How many of us know of the man named Barnabas in Scripture?  It might surprise you but according to Acts, his name was Joseph, but he was called Barnabas by the apostles.  He was a “Levite of Cyrian birth” (Acts 4:36) and thus explains why it was he who was sent to investigate the revival that was taking place in his homeland (11:20-22).  Just think what it was like to see his fellow countrymen being added to the kingdom.  We call that immeasurable joy.

Luke translated Barnabas to mean “son of encouragement,” which to Spurgeon was a “distinguished honor.”^[1]

He was a leading teacher in the church a loving, gentle, generous man who at one point, sold some land and donated the proceeds to the apostles in Jerusalem (4:36-37) unlike Ananias and Sapphira, who withheld a portion of their property (5:1-11).

It was said of him that he was a “good man, and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (Acts 11:24).

His concern was for the spiritual welfare of others and so we read in Acts 13:43, that he and Paul urged the new believers to “continue in the grace of God” and to the Christians of Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch to “continue in the faith.”  This was the brother you wanted by your side encouraging you, urging you, exhorting you to continue in the faith, to continue in His grace.

He is seen alongside of Paul in Acts, a companion of Paul and rightfully so since it was Barnabas who brought Paul to the disciples and gave him a favorable introduction (9:27).  This is noteworthy as it was Paul, not Barnabas, who took on the more prominent role in the unfolding account of the Acts of the Apostles.

Later there arose a “sharp disagreement” (Acts 15:39) between the two.  Paul had no use for deserters while the gentle, encouraging Barnabas insisted on giving his cousin, John, called Mark (cf. Col 4:10) a second chance.  Though the two never ministered together again (this is the last mention of Barnabas in Acts), we do know that Paul and Barnabas eventually reconciled their differences.  We read a remark in 1 Cor 9:6 that approves Barnabas’s ministry.  Also Mark, the cause of all the trouble, later become one of Paul’s valued co-laborers (cf. Philemon 24; 2 Tim 4:11).  As we put the puzzle together, it seems that Barnabas should have agreed with Paul not taking his cousin Mark, but his loving concern for his young cousin proved to be strong.  It was Barnabas who was of great help to turn this trouble-maker into a servant who eventually became a close associate of the apostle Peter (1 Pet 5:13) and was given the privilege of writing one of the four gospels.

Many of us do not realize this, but we need more men like Barnabas. Men who are generous, loving, caring, and the constant encourager who tells us, “continue in the grace of God” knowing very well that perseverance is the hallmark of a genuine believer.   They provide the loving rebuke we all need to hear, “Keep going, don’t stop, keep running the race.” They may not take the upfront role in ministry, though he did not shy away from this role in the book of Acts, but nevertheless these are the servants who we need in the church, men who are “good [men] and full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.”

My beloved, do you know of the man named Barnabas? I trust that you have benefitted from knowing a little bit of his life and hope that this knowledge stirs up within you a desire to be more like him as he emulated the likeness of our Great Shepherd, who is generous, loving, and the source of all encouragement, who “has loved us and given us eternal comfort and good hope by grace” (2 Thess 2:16).

On Sunday, September 25, 2011, we gathered together to celebrate God’s faithfulness in Jeff Schwegler’s life as he graduated from studies at home. Jeff is indeed a modern-day “Barnabas” for us who know him.

I made this little video highlighting Jeff’s speech along with some photos. You can download the video here if you would like.