“Barnabas- a Giver”
Acts 13:1-3, 14:1-7
Heroes of the New Testament Series- 10/12/08
Introduction: What is the biggest gift you have ever given? If you would count it as a gift, for me it was the wedding ring I gave to my wife. But that is nothing compared to what Barnabas did. This week in our “Heroes of the New Testament” series, we look at the life of Barnabas. Now Barnabas is probably the least known of the “heroes” I am looking at, so it will be interesting to learn more about him. And one of the amazing aspects of Barnabas is the gift that he gave. We read about it in Acts 4:36-37, “Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.” Could you imagine selling a field, and giving all of that money to the church? It is not uncommon. Both this year and last year we have received gifts from members who have died and given generously from their estate. But it is a little different while you are still alive. Let’s look at why Barnabas did this, and some other aspects that made Barnabas a hero.
I. Barnabas- a Giver- (Acts 4:32-37)
a. The spirit of giving- After the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy
Spirit comes and fills God’s people, there is a boldness from them to talk about the love of Jesus. But something more happens, and that is the followers of Jesus start to live out this love; I mean, really live it out. There is a change in their thinking and behavior. Listen to Acts 4:32-35, “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.” Here we see that the believer’s were “one in heart and mind.” This oneness is carried out into action by selling their possessions and sharing the resources with each other. Because of this, “there were no needy persons among them.”
This is a remarkable statement. Much of the problems in the world comes from the greed that we let control us. It starts with the concept of ownership, and continues with the desire to control what we have, and the fear of us not having enough. Because of this, we let our money and our possessions control us, instead of our controlling them. Barnabas was one who gave over to God his desire to control what he owned, and he became a giver himself.
b. The Ultimate Gift- There is a wonderful movie, that I highly
recommend you watch if you have not already, and it is called “The Ultimate Gift.” This movie is about a young man named Jason Stevens, the spoiled grandson of a deceased billionaire who shows up at the reading of the will expecting that he will get a lot of money left to him by his grandfather. These expectations are put off while he is led through several tasks designed to make him a better person. Along the way, he meets and befriends a young girl named Emily who is dying of cancer. Through these tasks, and his relationship with Emily, he learns about 12 different gifts…1. Gift of work; 2. Gift of money; 3. Gift of friends; 4. Gift of learning; 5. Gift of problems; 6. Gift of family; 7. Gift of laughter; 8. Gift of dreams; 9. Gift of giving; 10. Gift of gratitude; 11. Gift of a day; and 12. Gift of love. [show clip]
These are wonderful gifts that we all need to learn. For a reminder of these gifts, you can find them listed in the outline. There is so much that God has for us to learn in life, but the ultimate gift is the gift of love, and the gift of love is best given when we give of ourselves to others. This is what Jesus did, and this is what Barnabas understood that as a follower of Christ he needed to do.
II. Barnabas- a Leader- (Acts 9:26-28, 11:26, 15:36-40; 2 Timothy 4:11)
But Barnabas was more than a giver, he was a leader as well.
a. Leading through encouragement- Acts 9:26-28, “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. 27But 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. 28So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.” It is understandable that the disciples were afraid of Saul; he was the one who persecuted and killed Christians, he was the one who was a Pharisee and had great power, he was the one who was on his way to Damascus to continue this behavior. Barnabas was the one who was able to get the disciples to accept Saul’s conversion as real.
Remember before I talked about Barnabas’ nickname being “son of encouragement.” This support Barnabas gave to Saul must have been very encouraging for him. Barnabas not only helped the disciples to believe in Saul’s conversion and call, but this action by Barnabas also gave Saul the ability to believe in himself as well. Because of this, we see Saul feeling the freedom to start his ministry, and we see him speaking boldly about Jesus. What a wonderful example Saul became because of Barnabas!
This was great leadership by Barnabas. Barnabas saw the need to step in and help the disciples to recognize God’s call on another. Barnabas led the disciples by helping them to understand that God can call even outsiders into the ministry.
We also see Barnabas’ leadership in his teaching and the trust he was given by the other leaders. In Acts 11:26 we see Barnabas teaching a large number of people in Antioch. And when there was a famine, it was Barnabas, along with Saul who was sent to provide a gift for the people. He was entrusted to carry this gift!
b. Leading through reconciliation- But another profound example
that Barnabas gives us about leadership, is how he and Saul, who became known as Paul, had a disagreement. This disagreement caused them to separate ways, and be at odds with each other! This was a major problem for the Christian church, because two of the more significant leaders were having problems with each other. This conflict could have caused great problems for the growth and future of the church.
