Barnabas who is he

This choice signified how much the believers trusted Barnabus and Paul and that they would deliver the aid as intended. Acts shows how the Holy Spirit separated Barnabas and Paul for a special work as missionaries, while they prayed and fasted with other believers in Antioch. After being ordained by the laying on of hands, Barnabus and Paul left on their first missionary journey together. While at Lystra, Barnabas and Paul healed a crippled man but the citizens mistook them for their gods, they called Barnabas Jupiter and Paul Mercury.

Barnabas was among the delegates who attended the Jerusalem council to discuss how to transition the new gentile believers into the early Church. In fact, Acts shows how he and Paul shared their testimony of God working among the gentiles. Paul refused since John Mark had abandoned them on their first missionary journey when things got tough. Barnabas did such a good job with John Mark that Paul later asked Timothy to take Mark to him, since he had become useful to him in ministry.

See Colossians ; Acts ; ; 2 Timothy Galatians tells of how Barnabas was influenced by Peter to avoid eating with the gentiles while in Galatia. This was hypocrisy since Barnabas knew that Jesus came as a Savior for the whole world and not only the Jews.

We learn that Barnabas was prone to human weaknesses, just like each of us. In Barnabas, we find an excellent example of a Christian mentor. He encouraged Paul and believed in him when no one else trusted him after his conversion. Barnabas also provided Paul with opportunities to minister in Antioch and traveled with Paul on their first missionary journey.

Barnabas was even willing to let Paul advance as he moved on to encourage the next mentee who needed his support—John Mark. And for both Paul and John Mark, Barnabas did an excellent job in preparing them for ministry. In fact, Paul ended up being more prominent than Barnabas and by the end of their missionary journey in Acts , they were no longer referred to as Barnabas and Paul.

Easton, in his Bible dictionary, noted Barnabas was born of Jewish parents of the tribe of Levi and probably educated as a Pharisee in the school of Gamaliel. Yes, Barnabas was considered an apostle. While not one of the original 12, he nevertheless was set apart with Paul by the Holy Spirit and sent out by the early church to spread the Good News across the land.

In that sense, sent out as an itinerant missionary to spread the message of Jesus to others, he was an apostle. While the Bible does not mention how Barnabas died, he reportedly was martyred for his faith, like some of the other apostles; he was either stoned or burned to death in Salamis, Cyprus. Easton, in his Bible dictionary, believes Barnabas and Paul probably knew each other because they had been taught together in the school of Gamaliel. But while Barnabas was the one who did the primary introduction, it appears Paul, with his zeal for speaking, soon became more well-known for his evangelism efforts.

After Barnabas found Paul in Tarsus Acts , they pooled their energies and established a foundational church in Antioch, which is also where the first Christ-followers became known as Christians. Prior to this, the Bible named the pair in that order—Barnabas and Saul—but around this time, something clearly shifted, and they became known in reverse order: Paul first, Barnabas second.

The word of God continued to flourish, and soon they brought another disciple, John Mark, with them to many places throughout the region, from Seleucia to Cyprus to Salamis and then to Paphos. Expelled finally by the Jewish leaders for their work with the Gentiles, they moved on to spread the gospel in Iconium, Lystra, and Derbe, eventually back to Antioch. Around this time, over deep disagreement with other apostles about whether or not Gentile believers needed to be circumcised, the pair traveled to Jerusalem to settle the matter.

Next, we need to take into account how others around us are doing. Then, the Spirit can enable us to partner with other Christians to alleviate the suffering of people in distress. In turn, this becomes a tangible way for us to show the love of Jesus and the power of the gospel to transform lives. Barnabas recognized that serving as a disciple of Jesus involved more than just meeting the temporal needs of people. As an apostle, prophet, and teacher, he was committed to proclaim the gospel to the lost.

We are also wise not to diminish or ignore heralding the good news to the unsaved. While acts of beneficence have their place, they are an inadequate substitute for sharing the saving truth about Jesus with our family, friends, neighbors, and coworkers. Barnabas understood that the effective spread of the gospel was centered in prayer.

The importance of prayer for our lives and ministries is equally important today. Our Christian service is immeasurably enhanced when we bathe all our efforts in prayer to the Lord. Barnabas realized that he was not able to control events as they unfolded before his eyes. We, too, may be unable to rein in seemingly chaotic episodes we encounter as a result of telling others about Jesus.

The best course of action is for us to trust the Savior to watch over us and depend on the Spirit to keep us clearheaded in our thoughts and aboveboard in our actions. For Barnabas, the ultimate goal was bringing as many unsaved as possible to faith in the Son.

In a similar vein, this continues to be our foremost objective. As we walk in step with the Spirit down an uncharted path of Christian service, He will accomplish wonderful things through us, for the glory of God. Barnabas did not insist that other believers financially support him in his ministry endeavors.

Perhaps the Spirit is prompting us to take a similar stance. Rather, it means we have the distinctive privilege of offering the good news to the lost based on the monetary resources God has made available to us through our current employment. Barnabas cared about how other believers perceived his beliefs and actions. On some occasions, the Spirit allows us to be affirmed in our ministry endeavors.

Then, on other occasions, He may permit us to be corrected for maintaining unsuitable attitudes or participating in ill-advised actions. Regardless of the situation, God can give us the grace we need to become more effective servants to the lost. Barnabas willingly faced the controversies that arose in the ministry of the gospel. From this we see that being a faithful follower of Jesus may involve disagreements with others who have distorted views about the teachings and priorities of the Church.

We need not fear moments of dissention and debate. As with the first generation of Christians, the Spirit can also guide us to remain humble in our attitude, biblically grounded in our theological convictions, and civil in our responses to others who disagree with us. Barnabas was willing to forgive other believers. He was also eager to give them another opportunity to become more effective in their service for Christ.

Though Barnabas had seen the failures and limitations of John Mark in other settings, Barnabas also saw the potential for growth and restoration. He was right. Even Paul later admitted that John was a valued colleague in the work of the ministry.

It requires that we remain committed to serve others in His name and for His glory. Want to learn more about Barnabas? Be sure to check out the following print and web-based resources: Barnabas Bruce FF The Pauline Circle. Eugene: Wipf and Stock. Burge GM In GF Hawthorne, et al eds. Downers Grove: InterVarsity. Daniels JB In DE Freedman ed.

New York: Doubleday. Easton MG Nashville: Thomas Nelson. Enslin MS In GA Buttrick ed. Nashville: Abingdon Press. Fenlon JF In K Knight ed. New York: Robert Appleton Company. Hiebert DE In M Silva ed.

Grand Rapids: Zondervan. Jacobs HE