Articles
Love Is Occupied with Others
The great enemy of every Christian, every shepherd, and every preacher is a selfish heart. A wonderful New Testament model of a loving leader and teacher is Barnabas. He was not a self-oriented throne seeker.
The first time we meet Barnabas in the New Testament, he is selling land and giving the money to the poor saints in Jerusalem (Acts 4:36-37). Generosity toward others naturally flows out of love.
But what is most impressive about Barnabas is how he shared his leadership position and work with Paul. Barnabas had been sent by the leaders in Jerusalem to help with the newly established church in Antioch. It was an exciting place to be. God was doing new things among the Gentiles, and Barnabas was at the center of the action. Yet he thought more of what was best for the new church than his own prominence and security.
Believing that the church needed Paul’s extraordinary giftedness, Barnabas traveled, at great personal sacrifice, to the city of Tarsus to find Paul and invite him to Antioch to teach. This meant Barnabas would be sharing his teaching and leadership role with Paul, who was far more gifted. Barnabas didn’t have to do all the service or get all the glory. Barnabas was not a throne seeker; he was a washer of feet (John 13:14). He was a lifter of people, not a limiter of people (Acts 11:19-24). He was a giver, not a taker. His love was the “giving variety,” not the “getting variety.”
Barnabas was truly a loving Christian leader and teacher. He was not jealous of Paul. He was not arrogant, rude, or selfish, but he gave himself for the benefit of others. No wonder the people called him “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36; 11:23). He exemplified the motto: “Great things can happen when you don’t care who gets the credit.” Great things happened in the church at Antioch through Barnabas and Paul, and continue to happen in the church today, because of unselfish teachers and leaders.
Rickie Jenkins
