I have been reading through the book of Acts this month with our student ministry team. At the same time I read "Beyond the Local Church" by Sam Matcalf and started reading "The Permanent Revolution" by Hirsch and Catchim. It has been a wild, but potent mix. Honestly, I could not put down Metcalf's book - it was like taking a long drink of cold water in the middle of a desert. (Both books address the idea of how apostles relate to and function within and alongside local churches today. And, for those of us who resonate most with the function of apostle, prophet, or evangelist these books transport us from outsiders to integral in relation to the church in the west.)
God began speaking to me a week ago about Barnabas. So, I tok a closer look at this leader who we tend to think of as Paul's side kick. Here are a few observations I made (my complete study is also available):
Barnabas and Paul Study
December 23, 2016
1.
Acts 4:36:
Joseph is given the nickname “Barnabas” by the apostles – it means “son
of encouragement” or “son of prophecy/exhortation”. He was a Levite from Cyprus, and cousin of
John Mark.
2.
Acts 8:27:
After Paul’s conversion Barnabas brought him to the apostles in
Jerusalem and vouched for him (the apostles were afraid of Paul - the great persecutor of the early church). He served as a relational bridge between Paul
and the apostles due to his credibility among the established leadership in
Jerusalem.
3.
Acts 11:19:
The disciples were driven out of Judea by persecution. Some went to Antioch (300 miles north – a 15
day journey). Antioch was the third
largest city in the Roman Empire. These
disciples (men from Cyprus) told the Gentiles the good news about Jesus and
many believed. The apostles sent
Barnabas to Antioch to give leadership to this movement of the Holy
Spirit. He encouraged them to “remain
true to the Lord with all their hearts”.
4.
Acts 11:24:
Barnabas was “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith”. Through his ministry a great number believed.
5.
Acts 11:25:
Barnabas went to Tarsus to bring Paul back to Antioch (80 miles by
sea). The two of them met with the
church and taught a great number of people for an entire year (one of Paul's longest assignments in a single location).
2 Reflections…
Barnabas was a bridge builder
As a Levite, Barnabas understood the prevailing religious
culture (Jewish) from which the church was birthed. However, he did not grow up in Jerusalem, but
in Cyprus. Growing up in the Diaspora,
he also understood the prevailing Hellenistic culture that surrounded
Israel. And, he was the only one to
appreciate and trust Paul’s conversion experience and took the risk to connect
him to the apostles. I have logged 35
years in the church – most of those years functioning within the established,
traditional church. Other than 2 – 3
years of angry cynicism, I have loved and respected the evangelical,
established church, which represents my spiritual heritage. Like Barnabas, I am positioned to function as
a relational bridge connecting the new apostolic leaders and structures to the
established church. My hope is not only
to open doors of support and encouragement for a new wine skin, but to speak
prophetically (but graciously and with humility) back into the established
church. There is no win for the new
wineskin without a corresponding win for the old wine skin – they both are the
bride of Christ and should be honored for their history and promise of a better
future (however, the parents will be called upon to sacrifice for their
children and grandchildren). I love the
Missionary Church (the denomination I have most deeply connect with), but I am convinced that a new wine skin is needed for the
Millennial generation. Our historic
Regions and Districts must primarily operate in accordance to their modalic
nature – their leaders must prioritize conserving and maintaining their
churches while at the same time equipping and exhorting their congregations to
make disciples from the harvest (no simple task). The needed
creative energy and grace will flow back into the established center from the
edges – from new and renewed apostolic imagination and the corresponding
structures that grow from experimentation and Spirit-inspired apostolic
leadership. I am not gifted or called to
dream up these new apostolic structures or to provide the tip of the spear in
terms of the necessary apostolic leadership – but, like Barnabas, I am learning
to recognize it when I see it. And, also
like Barnabas, I see the vacuum of apostolic leadership in the established
church and am willing to sail to Tarsus to bring back Paul, lend him my
credibility, give him a platform, and then step aside as his ministry
expands. I have embraced my role as one
who comes alongside, a coach, a mentor, and an apostle who labors out of the
limelight as I cultivate and invest in younger, emerging leaders.
Barnabas offered redemption for failed leaders
Barnabas was not willing to leave John Mark behind on their
second journey, even though Paul adamantly refused to bring him. In the past I believed this was because
Barnabas was a “softy” and agreed with Paul’s “strategic” reasoning. I have no interest in speculating who was
right and who was wrong in this instance, but one thing I know: I am John Mark
and I am grateful that God sent a Barnabas to invite me back into leadership.
In 2002 I left the ministry – vowing never to return. Like John Mark I simply gave up. It was too hard, the costs were too high, and
my heart was growing sick with depression, anxiety, and resentment. As our marriage faltered, I quit. I went back to “Jerusalem” and ended up starting
a painting business and hunting deer. I
checked out of “church” in every way possible without blowing up my
family. Sadly, from the sidelines we
watched our church plant struggle and never fully recover from my untimely
abandonment. Today that church is no
more. Lighthouse Community Church died
before her time. May she rest in peace
and may the seed that fell to the ground and died yet bear fruit…
I live with a sense of failure regarding that season of my
life to this day. God has – and
continues to – redeem the pain and scar tissue left behind for so many, but it
has been a long, arduous process.
A few years after my burn out and resignation God sent a
Barnabas to me named Jim Keller. He knew
my story. He knew of my failures and
struggles. But, instead of giving up on
me quoting the mantra that “the best predictor of future performance is past
performance” he invited me onto his team.
I was given a second chance, not as a pastor or church planter, but as a
come alongside coach, mentor, and apostolic leader. That was 12 years ago, and it was one of the
three greatest turning points in my life and development as a leader in
Christ’s church. It is hard to say where
I would be today if Jim hadn’t sought to redeem what was wounded and broken in
my life and vouch for me – and the potential he saw buried beneath the
rubble. It brings me to tears thinking
about it…
I want to be a Barnabas for those leaders who find
themselves upon the scrap pile of ministry.
In fact, I have learned that brokenness is a prerequisite for the power
of the Holy Spirit to be fully released in and through a leader’s life. We are, in the final analysis, jars of clay
and it is the unsurpassable glory of Christ living in and through our lives
that matters. And his glory is most
visible through the cracks. At best we
are the woman at the well in John 4 going back into town telling people how
Jesus met us in our brokenness and poured living water into our souls. Could this be the Christ? Come and see…
