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- Preaching the Living WORD through
the Written WORD - 2 Tim 4;:2 - |
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BARNABAS, THE SON
OF ENCOURAGEMENT (Ac 4:32-37) 9/8/13 Grace Bible Church,
Gillette, Wyoming Pastor Daryl Hilbert I. ENCOURAGEMENT IN DESIGNATION (Ac 4:36) A. At the end of Acts 4, Luke identified a
prominent figure in the church by the name of Joseph. He was a Jewish
convert, born into the tribe of Levi. He was a native of Cyprus, a large
island (148 mi X 40 mi) rich in timber and minerals. B. His character was such that the apostles
called him “Barnabas” (unknown origin), which had the meaning of the
“son of encouragement” (huios paraklēseōs). 1. Quite often the term “son” was a Hebraism
of a person’s characteristics (Mk 3:17). 2. Paraklēsis
is made up of two
words, para - alongside and kaleō
- to call, meaning one called alongside to aid. It is
frequently used in the NT and describes encouragement, comfort, or
consolation. 3. It is used of God (Ro 15:5; 2Co 1:3), the
Son (Jn 14:16), and especially the Holy Spirit (Jn 14:26; 15:26; 16:7). 4. It also can refer to exhortation in the
sense of strong encouragement or encouragement by teaching (Ac 2:40;
11:22-24; 13:1, 43-46; 15:35). C. Barnabas was a “good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith”
(Ac 11:24), an apostle (Ac 14:14), a prophet
(possibly), a teacher (Ac 13:1) and eventually a missionary companion of Paul
(Ac 12:25; 13:2; Ac 15:12; Ga 2:1, 9). II. ENCOURAGEMENT IN DISTRIBUTION (Ac 4:32-37) A. Luke first mentions Barnabas in the
context of generosity in Ac 4:32-35. Barnabas was an exemplary example of
encouragement in generosity and meeting financial needs of others. B. [Ac 4:32] The early church was first a
spiritually unified church of “one heart and soul.” They all had the same
love the Lord Jesus Christ and other believers. They all had the same
passion, which was to serve the Lord and spread the gospel. C. The early church showed their love,
passion, and unity by not claiming their “possessions” (tōn
huparchontōn - possessions, property; means, resources, Mt 19:21;
Lk 8:3) as their “own”
(idios). Rather, in the idea of spiritual
fellowship (koinōnia), they had all
possessions in “common” (koinos -
“common,” Ac 2:42). D. [Ac 4:33] In addition, the apostles
continued to perform signs and wonders (cf. Ac 4:30) in order to authenticate
their message of the resurrected Christ. This was described
as a time of “abundant grace” (megalē
charis). E. [Ac 4:34-35] Because of such grace and
generosity, there was no one needy among them. This was due in part by
Christians who owned lands and possessions, sold them, and brought the
“proceeds” (time - value or price) from their sales. They would lay
these proceeds at the apostles’ feet for distribution as they saw fit for
ministry and benevolence. F. [Ac 4:36-37] Barnabas was among those who
owned land and sold it, giving it to the apostles. Because Barnabas was a
Levite and could not own land in Israel, his land was probably from Cyprus. Or possibly, the Levitical restrictions against possessing
land in Nu 18:20, 24 were no longer being observed (Je 1:1; 32:6-15). This
was in stark contrast to the greediness and deception of Ananias and Sapphira (Ac
5:1ff). III. ENCOURAGEMENT IN DISCERNMENT (Ac 9:26-27) A. We find another instance of Barnabas as an
encourager, giving encouragement through discernment in Ac 9:26-27. After
Paul’s conversion in Ac 9:1-6, he was repeatedly “trying” (imperfect of peirazō - make an attempt) to “associate” (kollaō - glue, stick, join) with other
believers. However, the believers feared that Paul was merely claiming to be converted so that he could arrest unsuspecting
believers. Who could blame the early Christians for not wanting to associate
with the former persecutor of the church (1Ti 1:13). B. But we read that Barnabas, the son of
encouragement, is the one who was willing to bring Paul into the church.
