Torch, Fall-Winter 1998 optimized

that Barnabas was in the lead in teaching them. If we gave an exam and asked the question, "Who was Barnabas teaching in Antioch?", you would look at the text and say, "He was teaching great numbers of people." Of course, that is the correct answer, but it is not the only correct answer. Not only was Barnabas teaching the new Gentile believers, but he was also teaching Saul in Antioch. He was, in essence, modeling for Saul how to work with people. You can almost hear Barnabas say, "These people need to get a grasp on the great truths of Scripture. And so we take the Scripture and we preach the Scripture to these people and we build into their lives. We fill them with encouragement. We take the great encouraging words of the Scripture and build into their lives." Under this tutelage, Saul learned to take this great treasure of Scripture and use it to meet the needs of people. Barnabas taught great numbers of people in Antioch, but Barnabas also built into the life of Saul, who became Paul the apostle. Barnabas taught patiently; if we are ever to take timeless truth to contemporary cultures around the world, we must teach the Scriptures with patience and encouragement. The fourth thing that we notice about Barnabas' teaching strategy is in Acts 13. In this passage, Barnabas has passed the torch. As the chapter opens, he is still the head of the missionary team. It says in verse one of chapter 13, "In the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers, Ba{nabas, Simeon... , Lucius ... , Manaen ... , and Saul." Barnabas was the leader; Saul was one of several followers. 8 Torch Subsequent references to the two of them, including verse 7 which reads, "The proconsul, an intelligent man, sent for Barnabas and Saul," place Barnabas in the leadership role. But as they traveled, Barnabas did something that few people are able to do. He looked at the man he had trained and he recognized that the time to pass the torch had come. The man was ready to go. Barnabas must have been thinking something like, "He has taken all that I can teach him and now he is ready to take the leadership." So, he stepped back from the leadership role and handed the torch to the apostle Paul. From verse 13 on, there is a different picture: "From Paphos, Paul and his companions sailed to Pergo." Henceforth, Barnabas was no longer the leader of the team. He has passed the torch to the apostle Paul. Of course, Paul rose to great heights and we know his accomplishments well. But, do you know the mark of Paul's missionary preaching and teaching? We could read dozens of verses to discover it, however just a few will suffice. In Acts 16:40 we read, ''After Paul and Silas came out of the prison, they went to Lydia's house, where they met with the brothers and encouraged them." You can honestly translate that verb as "they Barnabased them." Acts 20:1 -2 says, "When the uproar had ended, Paul sent for the disciples and, after encouraging them, he said goodbye and set out for Macedonia. He traveled through that area, speaking many words of encouragement." You get the picture? The mark of the apostle Paul became encouragement, which he had learned from his great and faithful teacher. Paul had learned that skill from his teacher, Barnabas, and that became a mark of his life and ministry. After he worked and lived and ministered in Antioch for a year with Barnabas, he became a man of great encouragement for the rest of his life and ministry. The fifth thing we notice about Barnabas' teaching strategy is that he never gave up. Acts 15 tells of the dispute between Paul and Barnabas concerning John Mark. Beginning in verse 36 of that chapter we read, "Some time later Paul said to Barnabas, 'Let us go back and visit the brothers in all the towns where we preached the word of the Lord and see how they are doing.' Barnabas wanted to take John, also called Mark, with them, but Paul did not think it wise to take him, because he had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not continued with them in the work. They had such a sharp disagreement that they parted company. Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus, but Paul chose Silas and left, commended by the brothers to the grace of the Lord." Some of the commentaries are very interesting at this point. One says, "Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus and thus sailed out of the Gospel account." Another says, "Barnabas took Mark and sailed for Cyprus. This is the last time that Barnabas is mentioned." The strong implication is that Paul was right and Barnabas was wrong, and that is what many people believe. But that is not necessarily what the Scripture teaches us. Have you ever wondered why John Mark left? Most of the time, we assume he gave up because of a lack of willpower or resoluteness. But it may not have been a lack of