Today’s caption was taken from last council Bible study on Sep 16 (Chapter 7 of Leading with Love by Alexander Strauch).
And a New Testament model of a loving leader and teacher is Barnabas. He was not a self-oriented throne seeker. The Gospel of Luke says he was “a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith”. He was characterized by love (Gal 5:22) and all the qualities of love.
Barnabas was the central figure in the affairs of the infant church (Acts 11:19-15:41), and receives frequent mention in Paula’s epistles (1Cor 9:6; Gal 2:19,13; Col 4:10).
Some of the worthy ones are:
– His generosity (Acts 4:36-37). Barnabas was a giver, not a taker.
– Ministry handling with Paul. 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).
Barnabas was truly a loving Christian leader and teacher. People called him “son of encouragement” (Acts 4:36; 11:23).
Great things happened in the Antioch church through Barnabas and Paul, and will continue in the church today because of unselfish teachers and leaders.
Barnabas struck the men of Lystra as being like God. For whatever reason and however mistakenly, “they called Barnabas Jupiter”. The people of Antioch were deeply impressed with the personality of Barnabas, for as he lived and preached with the newly converted Saul of Tarsus in the polluted streets of the city, the title by which we are now privileged to call ourselves, CHRISTIANS, or “Christmen”, was then coined to convey the impression of the likeness of Barnabas and his companions to the Lord and Master they preached.
Every Sunday we have many Sunday school teachers/facilitators, small group leaders, worship teams, ushers etc, who unselfishly give their time, energy and resources to help the church. As you walk round the church compound, there are nice flowers and plants. There are some among us, who patiently have been giving them, “tender loving care”, so that others may enjoy. Many among us serve others. They reached out to people in need, often looking not only to their own interests, but also to the interest of others.
Last Sunday, we concluded the series of ministry by Dr Bill & Ruby Shade. It was such a blessing to see their enthusiasm and commitment in wanting to teach and share the Word of God. Even without mentioning the many things that we learnt from their time here, their commitment to God is already such a strong encouragement for us all. On this note, I would like to thank BC office, WWBI volunteers and most importantly, the church who showed great support for this series of ministry meetings.
Indeed Love is Occupied with Others.
Elder Andrew Lim