Barnabas’ association with Paul should not be taken
as a naïve and mindless acceptance of anyone. Rather, it was that of a mature
believer who was at least willing to listen to Paul’s testimony and evaluate
it. C. When Barnabas did bring Paul to the
apostles, it was Barnabas who related Paul’s
conversion. He conveyed that Paul was converted on
the road to Damascus, that Paul talked to the Lord and was given his
apostolic commission, and that Paul was boldly carrying out the commission to
testify to the resurrection of Christ. All of these facts together gave
evidence that Paul was a true believer. D. The characteristics of an encourager, such
as Barnabas, describe that he had a reasonable willingness to investigate. He
had the boldness to test Paul’s conversion for genuineness. In addition,
Barnabas had faith and the sweet disposition to know that God can save
anyone. E. Being convinced of the validity of Paul’s
conversion, Barnabas emphatically “took hold” (epilambanomai
- lay hold, grasp, seize) of Paul and brought him before the apostles. IV. ENCOURAGEMENT IN DISCIPLESHIP (Ac 15:36-41) A. Barnabas also illustrated spiritual
encouragement in discipleship. In Ac 15:36-41 (48-50 AD), Paul and Barnabas
were about to visit the churches they had planted to see how they were faring
(36). Barnabas wanted to take his cousin John Mark along once again (37, cf.
Ac 12:25 cf. Col 4:11). However, because John Mark had succumbed to
persecution in Pamphylia, he deserted the work (38 cf. Ac 13:13). For this
reason, Paul was decidedly against allowing John Mark as part of their
missionary team. Obviously, Barnabas disagreed because it led to such a
“sharp disagreement” (paroxusmos - strong
argument, provocation) that Paul and Barnabas split up as a missionary
team. B. What do we make of this situation? It could be explained this way, Paul was right, but Barnabas
was not wrong. Paul was in charge of the missionary team. He was indeed an
apostle who was commissioned by Christ (Ga 1:1).
Barnabas was also an apostle, but more of an apostle’s assistant. Barnabas
was called by the Holy Spirit (Ac 13:2), but Paul was called directly by
Christ. Barnabas also exhibited apostolic signs (Ac 15:12), but he still
would have been under Paul’s authority. So, when
Paul made the call not to take John Mark because he previously deserted the
ministry, it would have been with apostolic authority. C. On the other hand, it was perfectly
understandable that Barnabas, the encourager, would desire to encourage and
disciple John Mark. The decision for Paul and Barnabas to split up resulted
in two missionary teams. Though this is the last we read of Barnabas in Acts,
Paul respectfully mentions Barnabas in 1 Corinthians 9:6 (54-55 AD around the
timeframe of Acts 19). D. What effect did Barnabas’ encouragement
and discipleship have on John Mark? Evidently
Barnabas had a profound effect upon John Mark. For in Paul’s letter to
Philemon, we find John Mark in the company of Paul as a “fellow worker” (Phm
1:24, 60-62 AD). In addition, in Paul’s last letter he asks Timothy to bring
John Mark because he was “useful to Paul for service” (2Ti 4:11, 67 AD).
Furthermore, under the supervision of Peter (cf. 1Pe 3:15), John Mark penned
the Gospel of Mark (57-59 AD). V. OBSERVATIONS AND APPLICATIONS A. Looking at the model of the early church,
we observe that spiritual encouragement was an inherent characteristic. 1. Spiritual encouragement is an intrinsic
feature of Christianity (Php 2:1; 2Co 1:4). 2. Spiritual encouragement is to be a
characteristic of all believers (1Th 5:11; Heb 3:13). 3. Spiritual encouragement is the basis for
ministry and growth (Ac 9:31). 4. Spiritual encouragement is accomplished with spiritual truths from the Word (Ro
15:4). B. In conclusion, Barnabas is an example for
all believers to have the characteristic of spiritual encouragement. How
blessed would we be if we all were known for having an encouraging spirit, if
our encouragement was tested by our giving to all in need, if we had the
willingness to encourage anyone and everyone to come to Christ, and if our
encouragement was directed toward those who are struggling spiritually. Then
we would be gifted with glorious name of, “sons of
encouragement.” |
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