Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. (Acts 4:36-37 ESV)
Most of us want to be the superstar. We want to be famous. We want the adulation and notoriety. If we are trying to be pious we might fain humility but we would really like it if people whispered our name as we came in the room. The danger of this mindset is that, either overtly or secretly, we foster a wrong perception of ourselves and others. And even worse, we minimize who God has made us to be.
This week I want to tell you about a man named Joseph. (Not Jesus’ earthly dad). He’s better known by his nickname, Barnabas. He was pivotal in the development of the early church. But in contrast to Peter or Paul, he often seems to have worked in the background. To prep your heart and mind to worship together, would you take some time to prayerfully read through Acts 11. It begins with Peter’s mission report about the Gentiles, but our focus will be on the latter half of that chapter.
