00:00number 18 speak in order to encourage
00:06then Barnabas brought him to the
00:08apostles and told them how Saul had seen
00:10the Lord on the way to Damascus and how
00:13the Lord had spoken to us all he also
00:15told them that Saul had preached boldly
00:17in the name of Jesus in Damascus
00:20we were first introduced to Barnabas in
00:22Acts 4 36. and we find out that his name
00:27isn't actually born of us it's Joseph
00:28Barnabas is his nickname and it
00:30literally means son of encouragement
00:32because see Barnabas lived as a door
00:37he put his own life on the line and he
00:39took the rest to communicate on behalf
00:41of others who were not trusted or
00:44respected by the majority of his peers
00:46the first time we see this happen is
00:49with Peter's case you can imagine the
00:52startup of the church numbers are
00:54growing he's a fisherman he's never
00:57handled the logistics of an operation
00:59this size he's a new leader in
01:04unfamiliar circumstances and there are
01:07lots of needs lots of needs and
01:10lots of reasons why he should be
01:13discouraged and and pushed to aside and
01:16Barnabas had like all the credentials
01:19that Peter doesn't have Peter's doesn't
01:21have a religious background Barnabas is
01:23a levite he's been trained he's comes
01:26from a very wealthy family he's he's got
01:29the social and the economic and
01:31religious credentials and he doesn't say
01:33Peter move over I can do this job better
01:35than you he goes and sells his own
01:37property and puts all the money
01:42this action is one of the best
01:45communication exercises in the Bible you
01:50actions often speak louder than words
01:52and because he he came and supported the
01:55leadership instead of challenging them
01:57saying hey you guys don't understand how
01:58to do this stand aside I'll take over he
02:03casts his lot in with him he supported
02:06that was huge what if Barnabas hadn't
02:10done that at that moment but Peter just
02:12come out of jail it was just there was a
02:15questioning of of what was going on in
02:18Jerusalem he was probably very insecure
02:22at that point and Barnabas helped him
02:25become the leader that he came to be
02:32Barnabas goes and finds Saul
02:35when everyone had been afraid of Saul
02:37because he had been a persecutor of the
02:39church and he brings him to Damascus and
02:42uh and he he brings him to the leaders
02:44of the church in Jerusalem and he
02:47he speaks to them about uh
02:50how this man is trustworthy you can
02:52imagine they would have been afraid do
02:55we trust this guy is he just feigning a
02:58conversion so he can get into our Inner
03:00Circle and then take us all captive and
03:02kill us like he's killed others in the
03:04previous life and and Barnabas risks his
03:07reputation and puts his life on the line
03:14like he'd done with Peter
03:16and now just think about this these are
03:19become the two most prominent leaders of
03:21the New Testament Church Peter and Paul
03:24and both of them in a moment when the
03:26church might have considered um
03:28I don't know about them
03:30Barnabas comes in and does actions he
03:33that really encourage them
03:36in very concrete ways not just nice
03:38words but costly things that put his
03:41life on the line if he had been wrong
03:43about Paul it would have he would have
03:44ended up in prison or in in a tomb
03:48so he was there at decisive moments in
03:51the leadership development so then think
03:54Peter is either directly or indirectly
03:56responsible for three books in the New
03:58Testament the two letters that he writes
04:00plus Mark which is really Mark's account
04:04of Peter's testimony
04:07is the is the gospel of Peter as retold
04:10by Mark is how it's often understood
04:14and Paul is responsible for
04:1815 books directly and directly so the 13
04:21letters he writes Plus
04:23Lucan acts which his disciple Luke
04:28and he wouldn't have been in that
04:30position to write those if had not been
04:31for his association with Paul so between
04:34Peter's three and Peter and Mark 3 and
04:40Paul and Luke's 15 this 18 of 27 books
04:44two-thirds of the New Testament are
04:45written by these two individuals and
04:47their immediate disciples
04:49who might not have thrived into their
04:52role have grown into their role of
04:54leadership had Barnabas not come and
04:56been a champion a door opener and
04:58encourager at a key moment in their
05:02there's so much power and encouragement
05:04so much power and coming alongside
05:06someone else and and saying I Believe In
05:09You God's hand is on you you can do this
05:12I am with you and willing to
05:16yeah give up your land pay perhaps give
05:20up your life in order to back up your
05:22words with real profound actions
05:26good communication really encourages and
