Easter 6 May 21, 2006

“If You Are Barnabas, We Are All Blessed”

Acts 11:19-26

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.

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.

So what are you an expert in? Are you an expert in tearing others down or building others up? What lingers longer in your heart, remembering how other people have let you down or remembering how others have given you encouragement? Which is easier, for you to dream up ways for people in your life to serve you better or to dream up ways you could be a blessing to the people in your life?

We all have a tendency to remember how others have fallen short of our expectations. It is easy to point out how they could have been a better blessing to us. It is a challenge to sincerely and thoughtfully ask, “How could I have been a better blessing to them?” This battle is a deep battle we all face with ourselves and it is a battle we all need help overcoming. Today’s Scripture verses will give you guidance and empowerment to win this battle. You are going to hear today that you and I need to be a Barnabas. If you are a Barnabas, we are all blessed.

Now some of you are probably asking, “Who in the world is Barnabas? And how do I become one?” Well, let me tell you all about Barnabas. Barnabas was a leader of the early Christian church. He had sold a field and laid the entire amount of the sale at the feet of the apostles solely for the work of the Lord. After fire-breathing Saul had been converted to Christianity, he came to Jerusalem looking for encouragement from other Christians. They were all afraid of Saul, for they did not believe he was really a disciple. Only one of them was brave enough to take Saul under his wing and befriend him – and that person was Barnabas. His real name was Joseph, but the apostles called him Barnabas because that name Barnabas means “son of encouragement.” I think you are starting to see why.

Barnabas was a real light for the gospel. Whenever he rubbed shoulders with someone, they would come away saying, “Wow, was that a blessing for me to have spent a little time with him.” Listen to Acts 11:19-26 and hear how Barnabas continued to go out of his way to be a blessing for others. (read text)

Here was the situation…persecution against Christians had heated up and they had scattered to different parts of the world. However, as they spread out, they scattered the Word of God everywhere they went. Isn’t it something how God works all things for good? And the Word was spreading across cultural barriers. Not only were the Christians scattering the Word to their fellow Jews living in other lands, they scattered the Word to the native Greeks as well. God blessed their work and many turned and believed in the free gift of heaven in Christ.

The church in Jerusalem heard about this new ministry – the sharing of God’s Word with someone besides the Jewish race. They sent Barnabas to see what was happening. Barnabas was a grace-oriented person. He knew how important forgiveness in Jesus was. Notice his attitude in going to Antioch. He wasn’t going up to “whip those folks back into shape.” He wasn’t worried that sharing the Word with Gentiles – doing something new - was going to corrupt the church’s future. Even if something was awry, which it wasn’t, Barnabas would not have gone to clobber them with rules; rather he would have gently led them back on the right track. Barnabas was on his way to be a blessing for those people.

And why would those people have needed Barnabas? Well, the truth is that everybody needs someone like Barnabas. But here’s why it was especially important for him to go at that time. Don’t forget that these poor people were forced to flee for their lives. They had left their homes, their jobs, their sources of income, their routines. They had no more comfort zone because they had been persecuted for their faith. Maybe some of them had even lost loved ones to the persecution. Their faith was aflame and they were boldly sharing the Word. But don’t think for a minute that the devil wasn’t waiting for chances to whisper in their ears, “You think God actually loves you? You think God is still in control? Would a God who loves you or is in control make you run for your life? You don’t need a God like that.” They had every reason to be afraid and hide their Christianity. They needed encouragement to keep up the good work.

When Barnabas came, he found that the Antioch Christians were on fire for the LORD. And Barnabas stoked the flames. He did not come to say, “Awww, poor you, you had to leave all your stuff behind.” He did not come to say, “You know, sharing Jesus with Gentiles is not our tradition.” What did Barnabas do? Look at verses 23-24 again. Barnabas was soaked with the Holy Spirit. He came to Antioch and saw the evidence of God’s grace everywhere he looked. He encouraged them all to do just one thing - remain true to the LORD with all their hearts, and let everything else fall to the side. And for the second time we hear that “a great number believed and were brought to the LORD.”

