WEEK 2: CONFIDENT IN THE MISSION
TODAY’S CHARACTER: BARNABAS
SCRIPTURE REFERENCES: ACTS 4:36-37, 9:26-31, 11:19-25
MAIN POINT: The Holy Spirit empowers our desire and ability to boldly pursue God’s mission for our church.
INTRODUCTION
Describe the boldest thing someone you know has done. Why was it a bold move? What did it accomplish? How did your opinion of that person change after he/she exhibited boldness?
Do you consider yourself a bold person? What’s the boldest thing you’ve ever done for God? How would you describe your relationship with Him at that time?
UNDERSTANDING
Let’s unpack the biblical text to discover what the Scripture says about the life of Barnabas.
READ ACTS 4:36-37
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
What prompted Barnabas to donate the proceeds of his land sale to the apostles? (See also Acts 2:44-45). 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.
How does this ‘speak boldly’ for Christ and His mission?
It’s important to note that Pentecost, recorded in Acts 2:1-4, was the filling of the Holy Spirit which prompted the actions of the believers that we read about in the following passage.
READ ACTS 9:26-27
26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.
Why did the Jerusalem Christians fear Paul? How do you think you would have reacted to Paul if you had been there?
The Jerusalem believers’ fear of Paul was understandable. He had been present at Stephen’s death and had sought to arrest Christians. In fact, when he later gave his testimony, he described how he had imprisoned many Jesus followers and voted for the death sentence for others (Acts 22:4-5; 26:9-10). If Paul was only pretending to act like a disciple, he could’ve destroyed the church.
Why was Barnabas willing to stand up for Paul? What was Barnabas risking by doing so?
Who has taken a risk on you? Who gave you your first opportunity to serve Jesus? What was the result?
Apparently Barnabas saw evidence of God’s work in Paul’s life and recognized Paul as a true disciple and brother in the Lord. Consequently, Barnabas demonstrated his bold faith when he took Paul to the apostles. By endorsing Paul, Barnabas risked his reputation and his life.
How would things have been different if Barnabas hadn’t been there to stand up for Paul?
How do you think Barnabas’ commitment to the Great Commission drove his willingness to take a risk on Paul?
When do we need to take risks either to include others in community or to lead them to greater devotion or service in Christ? What impact would more Barnabas-like boldness have on our community and on the mission God calls us to?
READ ACTS 9:28-31
28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30 When the believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
As a result of Barnabas’s defense, the apostles accepted Paul into their fellowship, and they opened doors of opportunity for him to minister and spread the gospel in Jerusalem.
How were Paul and Barnabas’ acts of boldness similar? How were they different?
Barnabas means ‘son of encouragement.’ How did he encourage Paul and the disciples?
Read Acts 9:31 again. What was happening in the church during this time? What or Who was the church growth attributed to? What would it take for this to occur in our community?
Acts 9:31 ends the account of Paul’s conversion. With that watershed event, the early persecution of Christians also ended. The church experienced peace, the Spirit’s encouragement, and numerical growth.
READ ACTS 11:19-23
The Church in Antioch
19 Now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. 22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.
Prior to Paul’s conversion believers in Jesus scattered to other parts of the empire, as far away as Cyprus and Antioch for fear of persecution. They spoke to the Jews only and many of them believed and turned to the Lord. When the news of these events reached the church in Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
What does Barnabas’ willingness to go to Antioch tell us about his commitment to the mission? How did Barnabas use his gift of encouragement for these new believers?
What were the effects of his sharing the gospel message?
Not only was Barnabas a “good man”, but how else is he described? What do you think that had to do with the impact of his efforts?
APPLICATION
Let’s identify how the truths from theses Scripture passages apply directly to our lives.
Why do you think God values risk? What do we communicate to God when we take risks, like both Barnabas and Paul, to make His name known?
If we are not demonstrating boldness in our faith, what should we ask ourselves?
What barriers keep us from being “ALL IN” with the mission?
How can we be more filled with (or yielded to) the Holy Spirit and bolder in our involvement in the mission?
What could it look like for you?
How can we encourage each other ‘with purpose of heart’ to take advantage of opportunities in our church to boldly pursue the mission?
PRAYER
Ask God for the courage to take risks and a greater awareness of the need to be dependent on the Holy Spirit as we carry out His mission. Ask Him for opportunities to encourage one another in the gifts, talents and time God has given them.
