Real Lives - Part 2
Notes
Transcript
# 2019-06-16 Real Lives - Part 2 (Acts 11_19-30)
**Rewmember to set your timer and to make eye contact**
## 0. Introduction: Barnabas - A Spiritual Superhero?
> What's your favourite superhero?
>
> Ask that question when I was in secondary school
>
> and most people would have been labelled a geek, a nerd, a loser, or all of the above.
>
> But now today it is a different story. Superheros are mainstream,
>
> Enjoyed by everyone one from 6 years old boys to 60-year-old women worldwide.
>
> because superhero movies have made them mainstream.
>
> Don't believe me?
>
> Consider this: Avengers: Endgame, the latest Marvel film,
>
> made over $640 million in the opening week
>
> and to date has been watched by over 100 million cinema-goers worldwide.
>
> That the like the entire population of England all seeing the same film.... twice.
>
> So why are superhero movies so popular?
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> Well on one level they are great entertainment, but there is another reason too.
>
> The superhero genre says "Just because you aren't a superhero, doesn't mean you can't live like a superhero"
>
> - Whether it is the famous line from Spiderman 'With great power comes great responsibility';
> - Captain America's 'old fashioned' commitment to what is right
> - or Iron Man's journey from selfishness to self-sacrifice.
>
> The Superhero genre invites us to think about what we value most
>
> and what kind of person we want to be.
So what about the characters in the book of acts?
In the rest of our real lives series, we are going to be looking at a number of characters...
what they do and what they are like...
So often it is easy to think about these people as a spiritual superhero in a league of their own...
And if we did, Barnabas would qualify for superheo staus.
Let me give you his Spiritual Superhero CV (all the references are on the handout btw).
- Originally called Joseph, he's renamed Barnabas which means 'Son of Encouragement.'
- After Paul and Peter, Barnabas is the third most named character in Acts.
- Luke describes Barnabas as good, full of faith, full of the spirit,
- as a prophet, a teacher, a powerful evangelist, and an apostle.
But that not all Luke tells us,
Eventually, Barnabas vanishes from Acts under a cloud when he and Paul have a sharp disagreement over a colleague.
No Barnabas is no superhero.
He's a sinner saved by grace just like us.
And it is important that we keep that in mind
as we look at Luke's description of Barnabas here in Acts 11.
Because our mission today is not to be better followers of Barnabas,
but to be better followers of Jesus.
Jesus's the true superhero of Acts – he’s Earth’s Mightiest hero - and the goal of the Christian life is to follow him.
What Acts 11:16-30 does is give us a window into what faithfully following Jesus looks like.
And we look through that window we are going to see one thing over and over again.
Are you ready for this?
**People who follow Jesus love to help people to follow Jesus** {Repeat}
We're going to see that over and over as we answer three important, but simple, questions:
1. Why was Barnabas sent? (v19-22)
2. What did Barnabas do? (v23-26)
3. What was the result? (v27-30)
Right then, let's get going!
## 1. Why Was Barnabas Sent? (v19-22, 24)
First of all then, Why was Barnabas sent?
Our passage opens with a link back to Acts 8:1.
After Stephens death,
persecution breaks out against the church in Jerusalem and a large number of Christians are scattered to the wind.
Some Christian's now find themselves in Antioch (in modern day Syria). The third largest city in the Roman empire.
With a population of over 500,000, Antioch was Multi-ethnic, multi-faith, radically inclusive.
And the folk in Antioch practised forms of sexual immorality that would make 21st Century Britain's view on sex and relationships look well... conservative.
And yet, when the disciples started sharing the gospel with the non-Jewish residents, we told in v21 **"that a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord"**
Now, why is that?
The answer is also in v21. Luke says that the Lord's hand was with them.
Clearly they didn't have Jesus actual hand with them.. that would be a bit creepy.
No, this is Luke's way of saying the Holy Spirit was powerfully at work
It's an encouraging reminder that no matter how hostile or uninterested we might think our society will be to the gospel.
