Friday, May 02, 2014

The New Testament character Barnabas was given that name by the church apostles because he was always encouraging others. Barnabas means, Son of Encouragement. He is first mentioned in Acts 4:36 where it says, he “sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.” He was the leader in the Jerusalem church who met Saul and introduced him as a believer to the apostles. Later he went to Antioch to examine the work of God there and help the church to grow. He brought Saul there to help in the work and soon they went on the first missionary trip which was tough but fruitful. When ready to go on the 2nd missionary trip Saul, now known as Paul, didn’t agree with Barnabas who wanted to take Mark along – he was a drop out on their first trip. The disagreement was so intense they parted company. Paul took Silas and embarked on the trip, while Barnabas took Mark and returned to his home in Cyprus. It had to be a time of disappointment and discouragement for Barnabas. How did he cope with this apparent setback? He poured himself into mentoring Mark, who turned out to be useful to the apostle Peter and later on even to Paul. In fact, as a result of spending a lot of time with Peter he put together Peter’s recollections into the gospel of Mark. What an encouragement the “drop-out” Mark has been to many who have failed, and then wondered if God could ever use them. Barnabas took a setback and turned it into a legacy of success by reproducing himself in Mark. Paul encouraged this principle in 2 Timothy 2:2. Why not follow this example?