After Saul’s (Paul) conversion, Paul had a huge problem. He had no credibility, or in today’s lingo, he had no street cred. Saul was well known over the region as a zealot, a guy with a lot of passion. He hated Christians. He wanted them all tortured and killed. But that was all before his trip to Damascus.
Imagine Osama bin Laden coming out of a cave in the Middle East and claiming he was now a believer in Christ. I think most of us would think he was up to something. That’s exactly how Paul situation was. Nobody believed him. He just needed that one person of influence to believe in him and give him a chance. This is where Barnabas comes in. Let’s look at Acts 9:26-28. When he (Paul) came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.
The name Barnabas means Encourager and he lived up to his namesake. This was exactly what Paul needed, someone to vouch for him. It is obvious Barnabas carried some clout with the disciples. All of us have had at least one Barnabas in our lives. For me, one that stands out is a pastor friend that saw something in me several years ago. It was a time in my life where God was doing a huge job of restoration. I thought I was damaged goods. This friend saw beyond the damage and saw a lot of potential in me. He started to introduce me to others and spoke highly of me. He even gave me the opportunity to get into fulltime ministry, and in spite of the lack of any formal education.
Which brings me to you, who has been your Barnabas’? Who gave you a chance when no one else did? Who saw something in you that nobody else did?
Let’s take it even further. Who have you been a Barnabas to? Who can you be a Barnabas/ Encourager to? Who needs you to vouch for them? You never know, you may be able to give credibility to the next giant in the faith!
My prayer for you is to be an encouragement or Barnabas to someone out there. Blessings!
Imagine Osama bin Laden coming out of a cave in the Middle East and claiming he was now a believer in Christ. I think most of us would think he was up to something. That’s exactly how Paul situation was. Nobody believed him. He just needed that one person of influence to believe in him and give him a chance. This is where Barnabas comes in. Let’s look at Acts 9:26-28. When he (Paul) came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.
The name Barnabas means Encourager and he lived up to his namesake. This was exactly what Paul needed, someone to vouch for him. It is obvious Barnabas carried some clout with the disciples. All of us have had at least one Barnabas in our lives. For me, one that stands out is a pastor friend that saw something in me several years ago. It was a time in my life where God was doing a huge job of restoration. I thought I was damaged goods. This friend saw beyond the damage and saw a lot of potential in me. He started to introduce me to others and spoke highly of me. He even gave me the opportunity to get into fulltime ministry, and in spite of the lack of any formal education.
Which brings me to you, who has been your Barnabas’? Who gave you a chance when no one else did? Who saw something in you that nobody else did?
Let’s take it even further. Who have you been a Barnabas to? Who can you be a Barnabas/ Encourager to? Who needs you to vouch for them? You never know, you may be able to give credibility to the next giant in the faith!
My prayer for you is to be an encouragement or Barnabas to someone out there. Blessings!
1 comment:
Good Post, better to have a Barnabas than a Barney Fife.
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