by the co-pilot who kept yelling, “Hold on with your might - we’re almost there!” He finally landed the plane safely in southern England. Mr. Lancaster was taken to the hospital suffering from shock, a fractured elbow and wrist, and frostbite on one hand.

More than likely, you will never experience anything as dramatic and dangerous as this rescue. Yet, lives and souls are in jeopardy all around us. A friend’s marriage is exploding. A brother is being “sucked” into a life of drugs. A sister, who has messed up many times, creates the question, “Do we continue to help or should we just cut our losses and move on? Unfortunately, we experience many losses due do decisions and circumstances. However, in many cases what we need to do is continue to be prayerfully persistent and encouraging. Refuse to give up on them and “hold on if you possibly can.” Why? Because someone needs you too. and You may need someone like Barnabas as well.

Rescued John Mark

Acts 15:36–39 KJV 1900

And some days after Paul said unto Barnabas, Let us go again and visit our brethren in every city where we have preached the word of the Lord, and see how they do. And Barnabas determined to take with them John, whose surname was Mark. But Paul thought not good to take him with them, who departed from them from Pamphylia, and went not with them to the work. And the contention was so sharp between them, that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed unto Cyprus;

When John Mark was evicted from the Missionary team, Barnabas took him in. It is the forsaken, chastised, or disciplined believers who often need just a little urging to come back in the right direction. Those left to themselves often turn their backs on that which is right and go on their own way. John Mark had been expelled, but Barnabas decided that he was worth rescuing. There is no doubt that if we in the church would take time to observe those around us, we, too, could see people who could be rescued with some timely effort.

Restored John Mark

2 Timothy 4:11 KJV 1900

Only Luke is with me. Take Mark, and bring him with thee: for he is profitable to me for the ministry.

The best part of Barnabas is, as Paul neared the end of his ministry, he requested Timothy to bring Mark with him and gave one of the greatest compliments of Scripture, “… For he is profitable to me for the ministry.”

There is no doubt that if believer would pattern their lives after the life of Barnabas, that many could be restored to the ministry again today. It is necessary to note that long before Barnabas ever went on a missionary journey, the church had extended to him the right hand of fellowship.

Galatians 2:9 KJV 1900

And when James, Cephas, and John, who seemed to be pillars, perceived the grace that was given unto me, they gave to me and Barnabas the right hands of fellowship; that we should go unto the heathen, and they unto the circumcision.

This acceptance had an unforgettable impact on the life of Barnabas, and compelled him to manifest that acceptance to others. Truly, here is a mean who made a difference!

Conclusion

Few men have had a testimony as great as Joses (Barnabas). In fact, his testimony was so strong that those around him decided to change his name so that it would reflect his true personality. His very identity was changed because of his attitude. Barnabas was a man who happily and willingly gave to God, served others, and sought to aid those who had fallen away from their former dedication. He was a great encouragement. If you were renamed to reflect your attitude, what would your name be?