DO YOU HAVE A BARNABAS?

BIBLE PASSAGE:
“Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and
when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for
a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church
and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were
called Christians first at Antioch.”
(Acts 11:25-26)

MEDITATION:
Have you ever wondered why believers are called Christians? When
we look at the passage above, it appears this title was given to those
who teach others about Christ. Does that mean that we all become
Sunday School teachers, preachers, and missionaries? It could mean
that for some, but it really means that we allow God to use us wherever
and however He chooses.

When we accept God’s gift of salvation, we become teachers of the
faith. We are not ashamed to let others know we are His children
and we now have with a new life, a new focus, new goals, new desires,
new habits, etc.

At the time of our salvation, God gives us at least one (maybe more)
spiritual gift to assist us in serving Him as we teach others by the
way we live our new life.

Sadly, many never make an effort to discover their spiritual gift, so
they seek ways to use it effectively. Others discover the spiritual gift
God has given them, but fail to put forth any effort to use it.

Not only does this prevent the advancement of His kingdom through
their lives, but it also prevents them from experiencing the blessings
the Lord has for those who sincerely want to serve Him. God’s plans
will continue with or without their participation, so the ones who are
not using their spiritual gift (or gifts) are the biggest losers.

We may want to serve God, but might be having a struggle determining
what He wants us to do. We may be asking Him often in our prayers and
we may be sensitive to signals He may be sending us, but we may still have
trouble zeroing in on how He wants us to serve Him, using our spiritual gift.

If we are sincere in our desire to be a Christian (aka ‘teacher of the faith’),
then God may send another believer to help us see clearly how and where
He wants us to serve.

God sent Barnabus to find Saul and bring Him to Antioch, so he could
use his gift of teaching to point others to Christ. How did that work out
for him? He and Barnabus “taught great numbers of people”. Imagine
the delight Saul and Barnabus had as they saw the Holy Spirit convicting
people to grow closer to the Lord.

I’ve been teaching for well over forty years and I am happy to say that
whenever someone tells me how they felt the Holy Spirit ‘speaking’ to
them and how they responded, it is exciting for me. It confirms that no
matter how ineffective I might be in by efforts, God is effective in using
it to impact the lives of others, so of course, He deserves all the credit.

If you are still wondering how God wants to use you, encourage those
He has called while you are searching for answers. Share with them
how God has been working in your own life. It serves as confirmation
to them that they are doing what God wants them to do.

Saul may have had a desire to serve God, but struggled with determining
how and where he should serve. Then, along came Barnabus!

How did Saul feel about leaving where he was, and going to another city?
More than likely He was grateful to Barnabus for encouraging him to
leave his ‘comfort zone’ so he could be a servant of God and teach others
about Him and His Son, Jesus Christ.

Can’t you just imagine how it blessed them both to see others learning
about their Heavenly Father, and Jesus? We can guess that Saul knew
he did the right thing when he saw how the people responded to what
he and Barnabus were teaching.

ACTION:
What about you and your desires to serve God? Have you discovered
your own spiritual gift God gave you, and if so, are you using it effectively?

Are you struggling with where or how you should be using your gift?
Do you have a Barnabus sent by God? If so, did you respond to him
or her, or did you choose to ignore them?

Never forget that Satan will use every weapon at his disposal to prevent
us from serving God. If your Barnabus is soft-spoken and not very forceful,
you may not believe that he or she was sent by God. On the other hand, if
your Barnabus is blunt and direct, you may resent their suggestions and
refuse to follow their advice.

If God sends a Barnabus to you, don’t allow Satan to put negative
thoughts into your mind, but spend time processing the content of
what they have said to you, realize their interest in you, and pray
for God’s guidance. Your ‘Barnabus’ might feel uncomfortable and
awkward, so listen to their heart.

Lastly, don’t be afraid of what God may call you to do. He could
call you to be a foreign missionary, or He may want you to be an
effective witness right where you are, by showing others that you
have been changed.
Do not lie to each other, since you have taken off
your old self with its practices and have put on the
new self, which is being renewed in knowledge in
the image of its Creator.
(Colossians 3:9-10)

You no longer use the same language you used in the past. Instead
of being a rude and domineering person, you have become a person
with a gentle strength. You no longer gossip and point out the faults
of others, but you have become a person who others know they can
trust and safely discuss confidential matters with.

You focus more on finding the good in others and realizing their
potential. In essence, you are a changed person and others are
likely to become interested in what caused the change.

C.S. Lewis said,
“Don’t shine so others can see you.
Shine so that through you, others can see Him”.

Are you being a witness for the Lord? Can others see how
important He is in your life? Is your faith evident by how
you consistently worship Him? This could be an area where
He wants you to serve – consistent worship attendance.

If you claim to be a fan of a sports team, but never watch any
of the games they play, would others believe that you are really
a fan of that team? They can have the same opinion of our faith
if we claim to be a Christian, but seldom (or never) worship and
connect with other Christians.

You and I are important to God. The questions we need to ask
ourselves is,
“Is God important to me?”
and
“How important is God to me?”

Pray,
“Heavenly Father, when I read Your Word I see
how Christians before me have faithfully served
You. Their sincere faith inspires me to want to
serve You as well. I want to clearly see and know
where and how You want me to use the spiritual
gift You created especially for me. If I am struggling
to understand where and how you want me to serve
You, I pray that you will send a Barnabus into my life.
Forgive me if I have ignored the importance of being
a servant of Yours who is concerned about those who
don’t know You. Create in me a desire to use the gift
You have given me to point others to Jesus.”

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