Barnabas – Encourager Extraordinaire
Slide
Last week we began a new series called from Ordinary to extraordinary. We saw how God took someone who was no leader at all and used him to lead a great victory that God orchestrated.
Now God is not going to make everyone into such a leader, because after all if everyone was a leader like that, who would follow, but I do believe we are all called to be leaders in some capacity, perhaps not leading hundreds or thousands, but
by being a leader in our families,
by being a leader in setting an example,
by being a leader in using our gifts.
The man I want to talk about today was such a leader.
He was not a leader so much in leading an army or any type of organization, but he was an ordinary person who used the gifts God gave him and it had extraordinary effects.
This man’s name is Joseph and he was a Levite from Cyprus.
Joseph? If you are not sure you know who Joseph is, you may know him better by the nickname they used to call him, Barnabas.
Slide
We are first introduced to Barnabas in
Acts 4:36-37 (p. 773)
We are going to looking at Barnabas throughout the book of Acts as we trace his life and the use of his gifts and talk about the effects he had on others and the effects he had upon the kingdom of God by the use of his gifts.
So let’s read
Acts 4:36
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement),
Here we find that the name, Barnabas, means Son of encouragement.
We see in several places that people where often known as the son of their father.
We see that Peter, before his name was changed was known as Simon son of Jonah (Matthew 16:17) (in the KJV it is Simon barjonah).
It was a way to indicate better who a person was.
For Joseph from Cyprus, whose son he was not a fact that distinguished him from other Josephs, it was the fact that he was such an encouragement.
Can you imagine if we were all known by a prominent character trait instead of our name?
Would it be positive or negative?
Remember, it is others who are giving this name.
I am sure that some of us could think of people that might be known as
Bar whiner or
Bar complainer
Bar negative attitude
Maybe some would be known as a
Son of Gossip or
Son of a liar
I am sure that not everyone would be known by a negative character trait.
I am sure there are some that you can think of that have such a strong spiritual gift in their life that they might be known in accordance with it
Maybe you can see someone who has a strong spiritual gift of giving that they would be known as
Son of Generosity or
Son of mercy or
Son of Servant because they are such great servants
Some may even be known like Joseph from Cypress, as Barnabas, Son of encouragement.
Ok, so what?
We all have a spiritual gift. We all use our gift, but I don’t see anything extraordinary happening through me.
What is so extraordinary about using a spiritual gift?
Well, it could be nothing if we don’t really use it and exercise it.
It is like a muscle.
We all have muscles, but if we don’t exercise it, our muscles become so weak that we, as well as others, may wonder if we have any muscles at all.
The same is true for spiritual gifts. If we don’t use them and exercise them, nothing extraordinary at all will happen through us.
But when we use what God has given us to the utmost, as Barnabas did, then we can truly have extraordinary eternal effects.
What extraordinary effects did Barnabas have?
I want to propose that without Barnabas, we would not have over half of the New Testament.
How can I say that?
It is because Barnabas used his gift of encouragement that
Paul was able to become the person he was and write 13 books of the New Testament and
it was because of his encouragement that
John Mark became useful to Paul and Peter and the Lord and was able to give us the gospel of Mark.
He encouraged both of these men and was there for them when no one else was.
So this morning, I want to take a look at Barnabas and see some of the characteristic traits of this man and how those characteristic traits helped him use his gifts and can help us use our gift in an extraordinary way.
The first character trait we see in Barnabas, from the Scripture we read in Acts 4, was that
Barnabas was a man of Sacrifice
Slide
Acts 4:36-37
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
It is impossible to be used in extraordinary ways without being a person of sacrifice.
No person who is self-seeking or is full of selfish ambition, will be used by God in an extraordinary way.
Extraordinary things may happen to them, but it will not be positive.
Right after we learn about Barnabas, we read about Annanias and Sapphira.
They too brought money to the Apostles, but they lied about it because they were not people of sacrifice but people of pride and selfishness.
Something extraordinary happened to them, they were killed for lying to the Holy Spirit, but nothing extraordinary happened through them.
I am not saying that the Lord is going to do that to you if you are not Sacrificial, but I am saying that without being sacrificial in spirit, you will not be used to do positive and extraordinary things.
Are you a person of sacrifice?
Maybe you aren’t.
