New Testament Men of Faith (2)

Brother Hong Hao shared to us a few weeks on Barnabas, whose name means the son of encouragement (Acts 4:36).

A Model of Giving (Acts 4:32-37)

- The early church was willing to share all their possessions and so no one was lacking in everything

- Their attitude was that all they possessed belonged to God and not themselves

- Barnabas sold his land and brought the money to the apostles, although it was not mandatory

- He gave although he was a Levite and was rich

- He gave so as to encourage others to do the same

Application: Giving is action, not just words. It can be a form of encouragement and both the giver and receiver will be blessed.

Barnabas and Saul (Acts 9:26-31, 11:19-26)

- After Saul's conversion, the apostles initially did not want Saul to join them for fear that Saul might be a spy or not yet converted

- Barnabas explained to the apostles about Saul's conversion and actively encouraged Saul even though there was a risk

- The apostles had such confidence in Barnabas that they believed him

- Saul was accepted into the fellowship of believers

Application: We must have such Christian integrity such that others can trust our words completely

- When the Gospel was preached in Antioch, many believed and so the Church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to Antioch

- Barnabas exhorted and encouraged the Church, and as a result, many people were added unto the Lord

- Barnabas went to Tarsus to seek Saul and brought him to Antioch and taught the Christians in the Church for a year

Application: He was concerned about God's glory and not his own, so it did not matter who does God's work. All that should matter is that the work gets done and that God gets the glory.

Barnabas and Paul (Acts 12:25-13:3, 15:36-41)

- Initially, Barnabas was the leader in their relationship

- At the beginning of the first missionary journey, Paul became the leader

- Barnabas was not jealous and had humility

- There was a conflict between Barnabas and Paul: Barnabas wanted to take John Mark with them to their missionary but Paul did not because John Mark left the team earlier

- This disagreement caused two mission teams form - Barnabas and John Mark to Cyprus, and Paul and Silas to Syria and Cilicia

Application: Christians do not always agree, but problems can be solved by agreeing to disagree and letting God work His will.

Application: The value of encouragement is often missed because the fruits may not be always visible immediately. Let's learn to be less discouraging and critical and learn to be like Barnabas (: