Be A Barnabas
Acts 9:19-30
Everyone needs a Barnabas. We all need someone to come along beside us and give us encouragement from time to time. We don’t need someone to come up to us and give us a litany of everything that is wrong with us. We need people to build us up and encourage us.
When I was in my first year of High School my Sunday School teacher was a student at Sterling College in Sterling, Kansas. He encouraged me to accept and live for Christ. He enrolled me in a topical scripture memory plan put out by the Navigators and kept in touch with me. He was a Barnabas to me.
The name “Barnabas” is equated with a people helper and encourager. We see the outstanding Christian characteristics of Barnabas in Acts 9:19b-30.
In the first part of Acts 9 Saul – Pre-Christian name, is confronted by the risen Christ and the glory of Christ’s presence blinds Saul. Saul is on his way from Jerusalem to Damascus to persecute Christ followers. His goal is to find as many Christ followers as possible and drag them off to jail. His encounter with the risen Christ changes his plans and life. His fellow travelers led Saul into Damascus where he stayed for three days and did not eat or drink anything.
In Damascus there was a disciple named Ananias. The Lord spoke to him and told him to go to the house where Saul was staying and ask for a man from Tarsus named Saul. He is praying and in a vision has seen a man named Ananias come and place his hands on him to restore his sight.
Ananias doubted the vision. Why should he go help a know Terrorist. It would be like sensing God telling you where Usamar Bin Laden is hiding and that he is praying and blind and you are to go and pray for him. How quick would you be to respond? You can trust a terrorist to be a terrorist.
A second time the Lord spoke and said to Ananias, “Go, I have chosen him to carry my name to the Gentiles.”
Ananias finally obeyed and went to the house and placed his hands on Saul and said: “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road as you were coming here, has sent me so that you may see again and be filled with the Holy Spirit. “Immediately, something like scales fell from Saul’s eyes, and he could see again. He got up and was baptized.” (Acts 9:18)
Saul was given spiritual sight and experienced the falling away of blinding pride, prejudice and hatred. His conversion was a turning point in the history of Christianity.
Saul spent several days with the disciples in Damascus preaching in the synagogues that Jesus is the Son of God. His preaching upset many Jews and they conspired to kill him so he was lowered over the wall at night and he escaped to Jerusalem.
In Jerusalem he tried to join in with the disciples there but they were afraid of him and wouldn’t believe his story. They wouldn’t believe that he had seen the risen Christ on the way to Damascus or that he was now a Christ follower.
He was shunned by the Jerusalem disciples. Have you ever felt rejected? Shunned? Being rejected is not for the light hearted.
The year was 1947 and the general manager of the Brooklyn Dodgers, Branch Rickey signed up a young man for the team at $600 a month and a bonus of $3,500. The young man was Jackie Robinson. He experienced his share of rejection when he set out to break the color barrier in the all-white domain of major league baseball.
Several team members petitioned against Robinson’s joining the team. As Jackie ran the bases opposing players tried to spike him. He received death threats. In spite of opposition Jackie Robinson won Rookie of the Year and led the Dodgers to the 1947 World Series. Jackie Robinson became the first black athlete introduced into the Cooperstown Hall of Fame.
Branch Rickey was a Barnabas to Jackie Robinson.
You may go through many different experiences when you need a Barnabas type person to give you encouragement especially when you hear some of the following comments:
“Sorry, but we chose someone else for the job.”
“We were hoping for someone a bit …uh, younger.”
“The degree is good, but your leadership skills are lacking.”
“The truth is, you’re not the son or daughter I hoped for.”
Barnabas was an encourager. Barnabas believed Saul’s story. He was convinced that Saul’s story was true. (Acts 9:27) “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.”
Barnabas is a model for all Christians. You are called to be a Barnabas.
We first learn about Barnabas in Acts 4:36 “Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet. Barnabas lived up to his name. He was an encourager.
God Calls all of us to be an Encourager.
Barnabas encouraged the early church. Barnabas saw Christ followers who were in need and he sold property to help meet the needs of people.
Last week at our Morgan Hill Bible study we discussed the story of the Good Samaritan. A Priest and a Levite both passed by a man that lay along the side of the road who had been robbed and beaten and left for dead. Both saw him but both passed by on the other side of the road. They had their religious duties to fulfill. They had no time to help a person in need. It was a Samaritan who saw the man in need and helped care for his need.
We talked about how hard it is to see the needs of people when we get so busy with all the activities in our personal life and family. In fact some of us have tried to help people in need and they really didn’t want our help. When it comes to helping people it is better to blunder than to falter.
#I know of one couple in Chicago, Jeff and Karen, who lived in a small town house for five years. They wanted to find a larger home and start a family, but they could not find a larger place in their price range. Plus the condo association required them to replace their garage door. Jeff was working on a consulting job, but it wouldn’t pay until the job was completed.
