When I visited Conception Abbey recently, I asked for an
icon of St. Barnabas. I was disappointed
to learn that neither the book store nor the Printery House at the Abbey had
such an item. Barnabas, one of my
favorite characters in the New Testament evidently does not get the respect he
deserves!
Why do I like Barnabas?
Because he exhibits all of the best characteristics of a Christian
coach. We can learn a lot from Barnabas
and how he invested himself in others.
The man we know as Barnabas was originally named
Joseph. He was a Levite from Cyprus who
became part of the church in Jerusalem. Because
of his unusual generosity, the apostles called him Barnabas, which means “son
of encouragement” or “son of exhortation” (Acts 4:36-37). When Saul first appeared in Jerusalem after
his conversion from persecutor to preacher, the members of the church were afraid
of him. Barnabas became Saul’s advocate, bringing him to the apostles and
vouching for his conversion to the faith (Acts 9:26-27).
When church leaders in Jerusalem heard that the gospel
was being preached to Gentiles in Antioch, they were concerned and sent
Barnabas, a man they trusted, to investigate.
Barnabas saw clear evidence of God at work in Antioch and became part of
the Jesus movement there. He went to
Tarsus to find Saul. Together they provided leadership to the growing Antioch for
a year (Acts 11:22-26).
Led by the Spirit of God, the Antioch church set aside
(ordained) Barnabas and Saul for a mission to other Gentile cities (Acts
13:1-3). On this first missionary
journey, Barnabas was the apparent leader, but he encouraged Saul (who became
known as Paul on this trip) to exercise his considerable gifts. They established several churches in Asia
Minor, but their success led to controversy with the church at Jerusalem about
conditions to be imposed on Gentile converts.
At the first church council, Barnabas and Paul spoke out for an
unhindered gospel and were vindicated (Acts 15:12-23).
Paul and Barnabas began to make plans to revisit the
churches they had established in Asia Minor, but they had a major dispute over
taking John Mark with them. The young
man had deserted them on the earlier journey, and Paul did not want Mark to be
part of their group. As one might
expect, Barnabas wanted to give him a second chance. The old partners disagreed
so strongly that Paul chose another traveling companion and the two men parted
ways (Acts 15:36-41). Barnabas’
confidence in Mark’s potential seems to have been justified by later writings
attributed to Paul. In Paul’s letter to
Philemon, Mark is identified as one of Paul’s fellow workers who sent greetings
(Philemon 24). Paul wrote to the
Colossians to receive Mark if he came to them (Colossians 4:10). In his last letter to Timothy, he asked
Timothy to bring Mark with him because Paul considered Mark a useful helper (2
Timothy 4:11).
What are the characteristics that Barnabas exhibited that
a Christian coach should embrace?
·
He found joy in the giving of himself to others.
·
He saw people through God’s eyes—full of
potential.
·
He lived out the belief that God is at work in
every person.
·
He rejoiced
when individuals joined God on mission in the world
·
He saw mistakes
as learning opportunities rather than terminal experiences
·
He
exhibited unconditional positive regard—grace.
Barnabas provides
us with a role model for the effective Christian coach, one who always looks
for the best in others and helps them to achieve their goals. We are challenged to follow his example. We all need a Barnabas in our lives, and we
can become a Barnabas in the lives of others.
(Adapted from
Disciple Development Coaching by Mark Tidsworth and Ircel Harrison)
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