We read about this in Acts 15:36-40, “Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.’ 37Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.” Did you notice the words used? There was a “sharp disagreement.” Paul wanted nothing to do with John Mark because he had disserted them in Pamphylia. Paul was having trouble forgiving John Mark for this act. Because Barnabas supported John Mark, they chose to separate from each other!
It is not good to see Christians in conflict with each other, much less Christian leaders. But conflict can and will happen. Later we see a change in perspective by Paul. 2 Timothy 4:11 says: “Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” Paul saw that he had misjudged John Mark, and that he later became helpful to Paul in ministry. This leads us to believe that Paul and Barnabas could have had a reconciling, and they definitely respected each other.
In the midst of this conflict, we see that Barnabas shows great leadership by his being willing to stand up for what he believed was right, by giving John Mark another chance. We should learn from this, and understand that when we give people second chances, God can use that to help them do great things for God!
III. Barnabas- a Prophet- (Acts 13:1, 14:1-7)
Thirdly, we see that Barnabas was a hero by being a prophet.
a. What is a prophet?- In the Old Testament another name for a
prophet was “seer.” They would receive a message from God about the future, and speak this message to the people. But it wasn’t just about the future, it was about speaking the truth of God. A true prophet of God was one who would be able to speak God’s truth in a way that would convict God’s people, and lead them to change; lead them to follow God more faithfully.
Some of the more well known prophets in the Old Testament were Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. The prophecy could come from God giving the prophets the words through His imparting this knowledge to them, or through a dream. But another way that God brought forth His prophecy was when King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, and no one could interpret it. So the king summoned Daniel to interpret it for him. God gave Daniel the ability to interpret this dream, and the dream was a prophetic word from God.
In the New Testament, the prophets were fewer, because much of what God needed His people to know came from Jesus’ presence here on the earth, or by the voice of an angel to one of God’s people. Acts 13:1 tells us: “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.” Barnabas is listed here as a prophet of God.
b. How is Barnabas a prophet?- In the New Testament it was
different. Prophets were wandering preachers who had given their lives over to listening to the Lord, and to the word of God and then taking that word to the people wherever the Lord led them. Ministers, who were also called teachers, were men whose duty it was to stay in the church and instruct converts in the faith.
It is quite evident that Barnabas was one who was set apart to be a prophet; to travel and proclaim God’s word to the people. We see this especially happening in Acts 14:1, “At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed.”
And yet, the prophet’s job was not easy, because leading people to Jesus meant that they were leading them out of some other teaching. This was not always well received, as we see in Acts 14:2-6a, where the Jews who did not believe poisoned the minds of many people, and divided the people in Iconium. Ultimately, they were so angry with Barnabas and Paul that they were going to stone them. But Barnabas and Paul found this out and were able to escape unharmed!
As a prophet, we see Barnabas committed to speaking the truth about God to all who would listen. Like Paul, who we talked about last week, we see Barnabas traveling to many places to make God’s work and word known to all.
This example should lead us to understand that we can at times speak a truth of God to others in a prophetic way. This truth may not always be well received, but it will plant a seed that God can bring to fruition!
Conclusion: Barnabas was a hero, because he was committed to God. We see this commitment in the ways he gave of his money and time. We see this in the ways that he encouraged and uplifted others. We see this in the ways that he led the church. We see this in the ways he was willing to speak the truth of God, even in the midst of adversity. You and I can be a hero like Barnabas. We can all be generous givers, both here in the church, and to others around us. As the saying goes: “See a need, meet a need.” We can all be encouragers. We can all help the church follow the calling God has for her. And we can all speak God’s truth. I hope you have gotten to know Barnabas a little better, and learned some important lessons as well. Amen.
