Heroes of Faith: Barnabas

A lot of people that you will meet, maybe even you. In those times we need people to walk alongside us. 

It’s so easy to be negative. I can recall my music teacher at school discouraging me against playing guitar because she said I had no talent for it. So I didn't learn. 

All too often we are surrounded by voices that say, “It cannot be done…” but my friends we have a God who proclaims not only can it be done, but it can be done beyond what we ask or possibly imagine. 

Encouragers are people who see Gods potential in you and remind you of it.

Encouragers encourage in three ways: word, act and being examples.

Today we meet a man who epitomises encouragement. His nick name means, encouragement. The man was Barnabas. 

Acts 4:36-37: 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.

Joseph was his given name. However, the apostles gave him the name, Barnabas. He became known because of his dominant trait - son of encouragement. One who walks alongside.

I want you to see two character traits in Joseph. These are the traits that won him the nickname of Barnabas.

1. He was Sacrificially Generous

In the text in Acts 4 we are told that Barnabas sold a parcel of land and donated the proceeds to meet the needs of the poor. He did this because of his faith in Jesus Christ.

In fact so impactful was his example that in the very next verses in Acts 5 we see Ananias and Saphira trying to emulate him, but not wholeheartedly. They try and withhold some of the blessing in the their lives that was intended for others. They lost everything in the end (Acts 5: 1-11).

One of the hallmarks of an encourager is that they will model it, and modelling it means not withholding the blessing they have been given for others by keeping it for themselves.

They are sacrificial. It costs an encourager to give this kind of encouragement. 

If we released the blessing that God has given us for others He will bless us with more (Matthew 25:29).

If we released the blessing we will not be placing church leaders under pressure that leads them to financial agreements when trying to raise funds for the church.

Funny story: 

A pentecostal pastor received a phone call from a woman wanting to arrange a funeral for her beloved dog. She said, “I’ve called several churches, and none of the churches will do a funeral for my dog. Every church I called laughed at my request." 

The pentecostal preacher said, "I am curious as to why you want this done." 

She said, "Well, I just loved that dog and I want a funeral for him.”

The preacher said, “that’s nice but we don’t do pet funerals.”

She then said, “I loved him, I’d be willing to give £10,000 to any church who would hold the funeral." "Oh," said the preacher, “why didn’t you tell me your dog was a pentecostal?”

Often our first thoughts are not about being generous. Being financially generous flies against the culture. We want to know what is in it for us. 

The payback for us may be tangible or intangible. Often it is merely the joy in knowing we are making a difference to someone’e life or to the mission of the church.

God loves a cheerful giver. Giving is no joke though. Giving starts in the heart:

2 Corinthians 9:6-11:  Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 9 As it is written: “They have freely scattered their gifts to the poor; their righteousness endures forever.” 10 Now he who supplies seed to the sower and bread for food will also supply and increase your store of seed and will enlarge the harvest of your righteousness. 11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

The word translated here as “cheerful” is the Greek word ἱλαρός (hilaros). You might recognise the word. It is from this that we derive our English word “hilarious.” We might therefore think, for example, that tithing shouldn't just be joyous, it should be “hilarious.” The problem with this view is that English word hilarious, though it may be derived from the Greek, still carries a different meaning to the modern hearer than it did for the original audience.

Strong (word # 2430) defines the word simply as “joyous, cheerful, not grudging.” HELPS Word Studies expounds on this a little: “properly, propitious; disposed because satisfied – describing someone who is cheerfully ready to act because already approving ("already persuaded"). 

hilarós ("won over, already inclined") is only used in 

2 Cor 9:7 where it describes spontaneously non-reluctant giving.

Giving - but being generous - is a form of worship. Everything we have is given to us by God (John 1:16). When we give, we give back a portion of what God has given to us. We should want to do this. 

It should be done with a glad heart and not begrudgingly. 

Barnabas was known for his generosity.

2. He was Sacrificially Gracious

Barnabas hung around with people the rest of the church didn't really want to know. He stood besides people when they needed a friend and a mentor. Sometimes this would have put his own reputation at risk.

The first time is at the conversion of the apostle Paul. Paul, as many of you know, was the chief enemy of the church before his conversion. He had persecuted many believers because of their faith. When he accepted Christ there were many who were skeptical of his conversion. Barnabas stood up for him. 

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 stood beside him when he needed a friend.

Another time when Barnabas displayed this quality was with a young man named John Mark.

John Mark had started off well in the Christian life. He was growing. He was going on mission trips. He was supporting his spiritual leaders. Then, for unknown reasons, he let the team down: 

Acts 15:36-41: Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, “Let us go back and visit the believers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.” 37 Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, 38 but 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. 39 They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, 40 but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the believers to the grace of the Lord. 41 He went through Syria and Cilicia, strengthening the churches.

He had been with Paul and Barnabas on a missionary journey and turned back. We do not know what happened. He may have gotten home sick. He may have gotten tired of the trials of travel.

He may have experienced doubts. 

Later on he changed his mind and decided to make another missionary journey. Paul did not want to take him. Paul was apprehensive. Not Barnabas! He was willing to give Mark a second chance. This disagreement caused a short term separation between Paul and Barnabas, who had been missionary companions.

Here’s an interesting thing to note: someone who is predisposed to encouraging does not always say what you want to hear: Barnabas told Paul he was wrong.

We have sappy, soppy notion of encouragement. We we think it means we will always have agreement, always be in unity, always be agreeable. Sometimes to show encouragement to one person is to show disagreement to another.

Note another thing here too: Barnabas had encouraged Paul but now Paul, who had been on other receiving end of the encouragement, does not want to show the same love and encouragement to someone else.

To be encouraged you have to receive it. To be an encourager, you have to give it.

At some point Paul must have learnt this simple lesson for later he calls for Mark to join him again in ministry (2 Timothy 4:11)

See the Godliness-potential in those around you and encourage them. 

1 Thessalonians 5:11: Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

Encouragers strengthen those around them. They build them up. They spur them on. 

Recently Barbie started doing park runs. She dragged me along with her after a few weeks. We are not the fastest. To keep moving you have to keep going a bit faster each week. Now we are so far at the back that we have purchased ourselves Park Run tops so that the organisers knows we are actually part of the event. Every time we pass a steward, they shout at us. Now that’s not nice right? We don’t think that’s kind. But they are shouting, “Good running! Keep going! You can do it! Not far to go!” So we pick up the pace.

But that’s not even the biblical view of encouragement. 

The root of Joseph’s nick name: Luke, who wrote Acts, writes that the apostles gave Barnabas his nickname and explains it to mean Son Of Encouragement (Acts 4:36), which is not a linear translation but rather a paraphrase. The word that Luke uses is παρακλησις (paraklesis), which describes the act of calling people closer together, onto closer intimacy and stronger comfort. It comes from the verb παρακλεω (parakaleo), which in turn is a construct of the words παρα (para), which expresses the notion of immediate vicinity or proximity, and the verb καλεω (kaleo), meaning to call. (http://www.abarim-publications.com/Meaning/Barnabas.html#.Wgndt7acbJw0)

Simply put, Barnabas was one who’d walk beside you when you needed it most. 

Wrapping this up:

Walk closer to those around you. 

Let them see how you live and be an example to them. 

Live generously with your time and money. Don’t withhold the blessing within you that is for someone else.