Missionary Barnabas – Acts 11:22-26

Barnabas is one of the most interesting characters of the New Testament.

He is one of the unsung heros of Christianity.

Thinking about the life and ministry of the Apostle Paul, we are forced to think about Barnabas as well.

Thus far in our study, we have looked at this man in detail, and then again several times in passing.

“And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet” – Acts 4:36-37.

“And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus” – Acts 9:26-27.

When we come to chapter 13, we’ll see him being sent by the church and the lead by the Lord to begin a missionary journey into Cyprus, Perga and Pamphylia.

That missionary expedition is usually called “Paul’s First Missionary Journey,”

But in reality it was Barnabas who was the leader.

After Paul and Silas left on other missionary trips, Barnabas took John Mark and continued to serve the Lord in the same way that we see him here in this chapter and in chapter 13.

The Book of Acts, focuses first on Peter and then on Paul,

But there were dozens, if not hundreds of disciples who gave their lives in the service of the King …

“The which, if they should be written every one, I suppose that nearly the world itself could not contain the books that should be written.”

And Barnabas was one of those people.

Last week, we heard some good lessons on the principles of missions.

We looked at the missionary church, the financing of missions, the purpose of missions and so on.

Those messages were appropriate and covered the basics of what missions is all about.

But it’s a mistake to think that Brother Parrow and Brother Keener looked at every passage and thoroughly examined all that the Bible says about the subject.

For example, I think that these five verses give us another opportunity to examine this aspect of the work of the Lord through Missionary Barnabas.

Barnabas was a GOOD MAN and filled with FAITH and the HOLY SPIRIT – v.24.

I won’t belabor these facts, since we have already spent a couple of occasions thinking about the character of this man.

But just a quick review.

Barnabas was a Grecian, an Hellenist, born a Jew and raised in Cyprus.

He appears to have had some wealth, but he gave much of what he had to the work of the Lord.

For some reason which hasn’t been fully explained, he was given the nick-name “Son of Consolation.”

The word “paraklesis” (par-ak’-lay-sis) is translated “comfort” and “exhortation” as well as “consolation.”

This nick-name may have been given to him because of his preaching.

But I think that it was probably for the kind, generous, forgiving and encouraging sort of person that he was.

He was full of faith and the Holy Spirit.

That means he may have been used of the Lord to work miracles, but not necessarily so.

Certainly the Bible doesn’t say that he was a worker of miracles.

But I’m sure that he WAS surrendered to the leadership of the Lord, going and doing the things that the Holy Spirit led him to do.

That may be the most simple and pure definition of the words “the fullness of the Holy Spirit.”

The point is: Christian character is extremely important in the work of the missionary.

Of course it is true of all servants of God and in fact of all Christians generally.

But many times, the missionary is working in a place where there are few other Christians, no one to observe him and hold him accountable.

If that man is not close to the Lord and of the highest moral and Christian character,

Then he is not only going to be ineffective,

But he’s going to be a great stumbling block to any future work in that place.

Barnabas was a good man; he was the right man.

He was also a CHURCH-SENT missionary.

“Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas.”

For some strange reason, there is not a single missionary in the Bible who is not church-sponsored.

There are no Bible missionaries sent by missionary boards or other groups of Christians.

In the Bible there are no para-church organizations evangelizing the world.

“Para-” is a prefix which speaks about “nearness.”

For example, something that is “paranormal” is something that is close to normal, but not normal.

There are no near-church organizations, clubs, associations, or denominations in the Bible.

Any and every missionary sent out from any organization but a local church is un-Biblical and should therefore go home.

Do I believe that Barnabas was ordained to this work?

I certainly do.

He was ordained by God and recognized and sent out by the church in Jerusalem.

When I first returned to Canada as a missionary, my sending church did something which I have never fully understood.

I have heard of it from time to time since and I still don’t understand it.

My home church licensed me to the Gospel ministry, but they didn’t ordain me.

It was a couple of years later that I was ordained by another church which I had subsequently joined.

What I think was happening was that since I was a complete novice,

The church was sending me out on some sort of trial basis

In order to find out if I really was ordained of God to do the work of the Lord.

But since I see no such thing in the Bible I will never license a preacher or missionary.

I would love to ordain a hundred men to the ministry, when I am convinced that the Lord is sending those people into His harvest.

Barnabas was a God-ordained, church-sent missionary.

Thirdly, we see that Barnabas’ ministry was SEMI-ITINERANT.

“Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem: and they sent forth Barnabas, that he should to as far as Antioch.”

When I look at verse 22, I read it to say that the church in Jerusalem wanted this man to make a missionary survey through Samaria and up into Syria.

The church knew that great things were taking place in Samaria, and they had heard that the Lord was even blessing in Antioch.

In some places and in some independent churches, I’m sure that Barnabas was a guest, and a guest speaker.

To them he was the “Son of Consolation,”

And he sent word back to Jerusalem about the great things that he was seeing throughout Samaria and Southern Syria.

But he kept pushing northward

Antioch was about 300 miles from Jerusalem, as the crow flies.