Acts 13:1-3, 14:1-7
Heroes of the New Testament Series- 10/12/08
Introduction: What is the biggest gift you have ever given? If you would count it as a gift, for me it was the wedding ring I gave to my wife. But that is nothing compared to what Barnabas did. This week in our “Heroes of the New Testament” series, we look at the life of Barnabas. Now Barnabas is probably the least known of the “heroes” I am looking at, so it will be interesting to learn more about him. And one of the amazing aspects of Barnabas is the gift that he gave. We read about it in Acts 4:36-37, “Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), 37sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.” Could you imagine selling a field, and giving all of that money to the church? It is not uncommon. Both this year and last year we have received gifts from members who have died and given generously from their estate. But it is a little different while you are still alive. Let’s look at why Barnabas did this, and some other aspects that made Barnabas a hero.
I. Barnabas- a Giver- (Acts 4:32-37)
a. The spirit of giving- After the Day of Pentecost, when the Holy
Spirit comes and fills God’s people, there is a boldness from them to talk about the love of Jesus. But something more happens, and that is the followers of Jesus start to live out this love; I mean, really live it out. There is a change in their thinking and behavior. Listen to Acts 4:32-35, “All the believers were one in heart and mind. No one claimed that any of his possessions was his own, but they shared everything they had. 33With great power the apostles continued to testify to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and much grace was upon them all. 34There were no needy persons among them. For from time to time those who owned lands or houses sold them, brought the money from the sales 35and put it at the apostles' feet, and it was distributed to anyone as he had need.” Here we see that the believer’s were “one in heart and mind.” This oneness is carried out into action by selling their possessions and sharing the resources with each other. Because of this, “there were no needy persons among them.”
This is a remarkable statement. Much of the problems in the world comes from the greed that we let control us. It starts with the concept of ownership, and continues with the desire to control what we have, and the fear of us not having enough. Because of this, we let our money and our possessions control us, instead of our controlling them. Barnabas was one who gave over to God his desire to control what he owned, and he became a giver himself.
b. The Ultimate Gift- There is a wonderful movie, that I highly
recommend you watch if you have not already, and it is called “The Ultimate Gift.” This movie is about a young man named Jason Stevens, the spoiled grandson of a deceased billionaire who shows up at the reading of the will expecting that he will get a lot of money left to him by his grandfather. These expectations are put off while he is led through several tasks designed to make him a better person. Along the way, he meets and befriends a young girl named Emily who is dying of cancer. Through these tasks, and his relationship with Emily, he learns about 12 different gifts…1. Gift of work; 2. Gift of money; 3. Gift of friends; 4. Gift of learning; 5. Gift of problems; 6. Gift of family; 7. Gift of laughter; 8. Gift of dreams; 9. Gift of giving; 10. Gift of gratitude; 11. Gift of a day; and 12. Gift of love. [show clip]
These are wonderful gifts that we all need to learn. For a reminder of these gifts, you can find them listed in the outline. There is so much that God has for us to learn in life, but the ultimate gift is the gift of love, and the gift of love is best given when we give of ourselves to others. This is what Jesus did, and this is what Barnabas understood that as a follower of Christ he needed to do.
II. Barnabas- a Leader- (Acts 9:26-28, 11:26, 15:36-40; 2 Timothy 4:11)
But Barnabas was more than a giver, he was a leader as well.
a. Leading through encouragement- Acts 9:26-28, “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. 27But 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. 28So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.” It is understandable that the disciples were afraid of Saul; he was the one who persecuted and killed Christians, he was the one who was a Pharisee and had great power, he was the one who was on his way to Damascus to continue this behavior. Barnabas was the one who was able to get the disciples to accept Saul’s conversion as real.
Remember before I talked about Barnabas’ nickname being “son of encouragement.” This support Barnabas gave to Saul must have been very encouraging for him. Barnabas not only helped the disciples to believe in Saul’s conversion and call, but this action by Barnabas also gave Saul the ability to believe in himself as well. Because of this, we see Saul feeling the freedom to start his ministry, and we see him speaking boldly about Jesus. What a wonderful example Saul became because of Barnabas!
This was great leadership by Barnabas. Barnabas saw the need to step in and help the disciples to recognize God’s call on another. Barnabas led the disciples by helping them to understand that God can call even outsiders into the ministry.
