Acts 9:27
“But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus.”
It was a forty-five minute session in which my dog and I went round and round until finally temporary success was achieved. I was training my dog to get into the down position, but she wanted nothing to do with it. Forty-five minutes later, she had succeeded three times in a row to obey the command to go down. In spite of the constant failures, I envisioned a dog that would immediately obey my command in spite of all the antics she performed. Today, she has no qualms about going into the down position when commanded. This would have never happened if I was short-sighted with her failures.
Barnabas was one of those men in the Scriptures who may be more responsible for your Christianity than you realize. There were two people whom he influenced whom God used in a major way to pen the New Testament. Those two men were Paul and John. Both men had previous failures that many seemed to know about, but Barnabas looked beyond their failures and saw their potential. The ability to see beyond their failure came because of several character traits.
First, he cared for the unwanted. Paul was unwanted by the church as he was known for his persecution of Christians. Though no one else wanted Paul, Barnabas cared for him because in God’s hands Paul would be a great tool to help the Gentile world. You will never be greatly used by God until you learn to care for the unwanted. The unwanted are only in their condition because they are broken, but in the hands of God they can be used mightily.
Second, Barnabas believed in the restoration of the fallen. One of the greatest needs in Christianity today is the belief that God can still use someone who has fallen. What if God had the same mentality about the fallen that most Christians have? If He had the same mentality, then He would not have sent His Son to die for mankind when we fell into sin. Don’t ever develop an attitude that the fallen can never be used. There is something the fallen can do, but the only way you will see that is by looking at them through the eyes of God.
Third, Barnabas was able to see in people what they and others could not see. Barnabas knew that John just needed someone to work with him, and that is why John eventually became useful to Paul and many others. Don’t be so shortsighted where you only see people in their fallen state. Look beyond where they are and have a vision to where God can take them. If you focus on their present condition, then you will never be able to show them the vision God has for them.
Fourth, Barnabas was able to defer when those he helped grew. Barnabas was not a jealous man when someone grew, but he was able to step back and learn from those he helped when they grew to a position of authority. The greatest test of your ability to help the fallen is your ability to not think you are better than they, but you are both on the same team and they have contributions that can help you and others. If you are not willing to defer to them when they can help others better than you, then you will hurt their ability to grow.
One of the greatest needs in Christianity is the ability to restore the fallen. Ask the Holy Spirit to help you become a person who helps those who have fallen. When you never lose your belief that God can use anyone, then that is when you will be able to help someone beyond their antics and failures. If you develop into a Christian like this, then you will one day be able to enjoy the efforts of your labors in the lives of the fallen.