Thank you, Mike. Shall we turn over to the book of the Acts? I want you to keep your Bible open because there are a number of texts relative to Barnabas that we'll be speaking on tonight. And if we read them all, it would take considerable time because his name is mentioned twenty-four times in the first fifteen chapters of the Acts of the Apostles. some of the major chapters are chapter four, once in chapter nine, and then you find three times is mentioned in chapter eleven, a number of times in chapter thirteen, and finally in chapter fifty. So I'll be reading out these texts or giving them out as we go along, speaking on this remarkable category. And we find we have a good man with an open mind and a large heart. And I think that is true of Barnaby's. His mind was open. And it's a grand thing when you meet people who have an open mind. I've met many of ones who have a closed mind. Especially any who are taken up with false cults. They have a mind that's closed, locked, barred, and folded. They're right and they're not going to let their mind open for one thought that you might want to give them. But they'd like for other people to have open minds so they can get their false doctrine in. But it's nice to find people who have an open mind, and they're willing to listen, they're willing to learn, and they're willing to look into the scriptures and see whether these things be sold. And that was the case with Barnum as he had an open mind. Of course, you do meet some people, and you show them from the scriptures, you try your best to answer their questions, and still they maintain their own view. A man convinced against his will is of the same opinion shared. People like that are hard to help their ever-learning and never able to come to a knowledge of the truth. And it's a grand thing when we're willing to bow to the truth of the Word of the Living God. Now, in connection with Barnabas, you'll have a number of marks concerning or characteristics concerning this good man, but he was a good man. The Bible says he was a good man. One of the first things you know concerning him is that he was a believer. You find that in chapter four, if you'd read chapter four, verses thirty-two, and also verse thirty-six. Verse thirty-two of chapter four, and the multitude of them that believed, where of one heart and of one soul, neither said any of them that off of the things which he possessed were his own, but they had all things come. Now, who were some of those who believed. Well, you have Barnabas singled out in verse thirty-six, and Joseph, who by the apostles, was surnamed Barnabas, which is being interpreted the son of consolation, a Levite, and of the country of sight. So here you have Barnabas, and he's a believer. He has believed on the Lord Jesus Christ, and thus he's saved. Of course it all depends upon what you believe. If you believe a lot of things that are sailing around today, a lot of false doctrines, modernism, and so on, why, you'll be lost. But if you believe the right thing, you will be saved. And I think the scripture is relative to what you believe. Be that believeth on the sun hath everlasting light. And Christ themselves says, Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that heareth my word, and believeth on him that set me, hath everlasting life, shall not come into condemnation, but is passed from death unto life. He that believeth on the Son, hath everlasting life, and he that believeth not the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abideth on him. So it all depends upon what? you believe. And there's no such thing as saying, well, as long as a man is sincere, regardless of what he believes, as long as it's sincere, he'll make it. No, he will not. Sincerity will not save anyone. If there is ever a character who believes firmly in what he thought was the truth of the Apostle Paul, why he thought he had the truth and he's trying to carry out the petition of his father, and even to the point of persecuting the Christians on having a book of death. But he had his faith shaken, and finally the written Christ revealed himself to the Apostles, and that was the end of the Apostles' Paul's opinion that he was right. He discovered... although sincere, he was sincerely wrong. And people have got to be convinced of that fact, and the only thing they're convinced of is their caring conviction is the word of God. And so he was a believer. And it's a wonderful thing to be a believer. I think it's a lovely word, a warm word. Many a time I've walked up to a person, and they've asked me if I were a believer. And the moment they did, I knew what they were talking about. I know they didn't ask me or imply that I didn't even evolution. No. You can tell by the very tone of their voice, they meant that I believe in the Lord Jesus Christ. It's a wonderful thing. It's a warm word. All believers, believing the same thing as the church at court. The next thing you'll remember concerning Barnabas, he was a brave man. You have that in chapter nine of verse twenty seven, but Barnabas took him and brought him that the apostle called to the apostles and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way that he had spoken to them, and how he had preached holy at Damascus in the name of Jesus. He was very bold on this occasion, very brave. Because I'll tell you those of the apostles at Jerusalem were very stern, strict men. And you weren't going to get into that church at Jerusalem unless you knew the truth and knew it well. But here is Barnabas. He shows his bravery. He goes to this man who up to this time had been a persecutor of God's people. Undoubtedly a man. who had a strong character and a man who was very stern and evil to the point of hatred. He hated the Christians. And so Barnabas gets this man and he takes it up to Jerusalem. Yes, he was brave. And I trust we know something of that bravery. if we find someone who's saved and knows the Lord Jesus Christ were willing to commend them and introduce them to the Lord's people and to the truth. Another thing you'll notice in text with Barnabas, he was a separated man. You find that in chapter thirteen and verse thirteen. As they ministered to the Lord and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, separate me Barnabas and Saul, So the work were unto I have called in. He was separated to a special minister. Yes, a