The impression of a life

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Acts 13:1-12


TO CHEW ON: "As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Spirit said, 'Now separate to Me Barnabas and Saul to the work to which I have called them.'" Acts 13:2

Some Bible characters are depicted in more glowing terms than others. Barnabas is one of those about which it's hard to find anything bad.

He first appeared early in Acts as one of the believers who sold his property and gave the money to the apostles. Perhaps it was this lightness of possessions that made it possible for him to play the prominent role he did in the early church. Here are some other things we discover about him as we follow him through the New Testament:

• His brand was encouragement.

Right from the outset he was known as an encourager with his real name Joses replaced by the nickname Barnabas - "Son of Encouragement" - Acts 4:36-37.

• He championed the cause of the outsider.

He brought Saul/Paul into the fellowship in Jerusalem when everyone else was afraid of him (Acts 9:27). Then he encouraged a Gentile church plant (Acts 11:22-24).

• He was trustworthy.

He was chosen by the Antioch church to courier an offering to famine-stricken believers in Judea (Acts 11:30).

• He was useful for the spread of the gospel.

In our reading today, we see that the Holy Spirit singled him out, with Paul, for a special assignment - Acts 13:1-2.

• He was tough.

He endured persecution, and gladly - Acts 13:50-52. In fact he had a reputation for risking his life for Jesus and the Gospel - Acts 15:25-26.

• He wasn't a free-loader.

He labored, along with Paul, at a day-job to cover his expenses - 1 Corinthians 9:6.

• He was content to let his student shine.

He went out of his way to get Paul involved in the church, but once Paul came into his own, Barnabas let him take the limelight as the chief speaker - Acts 14:12.

But even Barnabas wasn't perfect.

• He was stubborn determined

Because he was fixed on his plan to take his cousin John Mark with them on a second missionary journey (JM had proved himself a quitter by leaving them on a previous trip), the Paul-and-Barnabas-duo split up - Acts 15:36-39.

• He could be influenced by the wrong crowd.

He let himself be swayed by those Christian leaders who counseled that they separate themselves from uncircumcised Gentiles — a move that Paul labeled hypocritical - Galatians 2:13.

All in all, though, this overview of Barnabas leaves us with the impression of a life well lived. It brings me to the question what would the various snippets of my life add up to if someone gathered them into a list of characteristics, as I have done with Barnbas's? What about yours?

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Bible characters like Barnabas, whose human failings assure me that You use even the imperfect. May the final impression of my life be as positive as Barnabas's is. Amen.

MORE: The Feast of St. Barnabas

Today is the Feast of St. Barnabas. The liturgy for today begins with this collect:

"Grant, O God, that we may follow the example of your faithful servant Barnabas, who, seeking not his own renown but the well-­being of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

**********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Barnabas

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Acts 11:19-25

TO CHEW ON: "When he (Barnabas) came and he had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord." Acts 11:23-24

A while ago I read a book called How You Leave Them Feeling.* In it, author Jesse Ferrell puts forth the thesis that you will succeed in business, indeed in life, to the extent that you leave people feeling good about themselves. I think Mr. Ferrell would have approved of Barnabas.

Barnabas was from a Jewish Cypriot priestly family. John Mark was his cousin (Acts 4:36) He is mentioned often in Acts. Here are some of the qualities that endeared him to his fellow Christians and continue to make him a model for us today.

1. He was generous. He was one of the early Christians who sold his property and gave the proceeds to the church (Acts 4:34-36) while at the same time remaining self-supporting (1 Corinthians 9:5,6).

2. He was a welcoming person and an encourager. When some in the Jerusalem church suspected that the newly converted Saul was actually a spy, Barnabas accepted his story at face-value and introduced him to the top leadership (Acts 9:27)

3. He was an astute judge of talents and gifts. When he saw the way the Gentiles were flocking to the Lord in Antioch, he set out to find Saul (later Paul) as just the right person to get involved (our reading today).

