✝️ Be A Barnabas This Week

Good morning, my brothers! Look around our country today. We could all use some encouragement in our lives. Too many of us are quick to point out the faults in others, but few of us offer genuine kindness to others with humility and courage. Barnabas, “the son of encouragement”, jumps out of the pages of the Bible as a model of being comfortable in his skin with courage and encouragement. Want to be a Barnabas? Let’s go!

This week: 5 minutes, 49 seconds read

Encouragement
Be A Barnabas This Week

He could have blended in. He could have kept his head down and lived quietly. But as a teenage boy in Egypt, Sam Ibrahim made a choice that would shape his entire life: he refused to deny Christ. That decision, in the Muslim world, is not only uncomfortable but also perilous, as many followers of Jesus face discrimination, hostility, and persecution. 

Forced to leave their homeland, his family relocated to Saudi Arabia, a move just as perilous as the persecution ratcheted up. At 19, he made his way to the United States, a wide-open door he called his “promised land.”

Sam could have stopped there. He could have settled into the American dream, enjoying the freedom he had prayed for. Instead, he’s spent decades faithfully serving Jesus, quietly, humbly, and without fanfare. While other men chase the spotlight, Sam stays behind the scenes for the most part, using his skills with integrity and excellence in business, politics, and ministry, always lifting others up.

Yet when the moment calls for it, Sam steps out. When the local political party chair was appointed to a statewide position, Sam, the number two guy, the vice chair who quietly made things happen in the background, stepped up to lead.

He doesn’t grab the microphone, but when God calls, he answers.

My Barnabas

I count it one of the greatest privileges of my life to call Sam my friend. He’s the man I can call in any crisis or crossroads, and know I’ll receive a listening ear, biblical wisdom, and prayer. Not the wisdom of the world, but the wisdom of a humble man who has lived sold out for Christ.

And every time I leave a conversation with Sam, one thing strikes me: I’m encouraged. Stronger. More hopeful. More ready to follow Jesus in my own lane.

The other day, as I was studying the life of Barnabas in the book of Acts, the man Scripture calls “the son of encouragement”, Sam walked up. We talked for a few minutes, catching up with each other. As he turned to go, I looked down at the pages of my open Bible, then back at Sam, and smiled.

“Thank you, my brother,” I said.

He tilted his head. “For what?”

“For being my Barnabas,” I told him. “You’re my Barnabas.” And then I knew the topic for this week’s newsletter.

The Many Facets of Barnabas

Barnabas’ given name was Joseph, but the apostles gave him a new name that captured the heart of who he was: Barnabas: “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36). When you think of Paul, you might think of power. When you think of Peter, boldness. But when you think of Barnabas, encouragement is the word that rises. And encouragement is not weakness. In the kingdom of God, encouragement is courage transferred from one heart into another.

So what made Barnabas such a vital man of God? And why should his story matter to us as Christian men today? Because America needs more Barnabases, men who reflect his character:

Filled with the Spirit

First, Barnabas lived filled with the Holy Spirit. Acts 11:24 describes him as “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.” That was his source of power. His strength.

He didn’t rely on charisma, natural talent, or personality. His life was Spirit-charged. The Spirit gave him a heart to see beyond the surface and courage to step into hard places.

In the same way, our power source is not self-effort but the Spirit of God. If you try to encourage others out of empty reserves, you will resort to empty flattery…or burn out. But if you walk in step with the Spirit, you will be a man who pours out life – real life – because His life is constantly being poured into you.

Hands Wide Open

Barnabas also modeled generosity. In Acts 4:36–37, he sold a field and laid the money at the apostles’ feet. His possessions were held loosely. He lived with open hands. When needs arose, he met them.

Men, this cuts against our cultural grain. We’re taught to hoard, to secure, to protect what is “ours.” But Barnabas shows us that encouragement flows through generosity. Sometimes encouragement is a simple word, a heartfelt prayer, or a tangible sacrifice that meets another person’s need.

Seeing the God-Story

When Saul of Tarsus, the dreaded persecutor, turned convert, showed up in Jerusalem, the disciples wanted nothing to do with him. They couldn’t see beyond his past. But Barnabas looked deeper.

Acts 9:27 states that he “took him and brought him to the apostles,” recounting the story of Paul’s encounter with Jesus. Barnabas refused to let outward appearances or old reputations blind him. He looked for the God-story in everyone.