special minister, a very separate special minister. Here at the church of Antioch, the Spirit of God, informed three of the elders, for there were five pillars in that church, five strong, gifted men, and the Spirit of God says to three of them, separate me Barnabas and Paul to the work of which I have called him. He was a separated man set apart for God. He had a special ministry, a special work to do for God. And so he was a separated man, separated by the Lord. Another thing you noticed he was full of faith. It tells you that in chapter eleven, And also verse twenty four. And it says, For he was a good man. There's that word good. He was a good man. And full of the Holy Ghost and of faith. Much people was added unto the Lord. My what a comment. What a recommendation he was a good man. Full of the Holy Ghost and full of faith. In other words, this is the foundation for Christian character and search to be full of faith. Full of faith. Some people are full of unbelief. But if the grand thing you find, sisters, and they're full of faith, then you think. The Lord speaks of those who had great faith, the Syrophoenician woman, poor woman, great is thy faith. And he said to Peter, O ye of who little faith? And he said to others, How is it that you have no faith? Now you can decide which group you're in. Do you have long, strong faith, or just a little faith, or no faith at all? But this man Barnabas was full of faith. But also he was full of the Holy Spirit of you, as you have in that very same verse. Full of the Holy Spirit. You know this business of being full of the Holy Spirit is thrown around quite recklessly. Today, people claim to be filled with the Holy Spirit than yet there are precious truths in the Bible. They do not believe. and they do not practice. And the practices of behaviors or behavior of a lot of people who play to be filled with the Scripture is absolutely in violation of the Word of God. For instance, what does it mean to be filled with the Holy Spirit? This is not something that comes about when a few Christians meet together and they get all excited and worked up emotionally. And of course when they're through their meeting, then it all subsides and they go home. No. I firmly believe with all my heart that when a man or a woman is filled with the Holy Spirit, it's going to be that deep, solid deep, deep that flows under the river. Deep in the heart. Yes, it is something that is permanent. It's something that Christians should enjoy twenty-four hours of the day. Not something you're going to work up. It's something that you're going to enjoy because of your fellowship of the Lord and greeting his word and prayer. And part of us was full of the Holy Spirit. There's a passage over in First Kings, I think it is, that It might do well for every Christian who is interested in being filled with the Spirit to read. In other words, God is going to reveal himself to Elijah. And as God revealed himself, what happened? Why? There was a great wind went through the valley. A great wind, and there was a lot of noise. As the wind almost like a tornado swept through the valley, the Bible says the Lord was not in the wind. Then there was a great victory that it said that the Lord was not in the wind. Then there was a great fire of the Lord was not in the fire. Then there was a still small voice, and God is in that. There's a lot today and there's a lot of wind. A lot of wind. A lot of orator. Very. Oh, yes. A lot of wind. If I got up and heard the best orator in the States preach on modernism, something like that, I'd just say it's a lot of wind. A lot of wind. The Spirit of God is not in it. And... The Spirit's presence is not a window shepherding experience. The earthquake. The way some people talk, you think that the way to get filled with the Spirit and the evidence of being filled with the Spirit is a lot of commotion, a lot of excitement. No. And the fire. And fire in the Scripture speaks of zeal. But the Spirit... the Lord was not in the fire. There's a lot of people today that've got a lot of zeal. But zeal is not going to help anybody unless that zeal is used by the Holy Spirit of God. It's the still small voice of the Holy Spirit that God wants us to recognize. And there's a lot today of commotion. going on and so meet it. And they claim it's the Spirit. I cannot see it in my life. God is not the author of confusion. Let everything be done decently and in order. For instance, there are various types or pictures or illustrations of the Spirit. And one is the do. You find the dew coming down, and God likens it unto His Holy Spirit that descends upon human hearts. But remember this, it's the dew, and not the downfall. How silently this dew descends to the early ones. And this is the way the spirit works. There's not a lot of noise and a lot of commotion and a lot of excitement and a lot of the emotional outbreak and outbursts. No. The do, the Spirit of God descends quietly upon human hearts. So it's not the downpour, it's the do. And also the Spirit of God is likened unto a dove. The dove settled upon the head of the Lord Jesus. events that have absorbed you when John is the evangelist. The Spirit of God is a belt, not a cackling hand. He's a belt. Ah, yes, that palm, but easily a bird that does. And then the Spirit of God is likened unto the oil that we use in this Old Testament. Oil is silent in its operation. There's no great noise when oil is doing its job. It is silent in its performance. Think of the Lord Jesus Christ. And it says this about the Lord Jesus Christ. And you can read it yourself. It's in Matthew twelve and nineteen. He shall not strive nor try. Neither shall any man hear his voice in the streets. Isn't that strange? The Lord Jesus was no rabble-rouser. He wasn't a noisy man. He wasn't excited. He wasn't emotional. I know the Lord Jesus was a quiet man, and he was full of the Holy Spirit of God. Other pictures you have, evidence of the presence of God in the Old Testament. Remember the pillar of fire. that she overshadowed the panamax in the wilderness. You didn't hear any great thunder up there. It was just that pillar of fire, silent but evidence of God's presence. And the pillar of cloud by day, the same thing. No noise, no clatter, no thunder, no lightning, but there's that silent evidence and witness. of the presence of Almighty God. David, it