And after his initial visit, Barnabas knew someone else who could come and use some mutual mission encouragement. He found Saul, who was about 100 miles away in his hometown Tarsus, and brought Saul back to Antioch. Saul and Barnabas had a field day teaching the Word of God for a year, and for the third time in just five verses we see the phrase “great numbers of people” hearing about Jesus.

I think it is easy for you to see how Barnabas was a blessing for those around him. He was a blessing for the Antioch Christians as he encouraged them to remain true to the LORD with all their hearts. He was a blessing for Saul as he took an extra week out of his life, went out of his way to find Saul in Tarsus, communicated to him and connected him to this mission-minded group. This match of Saul, Barnabas and the Antioch church turned out to be a match made in heaven…in time, the Antioch church was the group who sent out Saul and Barnabas on the very first mission journey. So not only was Barnabas a blessing for the people in Antioch and to Saul, he also was a blessing for all of these “large numbers” who were hearing the Word in Antioch as well as all of the people who heard the Word while Paul was on his mission journeys. It is mind-boggling what this one man accomplished through encouraging others in the Word. Can you see why I would say, “If you are a Barnabas, we are all blessed?”

There is nothing but good that flows from being a Barnabas. So what keeps us from being one?

It is our hearts that keep us from being a Barnabas. As I mentioned in the beginning of the sermon, it is much easier to ponder, “They need to be a blessing to me” and much more difficult to ponder, “How can I be a blessing for them?” It is easy to dream up ways for others to serve you better. It is challenging to dream up ways for you to serve others better. Our own sinful hearts, when they listen to the devil and his lies, become our own worst enemy.

God promises to punish every sinful and selfish thought we have ever had. He hates selfishness. He cannot tolerate it and has stated that he will certainly throw any selfish person into hell. If Jesus had never come, selfish people like us would go to hell. If Jesus had never come, the promise of God punishing all selfishness is a promise we would have to endure.

But Jesus came not to be served but to serve. Jesus came to give his life as a ransom for many. Jesus came to endure hell – the punishment that should have fallen to us – so that we can be free from selfish sin and its consequences. Because of Jesus we are completely free from sin and hell forever. We are no longer guilty in God’s eyes because our sins are forgiven. And now we have work to do. Jesus didn’t set us free from sin so that we could sit around and sip iced tea all day. Jesus set us free from sin so that we could be free to serve as Barnabases.

So how can we be better Barnabases?

• It starts by constantly embedding in your heart the right question. Ask yourself, “How can I be a blessing for them?” and not, “How can they do a better job of serving me?” You are not the king. You are not the center of the universe. Make others the center of your universe by asking the right question, “How can I be a blessing for them?”

• And as you are asking the right question, be willing to go out of your comfort zone for others. Don’t come up with excuses why it won’t work. Don’t be stubborn in your generosity. Go out of your comfort zone for others and do whatever it takes to be a blessing for them. Open your heart and your checkbook wide open if necessary. Barnabas went all the way to Antioch to encourage the church, and then he went all the way to Tarsus to bring Saul into the encouragement center. Go the extra mile to encourage others in their faith. It’s the most important possession they have.

• And how do you encourage their faith? Many times it is by sharing thoughts of peace and happiness with them. But sometimes to encourage someone’s faith means that you have to tell them no. You might have to say lovingly yet firmly, “You are wrong.” You may have to tell somebody you love something they don’t want to hear. People are stubbornly sinful and we need to be just as stubborn in our encouragement. The one you love might be mad at you for a little while. But in the long run it is best. Be a Barnabas and don’t be afraid to rebuke someone you love – even your spouse - from sinning. Sometimes a loving but firm, “No” is the best thing you can give to them.

In summary, be a better Barnabas by asking yourself, “How can I be a blessing for them?” Go the extra mile in your Barnabas-ness. Don’t be afraid to tell someone on the wrong track something they don’t want to hear but something they need to hear. And finally, just encourage them to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. If your name is Barnabas, everyone else is blessed. Amen.