When God's people are share the good news of Jesus and the Holy Spirit moves then people to respond.
* * *
Since Antioch and Jerusalem were on a sort of first century London to Portsmouth line.
Travel between these two cities was reasonably quick and direct.
So it isn't surprising that the news quickly gets back to the CHurch in Jerusalem.
And in response to the news, they send Barnabas to do recky.
There are a ton of reasons why Barnabas might have been sent over say James or John or Peter.
But I'd like us to focus on two. Just two. Pens at the ready, here they are:
They send Barnabas because he is both dedicated and discerning. {Repeat}
One, _Barnabas is dedicated_
We first meet him back in Acts 4:36-37 were Luke writes:
**"Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet."**
Barnabas is so dedicated to seeing people become followers of Jesus
that he is willing to make a great personal sacrifice to ensure that people hear the gospel.
In other words, Barnabas cares about whether or not people are following Jesus.
What better persons to send to check out a new church plant!
Two, _Barnabas is discerning_.
Back in Acts 9, we read about a newly converted Paul in Jerusalem trying to join the disciples there.
But they are not having any of it.
He's the guy who's been locking up and persecuting every Christian he could get his hands on.
And they want nothing to do with him.
In short, they don't think his conversation is genuine.
But then along comes Barnabas who personally vouches for Paul and introduces him to the disciples.
Barnabas is discerning. He has a knack for seeing what other people don't see.
The others looked at Paul and saw a deceiver, but Barnabas saw a true believer!
What better person to check out whether these new converts in Antioch are genuine followers or not.
Now have you noticed, and this is important.
These two traits in Barnabas - dedication and discernment - are not skills, they are virtues.
> Don't get me wrong I love learning new skills.
>
> I think it helps keep the mind active and
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> train the part of your brain that solves problems.
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> And YouTube is great for learning new skills isn't?
>
> Want to learn how to hone your productively - YouTube.
>
> Want to learn how to play every 4 chords song ever written? - YouTube.
>
> Want to learn the correct conditions for keeping Madagascan Hissing Cockroaches - you guessed it, YouTube!
>
> But there is no YouTube video which will help become more dedicated and discerning.
These are not skills to learn, they are virtues, c
haracter traits, which are formed in us
by the Holy Spirit as we faithfully follow Jesus.
As we serve, prayer, share, study the Bible, and spend time with other godly Christians.
And it is Christians with virtues like these
which make the best servers, leaders, parents, Sunday School teachers, and preachers.
Because it is people like that who, often, care the most
about whether or not other people are following Jesus too.
As I said at the start **people who follow Jesus love to help people to follow Jesus.**
But you're not going to help someone you don't care about
So far we've seen that Barnabas loves to help people to follow Jesus.,
now let's take a look at how he does it.
## 2. What did Barnabas Do? (v23-26)
Second, what did Barnabas do?
> I'm a self-confessed planner
>
> anyone who received one of my pre-event emails for things like the Family Fireworks will know that...
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> my planning can make a Hanes manual look vague!
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> And whilst sometimes I over the plan, I do think old saying stands.
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> 'fail to plan and you plan to fail.'
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> The same goes for helping other people to follow Jesus.
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> Evangelism won't happen in your life unless you make it part of your plans.
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> Discipleship won't happen for you or anyone else unless you make it part of your plans.
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> Some people think that planning is very unspiritual as if we are planning God out of the picture.
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> But the realities that God is a God who plans.
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> He brings order out of chaos and works out all things for his purposes.
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> Sure sometimes he shows up and does something unexpected and we need to let him do that.
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> He knows best.
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> But experience has shown me that we plan - carefully and prayerfully - God honours those plans.
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> And when I look at Barnabas in v23-26, I see a man with a plan.
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> A five-point plan in fact for helping people to follow Jesus
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> I'll list them for you and then we'll work through at a pacy speed.
Here we go. The five ways Barnabas helped people to follow Jesus are:
1. He examined
2. He Encouraged
3. He Exampled
4. He Evangelised
5. He invested
{Repeat}
This is not the full picture of what it means to help people follow Jesus.
