The next time he appears, Barnabas is at it again! In Acts 11, the body of Christ was growing, and the Word was spreading like a flame. It was too much for one leader to handle alone. What did Barnabas do? He searched for and found the gifted teacher, Saul of Tarsus (11:25), who was at that time an outcast because of his former life. Not afraid to stick his neck out for a new Christian who was suspect in the eyes of the public, Barnabas brought Saul to Antioch and gave him a boost upward . . . in the very place where Barnabas had been experiencing remarkable blessing (11:22–23, 26). Without a thought of jealousy, he later allowed Saul to take over leadership and set the pace of the first missionary journey (Acts 13). It is interesting that soon their names were switched from Barnabas . . . and Saul (13:1) to Paul and Barnabas (13:42). This is the supreme test. It takes a great person to recognize that someone else (especially someone younger) has God-given abilities and to encourage him or her to move ahead of you with your full support. This we might call encouragement of fellowship and followship. - Charles Swindoll, Needed Today: A Ministry of Encouragement, https://youtube/watch?v=mwZsywhXDg8
Posted on: Thu, 04 Sep 2014 03:29:06 +0000
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