Torch, Fall-Winter 1998 optimized

•• I • l \ who was a persecutor; they saw a man who had helped to imprison and even kill Christians, and they doubted very much that he really had become a Christian himself. But not Barnabas. He saw what Saul could become. He saw beyond the obvious and what was in front of him; he saw with his God-given vision and insight the kind of asset Saul could be for the church of the Lord Jesus Christ. We understand that the Spirit of God is in charge of building the church and He uses people and brings people together to do His work. But from a human standpoint, if it had not been for Barnabas, Paul might have been lost to the church of Jesus Christ. Try to imagine what might have happened had Barnabas not acted as he did. God-given vision-the ability to see beyond what is to what may be-is a tremendously r. Harry Ambacher important talent. If we are to train leaders to count for Jesus Christ all around the world, we must have God-given vision. Thirdly, Barnabas taught with patience. In Acts 11 we read that those who had been scattered by persecution traveled all over. The Gospel messengers traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus, and Antioch up to this point, telling the message only to Jews. Just a short time earlier, Peter had recognized in Acts 10:28 that the Jews felt it was "against our law for a Jew to associate with a Gentile or visit him." But in chapter 11, we read that some of the Christians had gone out and taken the Gospel to the Gentiles. They told them the good news about the Lord Jesus. Verse 21 says, "The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord." The news of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and in response they sent Barnabas to Antioch. Barnabas was excited. He was delighted. He was encouraged. But, he was also a bit perplexed as to how to teach this new group of believers. These people, who knew little, if anything, about the Jewish background from which the Messiah came, had come in large numbers to believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. As he prayed and thought about the work of laying a foundation , it suddenly became clear to him. There was someone, he realized, who could do this work. There was someone with sterling Jewish credentials who could teach the Gentile believers about the whole of God's plan. Acts 11 :25 states, "Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people." We make a grave mistake by thinking that the apostle Paul was dropped on the church as a finished product. Many think that after his encounter with Jesus Christ on the road to Damascus, he was ready to go and that he stood up and started preaching. That is not the case. Paul, although he had a great knowledge of the Scripture, had never worked with people. He had the Scripture in his mind and heart, but he didn't know how to reach people for the Lord Jesus Christ. We read that Barnabas and Saul took the Scriptures and taught the Gentiles who had just come to Christ. Of note is the fact Torch 7