Instead, think of it as a snapshot of what helping people to follow Jesus could look like.
_First, he examined._
Take a look at v23, **"When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad"**
Barnabas hits the ground running looking for proof that they are genuine Christians.
> I met with keith on Tuesday morning,
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> and as he often does, he reminded me
>
> to 'catch doing people the right thing.'
>
> In other words, not to focus only on what is going wrong,
>
> but also on what is going right.
If we want to be people who love to help people follow Jesus
then we need to be on the lookout for the good not just the bad.
And be glad - and not surprised - when we find evidence of the grace of God in people's lives.
_Next, he encouraged them._
v23, Barnabas **"encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts."**
Luke's word translated as 'encouraged' has two usages in the Bible.
It is used to mean 'to comfort' but also to 'urge'. Its both 'pat, pat' and 'poke, poke'
And 'poke, poke' is what Barnabas' is doing at Antioch.
And sometimes we need that too.
We need people in our lives who not only
put an arm round us and tell us we're doing a good job,
but also give us a loving 'kick in the pants' every now and then.
And we need to be that person too. Someone willing to have hard conversations,
if it means people remain faithful to the lord with all their heart.
But he didn't just encourage, _he also exampled_
Look at Acts 11:24, Luke says that Barnabas **"was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith"**
In other words, Barnabas didn't just tell them how to live (encouragement) he showed them how to live too (example).
Parents, especially take note of this.
If you want to help your children follow Jesus
one of the best thing you can do is set a faithful Christian example.
And let me give you one easy way to do that.
When you lose your temper with your children,
don't make excuses, pray for strength, and then say sorry.
> "Son, Daddy should not have shouted at you. That was a sin. I'm sorry please forgive me."
Encouragement and example go hand in hand as we help our children to follow Jesus.
Don't just tell them what they need to do show them how to do it too.
_Next, Barnabas evangelised_.
Look again at v24, **"was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. "**
Barnabas' example didn't just help in the church, it helped outside of the church too.
Just as an example and encouragement go to gather when helping people to _continue_ to follow Jesus.
Example and evangelism go to gather to help people _begin_ to follow Jesus.
Paul puts it this way in 1 Tim 4:16, **"Watch your life and doctrine closely. Persevere in them, because if you do, you will save both yourself and your hearers"**
In other words, to help people begin to follow Jesus,
We need to tell them the gospel can change the lives,
But we also need to show by our example what that change looks like
So Barnabas has examined, encouraged, exampled, evangelised,
Finally, _he invested_.
Check out v25 and 26. **"Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul (Later renamed Paul) and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people"**
Barnabuas inviting Saul to join him in Antioch shows us something important him.
Barnabas isn't just interested in working with non-Christians and new-Christians,
He's also interested in seeing existing Christians faithfully following Jesus too
and is willing to commit to ivesting a year in one place to see that happen.
If you are following Jesus and want to help others follow Jesus too,
Can I encourage you to be invested in a local church for the long haul.
Barnabas showed his investment to the Antioch church through teaching.
but here are four simple ways you can invest in Ashford Cong.
> 1. Attend regularly on a Sunday
> 2. Give time and money to the work and ministry of the Church
> 3. Join a small group and commit to it
> 4. Become a member and serve the church and community.
Four simple ways that you can invest in helping people to follow Jesus.
* * *
People who follow Jesus love to help people to follow Jesus.
Luke shows us through the action of Barnabas 5 practical ways we can do that:
He examined, Encouraged, Exampled, Evangelised, and he invested.
But rather than thinking of these things as a tick list to check off,
can I encourage you to pick one to pray about and work on over the next month?
Just one.
## 3. What was the Result? (v26-30)
So we've seen why Barnabas was sent,
and we've seen what he did. Now let's look at the results.
v26-30
> It was 1930 and at Motion Pictures in Hollywood,
>
> two bother Maurice and Richard had a dream.