Maybe your history is one of being somewhat selfish and non sacrificial.
You can overcome that if you believe that by sacrificing, God can be glorified.
How?
Just start being sacrificial.
Ask the Lord for strength to sacrifice and ask for the help to focus on how your sacrifice can benefit the Kingdom and experience the grace of being such a giving person.
You may end up being like the Macedonian church that Paul writes about in 2 Corinthians.
2 Corinthians 8:1-7
1 And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints. 5 And they did not do as we expected, but they gave themselves first to the Lord and then to us in keeping with God’s will… 7 But just as you excel in everything-in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in your love for us-see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
They started giving and couldn’t stop themselves and experienced incredible joy and grace.
Just start. Take some small step of sacrifice.
It is as we sacrifice for others that we experience the joy that is found in doing it and perhaps, but not always, begin to see the effects on the kingdom of God.
Barnabas, I believe saw some of the effects in the effectiveness of Paul in his ministry with people and many people coming to Christ because of his work, but I don’t believe he saw the fullness of how Paul’s writings under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit have impacted the eternities of so many people over the past 2000 years.
So, ask yourself, could you be described as sacrificial?
If so, continue on and God will continue to use you in even greater ways.
If not, then start sacrificing where you see opportunities.
Sacrifice money to help others in need.
Sacrifice time to serve others.
Be sacrificial and begin to experience the joy and grace that comes with it.
A second characteristic that we see is
Barnabas was Slow to Judge
Slide
After Paul was converted on the Road to Damascus the other Apostles were a bit reluctant to meet with Paul because of a few incidents in his past that did not really seem to benefit believers very much.
You see Paul had been persecuting the church, taking Christians and having them thrown in jail and standing by and giving his approval even when Christians were killed (Stephen – Acts 8:1).
You can see why they were not throwing the doors wide open and welcoming him in. They did not know if he was lying and perhaps this was just a trick to capture them?
But in comes Barnabas.
Acts 9:26-27 (p.778)
26 When he (Paul) 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.
Barnabas was slow to judge Paul and hold his past against Him.
He did not withhold using his gift of encouragement from Paul because of His past actions by judging him now for those actions.
We see this also with John Mark.
Mark had accompanied Barnabas and Paul on a missionary journey but deserted them (Acts 13:13; 15:37-39). Barnabas wanted to give him another chance, but Paul said no. Barnabas and Paul ended up going their separate ways, and Barnabas took Mark with him.
Because of Barnabas’ encouragement and willingness to be slow to judge and to give Mark a second chance, Mark became a useful tool in the hands of the Lord.
He wrote the gospel of Mark, which are the things that Peter was preaching as he went around and Mark accompanied him.
Mark also became useful to Paul later on as well.
We see in 2 Timothy 4:11 that Paul tells Timothy to “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” 2 Timothy 4:11
Application
Are you quick to judge others or slow to judge them?
Are you willing to give someone another chance after they may have failed you?
When someone who in the past has wronged you and they approach you and want to communicate are you quick to judge their motives?
When you believe that someone has wronged someone you care about, are you one to withhold the use of your gifts or talents for their benefit if they show repentance or do you question their motive as to why they are saying what they are?
James tells us that we “should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry” (James 1:19)
Be slow to judge like Barnabas and allow your gifts to be used to the utmost.
God can use even the most unlikely people to accomplish His will and perhaps God will be using you in their life.
A third characteristic is that
Barnabas was a Spiritual Influence
Slide
Barnabas just didn’t go around sacrificing and being slow to judge others and encouraging them just to be nice; he did all of these things to be a spiritual influence in their lives.
Turn over a page to
Acts 11:19-24 (p. 780)
19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
22 News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
Barnabas influenced these new believers in their spiritual walk and because he used his gift of encouragement, the Lord blessed Him and “a great number of people were brought to the Lord.”
This is another way that Barnabas was used in extraordinary ways by God.
He was able to have a hand in affecting the eternities of countless individuals by using the gifts God gave him.
Are you using your gifts to help others grow in the Lord or come to the Lord?
Are you using your gifts to be a spiritual influence on the lives of others?
Edward Kimball
There was a young Sunday School teacher once named Edward Kimball. He was somewhat timid, but he desired to be obedient to the Lord. He had a heart for evangelism.
