Barnabas the encourager!
Towards the end of Acts 4 is where we meet Barnabas the
encourager for the first time. A true hero of the early church!
Barnabas belonged to a great church which was characterised
by the following:
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·
<!--[endif]-->It was united –
“one in heart and mind” (Acts 4 v 32)
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·
<!--[endif]-->It was
evangelistic - “With great power the apostles continued to testify” (v33)
<!--[if !supportLists]-->·
<!--[endif]-->It was a
community that took action – “There were no needy people among
them….[donations] were distributed as they had need” (v34/35)
Don’t we long for our churches to be like the early church in
Acts – united, spreading the gospel, taking action to help those in need!
Barnabas (which was a nickname meaning Son of Encouragement)
acted when he saw a need by selling his land and giving the proceeds to be
distributed to others “as they had need”. He went onto be a great leader within
the church, encouraging and spreading the gospel wherever he went.
For our church to be like that we need to be like that! The
church is of course the people in it. What is it that we can do to be more like
Barnabas? What can we do to be a better encourager? Do we know others well
enough to know when they have need? Do we need to change our attitudes to be
more “united” with our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ? A challenge for
all of us!
(member of a homegroup)