5.10.15 – Paul and Barnabas
Memory Verse: Acts 20:24 - But my life is worth nothing to me unless I use it for finishing
the work assigned me by the Lord Jesus—the work of telling others the Good News
about the wonderful grace of God.
Last week we talked about Saul. Starting in Acts 13, he is referred to as Paul from then
on. (Side note: people often think Jesus changed his name, but there is no biblical
support of that)
So what happened to Saul? He encountered Jesus and his life changed! He didn’t want
his reputation anymore – he even changed his name! In fact, we’ll see that he went
from being the one to torture and imprison Christians, to then being imprisoned and
tortured for being a Christian. 3 key people are involved in Paul’s ministry. This week
we’ll talk about Paul & Barnabas. Next week Paul & Silas, and the last 2 weeks about
Paul & Timothy
We first meet Barnabas in Acts 4:32-37. Was that his real name? If not, what did his
nickname mean?
READ: Acts 9:26-28
What’s happening here? This is the first time we see Paul and Barnabas together – why
are they together?
So Barnabas – remember, he’s an encourager! – comes along Paul and basically has his
back. He speaks up for Paul and says yes, he used to hate us, but he met Jesus and he’s
the real deal now!
After this meeting, they went their own way for a while. Sometimes it’s important to
remember that even though people may stand up for us when we need it, it doesn’t
necessarily mean you have to be best friends.
Anyway, Barnabas goes and meets up with Paul in Acts 13
READ: Acts 11: 25-26
How long did Barnabas and Saul work together at this time? (1 year)
Where were they and what were they doing? (preaching in Antioch)
Is there anything else significant in these verses? (first time Jesus’ followers are called
Christians)
Barnabas and Paul set out together to tell their world about Jesus (they also brought a
guy named John Mark with them – this is important for later in the story). They were
passionate about spreading the Good News of Jesus and they told everyone they could!
But the Jews weren’t happy.
Why do you think the Jews were mad?
There were two sets of Jewish people that were mad. The first were the ones who didn’t
believe Jesus was the Messiah so they disagreed with the message. The second were the
Jews who thought they were better than everyone else, aka the Gentiles (or non-Jews).
They felt like Jesus came only to forgive their sins, and didn’t want their salvation
tainted by having it in common with the Gentiles.
So in the midst of miracles and casting out demons (Read chapters 13-14), they’re also
being hated on.
READ: Acts 14: 19-20
What happened to Paul?? He was stoned and left for dead. The only reason he didn’t
was because Christians prayed for him and God chose to continue to use him!
In Acts 15, Paul and Barnabas go to the leaders of the church in Jerusalem. The leaders
are arguing over whether the Gentiles need to follow certain laws that the Jews had
followed in order to be considered Jesus’ followers. Paul’s response is:
Acts 15:7-11 “At the meeting, after a long discussion, Peter stood and
addressed them as follows: “Brothers, you all know that God chose me from
among you some time ago to preach to the Gentiles so that they could hear the
Good News and believe. God knows people’s hearts, and he confirmed that he
accepts Gentiles by giving them the Holy Spirit, just as he did to us. He made no
distinction between us and them, for he cleansed their hearts through faith. So
why are you now challenging God by burdening the Gentile believers with a
yoke that neither we nor our ancestors were able to bear? We believe that we
are all saved the same way, by the undeserved grace of the Lord Jesus.”
God is using Paul and Barnabas not only to perform miracles and bring people to
salvation, but He’s using them to bring unity and a like-mindedness to the church.
As believers, we should do the same. When our life has been radically changed by Jesus,
when we become a Christian, we should do two main things: tell others about Jesus &
encourage each other in our faith.
As you go out this week, think about how you can do these two things.
1) How can you share Jesus with people who don’t know him personally?
2) How can you encourage your Christian friends to love God more and follow Him
wholeheartedly?