John Gill says that would have been a two week journey,

Provided that Barnabas wasn’t stopping to visit churches and missions as he went along.

But he apparently WAS stopping and visiting along the way.

And this is something which makes the work of the missionary just a little bit different from the average pastor, although it doesn’t necessarily have to be.

A missionary quite often has more than one preaching point, so he travels back and forth between them.

And then as time goes on, he would like to see some of those preaching points become organized into autonomous churches.

And even after their organization, rarely does he severe all ties with that new church, even though he doesn’t have any real authority over it.

He will often be visiting it,

As Barnabas probably did to the church in Samaria on his journey north,

To encourage it, and make sure that the doctrine which is preached there is still true to the Word.

That is the work of the missionary,

But then on the other hand, what is wrong with a pastor doing that same sort of work?

I wish, I sincerely wish that we had the resources so that you and I could do mission work across the Northwest.

We know places, and in some cases people, who need churches to attend.

That means there needs to be mission work done in those places.

I keep getting requests for a scriptural church in Boise, in Calgary, and of course in Nanaimo and Parksville.

Why can’t we do that sort of thing?

What is holding us back?

We would need money,

And we’d need men, both here and either in those places or to go to those places to preach the Word.

The work of a missionary is often somewhat itinerant

As was the work of Barnabas.

Barnabas had a ministry of EVANGELISM.

“And much people was added unto the Lord.”

This is the work of the evangelist, and every missionary should be an evangelist.

Barnabas was preaching the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ, sharing the means of salvation with his hearers.

He was telling the old, old story, which at that time was a somewhat new, new story.

And Who was it that did the math?

Who was it that added these new saints to the Lord? Barnabas?

No, it was the Lord Himself.

“And the Lord added to the church daily such as should be saved.”

Barnabas also had a ministry of ESTABLISHMENT.

“Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.”

This is the work of the pastor, and every missionary is a pastor – a shepherd.

“Preach the word; be instant in season, out of season; reprove, rebuke, exhort with all longsuffering and doctrine.”

The Great Commission contains several parts:

“Go ye therefore, and teach all nations,

Baptizing them in the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Ghost:

Teaching them to observe all things whatsoever I have commanded you:

And, lo, I am with you alway, even unto the end of the world. Amen.”

The missionary is failing to obey his responsibilities if he is not leading his converts beyond believing into cleaving to the Lord.

Barnabas was a good missionary.

A sixth thing about Barnabas’ work was a DEGREE OF INDEPENDENCY.

Here is a difficult concept, but an important one.

When Barnabas departed from Antioch, travelling to Tarsus, seeking Saul, did he first get permission from the church in Jerusalem?

There are a great many brethren who would say that he did.

But the fact of the matter is that the Bible doesn’t say so,

And I don’t think that he did or that it was even necessary.

When the church in Jerusalem ordained and sent Barnabas out on this journey, they were essentially giving him their permission to do whatever he thought best in that work.

If Barnabas thought that it was a good idea to rent a building in which to meet, it wasn’t necessary for him to get a delegation from Jerusalem to approve the site and negotiate the price.

When people were saved and desired to be baptized, Barnabas had to the authority to investigate that person’s profession of faith and to baptize him into the mission of the First Baptist Church of Jerusalem.

If the missionary wanted to buy a house for himself to live in, he was free to do it.

And what if he met a beautiful Syrian Christian and decided to get married, do you think that he’d have to sent her home so that the Apostles could approve or disapprove of her?

It’s not that Barnabas may not have written letters to his home church and sought the advice of some of the leaders there.

But as their ambassador to Antioch, he was given some room to work.

When I was a missionary, I felt that it was very important for our mission to support missions.

Those new Christians needed to know that they were as responsible for world-wide evangelism just as much as our home church in Texas.

So we sent money to several good men.

The other day, Bro. Parrow mentioned that he supported a missionary, and I was surprised when I heard.

I think that he said that the missionary’s name was Calvin Gardner,

But I’ve never met that missionary nor do I know a single thing about him.

Yet I am not upset that Bro. Parrow sends him some missionary support.

If I find that that man is an heretic, then it would be necessary to talk to Bro. Parrow, but until that time, I will trust our missionary.

What I’m trying to say is that we don’t find any Biblical grounds to micro-management missions.

Barnabas had some liberty in making choices that affected his mission-work in Antioch.

And I think that a reasonable amount of liberty should still be given to God’s missionaries today.

When the mission work is handled decently and in order, the Lord will bless in His good time.

“And much people was added unto the Lord.”

As they say, the proof of the pudding is in the eating.

The Lord honoured and blessed the work that was being done in Antioch by Barnabas and Saul.

And the growth there wasn’t the empty shell, empty heart and empty-headed evangelism that is so common today.

Those people were truly born again

And the church that was established in that city stood the test of time,

Proving that it was the work of God.

Some day I hope that these things might be said of our mission work in Stillwater, Oklahoma.

And perhaps in Nanaimo, British Columbia and Boise, Idaho.

And some day I hope that it will be said of the Calvary Independent Baptist Church in Post Falls, Idaho as well.