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Barnabus
The story of Barnabus is raely told, but its impact however is plain.
We first hear of him in Jerusalem as he gives money to the common purse,
by selling land he owns and giving all the proceeds to be used in the Lord’s name.
Significantly. As he relates this, Luke states that his name means ‘son of encouragement’.
Barnabus, it seems remained a faithful and trusted member in Jerusalem.
Following the martyrdom of Stephen, as news of the scattered believers gaining converts in Antioch
reached them, he was selected to investigate what was happening and report to the apostles in Jerusalem,
After assessing the situation, he fetches Paul from Tarsus and together they spend a profitable year teaching the believers.
Their ministry is clearly effective and results in the believers being the first to be called Christians
An indication of Paul’s stated intent, as he later wrote ‘ to know nothing amongst you but Christ and Him crucified’.
On hearing from a prophet called Agabus of a potential famine in Judea they send him and Paul to Jerusalem with a gift for their fellow Christians.
Having successfully completed this task they returned to Antioch taking with them a young man called John Mark.
Whilst in prayer the fellowship there are led by the Spirit to set Paul and Barnabus apart,
They are charged with the mission to spread the good news of the gospel of Jesus Christ.
With the blessing of the church therefore, and taking Mark with them as an assistant, they depart.
Sailing from Selucia, they start their journey in Cyprus the birthplace of Barnabus.
Having success in their ministry as the move across the island, they lead the procoul to faith following a demonstration of the power of God
, For reasons not recorded by Luke, Mark returns to Jerusalem An event which later caused friction between Paul and Barnabus.
When they move on to Antioch in Pamphylia they are invited when visiting the synagogue to speak from the Word of God.
Using his understanding of the scriptures Paul demonstrates that Jesus is the Christ, the risen Lord.
In response he is requested to return the following Sabbath when many are brought to faith in Christ, including gentiles
The knowledge of the gospel begins to spread throughout the region, but not all respond to it favourably.
As had been the case since the outset there were those who opposed the message, especially strict Jews who objected to the inclusion of gentiles.
Consequently they were forced to move on to Iconium where their ministry continued to flourish.
However the antagonism is again stirred up and for safety they travel on to Lystra
Here, a cripple is healed in the name of Jesus, and this is mistakenly attributed to the appearance of greek gods.
As spokesman, Paul is deemed to be Hermes, Barnabus to be Zeus, and they are ‘worshipped’ as such by the people of Lystra.
Their refuusal to accept these accolades causes the mood to quickly change and Paul finds himself being stoned and left for dead outside the city.
The believers however gather and pray; Paul revives, returns to the city, moves on to Derbe then retraces his steps encouraging the believers.
Returning by a different route and preaching and teaching as they travel Paul and Barnabus arrive back in their home church Antioch.
As commissioned to do, a report of how the Lord has blessed them on their journey is delivered to the fellowship of believers.
Thankful to the Lord for His grace and mercy on their travels Paul and Barnabus remain in Antioch for some time enjoying the fellowship.
The final historical reference to Barnabus in scripture highlights his personal ministry of encouragement, but results in his leaving Paul.
In planning a return to see how the young churches are faring, Paul considers it unwise to take Mark who had previously deserted them.
Barnabus, seeing the potential of the young man, disagrees and as a result he separates from Paul.
Interestingly he is subsequently proved right in his assessment since Paul, when a prisoner in Rome, describes Mark as ‘a faithful friend'.
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