Barnabas Seeks Saul to Help with Discipleship
March 30, 2020
Commentary
As a result of Stephen’s martyrdom (8:1-2) the saints were scattered abroad, and some of them ended up in Antioch, the capital of Syria, which was about 300 miles north of Jerusalem (v. 19). As a result, many Jews heard the gospel, believed, and turned to the Lord (vv. 20-21). When the church in Jerusalem heard about this, they decided to send Barnabas to Antioch to see what was going on (vv. 22-24). It was by the grace of God they sent the man they did. They might have sent someone of a rigid mind who made a god of the Law and was shackled by its rules and regulations; but they sent the man with the biggest heart in the Church. Barnabas had already stood by Paul and sponsored him when all men suspected him (Acts 9:27). Barnabas had already given proof of his Christian love by his generosity to his needy brethren (Acts 4:36-37).
The work in Antioch grew to the point Barnabas needed help, so he went to Tarsus and enlisted Saul (vv. 25-26). Saul (who became known as the apostle Paul) had only been converted about ten years when Barnabas brought him to Antioch. Barnabas was glad when he saw the Gentiles being swept into the fellowship of the Church, but he recognized that someone must be put in charge of this work. This person needed to be a man with a double background, a Jew brought up in the Jewish tradition, but one who could meet the Gentiles on equal terms. What Barnabas did for Saul needs to be practiced in our churches today. We need mature believers who will take time to enlist others and encourage them in their service for the Lord.
Application
We’re good at coming together for food and fellowship, and we enjoy that, but discipleship is more than that. Fellowship takes place with Christians in the church, but discipleship is to take place in the world in which I live and to the people around me.
Acts 11:19– 26 (NET)
19 Now those who had been scattered because of the persecution that took place over Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch, speaking the message to no one but Jews. 20 But there were some men from Cyprus and Cyrene among them who came to Antioch and began to speak to the Greeks too, proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus. 21 The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number who believed turned to the Lord. 22 A report about them came to the attention of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he came and saw the grace of God, he rejoiced and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts, 24 because he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith, and a significant number of people were brought to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught a significant number of people. Now it was in Antioch that the disciples were first called Christians.
Illustration: A Lesson to Open All the Doors of Discipleship
Doug Whitt and his bride, Sylvia, were escorted to their hotel’s fancy bridal suite in the wee hours of the morning. In the suite they saw a sofa, chairs, and table, but where was the bed? Then they discovered the sofa was a hide-a-bed, with a lumpy mattress and sagging springs. They spent a fitful night and woke up in the morning with sore backs. “Doug went to the hotel desk and gave the management a tongue-lashing. “Did you open the door in the room?” asked the clerk. Doug went back to the room. He opened the door they had thought was a closet. There, complete with fruit baskets, was a beautiful bedroom! Opening all the doors in a honeymoon suite is like obeying all the words of Jesus. (Discipleship is the door to happiness.” – Cynthia Thomas, Leadership Magazine).