Teacher Notes:
Teacher Notes:
Be Bold for Christ
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What’s the boldest thing you’ve ever done for
God?
In many of God’s commands
He gives His children freedom in the mechanics of obedience. For example, in
marriage, a man and woman are to commit for a lifetime, but we are not told how
that marriage is to be established day by day. Pastors are to preach the Word,
but many methods are biblical, and the preacher is given freedom to choose. In
only a few instances does the Lord prescribe both the action and the method.
Evangelism is one of those cases, and the biblical method for evangelism is
boldness.
In Acts 3-4 the disciples
begin evangelizing right after Pentecost. After a man was healed, Peter boldly
proclaims the Gospel and he and John are arrested for talking about Christ. The
next day they are called to answer to the religious leaders for their actions.
Peter doesn’t dial back his boldness in any way, he proclaims the Good News
again. Acts 4:13 records the council’s response: “Now when they saw the
boldness of Peter and John, and perceived that they were uneducated, common
men, they were astonished. And they recognized that they had been with Jesus.” That’s
a great question for us, do people recognize that we have been with Jesus? Peter
and John are warned not to speak in Jesus’ name, and they both answer that they
cannot stop speaking about their personal experience with Christ.
Boldness springs from
something that is happening deep inside. Jesus Christ has changed my life.
Everything that I was looking for and longing for, I found in Him. I have the
forgiveness of sins and the promise of eternal life. I have a peace that passes
all understanding. I have a love for people whom I should hate. I have joy and
a strength I knew nothing about, so how could I not try to tell others that
they can have it, too? That is boldness!
Last week: How did Lydia’s bold ALL IN
participation impact the spreading of the gospel?
· It is
no exaggeration to say that without the partnership and resources of Lydia,
Paul’s initial evangelizing efforts may have never given rise to the
flourishing community of Christ-believers at Philippi, who remained a source of
encouragement and support to him throughout his ministry. Lydia’s ALL IN
participation is what began the first church in Philippi.
What would have happened if Lydia didn’t go ALL IN to the
mission once she was saved?
· Lydia
would just have remained an onlooker with her faith. It would not have been a
faith that influences others.
Lydia believed, she served, and she gave.
What’s
it going to take for us to be ALL IN?
How do we get there?
By Believing: We’re asking you to go
ALL IN with the vision. Believe with us that God can and will do an uncommon
work through us. Make it personal. This is your mission, and this is your
opportunity to join God in a work that will change lives for generations to
come.
By Serving: We’re asking you to go
ALL IN with your time and energy. Everyone needs to make a move from
observation to participation, from interest to investment. God is calling us to
make this mission our top priority in life.
By Giving: We’re asking you to go
ALL IN with your giving. We invest the most in the things that we care about
most. The question is not, “Can He?” or “Can we?” The question is “WILL WE” go
ALL IN?
TODAY’S CHARACTER: BARNABAS
Who
was Barnabas?
·
Born Joseph nickname Barnabas (Son of Encouragement)
·
A Levite from Cyprus (so were many of the Jews in Antioch –
from Cyprus)
·
Took a great risk on Paul
·
Good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith
·
A Christian leader and preacher
·
A great example of what it looks like to go ALL IN for
Jesus
Was
Barnabas ALL IN?
How did he BELIEVE?
How did he SERVE?
How did he GIVE?
Was he BOLD for Christ?
Let’s unpack the biblical text to discover what the Scripture
says about the life of Barnabas.
READ ACTS 4:36-37
36 Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the
apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), 37 sold a field
he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
What prompted Barnabas to donate the proceeds of his land sale to the apostles?
(See also Acts 2:44-45). 44 All the believers were together and had
everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone
who had need.
How does this ‘speak boldly’ for Christ and
His mission?
It’s important to note that Pentecost,
recorded in Acts 2:1-4, was the filling of the Holy Spirit which prompted the
actions of the believers that we read about in the following passage.
Commentary: Acts 4:26-30 Luke
introduces Barnabas as a role model from among those who donated property
proceeds. Barnabas was a member of the
priestly tribe of the Levites and a native of the island of Cyprus. He becomes an associate of Paul and prominent
figure later in the book of Acts. The OT
prohibited Levites from owning property in Israel (Num. 18:20, 24), but that
law was apparently no longer in force.
It is also possible that the land was in Cyprus.
READ ACTS 9:26-27
26 When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join
the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really
was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He
told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had
spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of
Jesus.
