How To Be A Do-Gooder

He would bludgeon his prey to death with blunt objects and was fond of raping and biting them. He was a clean-cut serial killer that confessed to 28 killings, but other estimates indicate that he brutally killed as many as 33 to 100 female victims during the 1970's. After numerous appeals, Bundy was electrocuted by the state of Florida in 1989.

I mention this serial killer only to let you know that when we hear the name of Ted Bundy, we think of a ruthless serial killer.

You do not have to say a lot about some people. You just mention their name and people KNOW who they are and what they have done! They have a reputation for being bad.

Illus: They remind me of the lady that walked by a pet shop each day on her way to work. When she walked by, the parrot would say, “Lady, you are the ugliest woman I have ever seen.” The lady would get mad and walk on to work!

The next day she walked by and the parrot said, “Lady, you are one ugly woman.” She got mad and walked on.

One day she decided to do something about the parrot, and she talked to the store manager.

The manager said, “I promise you I will do something about it.”

The next day, she walked by the pet shop and the parrot said, “Hey lady!” She stopped to listen and the parrot, “Hey lady…you know!”

When you hear the name of some people, YOU KNOW WHO THEY ARE FROM ALL THE EVIL THEY HAVE DONE.

The Bible tells us that Jesus had a different kind of reputation, HE WAS KNOWN FOR GOING ABOUT DOING GOOD!

Look at Acts 10: 38, we read, “How God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Ghost and with power: who went about doing good, and healing all that were oppressed of the devil; for God was with him.”

What a contrast this is from the Ted Bundy’s of this world.

The Bible teaches that HE WENT ABOUT DOING GOOD. This is how every child of God is to live his life.

• Look at Eph. 4:32, we read, “And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ's sake hath forgiven you.”

• Look at Eph. 4:2-3, we read, “With all lowliness and meekness, with longsuffering, forbearing one another in love; Endeavouring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace.”

• Look at 1 Cor. 16:14, we read, “Let all your things be done with charity.”

The Word of God teaches that we are to be KIND in our behavior ONE TO ANOTHER. But God’s Word not only commands us to do this, God gives us an example in the life of Barnabas to show us how to live such a life.

Today, I would like to take a quick look at the life of Barnabas, so we can see why he earned the name, “Son of Consolation.”

Apparently, Barnabas had earned the reputation among the disciples of Christ as one who helped and encouraged others.

We see that -

I. HE REACHED OUT

Barnabas was always reaching out to others:

A. HE REACHED OUT TO PAUL AFTER HE WAS CONVERTED

After Paul was converted, due to his past reputation everyone was afraid to give him a chance. Before his conversion, this was the fellow who was actively trying to wipe Christianity from the face of the earth. NOW HE CLAIMED TO BE SAVED!

Many folks were not buying this. They were skeptical. You can see why with the reputation Paul had before he got saved. They had a hard time believing he was truly saved. And with the reputation he had for hating Christianity, we can understand.

There are some things hard to believe, and when the disciples heard that Paul had gotten saved they were not buying it. But Barnabas was the man that God used to REACH OUT TO PAUL when no one else would.

Look at Acts 9:26-27, we read, “And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. 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.”

Barnabas came to Saul’s side and stood up for Him, and told the others about this man’s amazing conversion. He stood up for one who desperately needed a friend.

Illus: There is a television commercial that I really enjoy watching. A young boy is at his locker at school and a couple big bullies are walking down the hall. They knock his books out of his hand and walk away laughing. But a young man across the hall talking to a girl, sees this. He stops talking to her, walks over and helps him pick up his books and gives him a big smile. And the girl he was talking to looks at this young man who was talking to her with great admiration.