That perspective shaped the early church. Without Barnabas, Paul may have remained sidelined. Without Barnabas, we might not have half the New Testament. Encouragement sees what God is doing, even when others can’t.

Later, Barnabas did the same with John Mark. After Mark deserted Paul and Barnabas on a missionary journey, Paul wanted nothing to do with him. But Barnabas wouldn’t let Mark’s failure define him.

He lobbied for him, believed in him, and eventually took him on his own. Acts 15 records their sharp disagreement, but history vindicates Barnabas. Mark was restored, and years later, Paul himself acknowledged him as “useful for ministry” (2 Timothy 4:11).

Encouragers see beyond failure. They believe God can write a new chapter in someone’s life.

Builder of Unity

Barnabas was also a man who built unity, not division. When word spread about Gentiles coming to Christ in Antioch, the church in Jerusalem sent Barnabas to investigate (Acts 11:22-23). Why? Because he was trustworthy.

He could be counted on to discern what God was doing and build bridges. And that’s what he did. He encouraged the believers in Antioch, teaching them to remain faithful. The result? Acts 11:24 says, “a great many people were added to the Lord.”

Unity isn’t cheap. It doesn’t mean overlooking sin or ignoring truth. But it does mean being willing to bring people together under the banner of Christ rather than tearing them apart with pride.

How badly many local churches need biblically sound unifiers today.

Faithful in Every Role

Barnabas also shows us what it looks like to embrace different roles in different seasons. At times, he was number two to Paul, supporting him and letting Paul take the lead. At other times, like after their split, Barnabas led with John Mark. He didn’t need to be the guy out front. He just needed to be faithful to whatever role God assigned in that season.

How many of us struggle with that? We want the lead role, the recognition, the spotlight. Barnabas reminds us that the kingdom of God needs men willing to serve faithfully, whether they’re in front or behind the scenes…men who are comfortable in their own skin, in their own God-appointed roles, whether as the pastor or the parking lot attendant.

Staying in His Giftedness

Finally, Barnabas stayed in his lane. His giftedness was encouragement, and he lived it out consistently. He was gospel-focused, bold, and courageous, but all of it flowed through his unique design. Some men burn out because they chase gifts that aren’t theirs. Barnabas thrived because he leaned into the talents God had given him.

A Challenge to Us

When I look at my friend Sam, I see a modern-day Barnabas. A man full of the Spirit. A man who lives generously. A man who sees the God-story in others. A man who builds unity. A man who doesn’t need the spotlight but is always ready when God calls.

And when I look at Barnabas, I see a picture of what each of us could be. Not every man is called to preach to the masses, as Paul was. Not every man will stand on a stage.

But every man can live filled with the Spirit. Every man can live with open hands. Every man can see the God-story in others, believe in them when they stumble, and speak courage into weary hearts.

Brothers, we need more Barnabases today. We need men who will lift others up instead of tearing them down. Men who will encourage their wives, their children, their coworkers, their pastors, their brothers in Christ. Men who will take the Spirit-filled courage inside of them and transfer it into the heart of another.

So here’s the challenge: Who is your Saul? Who is your John Mark? Who is the brother God is calling you to see with Spirit-filled eyes, to encourage with gospel-shaped words, to lift up with open hands?

Ask the Lord to make you a Barnabas. Then go live it out. Because the world is starving for encouragement, and God has called you to be the man who gives it.

Reflection Questions

1. Barnabas was described as “full of the Holy Spirit and faith” (Acts 11:24). How can you make more room for the Spirit’s filling in your daily life?

2. Barnabas lived with open hands, willing to give up possessions to meet needs (Acts 4:36–37). What would living with open hands look like for you right now?

3. Barnabas believed in Paul and later restored John Mark when others wrote them off (Acts 9:27; Acts 15). Who in your life needs you to see past their failures and call out the God-story in them?

4. Barnabas built unity and encouraged the church (Acts 11:22–24). In what practical way could you be a peacemaker and encourager in your family, workplace, or church this week?

5. Barnabas was content to serve faithfully whether in the background or leading (Acts 13–15). Are you willing to be faithful in the role God has given you, even if it’s not the spotlight?

My brother be different. Be known as an encourager, a man who lifts others all around you, not in false flattery, but in genuine biblical encouragement. Be a unifier, a man comfortable in the background and yet ready to take center stage if called. Be a Barnabas!

-Will

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