Why did the Jerusalem Christians fear Paul?
How do you think you would have reacted to Paul if you had been there?
Why was Barnabas willing to stand up for Paul?
What was Barnabas risking by doing so?
Commentary: Acts 9:26-31
9:26 Unable to refute Paul
in debate, the Jews plotted to kill him. His disciples helped him escape from
Damascus (vv. 23-25). Paul traveled south to Jerusalem and attempted to
associate with the disciples there—the Christian community. He sought to be
attached to them, to be known as one of them. Understandably, they were all
afraid of him. After all, shortly before this time he had persecuted the
Jerusalem church, hunting down and imprisoning believers (see 8:3). The
disciples did not believe his commitment to Christ was genuine; they thought it
was a trick to enable him to capture them. They seriously doubted he was a
genuine disciple.
9:27 Barnabas, “Son of
Encouragement,” took a tremendous risk. He was a respected believer whom the
disciples trusted. He had generously contributed to Jerusalem Christians’ needs
(see 4:36-37). Barnabas took Paul to the apostles—the Twelve. Convinced Paul
was a genuine believer, Barnabas was willing to act as a mediator with the apostles.
The Greek text will allow the explanation in the latter part of the verse to be
Barnabas’s or Paul’s words. The explanation recounted Jesus’ appearing to Paul
on the road to Damascus, their conversation, and Paul’s bold preaching about
Jesus in Damascus.
Apparently, Barnabas saw evidence of God’s
work in Paul’s life and recognized Paul as a true disciple and brother in the
Lord. Consequently, Barnabas demonstrated his bold faith when he took Paul to
the apostles. By endorsing Paul, Barnabas risked his reputation and his life.
How would things have been different if
Barnabas hadn’t been there to stand up for Paul?
READ ACTS 9:28-31
28 So Saul stayed with them and moved about
freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord. 29 He talked and
debated with the Hellenistic Jews, but they tried to kill him. 30 When the
believers learned of this, they took him down to Caesarea and sent him off to
Tarsus. 31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee and Samaria enjoyed a time
of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of the Lord and encouraged by
the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
How were Paul and Barnabas’ acts of boldness
similar? How were they different?
Read Acts 9:31 again. What was happening in
the church during this time? What or Who was the church growth attributed to?
31 Then the church throughout Judea, Galilee
and Samaria enjoyed a time of peace and was strengthened. Living in the fear of
the Lord and encouraged by the Holy Spirit, it increased in numbers.
· The early persecution of Christians also
ended. The church experienced peace, the Spirit’s encouragement, and numerical
growth.
Commentary: 9:28 The apostles
accepted Paul into their fellowship. That he was coming and going with the
apostles indicates his full identification with them. The implication may have
been that they opened doors of opportunity for him in Jerusalem. He was
speaking boldly about Jesus in Jerusalem’s synagogues, mainly in those of the
Greek-speaking Jews.
9:29 Paul conversed and
debated with the Hellenistic (Greek-speaking) Jews. Paul took up Stephen’s work
and likely advocated Stephen’s view that the gospel is for every person. Paul’s
background as a Jew who was born and had lived in a Gentile area, Cilicia,
equipped him to speak to and debate with these Jews. If Paul had debated with
Stephen, that experience—coupled with his viewing the manner in which Stephen
died—doubtless had a profound effect on him. The Hellenistic Jews reacted to
Paul as they had responded to Stephen: they attempted to kill Paul. His claims
for Christ enraged the synagogue members; they considered him to be a traitor
to Judaism and sought to eliminate him.
9:30 Members of the
Christian community discovered the plot to kill Paul. These believers escorted
him to Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast, where he boarded a ship bound for
Tarsus, his native city in Cilicia. Paul’s name does not resurface in Luke’s narrative
until Acts 11:25, in events of about 10 years later. Paul demonstrated
his intense commitment by going to Jerusalem and meeting with the disciples. In
addition, he preached about Jesus and risked his life by debating some Greek
Jews about Jesus.
9:31 This verse marks a
significant point in the development of the early church. The church, having
been forced by persecution to scatter outward from Jerusalem, was at peace in
Judea, Galilee, and Samaria. This set the church up for a second stage of growth,
which would see the gospel boldly taken outside Israel.
