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THE KING’S BUSINESS
the New Testament that Jehovah occupied in the Old Testament, and brings out most emphatically the proper Deity o f our Lord Jesus. v. 22. “ Then tidings of these things (And the report concerning them ) came unto (.to) the ears of the church, which was in Jerusalem : and they ~sent forth Barnabas, that he should go (omit, that he should go) as far as* Antioch.” As soon as tidings o f the revival among the Gen tiles, at Antioch reached Jerusalem it awakened great interest there. They sent a man to investigate the work and to co operate, and in choosing a man to send they selected one o f their very best, while not an apostle, one very closely associated with the apostles and pne who had won great respect (ch. 4:36, 37). v. 23. “ Who, when he came (was come), and had seen the grace of God, was glad, ,and (add, he) exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord.” Note the character o f the work ing o f God’s grace in Antioch, it was a grace that “could be seen!’ W e need more o f this visible grace in our churches today. So many say they have grace but no one can see it but themselves. The grace in the church o f Antioch was o f such'a char acter that everybody observed it. Barnabas was in sympathy with God and His work. The moment he saw the grace o f God he “ was glad.” It is sad to contemplate, but it is none the less true that not a few who s^e the grace o f God wrought through other hands than their own are sad or mad rather than glad, and try to belittle the work that is done, but Barnabas was not o f that contemptible type o f men. Barna bas knew exactly what to do in the cir cumstances, viz., to exhort them. Exhor tation was Barnabas’ forte (cf. ch. 4:36, R. V .). His exhortation was precisely that which should be given to young converts everywhere, viz., that “with purpose of heart they ,would cleave unto the Lord,” or, “continue in the Lord.” Note exactly what must be donej “cleave unto the Lord,” or “continue in the Lord.” So many profess
to turn to the Lord in these days but do not “cleave unto the Lord.” When there is a great revival and many come out they should be very definitely exhorted, not merely to start in the Christian life, but to continue, and not merely to continue in well doing, but to cleave unto a person, the Lord Jesus. This cleaving if it is to prove effective must be done with “purpose o f heart.” There is always much in the way o f persecution, that is sure to discourage the young convert, and there is much in worldly allurements o f one kind and another to draw the young convert away from the Lord, and unless they “cleave” to Hinj with fixedness -of purpose there is lit tle hope. In too much o f our evangelistic work there is more o f emotion and feeling than there is o f purpose and so the results do not continue. The revival in Antioch proved permanent because there was this' faithful follow up work on the part- o f Barnabas. v. 24. “For he was a good man, and full o f the Holy Ghost, and of faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.” The description o f Barnabas here is well worth pondering: (1) “ He was a good man.” It is far more important that a man be good than that he be brilliant if he is to edify young converts. (2) He was. “ full o f the Holy' Ghost.” This is also o f the highest importance if- one is to be used in dealing with and building up young con verts. The exact phraseology used here is to be noted: Barnabas was not merely a man who on exceptional occasions was “filled with the Holy Ghost,” but a man who was abidingly governed in his whole life by. the Holy Ghost, “ full o f the Holy Ghost.” (3) He was not only full o f the Holy Ghost, he was “ full o f faith.” No man who is not full o f faith can deal with young converts, especially converts from heathenism so dark as that in, Antioch. It is most discouraging work, and the man who gets his eyes on the convert and not on God will soon become discouraged and give up. Barnabas had other qualifications for this work which are not mentioned here but elsewhere, he was free from the
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