A good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith
by Pastor Glenn Crouch
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Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul (Acts 11:25).
Read Acts 11:19–30
Barnabas, this man from Cyprus (Acts 4:36,37) is worth looking into. Why not check him out on Wikipedia: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barnabas – and don’t forget to check the Bible references given.
Following the situation with Cornelius, which we have been looking at for most of this week, reports come in that in the city of Antioch (in Syria), there were those sharing the gospel with Gentiles and that the church there was expanding – with both Jews and Gentiles. So, this needed investigation and Barnabas is chosen for the task. Notice (verse 23) that he was pleased with what he found and encouraged them to continue to remain true to the Lord.
Barnabas did not only encourage with words. He set off for Tarsus to grab Saul (who will become better known by his other name of Paul) and brought him to Antioch. This is not a trivial task – check out a Bible Atlas and see where these cities were! We see here the Holy Spirit at work. We know all that he will do through Paul (Saul) and it started by Barnabas fetching him from Tarsus so that they could work together in Antioch.
The Holy Spirit cannot be contained. The Jerusalem church did not seek out Cornelius – nor did they seek out the Samaritans, nor the Ethiopian. They did not decide to start a church plant in Antioch. Rather the gospel could not be contained, and they had to play catch up. The Holy Spirit helped them with that as well – through Philip, then Peter and now Barnabas.
Are you open to the Holy Spirit working in you? You can be his instrument in your home, your work, your school, your community – wherever you may find yourself. Join with me in desiring to be like Barnabas and be full of the Holy Spirit and faith.
Gracious Father, thank you for including me in your kingdom. Help me to be your instrument in the task of bringing heaven to earth. Fill me afresh with your Holy Spirit, so that I may not only better serve you but that I may also be an encouragement to all whom I encounter. Not by my strength, but by yours. In the power of my Lord Jesus name, I pray. Amen.
Glenn is the Pastor of St John’s Lutheran Church in Esperance and also looks after St Paul’s Lutheran Church in Kalgoorlie-Boulder. Karen and he have been married since 1985 and have two grown sons – and have recently become grandparents.
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