We also see Barnabas’ leadership in his teaching and the trust he was given by the other leaders. In Acts 11:26 we see Barnabas teaching a large number of people in Antioch. And when there was a famine, it was Barnabas, along with Saul who was sent to provide a gift for the people. He was entrusted to carry this gift!
b. Leading through reconciliation- But another profound example
that Barnabas gives us about leadership, is how he and Saul, who became known as Paul, had a disagreement. This disagreement caused them to separate ways, and be at odds with each other! This was a major problem for the Christian church, because two of the more significant leaders were having problems with each other. This conflict could have caused great problems for the growth and future of the church.
We read about this in Acts 15:36-40, “Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, ‘Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.’ 37Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. 39They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord.” Did you notice the words used? There was a “sharp disagreement.” Paul wanted nothing to do with John Mark because he had disserted them in Pamphylia. Paul was having trouble forgiving John Mark for this act. Because Barnabas supported John Mark, they chose to separate from each other!
It is not good to see Christians in conflict with each other, much less Christian leaders. But conflict can and will happen. Later we see a change in perspective by Paul. 2 Timothy 4:11 says: “Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry.” Paul saw that he had misjudged John Mark, and that he later became helpful to Paul in ministry. This leads us to believe that Paul and Barnabas could have had a reconciling, and they definitely respected each other.
In the midst of this conflict, we see that Barnabas shows great leadership by his being willing to stand up for what he believed was right, by giving John Mark another chance. We should learn from this, and understand that when we give people second chances, God can use that to help them do great things for God!
III. Barnabas- a Prophet- (Acts 13:1, 14:1-7)
Thirdly, we see that Barnabas was a hero by being a prophet.
a. What is a prophet?- In the Old Testament another name for a
prophet was “seer.” They would receive a message from God about the future, and speak this message to the people. But it wasn’t just about the future, it was about speaking the truth of God. A true prophet of God was one who would be able to speak God’s truth in a way that would convict God’s people, and lead them to change; lead them to follow God more faithfully.
Some of the more well known prophets in the Old Testament were Isaiah, Jeremiah, Ezekiel, and Daniel. The prophecy could come from God giving the prophets the words through His imparting this knowledge to them, or through a dream. But another way that God brought forth His prophecy was when King Nebuchadnezzar had a dream, and no one could interpret it. So the king summoned Daniel to interpret it for him. God gave Daniel the ability to interpret this dream, and the dream was a prophetic word from God.
In the New Testament, the prophets were fewer, because much of what God needed His people to know came from Jesus’ presence here on the earth, or by the voice of an angel to one of God’s people. Acts 13:1 tells us: “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.” Barnabas is listed here as a prophet of God.
b. How is Barnabas a prophet?- In the New Testament it was
different. Prophets were wandering preachers who had given their lives over to listening to the Lord, and to the word of God and then taking that word to the people wherever the Lord led them. Ministers, who were also called teachers, were men whose duty it was to stay in the church and instruct converts in the faith.
It is quite evident that Barnabas was one who was set apart to be a prophet; to travel and proclaim God’s word to the people. We see this especially happening in Acts 14:1, “At Iconium Paul and Barnabas went as usual into the Jewish synagogue. There they spoke so effectively that a great number of Jews and Gentiles believed.”
And yet, the prophet’s job was not easy, because leading people to Jesus meant that they were leading them out of some other teaching. This was not always well received, as we see in Acts 14:2-6a, where the Jews who did not believe poisoned the minds of many people, and divided the people in Iconium. Ultimately, they were so angry with Barnabas and Paul that they were going to stone them. But Barnabas and Paul found this out and were able to escape unharmed!
As a prophet, we see Barnabas committed to speaking the truth about God to all who would listen. Like Paul, who we talked about last week, we see Barnabas traveling to many places to make God’s work and word known to all.
This example should lead us to understand that we can at times speak a truth of God to others in a prophetic way. This truth may not always be well received, but it will plant a seed that God can bring to fruition!
Conclusion: Barnabas was a hero, because he was committed to God. We see this commitment in the ways he gave of his money and time. We see this in the ways that he encouraged and uplifted others. We see this in the ways that he led the church. We see this in the ways he was willing to speak the truth of God, even in the midst of adversity. You and I can be a hero like Barnabas. We can all be generous givers, both here in the church, and to others around us. As the saying goes: “See a need, meet a need.” We can all be encouragers. We can all help the church follow the calling God has for her. And we can all speak God’s truth. I hope you have gotten to know Barnabas a little better, and learned some important lessons as well. Amen.
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