Be like Barnabas
"He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord" (NIV) Acts 11:24
The Christian journey is a long and winding one, but it becomes inspiring when you get people to look up to in your Christian life. Some people have gone through the Christian faith and the scripture has records of successful ones and those that couldn’t maintain their faith.
The Bible character to be considered this morning is Barnabas, meaning son of encouragement. Barnabas was seen and respected as a good man because he was a good steward in the kingdom of Christ. How are you managing all the spiritual and physical resources God has provided you? Are you using it to glorify God or to cheat others?
Barnabas had great faith in the almighty God and that made him victorious in life. He was spiritually strong and mature (Acts 5:32, 11:24). He was so much committed to the work of God and the church. How deep is your love for God and his church? What do you have to show as evidence of your commitment to his work?
Barnabas was so selfless, interested in the welfare of others and mentored others. This should motivate us when we get into higher positions not to think of only ourselves but to help others. Barnabas utilized the grace of God that was made available to him. Even though he was fallible, he didn’t allow that to push him down and demoralize him. He reached out to others e.g. Paul.
He encouraged mentorship when he saw the potentials in others when others only saw failure. He was committed to reconciliation, unity, brotherly love, ministry, and evangelism. He was very patient with others (e.g. Mark), a visionary, courageous, and generous. Great men and encouragers help people up rather than push them down. His commitment to Christ’s teaching earned him respect among others. We can be great if we can decide to take the positive characters Barnabas had.