The One Who Steps In
Acts 9:26-30
Introduction
Have you ever found yourself in the position of being an outsider? This can be because of almost anything. It could be because you are the new person in a community. It could be because you are the smallest person in gym class. It could be because you are the only Christian in a group of friends or the only one who doesn’t swear at work or the one in the family that attends church. Others people experience this because they look different, speak different, or have a disability. The reasons for being excluded from the majority are almost endless.
Now perhaps when you look at your life, you do not resonate with that experience of being an outsider. Even if you were not the most popular, you never actually felt excluded for any reason. In that case, did you ever notice someone who was being excluded? Was there a person who always seemed to be on the margins, for whatever reason? Did you do anything to make them feel more included?
How does this fit with the experience of the church? Is the church a place where all people feel included, no matter who they are? Is it guaranteed that when someone visits a random church, that they will be warmly embraced and included? Not necessarily. In fact the first time I ever visited a church in Nova Scotia, nobody spoke to me other than when I was handed the bulletin. Even during the greeting time during the service, no one shook my hand or said hello. I do not believe there was anything all that scary about me. I know of another church that was discussing the start of an outreach to the homeless on Saturday nights and one of the church members expressed concern about what would happen if one of the poor people insisted on staying for the Sunday morning service. Others were praying that they would stay and attend worship.
The truth is that we are naturally drawn to certain kinds of people, whether it is in school or at work or even in church. But what happens when people are excluded? What is our responsibility as Christians? I want to look at one person from the Bible and to try and learn from his actions.
Son of Encouragement
One of my favourite people in the Book of Acts is Joseph of Cyprus, not exactly a household name. You may know Joseph better by his nickname, which is Barnabas, which means son of encouragement. His introduction is only two verses, in Acts 4:26-27. We are told that he sold a piece of property and gave the proceeds to the apostles to be used for the poor. He is contrasted with Ananias and Sapphira, who lied about the amount they received for selling their property because they wanted the respect that Barnabas received but also wanted to keep some of that money back for their own use.
We next find Barnabas at a key point in the church’s story. The Christian church had been persecuted by a Pharisee named Saul. Luke tells us that Saul was “breathing threats and murder against the disciples.” The church was less than enthusiastic about Saul to say the least. While trying to tear down the church, Saul encountered Christ on the road to Damascus and he became a follower of Jesus. Not only this, it was revealed to Saul that he would have an important ministry. It is a beautiful story of redemption. There is one problem. How do you convince the church of this?
After doing some preaching in various places, Saul made his way to Jerusalem where the apostles were. The disciples in Jerusalem were not all that eager to embrace Saul, in fact they feared him. Pretending to be a Christian would be just the kind of thing a persecuted like Saul might do to get access to the inner core of Christian church. In Acts 9:27 we read, “But Barnabas took him…” Think about that. Could Barnabas know for absolute certainty that what Saul claimed was true? No. Could this be a trap? Yes. But Barnabas saw something in Saul and introduced Saul to the disciples, speaking on his behalf, and encouraging them to be open to what God had done. Barnabas took a risk and it paid off. Today we know Saul as the Apostle Paul and he wrote much of our New Testament, it was through Paul that Christianity spread across the Gentile population of the eastern Roman Empire. And a part of this is because Barnabas came along side Saul and stood with him.
Before leaving Barnabas, I would like to share one more story. Paul and Barnabas became missionary partners, with Barnabas at first being the senior partner and then eventually the junior partner as Paul rose to prominence. But eventually Paul and Barnabas had a falling out. The reason was that there was a young man named John Mark who had been travelling with them. For some reason, John Mark left them before the mission was completed. Now John Mark wanted to rejoin Paul and Barnabas on their new mission and Paul would have nothing to do with John Mark. Once again, Barnabas came along side someone, this time John Mark. Even though John Mark had the reputation as a quitter, Barnabas was willing to stand by him. So Paul went off with his new partner Silas, while Barnabas took John Mark. We do not know much about their journey, but it is believed that the Gospel of Mark was written by this John Mark that Barnabas believed in.
A Barnabas Church
What does a church that is inspired by the example of Barnabas look like? What we need to acknowledge is that there are certain people who are outgoing and who love to talk to people, including people they have never met before. If they saw someone alone, it would be no effort to go over and get to know them, inviting them into the life of the community. But that is not everyone and it is good that this is not everyone. We are all created different and we all have different backgrounds and that diversity is a strength rather than a weakness for the church.
In terms of being a local church, I have seen some amazing examples of Barnabas ministry, of people approaching and welcoming people who look different from them. There are numerous times that I go home on a Sunday thinking, “I love this church!” So I want to begin with encouragement for that which is already happening.
It is likely that when we think of being a Barnabas that we think about how to welcome a visitor to church and how to make that person feel welcome on a Sunday morning. This is important and there are plenty of churches that need to work on that area. Part of this is because modern Christians are almost completely focused on the Sunday morning experience. Church is a one hour experience in a certain building on a Sunday morning.
However, it has not always been this way. This encounter we have been talking about with Saul, Barnabas and the disciples in Jerusalem, we have no reason to believe that it was happening on a Sunday morning and we know for sure that it was not happening in a special building. The same is true with Barnabas and John Mark.
So while Barnabas can be an inspiration to be a more welcoming church in terms of a worship service, Barnabas can also speak into how we live as Christians during the rest of the week. Who are the Sauls and the John Marks that are in our community? Who are the people on the margins? Who are the people who are being excluded? It could be because they belong to a certain group that is perceived as being unwelcome. It could be because of past experiences or poor choices in the past or anything else. Who is it that needs a Barnabas to come along side them?
But what would people say if you did that? What if people looked down on you for spending time with the “wrong” kind of people? I suspect that some disciples spoke against Barnabas when he stood beside Saul. “Doesn’t he know what he has done?” “Is he stupid or just naive?” Barnabas stood beside Saul nonetheless.
Conclusion
Have you wondered why there are not more people at church? For some people, church seems boring. Other people do not believe what we say about God and Jesus and so there is no point. But there are others that do not feel welcome. They do not feel like this is a place that they can be. I know this because I have been told this by certain people. Sometimes it comes out in a joke, suggesting that the ceiling will cave in if they come to church. I have heard teens coming to our KD Lunch share their anxiety with their friends about being in a church building. There are others that come right out and acknowledge what is going on. At my previous church, I had a gay young man call me at the church office and ask plainly if he would be welcome at our church. What was I to say? I was welcoming but would everyone else in the congregation? What do I say if a person calls me here and asks that same question?
What would Barnabas do? I suspect he would not panic over someone’s past since he welcomed someone who “breathed anger and murder.” I think that Barnabas would come along side, even if there was criticism for doing it.
I do not stand here telling you exactly what to do. My challenge is simply this: Considering the story of Barnabas, what can you do with your personality and disposition, with your life context, with the opportunities that are present in your community to apply these principles in your life?
