Barnabas was THE ENCOURAGER … he was always looking out for the underdog … he always attempted to see the “good” in everyone … he tried to focus on the positives!
How many of you know a Barnabas?
I have had a number of Barnabas’ in my life … but do you know what I have realized over the years … you usually never get more than one REAL Barnabas at a time … have you noticed that?
Of course, there are people that really push you, but then there are others who propel you!
In the early part of my life … my mother was my Barnabas … always propelling me … always encouraging me … she always said, “Todd, you can be anything God wants you to be!”
In my teens I began to cry out for a father figure … but as you know my parents where divorced when I was about 2 years old … so I found my Barnabas in my youth pastor – John Sotero … In fact, I remember one time when he took me to work out with him, and the next day he wrote me a note to tell me how much that meant to him … for the next 9 years he was my Barnabas!
And then in Bible College and my first few months of ministry … It was Dr. Opal Reddin … she kept encouraging me and pushing me to get closer to the Lord … to know Him and make Him known!
Wow … and then things took a nose dive … I found myself in a church where board members would swear at me and get in fist fight with each other … It was then that I meant Pat Hilkey … he was a local pastor who believed in me and encouraged me … without this Barnabas I was about to quit the ministry.
And in my last church … we had pastor problems … board problems … financial problems … you name it we had it. I thought that was it. I endured 4 ½ years of pure hypocrisy in leaders around me, but my brother Scott Bishop became my biggest Barnabas … he was always there … he knew what to say and when to say it. I am not even sure today how much he knows that meant to me … he was a REAL Barnabas in my life!
And now today, I have one of the greatest Barnabas’ in Mary, my awesome wife. She is my biggest source of encouragement ever … she supports my dreams and God’s plans for me … WHY? Because I support her dreams and God’s plans for her! When I leave a youth meeting discouraged … she lifts me up! When I feel like a failure (which there are times when I do) … she reminds me of what God thinks about me!
The truth is that we all need a Barnabas in our life … whether we admit it or not!
Some of us may be thinking: “Me and God – that’s all I need.”
God doesn’t even buy that one … Genesis 2:18 … “It is not good for man to be alone.” Adam had God … but even God realized that we NEED someone in our lives to encourage and motivate us!!!
Barnabas was that person to Saul … you see, reality is this … if Barnabas never stood behind Saul you would probably never had a Paul!
When no one stood behind Saul … there was Barnabas!
When no one believed Saul … Barnabas did!
THE BACKBONE OF BARNABAS was that he was an ENCOURAGER!!!
Most of you would probably identify with this: “Life is sometimes pretty discouraging.”
Friend, it is even more discouraging when you are alone in the discouraging times of your life!!!
You see, I would not have survived certain things in my, if God had not sent me a BARNABAS!
And Paul would probably not have become the greatest preacher of the NT without the encouraging words of BARNABAS in the early part of his life with Christ!
Several years ago a teacher assigned to visit children in a large city hospital received a routine call requesting that she visit a particular child. She took the boy’s name and room number and was told by the teacher on the other end of the line, "We’re studying nouns and adverbs in his class now. I’d be grateful if you could help him with his homework so he doesn’t fall behind the others." It wasn’t until the visiting teacher got outside the boy’s room that she realized it was located in the hospital’s burn unit. No one had prepared her to find a young boy horribly burned and in great pain. She felt that she couldn’t just turn and walk out, so she awkwardly stammered, "I’m the hospital teacher, and your teacher sent me to help you with nouns and adverbs."
The next morning a nurse on the burn unit asked her, "What did you do to that boy?" Before she could finish a profusion of apologies, the nurse interrupted her: "You don’t understand. We’ve been very worried about him, but ever since you were here yesterday, his whole attitude has changed. He’s fighting back, responding to treatment--.It’s as though he’s decided to live." The boy later explained that he had completely given up hope until he saw that teacher. It all changed when he came to a simple realization. With joyful tears he expressed it this way: "They wouldn’t send a teacher to work on nouns and adverbs with a dying boy, would they?"
Oh young person, I cannot make this plea strong enough – WE NEED SOME BARNABAS’ IN OUR STUDENT MINISTRY!
Barnabas’ that will say, “Hello.” to someone! Barnabas’ that will actually talk to a visitor! Barnabas’ that will find the positive in someone’s life. Barnabas’ that will come alongside someone that everyone else has abandoned!
You see, the BACKBONE OF BARNABAS was his ability to ENCOURAGE!
The BACKBONE of this student ministry must be one that ENCOURAGES each other!
I know that in this room 99-100% of you truly love Jesus Christ … I want to affirm you tonight … I am happy with how much you guys worship the Lord … I am excited about how many of you show up at an outreach/evangelism night … I am thrilled with how well you do when I am not here … I am excited to hear great testimonies about what God is doing in your life!
YOU GUYS ARE ABSOLUTELY AWESOME! I LOVE YOU GUYS!
I am so tired of coming to church and leaving FEELING BEAT UP! Anyone else with me?
I know that there are times when we should recognize our sins and repent before a holy God … but when that is done we ought to be a little happy. Why? Because Christ has already forgiven us … c’mon now … I am preaching way better then you are shouting tonight!!!
