Bar – Nabas: Son of Encouragement

Philippians 2:1-5

Not many know that Barnabas was just a nickname he earned. His real name is Joses, but he was called “Bar-Nabas” because of his great gift for encouraging believers.

The Bible gives us several examples of how he earned this name:

• He encouraged the early church with his generosity (Acts 4:37 — sold land and gave the proceeds).
• He advocated for Saul (Paul) when others feared him (Acts 9:27).
• He mentored and encouraged John Mark after Paul refused to take him again (Acts 15:37–39).

Perhaps what I find most striking about Barnabas’ encouragement is the faith and courage that came with it. What sort of courage does it take to sell all you have and commit your financial future to the growth of Christ’s church? We have a saying, “Put your money where your mouth is.” Barnabas put his money where his heart was.

Because of that sacrificial, generous gift, Barnabas entrusted his future to Christ. He sold his land, his homestead, his familial inheritance. Was his family made up of believers? Did they think he was being foolish? I believe he was being courageous. His generous gift revealed the quality of his love for Christ. That is why, when Barnabas encouraged you in your walk, there was power behind his words and actions. This man loved Jesus and trusted God to take care of his needs. Courage and faith in Christ were why his encouragement carried weight. Again, when everyone was afraid of Paul, Barnabas was courageous enough to advocate for him. And when Paul was displeased with John Mark, Barnabas stood his ground, took John Mark, and encouraged him.

How can we expect to have any power in our preaching and in our encouragement if we don’t live courageous and faithful lives for Christ? If we cannot, then we do well not to lead. But if we can, then let us not be saddened by worldly things we cannot have, but joyful for Christ whom we gain.

Philippians 3:8 – “Yea doubtless, and I count all things but loss for the excellency of the knowledge of Christ Jesus my Lord: for whom I have suffered the loss of all things, and do count them but dung, that I may win Christ.”

When Christ is your ultimate joy, then losing things of the world should not feel like loss at all—it should feel like love. Does it feel like you lost something when you married the wife you love? Are you sad that you can no longer be with other women? Does it bother you to come home each night and spend time with your family? In the same way, it did not bother Barnabas to entrust everything he had to Christ.

But I already know this of you. Your faith in Christ has stood. Though our labor is small, the love of Christ is evident in you. Paul wrote to the Philippians, knowing they possessed faith, love, and fellowship. In verse 1, he asks rhetorically if they have these things:

“If there be therefore any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of the Spirit, if any bowels and mercies…”

It is wonderful if you possess all these things, but they are worthless if you do not unite together to use them. What use is the gift of encouragement if you stand alone with no one to encourage? What use is the gift of giving comfort if you are alone? You can neither receive nor give it. That is why unity and fellowship are so important. We were not designed to withstand the world and Satan’s power on our own. Pastors are not tanks who can absorb the enemy’s attacks alone. That is why Paul always defended unity among the brothers.

There were always fights and arguments—even in Paul’s day.

Philippians 1:15 – “Some indeed preach Christ even of envy and strife.”

Some were jealous of Paul; there was strife among the preachers. So he told his churches to think about the strength of their fellowship:

Philippians 1:27 – “Only let your conversation be as it becometh the Gospel of Christ: that whether I come and see you, or else be absent, I may hear of your affairs, that ye stand fast in one spirit, with one mind striving together for the faith of the Gospel.”

His men already possessed the fruits of the Gospel in their lives after many years of faithfulness. But now their fellowship was under attack.

Philippians 1:28 suggests they were facing outside adversaries:
“And in nothing terrified by your adversaries…”

These were Roman officials pressuring them to worship dead emperors.

Philippians 3:2–3 warns of Jews who were distorting the simple message of the Gospel by insisting believers must keep the law to be saved:
“Beware of dogs, beware of evil workers, beware of the concision.”

Paul warns them to beware, because their unity was being threatened—and when unity is lost, discouragement follows quickly.

So Paul tells them how to increase their joy together:

Philippians 2:2 – “Fulfil ye my joy, that ye be likeminded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind.”

Paul knows they possess all the spiritual gifts they need. He exhorts them to stick together and use them. The Holy Spirit had given each one gifts to serve others.

It isn’t possible to spend your entire life on the mountaintop. There will be times when you are discouraged. There will be seasons when you do not feel like reading your Bible, praying, or serving others. It is during these times that God has placed someone in your fellowship with the encouragement you need. And there is never a time when everyone is “full” of encouragement—someone right now needs the gift God gave you. They need to hear your testimony. They need you to take them to lunch. They need your shoulder to bear a burden for a while.

“Fulfil ye my joy,” Paul says. But we aren’t just fulfilling Paul’s joy—this is also Christ’s joy.

The Gospel of Jesus Christ is the model for our life together as a church.

Mark 10:45 – “For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister, and to give his life a ransom for many.”

Life—holy life—was the ransom paid for the redemption of our sinful lives. He did not come to find servants; He came to be a servant.

There were hostile forces attacking the church from the outside, but there were also internal problems tearing it apart from the inside. Those internal problems could be solved immediately if they “had the same love.”

Some people were causing strife. Some were motivated by the desire to impress others. So Paul says in verse 3:
“Let nothing be done through strife or vainglory; but in lowliness of mind let each esteem other better than themselves.”

Do you care so much about saving face that you would tear apart the bride of Christ? Do you come to church looking to be served? If you want joy in the Christian life, the answer is not building up yourself, but building up your brother.

Verse 4 – “Look not every man on his own things, but every man also on the things of others.”

This is who Jesus is—the One in whom we find salvation, eternal life, and joy for today. His mind should be our mind:

Verse 5 – “Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus.”

Be strong, yes—but not on your own. Fight for your church’s unity. Fight for the joy of Christ as you serve one another.

You cannot find joy in Christ if you do not pursue it. You cannot find encouragement in the Holy Spirit if Christ is not the ultimate prize of your life.

Unless Christ is the ultimate prize in your life, you cannot truly find joy or encouragement in Him. So that begs the question: “What should I do when Jesus isn’t my true joy?” Let’s talk about that next time.