>
> But it wasn't film they were dreaming of it was burgers.
>
> In 1940 they opened their first restaurant and it was... reasonably successful.
>
> They opened a couple of franchises but growth was slow.
>
> It wasn't until 14 years later that the brothers got their big break.
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> In 1954, a milkshake machine salesman named Ray Kroc
>
> approached the brothers and offered to help them take their burger franchise nationwide.
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> None of them had a clue how successful their partnership would be.
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> Today with over 28,000 restaurants worldwide and annual revenue of 22 Billion Dollars,
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> the McDonalds group is the most successful and iconic burger chain in history.
>
> And all because a Milkshake sales saw the McDonald brothers potential
>
> and was willing to commit to make their dream a reality.
In Acts 11 we've seen how Barnabas was willing to commit to the church in Antioch
He invested his time (and probably his money too) to see a strong healthy church in Antioch become a reality.
So what was the result of Barnabas and Saul's year there?
I only want us to see one thing in these final verses:
_The the disciples in Antioch loved the Lord's people._ {Reapeat}
In the coming weeks,
we are going to see people who lives were consumed by a love for the Lord and a passion for the Lost.
And that is certainly true about Barnabas and the Christian's in Antioch.
But here Luke's focus is not on the Antioch churches love for the lost (not yet at least)
But there love for the Lord's people.
In v27- 28 some prophets visit Antioch during the Barnabas' and Saul's year there
And they come with a warning about a famine.
So what are the Christians in Antioch going to do about it?
Motivated by their love for the disciples in Jeruaslaem,
They send a gift to help ease the burden.
v29, _"The disciples, each according to their ability, decided to provide help for the brothers and sisters living in Judea. This they did, sending their gift to the elders by Barnabas and Saul. "_
I love that phrase Luke uses, 'each according to their ability' gave to the collection.
Out of love for the Lord, each one served the lords people according to their own ability.
Now the 'help' and the 'gift' in verse 29-30 is financial, right?
They send money to Judea.
But I don't think the principle of 'each according to their ability' has to be finacial.
Because if we are following Jesus and want to help other people to follow Jesus,
then that is going to mean serving Jesus' people too.
And that needs two things,
First, we need to the Holy Spirit to help us see that who we have in common (Jesus)
is great than what we don't have in common (whether that is race, background, interests, etc.)
But it also requires the Holy Spirit to unpick our thinking
so that rather than expecting people to serve us,
we desire to serve them.
But the just like in Antioch, we each do it according to our abilities.
Some of us serve by teaching and preaching
Others by large donations
Some clean, cook, cut the grass, make tea, visit the elderly, prayer for us,
or deliver Sunday School lessons
often out of sight and mind of anyone else.
The point is not every one is a preacher,
not everyone cooks on the barbeque,
Not everyone can.
Not everyone should.
The point is that in the church our love for the Lord
and our love for the Lord people is what motivates us to serve
With each doing it according to their own ability.
Some of you are already doing this and we thank God for what you do already.
For those who aren't, consider there example,
And think less about what you can't do,
and more about what you can do to serve Jesus and his people according to your own abilities.
## Conclusion:
Throughout Acts, Barnabas is pictured as a man who follows Jesus and loves to help people follow Jesus too.
A man who is dedicated to God's mission,
and discerning, he sees things other people miss.
And we see that here in Acts 11 too.
He arrives in Antioch with a plan and hits the ground running,
And as that plan works itself we see how God uses him to help the people of Antioch follow Jesus
> If Luke were to write up your life as a chapter in the book of Acts what might he write?
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> Would he describe you as a person
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> with a clear plan for how you are going to serve God, his people, and the lost?
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> Would he write about your dedication to God's mission?
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> Or how you served God's people faithfully in accordance with your own ability?
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> In Acts 11:19-30, Barnabas gives us a window into what it looks like to be a follower of Jesus.
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> His life shows us that followers of Jesus love to help people to follow Jesus.
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> What does your life say about what you love to do? Only you can say.
Let's pray.