Finally the job was completed and they had enough money to replace the garage door and buy a larger house. But, Jeff felt they should also help a couple neighbors before they moved. They decided to purchase two additional garage doors for two neighbors. One had cancer; the other just had difficulty paying the bills each month. When they presented the funds to pay for the garage doors they also shared the Lord’s blessing in their lives.
The Bible proclaims a fundamental truth: “It is more blessed to give than to receive.” (Acts 20:35)
Barnabas encouraged Saul in Ministry
The risen Christ called Saul to serve him in ministry. Saul/Paul became a bi-vocational church planter. He supported his ministry by the development of his tent manufacturing company.
#A woman pastor encouraged my mother prepare for a ministry of teaching in public schools. For years my mother did washings and ironings and baby sat children for working parents. The pastor of the EUB church located across the street in Gypsum, KS encouraged my mother to go back to school and become a school teacher. My mother heeded her encouragement and began college at the age of 40 and started teaching school. Her first teaching job was in a rural school with all 8 grades. She taught for 22 years.
God calls every Christian to a life of service. Eph. 2:10 is a verse we learned during the “40 Days of Purpose.” “For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.” God has a plan and purpose for your life. When you surrender to His plan you experience blessings and a life of significance.
I Peter 4:10 – “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully, administering God’s grace in its various forms.” Knowing your SHAPE helps you to
S-piritual Gifts – spiritual gifts are given by the Lord and cannot be earned. Spiritual gifts are given for the benefit of others.
H-eart – what you care about and love to do. Another word for heart is passion. What are the things that you get passionate about and other things that bore you? Coupled to passion is enthusiasm and effectiveness.
A-bilities – all your abilities come from the Lord and use have the freedom to use them for your self glory or for the glory of God.
P-ersonality – some of us tend to be either task oriented or people oriented. God uses all personality types in His service.
E-xperiences – You have had family experiences, educational experiences, vocational experiences, spiritual experiences, ministry experiences and painful experiences. All your experiences help shape you for ministry.
The best way to minister is to get involved. Find out what you enjoy doing. If the ministry doesn’t fit try something else. No one should feel like they have a life sentence to serve in any given area. God doesn’t call you to live in constant frustration. To have the joy of the Lord you need to be involved in service that you find fulfilling and satisfying.
Think what might have happened in the early church if there wasn’t a Barnabas to cheer Saul on. You can look for those around you. Be a Barnabas to them – accept them, encourage them and help them find their place of ministry.
You can be an encourager by carrying out the admonition of Romans 12:21, “Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.” Zig Ziglar tells of an incident that illustrates this verse. In the days of the Berlin Wall, some East Berliners decided they were going to send their West Berlin adversaries a little “gift.” They loaded a dump truck with garbage, broken bricks, stones, and anything else with zero value. They gained clearance, drove the truck across the border, dumped it on the West Berlin side.
Needless to say, the West Berliners were incensed and intended to get even. They were going to pay them back. Fortunately, a wise man intervened and gave entirely different counsel. As a result, they responded and loaded a dump truck with food (which was scarce in East Berlin), clothing (which was also scarce), medical supplies (which was even scarcer), and a host of other essential items. They took the truck across the border, carefully unloaded it all, and left a sign that read, “Each gives according to his ability to give.”
When you do acts of kindness showing God’s love you make a statement that it is more “blessed to give than to receive.” It is often the little things that make an impact. When was the last time you said “Thank You” to someone who has encouraged you in the past?
Pastor William Steiger tells about attending a meeting when someone asked him to name some influential person in his life. He thought of a teacher who introduced him to the works of Tennyson. Someone in the group asked if he had ever thanked the teacher. Never having thanked her, the pastor wrote a letter to the school in hopes that they would know how to reach his former teacher. After some time he received a reply: “My deal Willie: I can’t tell you how much your note meant to me. I am in my eighties, living alone in a small room, cooking my own meals, lonely and like the last leaf of fall lingering behind. You’ll be interested to know that I taught school for fifty years, and yours is the first note of appreciation I ever received. It came on a blue, cold morning, and it cheered me as nothing has in many years.”
Think of someone who has influenced your life for the good and send them a note of thanks this week. Be an encourager.
As Christians we are called to work for the Lord because the night is coming when our work will be over. You might say, “I have no talents or skills.” Regardless of how small your talent or ability you can find a place to serve. Just as it takes all parts of the human body to function and be healthy. So it takes all kinds of gifts and abilities to keep a church healthy. Imagine if your liver decided to live for itself. “I’m tired! I’m taking a year off just to be fed. Let some other part take over.” Your body would die. Or you may say, I have no time so here is my money. The Lord wants and needs both – time and money. The Apostle Paul said in I Cor. 12:27 NLT: “All of you together are Christ’s body, and each one of you is a ….. necessary part of it.”
