Playing My Position To Benefit The Team Series

PLAYING MY POSITION TO BENEFIT THE TEAM

Doing Life Together—Part 4

The Barnabas File

One of the first to sell possessions to help the Christians in Jerusalem

First to travel with Paul as a missionary team

One of the most quietly influential people in the early days of Christianity

Called an apostle, although not one of the original 12

HOW BARNABAS TEACHES ME TO BENEFIT THE TEAM

1. I AM AT RISK

When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. [27] But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. Acts 9:26-27 (NIV)

When Saul returned to Jerusalem, he was in a tight spot. His old associates knew all about his defection, and he could expect no friendly welcome from them. On the other hand, the disciples of Jesus, with whom he now wished to join, had not forgotten his campaign of persecution. One can scarcely feel surprise at their suspicion and fear. I’m sure they suspected that this was perhaps a scheme of Saul’s to gain their confidence in order to betray them.

Barnabas, true to his name, took the risk to reach out and encourage Saul. He risked his own neck and his relationship with his friends to build a bridge between Saul and the Christians in Jerusalem. Saul desperately needed a friend and Barnabas stepped up. Barnabas’ laid his reputation with the apostles and other Christians on the line when he gave Saul his bonafides.

Barnabas is sent to Antioch as the representative of the mother-church in Jerusalem. When he gets there his overwhelmed with joy at what he finds. The grace of God was in action, bringing blessing to the local Jews and also to the Gentile population as they had heard and accepted the good news. True to his name, he gave them all the encouragement that he could. Missionaries and converts had started well. The number of converts grew rapidly. Soon the scale of Barnabas’ responsibility was such that he couldn’t discharge his duties single-handedly. He had to find a partner in the ministry.

Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, [26] and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch. Acts 11:25-26 (NIV)

A high school football coach recently asked me to come and speak to his team. The first thing I said to them was, “Thank you for sticking your neck out. Thanks for taking a risk to represent your school and community on the field. It’s much safer to sit in the stands and watch.”

2. I OBEY MY COACH

In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen (who had been brought up with Herod the tetrarch) and Saul. [2] While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, "Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them." [3] So after they had fasted and prayed, they placed their hands on them and sent them off. Acts 13:1-3 (NIV)

God spoke through a divine message given to the church leaders at Antioch, and directed the leaders of the church to set Barnabas and Saul apart for a special work. It’s probably worth noting that the two men who were being released for missionary work overseas were the two most eminent and gifted leaders in the church.

Spiritual Direction Time Here: Silent Prayer “Holy Spirit, here I am, what do you want me to do?” (Penny: We need an insert for the bulletin that will be used at this point in the sermon. The insert is simply a blank sheet of paper with the following appearing at the top of the sheet—Name_____________________________

Phone_____________________________

Email_____________________________

We’re going to circle up into prayer triplets now.

3. I KEEP MY EGO ON A TIGHT LEASH

Back to Barnabas and Saul, they leave for their missionary work and the first place they visit is the island of Cyprus. The first place they preached was Salamis, a Greek city on the east coast of the island. From Salamis the two missionaries traversed the island from east to west until the reached Paphos on the southwest coast.

Having evangelized part of Cyprus, the missionaries now sailed to the south coast of Asia Minor…modern Turkey.

As Paul and Barnabas were leaving the synagogue,… Acts 13:42 (NIV)

Roll Video “We Are Marshall—Assistant Coach” Here