4. He was a team player. When Agabus prophesied a famine and the Antioch Christians took up an offering for fellow-believers in Judea, Barnabas and Saul delivered the "relief"(Acts 11:28-30). Later, Barnabas accompanied Saul/Paul on what we now call Paul's first missionary journey. (Acts 13:2,3)

5. He let others shine. It looks like during that first missionary journey, Barnabas relinquished the leadership role he had in his relationship with Paul. Note how Luke at first refers to them as Barnabas and Saul, then later it's always Paul and Barnabas (Acts 13:2,3 vs. Acts 13:43,46)

6. He championed the underdog.  He spoke on behalf of the Gentiles (Acts 15:12).

7. He believed in second chances. When Paul didn't want to take John Mark with them on another trip because he had deserted them earlier, Barnabas stood up for the young man, insisting that he should come. Their disagreement led to Paul and Barnabas splitting from each other and forming two outreach teams (Acts 15:36-41).

I love the picture our reading in Acts 11 paints of him. The first thing we see is a smile: "he was glad" (vs 23). He encouraged them - was an optimist and positive, not negative; someone who looked for a way something could be done instead of reasons why it couldn't. He is described as a "good man" (vs. 24). That could mean lots of things. I take it to mean he was honest, fair and kind. Finally, Luke also describes him as "full of the Holy Spirit and faith" (vs. 24).  I wish I could have met him.

PRAYER: Dear God, please help me to learn about living the Christian life from people like Barnabas. Amen.

MORE: Feast of St. Barnabas

Today is the celebration of the Feast of St. Barnabas on the church calendar. Here is the Collect that begins the liturgy for this day.

Grant, O God, that we may follow the example of your faithful servant Barnabas, who, seeking not his own renown but the well­being of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.

*My review of How You Leave Them Feeling.

********
Unless otherwise noted all Scripture quotations are taken from the New King James Version®. Copyright © 1982 by Thomas Nelson, Inc. Used by permission. All rights reserved.

Do your 8-12-year-olds have daily devotions? Point them to Bible Drive-Thru.

Big cheese or Barnabas leadership?

TODAY'S SPECIAL: Acts 11:19-30

TO CHEW ON: "When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord." Acts 11:23

In a guest blog post on Michael Hyatt's blog, Jeremie Kubicek (author of Leadership is Dead: How Influence is Reviving It) says, "To be a true influencer in the lives of those you lead, you must understand a simple but powerful question. It is one your followers are asking. It goes like this: 'Are you for me, against me, or for yourself?'"

The early Christians who started a church in Antioch with Gentile members (Hellenists) would have said Barnabas was for them. For when the Jerusalem elders found out about this unheard-of thing (Gentiles coming to faith in Jesus in great numbers) and sent Barnabas to check it out he "was glad" and "encouraged them."

In fact after spending some time with this vital and growing body, he had an idea.  He fetched the relatively new Christian Saul (Paul) to help, and in this way encouraged the launch of another apostolic career.

The writer of Acts — Luke — was so impressed with Barnabas, he interjected his own author aside: "For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith" - Acts 11:24. His short description of Barnabas is a good standard for other-centered Christian leadership of all kinds. This noteworthy leader was:

- a good man.
I read this and think — man with a clear conscience, without obvious personality flaws, someone who, after you spent time with, you would feel better, cleaner, nobler than before. His goodness ruled out jealousy, envy, personal ambition allowing him to embody the quality of love that prefers others above oneself.

- full of the Holy Spirit.
The observable difference the Holy Spirit brought to the lives of the early Christians included authority, power, and a certain nonchalance when it came to being intimidated by lesser authorities. Barnabas's life must have had that sense of moving to the beat of a different drummer.

- full of faith.
Barnabas was a "yes" man. He believed in God and others. Full-of-faith people are positive, optimistic, aware that with God things are possible that could never happen without Him.

I ask myself, how would my followers respond to Mr. Kubicek's question about my leadership. What would your followers say about yours? If they would say that we are first and foremost for ourselves or worse, against them, perhaps Barnabas and his leadership model have something to teach us.

PRAYER: Dear God, thank You for Barnabas's example of good leadership. Please give me insights into the way I lead others. Help me to be for them. Amen.

MORE: Feast of St. Barnabas
Today the church celebrates the Feast of St. Barnabas. The liturgy for today begins with this collect:

"Grant, O God, that we may follow the example of your faithful servant Barnabas, who, seeking not his own renown but the well­being of your Church, gave generously of his life and substance for the relief of the poor and the spread of the Gospel; through Jesus Christ our Lord, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen."

(From the archives)