READ ACTS 11:19-25
The Church in Antioch
19 Now those who had been scattered by the
persecution that broke out when Stephen was killed traveled as far as
Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the word only among Jews. 20 Some of
them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak
to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. 21 The Lord’s
hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the
Lord. 22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas
to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was
glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He
was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people
were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul,
Prior to Paul’s conversion believers in Jesus
scattered to other parts of the empire, as far away as Cyprus and Antioch
for fear of persecution. They spoke to the Jews only and many of them believed
and turned to the Lord. When the news of these events reached the church in
Jerusalem, they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
What does Barnabas’ willingness to go to
Antioch tell us about his commitment to the mission?
Not only was Barnabas a “good man”, but how
else is he described? What do you think that had to do with the impact of his
efforts?
11:19 Led by a Jew named
Saul of Tarsus, the persecution scattered the Jerusalem fellowship and led to
the first missionary outreach of the church.
Not all members of the Jerusalem church were forced to flee; the Hellenists,
bore the brunt of persecution. Cyprus
was the third largest island in the Mediterranean after Sicily and Sardinia,
located some 60 mi W off the Syrian coast.
Phoenicia was the coastal region directly North of Judea, containing the
trading ports of Tyre and Sidon. Antioch
was located some 200 mi north of Sidon, and was a major pagan metropolis, the
third largest in the Roman Empire, behind Rome and Alexandria.
11:20 The Hellenists were
Greek-speaking non-Jews.
11:21 The ‘hand of the
Lord’ refers to God’s power expressed in judgment (ex. Deut 2:15; Josh.4:24) and in blessing (Ezra
7:9; 8:18). In this verse it refers to a
blessing.
11:22 Barnabas was a Cyprus
Jew; he came from a similar background to the founders of the Antioch church.
11:25 Tarsus was the
birthplace of Paul and a key city in the roman province of Cilicia, located on
the banks of the Cydnus River near the border of Asia Minor and Syria. It served as both a commercial and
educational center. To seek Saul. This was to be no easy task. Several years had elapsed since Saul fled
Jerusalem (9:30). Apparently, he had
been disinherited and forced to leave his home due to his new allegiance to
Christianity (Phil 3;8). At that time,
‘Christians was a term of derision meaning “of the party of Christ.”
Barnabas was a Christian
leader and preacher (Acts 15:35). On one occasion, he was sent by the Jerusalem
church to Antioch. Acts 11:23-24 describes his arrival, “When he came and
saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful
to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy
Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.” After
his arrival, Barnabas sought out Saul to help him with the work (Acts 11:25).
Barnabas’ ministry and effectiveness touches on one of the goals of the
Fellowship of the Word program, which is to equip leaders to preach God’s Word
with God’s heart and to empower pastors to train others in the Scriptures as
well.
What Does It Mean to Be “All In” For Jesus? “All In” Leaves a Legacy
Barnabas, on the other hand, is a great example of
what it looks like to go all in for Jesus. The first time we see him in
scripture (Acts 4:36-37), he is selling his field and giving the proceeds to the
apostles. Barnabas went on to preach and teach alongside Paul for many years,
helping start churches throughout Asia Minor and Europe. Because Barnabas went ALL
IN, he was able to make a huge impact on the world and became known as “a good
man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith” (Acts
11:24).
When we go all in for Jesus, it not only
changes our life but the generations that come after us. What legacy do you
want to leave?
APPLICATION
Let’s identify how the truths from theses
Scripture passages apply directly to our lives.
Why do you think God values risk? What do we
communicate to God when we take risks, like both Barnabas and Paul, to make His
name known?
If we are not demonstrating boldness in our
faith, what should we ask ourselves?
MAIN POINT: The Holy Spirit empowers our desire and
ability to boldly pursue God’s mission for our church.
BE BOLD FOR CHRIST: In many of God’s commands
He gives His children freedom in the mechanics of obedience. For example, in
marriage, a man and woman are to commit for a lifetime, but we are not told how
that marriage is to be established day by day. Pastors are to preach the Word,
but many methods are biblical, and the preacher is given freedom to choose. In
only a few instances does the Lord prescribe both the action and the method.
Evangelism is one of those cases, and the biblical method for evangelism is
boldness.
