LET US BE A BARNABAS

KEY SCRIPTURE: And when he (Saul/Paul) had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. ~ Acts 9:26-30 (ESV)

I can be a very critical person. I’m often extremely quick to judge, quick to form opinions, and even quicker to let you know what those opinions are!

My standards and performance expectations are very high, especially for myself, and I am ruthlessly brutal with myself if and when I fail. The abusive names I call myself and the harsh words I use to tear myself apart are things I would NEVER say to another person.

Unless they’re a family member.

Especially if they’re a family member living in the same house as me.

I have said some of the meanest and most hurtful things to those closest to me. James tells us if we don’t control our tongues our religion is worthless. (James 1:26) *sobbing into my hands*  Sadly, I know I’m not alone in this. 

I ask myself, WHY do we do this???!!!!

I think the answer is two-fold.

First, those who are closest to us are a part of us… our children, our spouses… we see them as extensions of ourselves, (if even subconsciously,) and therefore we are excruciatingly critical of them and hold them to the same ridiculously high standards that we have for ourselves. (This can also extend to others we see as extensions of ourselves – like fellow veterans, or fellow Americans, or fellow workers, or fellow Christians, or fellow fill-in-the-blank… we hold these “fellows” to a higher standard as well, though maybe not AS high as those who are closest to us.)

And second, we are not kind to ourselves when we fail, so we are not kind to them when THEY fail.  *deep sigh*

Jesus told us to, “Love your neighbor as you love yourself.” (Mark 12:31)

I think the key word in this sentence is “as”… it seems that Jesus is making the implication that we FIRST must love ourselves.

But sadly, most of us don’t.

In fact, I don’t think most of us even LIKE ourselves, let alone LOVE ourselves.

We listen to the voice of the enemy, (who has spoken throughout our lives through others – usually those closest to us!) telling us we’re not good enough… we should be better… we should be more… we should be further along in our journey… and then we turn around and spit these same messages out, “should-ing” on those closest to us!  It’s a vicious cycle of discouragement.

As always, becoming aware of this cycle is the first part in changing it … admitting there’s an issue.

The enemy loves to tear us down, beat us up, and generally discourage us. (John 10:10) Look at that word… dis-courage. He wants us to lose our courage… our faith… our hope… and give up. When we feel horrible like this, it makes it much easier to dis-courage those around us.

In the book of Acts we read about a man named Joseph, whose name was changed to Barnabas. I know – it sounds crazy to us for someone to have their name changed from something “normal” like Joseph to something unique like… Barnabas. We read about name changes throughout the Bible, and they’re usually, (if not always,) a result of a change in that person.  After promising that Abram would be the father of many nations (Genesis 17:5) God changed his name, which meant “exalted father,” to Abraham, which means “father of a multitude”. Jacob wrestled with God through the night, not giving up until the Lord blessed him and God changed his name to Israel, which means, “struggles with God.” (Genesis 32:28) Jesus changed Simon’s name to Peter, Levi was changed to Matthew… etc., etc., etc.,… and each of these name changes has incredible significance that we could spend an entire series on! But the one I want to focus on today is Joseph having his name changed to Barnabas… which means, “son of encouragement.” (Acts 4:36) I believe once Barnabas learned of (and received!) the love Jesus had for him, it changed him.

How awesome is that?!

As we read the passages where Barnabas is mentioned, we see that not only was he the one who brought Paul to the disciples in Jerusalem, convincing them he had changed his ways, but he went on to travel extensively with Paul, preaching alongside him and encouraging him in his missionary journeys. The Lord knew what Paul would go through (Acts 9:16) and that he would need an en-courager alongside him… especially in the beginning.

I wonder what Paul’s journeys would have been like if he’d had a dis-courager instead of an en-courager alongside him?? Someone super critical… like me? I know my life significantly changed once I stopped being with people who dis-couraged me, and I wonder what a difference it can make in the lives of others if I choose to en-courage instead of dis-couraging them?  

We’ve all had dis-couragers in our lives. And we’ve all BEEN dis-couragers…  

I truly believe it starts with us loving ourselves… which is really, really hard to do when we’ve heard so much negativity about us that we actually now believe it as fact.

What if we start believing what GOD has to say about us instead? That we are His masterpiece! (Ephesians 2:10) What if we start listening to the voice of The Good Shepherd (John 10:11) instead of the voice of a stranger? 

Changing how we see ourselves will help us change how we see others. When we receive the love Jesus has for us and start to see ourselves through His eyes, (and love ourselves accordingly!) we can then share and show that love to those around us as well. Just like Barnabas did. 

Maybe for you, like for me, it starts with TONE… removing the sarcasm and speaking words that build up instead of tear down. (Ephesians 4:29) Then, maybe trying to find things to compliment instead of criticize… finding what was done RIGHT instead of what was done wrong or not done at all. 

It’s REALLY hard. At least at first. But I believe that the more we work at this, the easier it will become. Especially when we remain in Christ (John 15:4) and allow HIS Spirit to work through us… we can not do this alone. 

And so, we pray…. Abba, please help us see ourselves through Your eyes, so we can learn to love ourselves. Please help us also to see others through Your eyes and show them the same grace that You’ve shown us. Please help us to en-courage others, by reflecting Your Spirit in how we treat ourselves and them. Please let us be a Barnabas, receiving the love you have for us and encouraging others as a result! 

In Jesus’ name. 

Amen.

SCRIPTURES

Acts 9:26-30 ~ And when he (Saul/Paul) had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord. And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. But they were seeking to kill him. And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus.  (ESV)

James 1:26 ~ If you claim to be religious but don’t control your tongue, you are fooling yourself, and your religion is worthless. (NLT)

Mark 12:31 ~ The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these. (NIV)

John 10:10 ~ The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy. (NASB)

Genesis 17:5 ~ No longer shall your name be called Abram, but your name shall be Abraham, for I have made you the father of a multitude of nations. (ESV)

Genesis 32:28 ~ And He said, “Your name shall no longer be called Jacob, but Israel; for you have struggled with God and with men, and have prevailed.” (NKJV)

Acts 4:36 ~ So Joseph, a Levite who was a native of Cyprus, called by the apostles Barnabas (which is translated “son of encouragement”)… (NET)

Acts 9:16 ~ And I will show him how much he must suffer for my name’s sake. (NLT)

Ephesians 2:10 ~ For we are God’s masterpiece. (NLT)

Ephesians 4:29 ~ Let no foul or polluting language, nor evil word nor unwholesome or worthless talk [ever] come out of your mouth, but only such [speech] as is good and beneficial to the spiritual progress of others, as is fitting to the need and the occasion, that it may be a blessing and give grace (God’s favor) to those who hear it. (AMPC)

John 15:4 ~ Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. (NIV)

John 10:11 ~ I am the good shepherd; the good shepherd lays down His life for the sheep. (NASB)