Week 35—Tuesday Acts 9:19-22, 26-28
Week 35—TUESDAY
THE MARKS OF BARNABAS AND PAUL
WERE UPON THIS NEW TESTAMENT CHURCH
We are examining the church at Antioch as the Word of the Christian church become flesh in a group.
Fourth, this New Testament church had the marks of Barnabas upon it. Those in church at Jerusalem were wise in sending a layman like Barnabas. Had one of the apostles been sent, it would have interrupted the lay character of the Antioch church. This choice fitted in. For Barnabas was one of the most beautiful characters in the New Testament. He was a man, a Levite, from Cyprus, who sold a field and laid the proceeds at the apostles’ feet. His name had been “Joseph” which literally means “one more.” He probably belonged to a large family, and when they came to him they ran out of names and simply named him “one more,” that is, Joseph. But when he surrendered his all he came not under the law of addition, but of multiplication. They said, in effect, “He is not just one more. He is a multiplication table—he is contagious so we will name him Barnabas, Son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36-37).
He encouraged everybody. He took Paul when the authorities at Jerusalem were afraid of him and presented him as real. And he took John Mark when Paul refused to take him. He was big-souled. “When he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad”—he could rejoice in the work of others. Smaller men would have picked flaws to make a place for themselves. Not he. No wonder they could say of him: “For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (Acts 11:23, 24). The spirit of Barnabas went into the making of this New Testament church.
Fifth, the spirit of Paul went into the church and the spirit of this church went into Paul. When Barnabas saw this type of Christianity, he said to himself, “This is the kind of Christianity that young man Saul needs. I must expose him to it.” So he went off to Tarsus, sought out Saul, and brought him to Antioch. One of the best things Barnabas ever did. The church and Paul cross-fertilized each other and both were enriched.
O Father, help me to give and get from the fellowship this day. Give me the teachable heart, ready to learn from anybody. And ready to give of what you have given me. May “take and give” be my rhythmical heartbeats this day. Amen.
AFFIRMATION FOR THE DAY: Taking with both hands and giving with both hands—my aim and practice.