“Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. And many people were brought to the Lord.”
Acts 11:24 (NLT)
Because of the no-name ministry of the preachers that start the move of God in Antioch, once again the apostles in Jerusalem hear what God is doing outside of Jerusalem. And because of Peter’s obedience to minister to the Gentiles in Caesarea, where Holy Spirit came upon these people, Jerusalem is now receptive to God moving through the Gentiles.
So when they hear about God moving in Antioch through the Gentiles, this time they’re not critical. This time they’re helpful. And they send Barnabas, the son of encouragement, to help this church with teaching and leadership. Barnabas sees the evidence of God’s blessing when he arrives. The grace of God is so strong on these people that Barnabas can see it. There is no doubt.
Barnabas’ tank of encouragement is fueled up by this evidence of God’s blessing. Verse 23 says Barnabas was filled with joy. Then he goes to encourage the believers in Antioch to stay true to the Lord. He begged the Gentiles to imitate the Lord with all of their hearts. The biggest gap believers have after they meet the Lord is learning to walk with Him. And that gap isn’t always closed by more information. It’s usually closed by encouragement. It looks like constant hand-holding or what I call shepherding, so the way of Christ is brought to His people through love. Not through criticism.
And our verse today says Barnabas was a good man, or a blessed man, because he’s full of Holy Spirit and strong in faith. Today, I wonder what we are full of. If we are full of Holy Spirit and faith, then many can be brought to the Lord through us. We can help others stay true to the Lord. But if we’re full of something else, we are not drawing people toward Christ. We are drawing them toward something else. So today I want to be like Barnabas. I want to encourage people toward the example of Jesus, not criticize them toward it. And I want to go find a Saul to walk with me in the work, because the Sauls of the world need a Barnabas to give them an opportunity and show them the way.