I really, honestly believe what I am about to say … “This is a special youth group. I know that this is the best youth group on Long Island. No, things may not always be the way you want them, but we are getting there.”
You know one of the greatest testimonies about our youth group is … “we are some of the friendliest young people.”
You know another one of the greatest testimonies about our youth group is … “we truly love God.”
So, tonight I want to give you the 4 WAYS THAT YOU CAN BECOME A BARNABAS TO SOMEONE …
BE PATIENT – DON’T SEEK FOR PERFECTION IN RELATIONSHIPS
So often we look for the “perfect” friends … we look for those who are going to support us when we are down, but what about those who need our support!
Proverbs 16:32 says, ”It is better to be patient than a warrior.”
I Corinthians 13:4 reads, “Love is patient.”
As a matter of fact, in all of I Corinthians 13 it never says that LOVE IS PERFECT, BUT IS DOES SAY LOVE WILL OUTLAST FAITH AND HOPE!!!
Be patient with each other!
If everyone sought for a “perfect” friend we would all end up pretty lonely – because there are NO perfect people!
"If you have made mistakes, even serious ones, there is always another chance for you. What we call failure is not the falling down, but the staying down." — Mary Pickford, 20th-century American actress
Find friends and people that you can become an encourager to – a BARNABAS!!!
I Peter 4:8 declares, “Most important of all, continue to show deep love for each other for love covers a multitude of sins.”
A REAL Barnabas is a patient encourager!!!
BE POSITIVE – DON’T FOCUS ON SOMEONE’S WEAKNESSES
Ephesians 4:2 reads, “Be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each others faults because of your love.”
Try with all your might to look at the good things in someone’s life.
In all honesty tonight we can easily admit that we all have weaknesses … or struggles that we deal with that some see and others do not!
Don’t focus on someone’s weakness – that’s hypocrisy!
Don’t focus on someone’s sin – that’s pride!
Focus on what Christ IS doing in their life – that’s BARNABAS!
You see, Barnabas could have been like many of the disciples at first … he could have focused on that Paul killed more Christians than any other person … he could have allowed himself to think that Paul was trying to trick his way into the Christian camp … but he did NOT – Barnabas saw positive in Paul!
Young person, in a world of negativism and sarcasm LOOK FOR THE POSITIVE IN PEOPLE – it is there!
SIDE NOTE: Look for the positive in our youth ministry – don’t focus on what you do not like – try to see the good we are attempting to do!
A REAL Barnabas is a positive encourager!
BE PERSISTENT – DON’T STOP ENCOURAGING SOMEONE
Hebrews 10:25 says, “… encourage and warn each other, especially now that the day of his coming back again is drawing near.”
It’s good to be encouraged once, but it is even better when it happens the next time and the next time!
I feel good when I get encouraged repeatedly … it is like one major adrenaline rush!
I love getting encouraging emails … I got one today from Leah Cielo … it literally made my day, but just because you did it once doesn’t mean you shouldn’t do it again!
If you look into the life of Barnabas … you will see that he was Paul’s biggest encourager for a number of years … now I know that Paul and Barnabas had a HUGE fallout in the end over the issue of circumcision, but we can still learn a lot from Barnabas!
Everyday is filled with NEW challenges … new problems … but with a little encouragement the challenges and problems do not seem as large!
If God lays someone on your heart to encourage them … don’t do it just once … do it repeatedly!
I Thessalonians 5:11 reads, “So encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing.”
A REAL Barnabas is a persistent encourager!
SEE POTENTIAL – DON’T FOCUS ON WHO THEY ARE,
BUT WHAT THEY CAN BECOME
When Barnabas first met Saul … he could have looked at his baggage … his past, but he chose to look at the potential!
Young person, we must look at the potential in others lives!
What did Christ see when He looked at the Cross? He did not see the sin (yes, it was there), but more than that he saw the potential of saving humanity from Hell!
What did Christ see as the nails where being pounded into His hands and feet? He saw the potential of YOU and I being saved from eternity without Him – that is Hell!!!
Friend, when we look at the people in our circle of influence … try to focus on what they can become!
There is potential in everyone in this room to do something for God … I see potential … not because I am anything great … but because I am looking forward to what EACH of you CAN and WILL become!!!
Paul had Barnabas for a number of years as his encourager, but Barnabas sought to encourage someone else … God led Barnabas to another underdog named John Mark …
In Acts 15 we read of the disagreement of Paul and Barnabas about taking John Mark on a trip … Paul remembered that this was the one who deserted them … Barnabas saw John Mark’s potential …
Barnabas was now called to encourage John Mark … years later … after Barnabas had poured his life into John Mark … Paul now sees his potential and writes in 2 Timothy 4:11 – “Bring Mark with you when you come, for he will be helpful to me.”
Paul failed to see the potential of John Mark!
A REAL Barnabas encourages because he see the potential!
CONCLUSION
The simple invitation tonight is this … GOD HAS CALLED YOU TO ENCOURAGE SOMEONE!
I would like everyone to find one other person and tell them something positive about their life … and then vica versa!
The BACKBONE of this student ministry must be one like BARNABAS!!!