He had a young man of about 18 in one of his classes once. This boy was not the brightest in the class but Edward sensed that he really needed the gospel.
He went to his place of business, where this man was selling shoes and shared the gospel with him. He received Christ and Dwight L. Moody would later be a Sunday school teacher himself, and go onto give his life to full time ministry becoming whom some have said was the greatest evangelist of the 19th Century.
A timid teacher spiritually influenced a young man who would later spiritually influence thousands of souls.
Are you using your gifts to be a spiritual influence?
If you have the gift of hospitality, are you using that for ministering to the body of Christ or by opening up your home for Bible study or in having events that will connect believers and unbelievers OR are you just having social gatherings and making people feel welcome?
If you have the gift of leadership, are you using your gifts to help lead in the church and lead ministries or events that will help believers grow or reach out to unbelievers? Or are you just using your gifts of leadership in your job to make money for yours and your families benefit?
If you have the gift of teaching, are you using that to help teach others God’s truth or teach them why it is important to know God in a saving way and to know His word? OR are you just using your gift to teach in the schools to earn a living?
None of these things is particularly wrong, but if you are not using your gifts to spiritually influence others, you will never experience God doing extraordinary things through you unless you spiritually influence others with your gifts.
The job may seem overwhelming. There are so many who need to be influenced, to be disciple, to be ministered to. Where do we start?
Start right where you are at.
Start with the person that God has placed right in front of you.
You aren’t responsible to do it all. But you are responsible to do what you can do. Sometimes it may seem what we do doesn’t have an impact at all on the world around us.
But for Edward Kimball, that one small act of obeying the Lord to lead D.L. Moody to Christ had extraordinary eternal effects for thousands of people and continues to affect the lives of people today through Moody Bible Institute, WMBI, Moody Publishers, as well as the church that bears his name.
Use your gift to spiritually influence that person whom God has placed in front of you and God will do extraordinary things through you.
The last characteristic that we see is that
Barnabas worked for the Success of others
Slide
He was unselfish.
Look with me at
Acts 11:25-26
25 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.
Barnabas could have hogged the leadership of these people, exalted himself.
Look at what I have done.
But He didn’t. He recognized Paul as a gifted leader and evangelist and went and found him and God used Paul beyond even Barnabas in leading and reaching people.
Application
Are you willing to work for the success of others or are you only willing to work for the success of yourself.
The reality is that Barnabas recognized that the most important thing was people
coming to faith and
growing in their faith.
That was far more important than who got the credit for it.
Philippians 2:3-4
3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. 4 Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.
This was Barnabas’ attitude
We see this attitude in John the Baptist as well.
When John’s disciples were starting to feel that Jesus was becoming bigger than John in his ministry, John’s response was
John 3:30 - He must become greater; I must become less.
Are you willing to work for the success of others so that the result is more people coming to Christ and growing in their faith?
All of these Character traits that Barnabas possessed, you also can have.
Being sacrificial,
being slow to judge,
desiring to be a spiritual influence on others and
working for the success of others
are not spiritual gifts, but are traits that each one of us can have.
The thing is though to have them we must start doing them.
God is not going to give you the desire to sacrificial or unselfish, apart from you acting on that because you believe it is the right thing.
As you do that though, you will begin to see the fruit of those actions through the use of your spiritual gifts.
That is when you might begin to see some of the extraordinary effects that God will perform through your use of your spiritual gift.
But listen. You may never see those extraordinary effects.
Barnabas did not see the fullness of that.
William Kimball did not see the fullness of the effects of leading Moody to Christ.
But I guarantee that they see the fullness of the extraordinary effects of using their gifts now.
To be able to approach the throne of Grace and to see Jesus and to hear the most amazing words that you will ever hear,
Matthew 25:21
’Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’
Come and share in your master’s happiness.
Today, I want you to be encouraged to use the gifts, the talents, the abilities that God has given you, and that by God’s grace, you can use in a way that the Lord will share those words with you.
We are going to pray and then we are going to close in singing
“Your Grace is Enough”
And there is a line in that song that reads
“You use the weak to lead the strong”
Let’s make that our prayer.
God use us who are weak to do extraordinary things in this world to lead those who think they are strong in themselves to know their weakness and trust in you.
Let’s pray