Acts 3-4 details the
church’s earliest efforts in evangelism as the disciples begin getting out the
Good News post Pentecost. After a man has been healed, Peter boldly proclaims
the Gospel in Solomon’s porch and he and John are arrested for their
presentation of Christ. The next day the two apostles are called to answer to
the religious leaders for their actions. Peter does not dial back the boldness
in any way, choosing instead to proclaim the Good News again. Acts 4:13 records
the council’s response: “Now when they saw the boldness of Peter and John, and
perceived that they were uneducated, common men, they were astonished. And they
recognized that they had been with Jesus.” In verse 18 Peter and John are
warned not to speak in Jesus’ name. They both answer that they cannot stop
speaking about their personal experience with Christ.
As soon as they are
released, Peter and John run straight to their friends and start a prayer
meeting, pleading with God to prevent the threats they have heard from
diminishing their boldness. The Holy Spirit responds by filling each person,
so that they “continued to speak the word with boldness” (Acts 4:31).
Was this one of those “for
them and not for us” things? In Ephesians, the Apostle Paul settles that
question with his request, “Pray for me that I would speak boldly as I ought to
speak” (Cf. Ephesians 6:19).
Boldness is the biblical
manner in which God wants the Gospel given. We are not to develop our own methods based
upon personality or passion. We are to open our mouths and unapologetically
testify to the saving power of Jesus Christ. Is it possible that the commonly
reported frustrations in personal evangelism and our epidemic failure to
evangelize at all is rooted in our failure to embrace the biblical method of
boldness?
The Greek term translated
bold or boldly or boldness, means “candor in the face of opposition.” We
should give a candid, clear, compassionate, compelling witness to the news of
how sins can be forgiven in Jesus Christ and how we have experienced that
reality personally. Boldness isn’t being obnoxious–I’m gonna shove this
down your throat whether you want to hear it or not. Boldness can be very
gentle, kind and from a loving heart. It’s not mean or pushy; it’s just
convinced. Boldness does not adjust the presentation to avoid a negative
response. Paul said, “But we have renounced disgraceful, underhanded ways. We
refuse to practice cunning or to tamper with God’s word, but by the open
statement of the truth we would commend ourselves to everyone’s conscience in
the sight of God” (2 Corinthians 4:2). Boldness knows that salvation is of the
Lord, “and as many as were appointed to eternal life believed” (Acts 13:48). Boldness
is the Spirit-given conviction that we must speak about what we have seen and
heard in Christ.
In Acts 4:1–3 the
disciples were boldly “proclaiming in Jesus the resurrection from the dead” and
the opposition didn’t believe in much except being in charge so “they arrested
them.”
In much of today’s church
this would have signaled the need for some consultants: “Guys, if you’re going
to win friends and influence people, you’re going to have to tone it down a
little. Round off the edges, make the Gospel more appealing, more acceptable,
less offensive to the modern mind-set.”
But that’s not how it
happened in Acts. Instead “many of those who had heard the word believed, and
the number of the men came to be about five thousand” (Acts 4:4). Though
arrested for their witness, the apostles’ boldness was being blessed!
The problem today is that
we want the fruit without the fallout. We want to see people converted but
don’t want any feathers ruffled or anyone to get upset when they reject the Gospel.
Today we want to be the aroma of life to those who are being saved without
being the aroma of death to those who are perishing (2 Corinthians 2:15).
Pursuit of that
impossibility has led to a suppression of the biblical model for boldness in
most places. Peter and John were imprisoned, Paul and Steven were stoned, and
Christ Himself was crucified for the offense created in speaking the truth.
If you start talking
freely, openly and authentically about Jesus Christ, you must anticipate some
of the same–count on it. Regardless of what the strategists say, negative
reaction is not always reflective of poor presentation. If you give witness to
Jesus Christ and people get upset, you’re not necessarily doing it wrong. We
should not be seeking a way to evangelize where everyone likes us and no one
ever gets upset. I wish I could hear some of our modern strategists explaining
their plans to the evangelists in the early church. “Hey Peter and John, if you
just round off the corners a bit, you can reach a lot of people and avoid jail
time.”
Biblical boldness for
Christ is a fountain that bursts forth from a satisfied soul. Even when facing
the authorities, Peter overflows with the Gospel, referring to Jesus seven
times in Acts 4:10-12 concluding with, “There is salvation in no one else, for
there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
In regard to evangelism,
God has not just told us what to do, He has told us how to do it. Embrace
afresh the biblical method: clear, concise, unwavering witness for Christ–even
in the face of opposition. The bold way is the biblical way. Testify boldly and
without fear, regardless of the response, and you will know God’s favor upon
your witness for Christ. D ©2011 James McDonald
