Barnabus is one of the cool guys of the New Testament. Luke reported that Barnabus
was a “good man and full of the Holy Spirit.” He was a Levite from Cyprus, whose
real name was Joseph, but Apostles called him Barnabus, or “Son of Encouragement.”
We first meet Barnabus in Acts 4, in the days after Christ’s resurrection and birth
of the Church at Pentecost. Here we see Barnabus as a member of the first remarkable
group: “And the congregation of those who believed were of one heart and soul; and
not one of them claimed that anything belonging to him was his own, but all things
were common property to them. And with great power the apostles were giving testimony
to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus, and abundant grace was upon them all. For there was not a needy person among them, for all who were owners of land or houses would sell them and bring the proceeds of the sales and lay them at the apostles'
feet, and they would be distributed to each as any had need. Now Joseph, a
Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles (which translated
means Son of Encouragement), and who owned a tract of land, sold it and brought
the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.” (Acts 4:32-37) Here, Barnabus was
encouraging through his generosity. He sold a piece of land and gave the proceeds
to the Apostles for the needs of the Church. But Barnabus’ generosity, and ours,
need not be only financial. We can be generous with our time. Barnabus was a servant
to the early believers and spent a year instructing the newly-converted Paul of
Antioch. In the same spirit, we can visit the sick, hospitalized, or shut-ins. How about bringing a meal or just sharing a cup of coffee with someone? Many people
are encouraged just to have someone spend time with them.
Like Barnabus, we can be generous with our service. After the Jerusalem Council,
Barnabus served as an envoy for the Apostles throughout Asia Minor. Every time the
communion trays come in I am encouraged by the fact that someone did that. Someone
puts the rose on the piano when a baby is born. Someone hangs the decorations during
the holidays. Someone replaces the pencils and attendance cards in the pew racks.
The more we look around and become aware of these myriad acts of service the more
encouraged we become.
We can be generous with our influence. Barnabus spoke to the Apostles when they
didn’t want anything to do with this new convert named Saul. We have those in food/restaurant
industry who are able to provide groceries and meals for events and acts of mercy.
We have spoken of the gifts in kind program where those in the building trades can
have a huge impact on reducing the cost of the new building. Use your influence
for the good of the Church.
We can be generous with our friendship. Barnabus offered his friendship to Saul,
who was being shunned by believers after his conversion. He was loyal to John Mark
after he flaked out on the first Missionary Journey. Barnabus was a friend to the
believers at Antioch. I was told of a Bible teacher at CBC who had recently polled
his Sunday school class as to whether they thought Calvary was a friendly church
or not. He said that they were split about 50/50. Half saying “no.” Brothers and
sisters, this ought not to be!
Time, service, influence and friendship; all these are ways you can be generous
without being wealthy. Let’s all emulate the example of Barnabus and encourage one
another through our generosity.