Barnabas is described in Acts 11:24 as “..... a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and faith.”, which are the three characteristic qualities of a Christian.
His conversion included his pocket book! Notice Acts 4:34-37. Barnabas happened to be one of those who owned some land! He sold it, and gave the proceeds to help those who were less fortunate. So it is a fact that some people have seen “communism” in practice - but remember, the people involved were all believers in Christ.
Are you a ‘Barnabas” to anyone at the moment? Although Barnabas was training Saul, the Lord was training Barnabas!
But such service with such fruit was costly! (See Acts 14:5)
How gracious of Barnabas to recognise Paul’s gifts, even though so recently Saul had been his student. Have we not all known cases where the older Christian has held office of leadership when God has already raised up and equipped younger men for His service?
There is, incidentally, an important principle to bear in mind regarding the call to serve God, known as ”the double call”. The elders called Barnabas (and Saul of course) but they personally sensed the call. There has been an increasing tendency during the past twenty to thirty years for young men and women to respond to a personal call only. This has often resulted in the wrong people being in the wrong places - sometimes with disastrous results.
We see brother Barnabas, the good man, full of the Holy Ghost and faith, standing strongly for what he thought was right (“give Mark a second chance”.), whilst Paul (now the leader) stood as strongly against it. Who would you have agreed with if you had been there?
Was Barnabas right in giving Mark a second chance? Subsequent events do show that Mark did prove himself (2 Timothy 4:11). Does this mean that Paul was wrong in not allowing Mark to go with them? Apparently the situation was overruled by the Lord. As someone has pointed out, there resulted two missionary societies instead of one!
There always have been differences of opinion among those who profess and call themselves Christians. Background, experience, knowledge, study, personality, the flesh - all can be contributing factors with regard to our personal convictions. We are each entitled to speak the truth as we see it, but we are commanded to speak it in love. (Ephesians 4:15)
When taking some 50 men through LIFE CHANGE STUDIES many years ago (which are so arranged to work through a Bible book, a doctrine, a passage and a character in turn), I was impressed by the number of students who told me what a blessing the study of characters was proving to them.
Some were saying they had sermons to preach before they had started
to preach! This is as it should be if you are called to preach. The word
of the Lord should become to you, as it was to Jeremiah, FIRE
IN THE BONES! (Jeremiah 20:9)
"I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing."(John 15:5)