Meet Barney (Barnabas)

There are a lot of people in the history that we known, even more that we don't, but together that's what makes the world happen. It's the people of the fine print that don't get the credit that are the ones that we need to be aware of.

Colossians 1:1- Paul sends his greetings along with Timothy, his protege. It's established that they are the authors of this letter.

Colossians 4:7-18- This is a section that should not be glossed over just because we don't know who these people are. Eleven people are mentioned that most have never heard of, yet they are included through the Spirit. They weren't looking for credit, they just were doing their best to live a life of worship to God.

The same is true at Passion City Church. If you were looking at a newspaper, our lead story would be Jesus is alive. In a lot of churches, people are pushing things that aren't the headline and wanted everyone to focus on that. It's a waste of time. Our three headlines are:

• Jesus is alive.

• The Holy Spirit is here.

• People's lives are being transformed for the glory of God.

Yes, the other stories matter, but they are on page 7. We'll take care of it, but it's not the lead story.

If none of the people found at the end of this letter were looking to be the headline, then why did God include them in it?

1) By the will of God. God appoints people for roles in His story. That includes you. You have a role to play. Paul had to defend his role often, but as you can read in Colossians 1:1, he reminded himself of it often as well.

2) Church is not built on the gifts and talents of a few, but on the sacrifices of many. There is a wealth of varied gifts in the body of Christ. Yes, there is a structure and leadership, but everyone has the same grace, the same access to God, the same Holy Spirit, and the same opportunity to get in God's story. God can use you in an incredible way to change history.

Colossians 4:10- We see the name Barnabas. Who is he and why is being his cousin a helpful thing?

Barnabas was originally named Joseph and lived on the island of Cyprus. He traveled as a Jew to Jerusalem where he joined with the Jewish movement there. This was before Jesus was there. When Jesus comes on the scene, Barnabas converts to Christianity. He was Joseph when he arrived, but when the Church was born, he was given the nickname Barnabas because it means "son of encouragement" and he was such a strengthening force in other people's lives.

Acts 4:32-37. We first see Barnabas doing something that was normal in the lives of believers. He had land that he sold and gave all the proceeds to the apostles to be used to meet people's needs. He saw a need and did something about it. What would it be like to be a day 1 investor in the Church? We are part of the compound interest of his investment.

Acts 9:21-31. After Paul's dramatic conversion, Barnabas was the one to take him in and vouch for him. Paul is a major catalyst in the gospel getting to the end of the earth, but Barnabas was who helped him do it. When everyone else was leery, Barnabas was holding the door and creating all the connections.

Acts 11:19, 22-26. Christians were spreading because of the death of Stephen, yet, amazing things were happening with the Church. Jerusalem wanted to make sure that it was the true gospel being spread, so they sent Barnabas to Antioch to encourage them and to assure they were staying true to the cross. This is where followers of the way were first called Christians, "little Christ's".

Acts 13:1-3. God likes naming people that He's weaving into the story. These are the names of the people of the fine print who He chose to build up the Church. He hasn't forgotten them. Saul and Barnabas are ambassadors of the gospel and sent out on what is known as the first missionary journey of Paul.

In Lystra, the people thought Saul and Barnabas were gods because they healed someone, but they told the people about Jesus and many came to know him. Things got so out of hand that the Jews that were there got permission to stone Paul. Paul went from stoning Christians to being stoned for being a Christian. They drug him outside the city and left him for dead, but when he came to, he went back into Lystra and kept preaching. History records this as Paul's journey, but Barnabas was with him the whole time.

What did Barnabas do?

1) He joined the Church in Jerusalem.

2) He invested.

3) He looked for opportunities.

4) He faithfully oversaw.

5) He went out as an ambassador.

We are all capable of doing the same.