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WisconsinChristianNews.com
Volume 26, Issue 4
Bible Teaching Opening up the Word of God
Becoming Barnabas
By Rev. Christopher B. Cain August 2025
become a Barnabas in the life of some- one else that God has placed in our sphere of influence. I was blessed to have just spent the week listening to Dr. Chris Gnanakan, who is the Professor for Theology and Global Studies at Liberty University, and
of us have either witnessed, experienced, or been a part of judging a new convert according to their old self rather than seeing them for the new creation in Christ that they are.
“But when the apostles Barnabas and Paul heard of it, they tore their garments and rushed out into the crowd, crying out, ‘Men,
Now we can examine an area where Barnabas shined, and the reason for my
why are you doing these things? We also are men, of like nature with you, and we bring you good news, that you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.’” (Acts 14:14-15 ESV). One of the things we need to see more of in Church is more people becoming a Barnabas in the life of an- other believer. Encourage- ment within the body of Christ and mentorship needs to be more deliberate than it is. I honestly cannot overstate the necessity of
call that we become a Barnabas in the life of someone today. Saul was treated with great suspi- cion and doubts, perhaps even understandably so. Here is where Barnabas shines. When the rest of the Church rejects Saul, he is the encourager that Saul needs. Barnabas steps in and not only encourages Saul, he vouches for him and lends his name and reputation to Saul as a val- idation of the work that Christ has done through the Holy Spirit in Saul’s life. We all need someone like Barnabas who will stand with us.
encouragement to become more preva- lent among the body of Christ. I wish to thank everyone who has been a Barn- abas in my life, and I pray we would all
the guest speaker here at the Bible camp I am volunteering at. Dr. Gnanakan fo- cused his week-long discussion around Barnabas and the effect that he had on
Dr. Gnanakan called Barnabas a “hinge person.” Every one of us has had someone in some way open a door for us. As believers in Christ, we need to become hinge people in the lives of others. When we can lift a brother or sister in Christ up, we need to do so. When the Lord has given us a position that we can use to open doors for the next generation of be- lievers, we need to be a hinge person in that Christians life. Far too many believ- ers are busy guarding their own “king- doms,” when we should be growing and developing THE KINGDOM by building people up, not tearing them down. I shared the above passage in Acts 14 because it identifies Barnabas as an Apostle. Did you know that Barnabas was an Apostle? I did not. What does it say about Barnabas knowing that he spent his ministry elevating others, serv- ing Christ with a selfless devotion all for the sake of Christ’s Kingdom and not his own? What does it mean for us? If we are to become a Barnabas, we must boldly proclaim the Truth of God’s Word for His glory, not our own. We must be busy sharing the gospel so that the world will hear the good news that, “you should turn from these vain things to a living God, who made the heaven and the earth and the sea and all that is in them.”
Christianity and the Apostle Paul. I would like to acknowl- edge his excellent work that led to this article. I know many of us that grew up in the Church are familiar with Barnabas, however we may not be as familiar with how pivotal of a role he played in the early Church. The mys- tery behind the person of Barn- abas is a result of the cloak of humility that effected his char- acter and drove him to selfless service towards others all for the cause of Christ. We all have faced a time in our lives when we were consid- ered outcasts. Imagine how Saul must have felt to have gone from a zealous persecutor of the Church to a believer in Jesus Christ because of his Damascus road encounter with the Risen Savior. When you truly encounter Jesus Christ, you will always leave changed. However, not everyone in the Church always views the change we undergo as we die to self and walk in the newness of life in Christ Jesus. You do not have to be a persecutor of the Church like Saul was to be treated with skepticism, and sometimes even disdain. Many
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Who can you become a Barnabas to?
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