There are no insignificant ministries. Some may be more visible than others, but all are essential. Sometimes hidden ministries make the biggest difference! In your home the most important light isn’t the big chandelier in your dining room. No, it is the little nightlight that keeps you from subbing your toe on the way to the bathroom. There’s no correlation between size and significance. Every ministry matters, because we are dependent on each to function.
The Willow Vale Church is on the grow because of our many volunteers. Our Sunday school and church could not exist with volunteer help.
One of our Lay Volunteers came by a week ago as teachers were working on getting their rooms set up for school. The Volunteer asked: “Is there anything I can do to help get class rooms ready for school?” The person gave many hours volunteering to help.
Our volunteers feel it is a privilege to serve. One of our Christian Life teachers said to me a couple years ago: “I can’t believe I get to teach this class. Thank you for giving me the opportunity.”
Willow Vale volunteers don’t see ministry as a duty or drudgery, but as fun and fulfillment. The health and power of the church is the power of everyone, men and women, young and old offering their gifts to work for the Lord. The term “Just a Volunteer” has no place in our vocabulary.
Steve Sjogren pastor of a church in Cincinnati, Ohio – teams from the church go out every week doing acts of kindness in the community. He says, “We love, serve, and care for others because that is normal behavior for people who are filled with God’s Spirit. We can’t help but serve because the Spirit of the Servant has filled our hearts. When we serve, we are just being who we naturally are.”
In John 13 Jesus demonstrates servant-hood. Jesus and his disciples are gathering for dinner. The problem is that their foot-washer didn’t show up to wash the dust off their feet. The first disciple enters the room no foot washer. Will he remove his sandals and wash his own feet. He’s thinking, “No me. That’s not my job. I’m not a slave. I’m no foot washer.”
The second disciple enters the room and sees the first disciple with dirty feet and thinks, “If he’s not going to stoop to the level of foot washer neither am I.” All the disciples enter and do the same thing and walk past the water basin dirty feet and all.
The last person to enter the room is Jesus. He walks to the table and reclines. Maybe someone – at least one of his disciples – will take the initiative and wash the feet of the Master. No one moves.
Jesus gets up, walks to the water basin, picks up a town and assumes the role of a servant and washes the disciples’ feet. Look now at the disciples. See their anguish. “What’s the matter with me? How did I miss this? My whole world revolves around me. Why didn’t I take the opportunity and at least wash my Savior’s feet.
The Apostle Paul sums up the example Jesus left us in Philippians 2:3-8: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than your-selves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others. Your attitude should be the same as that of Christ Jesus: Who, being in the very nature of God, did not consider equality with God something to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the very nature of a servant, being made in human likeness. And being found in appearance as a man, he humbled himself and became obedient to death – even death on a cross.”
Jesus didn’t say serving Him would be like an easy walk in the park. But He did say it would be rewarding.
A volunteer told of his experience working in the inner city children’s ministry. He asked an eight-year-old boy if there were anything he could do for him. He punched the volunteer in the face. The volunteer said he felt like punching the boy back, but at that very moment God penetrated his heart with a compassion for hurting children that he never had before. That moment changed his life forever. That volunteer believes that the compassion of God enters our hearts when we make ourselves available for service.
John Gilbert grew up in Paradise, CA. When he was five years old he was diagnosed with Duchenne’s Muscular Dystrophy. He was told it would eventually destroy every muscle and in a decade or so, take his life. Every year John lost something, One year it was the ability to run. He couldn’t play sports with the other kids. Another year he could no longer walk.
One year he was named the ambassador, kind of the poster child, for muscular dystrophy in California. He flew to Sacramento and was ushered, with his mom, into the governor’s office for a private meeting. The governor took a large glass jar of candy and told John to dig in. John looked at his mother, who said it was okay to take one piece, but the governor said he was the governor and John should do what he wanted and so John stuffed his pockets.
That night the NFL sponsored a fundraising auction dinner at which John was a guest. Players let him hold their huge Super Bowl rings. When the auction began, one item especially caught his attention. It was a basketball that was signed by all the players of the Sacramento Kings NBA team. John got a little carried away, because when the basketball was being bid for, he raised his hand. As soon as it went up, his mom flagged it down with great force. Bidding on the basketball went to an astounding amount. Eventually one man named a figure that shocked the whole room. Nobody could match it. The guy went to the front and collected his prize, but instead of returning to his seat, the man walked across the room and placed the basketball in the small, thin hands of the boy who had admired it so intently. He put it in hands that would never dribble it down a court, never throw it to a teammate on a fast break, never fire it from a three-point range. What that happened the whole room just came undone. Every heart melted.
Have you bought a basketball for anybody lately? Have you done an act of kindness for someone with no strings attached?
As we celebrate Labor Day this week end. I challenge you to get involved in a ministry. The ministry could be service in the community, service in an agency sponsored by your company, service in our church or school. Be a Barnabas. Be a volunteer for Jesus. Be an encourager. Only time and eternity can measure the impact of your encouraging service.
