by Gary Grey
I wonder what has happened to the word good. I hear God’s servants described as: clever, brilliant, courageous, or even super, but very seldom as good. However, God referred to the man called Barnabas as a good man in Acts 11:24. God did not refer to him as Barnabas the genius, or Barnabas the gifted, or Barnabas the wise. Why? According to God’s Word, Barnabas possessed the gift of encouragement. Barnabas used the gift God had given him to inspire others with courage, spirit, and hope. That is what encouragement does, it motivates others! I think of Barnabas as the Baptist Bible Fellowsip pastor of my dreams. This dream pastor specializes in others- directed ministries. First, he is a load lifter. He redirects some of his time and energies to focus on the needs of other pastors rather than just his own needs. He enjoys being a performer and not a pretender who responds with just an “I’ll pray for you, brother.” He is a giver, not just a receiver. He is not afraid to get involved with others serving the same God. He sees the big picture of a world needing the gospel and realizes that it will take all of those who are of the household of faith to reach those without Christ. The Fellowship pastor of my dreams is also a friend finder.
I think of the Apostle Paul just after his conversion. The disciples were afraid of him and didn’t trust him because of his past. None wanted anything to do with him, but Barnabas took him in. He saw potential where his brothers in Christ saw a problem. As pastors and workers, we need to be friend finders. We need to make room for each other. What a blessing it is to receive an unexpected phone call or note of encouragement from another pastor, perhaps someone I have not known well, but someone who just wanted to be an encourager and a refresher — it is like a breath of fresh air to me! Someone has said that those who refresh others many times do so with their presence, with their pen (writing a note), or with their purse (monetary gift). How true this is!
The BBFI pastor of my dreams is a bridge builder. In Acts 11:19-24, the Antioch revival caused great concern. There had been no apostolic guidance or credence, they did not initiate it, and they did not allow it. They sent Barnabas to investigate. Barnabas saw God moving, he exhorted them to keep going, and he encouraged them. As pastors, we need to follow the example of Barnabas and rejoice with others who preach the same gospel as we do as they prosper and accomplish something for God. I believe that the competition that sometimes happens among churches is a dishonor to the name of Christ. First Corinthians 3:3 describes the contention born of envy, the desire for prestige, and a place of prominence. We are not competitors, we are compatriots. Compatriots recognize their identity as members of the same great kingdom, while competitors have eyes and a heart for only their own little kingdoms.
Barnabas was a bridge builder between old and new. He knew the old by heart, but he could also see the new. He believed in tradition but he also believed in the frontier. Thank God for people who can take the past, link it to the future, and bring people together to further the cause of Christ.
The Fellowship pastor of my dreams is a disciple developer. Barnabas left for Tarsus to seek Saul. He must have known that Saul was bigger in talent and in genius as well as bigger in breath of boldness and vision. Foremost in Barnabas’ mind was the growth of these new believers. He wanted them to have the best possible instructor. As an encourager, Barnabas cared more about people than about his own prominence. A dream pastor realizes that God never puts personalities ahead of purposes!
Finally, the BBFI pastor of my dreams is a failure fixer. Acts 15:36-40 takes us ahead a few years in time as Paul is planning to embark on a second missionary journey with his trusted encourager, Barnabas. Barnabas wanted John Mark to go along and Paul said no. He remembered well that on their first missionary journey, Mark had dropped out, “and the contention was so sharp between [Barnabas and Paul], that they departed asunder one from the other: and so Barnabas took Mark, and sailed to Cyprus.”
They must have agreed to disagree, for we are told that Paul took Silas and Barnabas took John Mark. Barnabas may have said to John Mark, “Come on, son, you’ve got good stuff in you.” Later, this was the same John Mark who wrote the Gospel of Mark and the one Paul asked for when he was in prison (2 Timothy 4:11). The encourager Barnabas was most certainly a failure fixer.
These can be discouraging days, and preachers and people need a Barnabas to come alongside them, and inspire them, and infuse them with courage, spirit, and hope. If we do these things, our Fellowship really can be a dream come true.