Acts 11:22-24 – News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.
“News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.” The leaders, who were the Apostles and James (1 Corinthians 15:7, Galatians 2:9) the half-brother of Jesus through Joseph and Mary (Matthew 13:55, Acts 1:14, Galatians 1:19) the mother of Jesus, sent Barnabas to check out the explosion of growth that was happening in Antioch. As we have noted, Antioch was a city full of gentile non-believers who lived in the midst of much idol worship. Yet, in the midst of this, God brought believers from Cyprus and Cyrene to ignite the dynamite message of the Gospel. So Barnabas, the encourager, was sent to find out if indeed the Gentiles were truly becoming born again and if they were, to encourage them to grow in the right teachings of Jesus.
“When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.” Barnabas arrived and saw what the grace of God had done. He saw what God had done. Yes, God chooses to use human believers to spread His Word, but no human believer ever caused any other human to believe. Only the love of God, offered through unmerited favor known as grace (that comes only through Jesus) saves. People share the Truth of God, but God is the one that prepares the hearts of mankind and calls those hearts to the foot of The Cross and saves them. All this is of God. If a carpenter uses a saw or an axe to cut wood, either way the credit for the work goes to the carpenter. In the same way we, the tool, takes no credit for the work. Without the hand of God we are like a saw laying on a table waiting to be used. A saw cannot get itself off the table and without a human hand cut lumber. In the same way we can do no work unless the hand of God is using us as a tool. Family, as we know, to God be the glory (Romans 11:36, Galatians 1:3-5). Let us never appropriate any, not even one little part of God’s glory, to ourselves. That is unacceptable to God (Isaiah 42:8). All the glory belongs to God and even the slightest effort, or desire on our part to claim glory that belongs to God has its roots in the darkest of places (Isaiah 14:12-17). To God alone be all glory! Only God does the work and only He gets the credit.
When Barnabas saw God’s handiwork then joy filled his heart and he was eager to encourage the new converts to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. Here is all we need to become “saved.” We must declare with our mouth that Jesus is our Lord and truly believe in our heart that God raised Him from the dead (Romans 10:9-10). Family and Friends, God has truly made it simple for us to be saved. Know that Jesus is the Son of God, who came to be God in the flesh, so that He could save every person (who would believe in Him), that He died for our sins and was risen from the dead and now calls us all to believe in Him and follow Him to Heaven. That’s it. Jesus calls all to believe in Him, to love Him, and to follow (obey) Him. That’s it. Very uncomplicated. It is men that complicate things. Just like some in the early church, with right intentions, tried to convolute the simplicity by which God has given to men to be saved. Jesus broke down what a person needed to do to two commandments and He said that everything else that a man does as homage to God is encapsulated in those two verses. Those two commandments are to first, foremost, and far above anything else, love God with all that we are. The second is to love each other as we love ourselves (Matthew 22:37-40). If we truly love our Father God then we will love and honor His son. No good man welcomes another into his home who dishonors his wife and children. Neither does God allow anyone into His house who does not love and honor His son. It is part of loving God. Jesus is the door to Heaven (John 14:6). Barnabas, though he surely taught them from scripture, did not tell them to memorize scripture to continue enter into the love of God through Jesus. He told them to remain true, to be faithful to Jesus and to do so with all their hearts. All who receive salvation from God have loved Jesus and were excited to meet and know Him. Keep that fervor for Jesus. Stay on fire. Stay excited. If we are on fire, if we are excited, then that will produce a hunger for Word of God that will grow us closer to God and grow us in the truths of His Word. But love of and for God is the root of our relationship with Him. Let’s stay honeymoon-in-love with God and never let that fade, but instead grow into a mature love that can never be broken.
“He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.” Notice that, as is often done, God pointed out that Barnabas was filled with the Holy Spirit. Again, it is important to understand, that all who love Jesus have the Holy Spirit. Every believer is filled with the Holy Spirit. Then why is it important to note that Barnabas was full of the Holy Spirit? It is clear to all who have not allowed the mud of wrong doctrine to blur their vision, that there is the further happening of the Holy Spirit. When we come to the Lord, the Holy Spirit comes and makes His home within us and He stays with us forever. But the scriptures, and certainly in the book of Acts, it is clear that there is also the dynamic empowering of the Holy Spirit that is different than the receiving of the Holy Spirit at new life. Not different in kind, but different with cause. So it is noted that Barnabas was “full” of the Holy Spirit. Something powerful. Something Pentecost-like, that was different, and above, than what happens at spiritual awakening. Barnabas was full of the Holy Spirit and full of faith and so, a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Tools used by the Lord do not set up self-idols within those who are brought to the Lord. No, unbelievers are brought to foot of cross to gaze up at Jesus. It is there the evangelist tells the non-believer to look up and behold his Savior. The evangelist says don’t look at me or anyone else, look up and see what Jesus has done. Then the non-believer is taken to the empty tomb to see that the crucified Lord is no longer there. Next the non-believer’s eyes are pointed up to the sky, that Jesus ascended into, and told Him that Jesus ascended to be with the Father and that He is coming back so that all of His people can forever be with the Father and He throughout eternity. That’s what we tools do! And we are blessed to be used. To God be the Glory! To Him and only Him! Praise God!
Psalm 150:6 – Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Praise the Lord!
Micah 7:7 – But as for me, I watch in hope for the Lord, I wait for God my Savior; my God will hear me.
Micah 6:8 – He has shown You, O man, what is good; And what does the Lord require of You but to do justly, to love mercy, And to walk humbly with Your God.