says concerning him, David went in and sat before the Lord. You know, sometimes Christians think that a lot of excitement and emotionism is being filled with the Spirit. But I'm going to tell you, you'll experience more of the presence of God as you meditate seriously upon yourself. I'll tell you one thing, many, many a time in my life when I've been in difficulty, I wanted to get alone with God. And I would have objected to a number of people coming around. trying to help me out in this situation. The only answer to this problem is get alone with God and settle it with an open Bible in front of you. So this is the still small voice that we read about. I've had meetings in my life and I've been in other meetings. At the end of the meeting the presence was Oh, present, you could hear a pin drop. What it means that the presence of God was being kept by the people. And sometimes hundreds of people, over a thousand, have been there and you could have heard a pin drop. The holy pot of the presence of God. Reading Will Pell's biography the other day, as it was given in the new magazine, I was one thing, I was a presbyter that said when he was at Massey Hall in Toronto at a conference, and at that convention, about three thousand five hundred people met for that conference. Four days from Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday on Thanksgiving. And I had met Will Tell at that time. I was only saved, possibly about twenty years of age when I went to this conference. Wil Perry got up, and he was preaching the gospel. And he just used his hands, and he said, Forever. After preaching about Christ and his death in the cross, and all who is to be saved must have Christ. For they'll tie their sins and go down to hell forever. And as he waved his hand over that vast crowd, forever, you could hear a thin sound. The very atmosphere was charged with the presence of God. And then when he was outside of his voice, there was no other Lord that the presence of God was there. A holy sign, a holy prophet. tell you one thing, I don't go in for these excitable meetings. Whenever I'm being helped of God and given His sovereign grace, they give me that help. I love to feel God's word, God's spirit coming upon human hearts like the doer from an old breath. God is speaking. And at the end of the meeting, when the meeting is dismissed, after the solemn sermon, find the Christians tiptoeing out. They don't want to disturb what's been done in human hearts. Years ago I was over in London, the Hildenberry Hall conference for young people, and Stephen Alford was the preacher, and Billy Graham heard this same sermon. When Stephen Alford went through preaching and he preached on the Holy Spirit, I don't remember anything now that he said, not even a lie. But I know the power of God was there that night. And as he finished preaching and finished praying, three hundred young people, Jesus' young people, We're not going to sing a hymn. We're not going to ask anybody to come up. I want you to take your Bible and go quietly to your room, and there will be no snack bar open tonight. For they used to have a snack bar where all the young people could go and get, talk, drink, signage, and whatever they want. He said there will be no snack bar tonight. God has been speaking. And you all go to your room, get on your knees, and ask God for strength and grace in the days that come to live out what you've been feeling tonight. And they did that act. Billy Graham came up after the meeting. He said, Brother Alton, if you were given an office call out of him, the first one up. billy dream of treason, our big change in his life from that night on, he learned something that night about the power of the Holy Spirit. Yes, it's not in the great wind, it's not in the earth's breath, it's not in the fire, it's that still small voice. The voice of the Holy Spirit spirit of God. I think of the men and women I have known in my life, and I thank God for their memory. One of the few things that characterize men who've made their mark in the Christian world, known for their piety, known for their godliness, piety, is something you can see and feel high. Look at Andrew Murray, a man that's known for his piety, and his anointed pen has given us books today that write of the spiritual life, and how Christians can enjoy this deep spiritual life of abiding in Christ. Think of J.M. Godley, a man that was so occupied with God, so occupied with the Word of God, and so filled with the Spirit, J.M. Godley. He wasn't a man, a boisterous man, but that man had a power with him who was a man who was noted for his godliness, his piety, and his power. He heard the still small voice as he preached. Those words were clued with the hunch of the fooliness. And this quiet way, yet those words were full when they stuck. The spirit of God had hidden those words in, and hearts were changed. Yes, these godly men of the past. You can tell the difference between that which is of the flesh and that which is of the spirit. Why, Lord, Jesus, on the way to the cross, there's a little band of women with their children. The Bible says they were weeping, weeping. as they walked with them up toward Calvary. Your eye had been there. You have said, my little bunch of godly women. There are a lot of spiritually minded women. Look at them deeply. The Lord Jesus analyzed what that emotion was. It wasn't of the spirit at all. He says, women, You better weep for yourself and for your children. That weeping is not the weeping of a broken heart. That's not the weeping of a convicted soul. That's pretty. And you better do some repenting. You better shed a few tears of confusion because the times coming coming when you and your children praised the judgment of God in thirty-seven years. Maker, Christ destroyed Jerusalem. And the city was wrecked and raped. Oh yes, she analyzed that. There could be a lot of things in connection with the human body that may indicate this of the spirit. Well, it's not. the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, long-truthed, gentleness, needness, self-control, and faith. This is the fruit of the Spirit, and if you have one, you have all. And this just means this. If you're filled with the Spirit, you're going to obey the Spirit. And I know people, they claim to be filled with a spirit, and you see them about twice a month. They did nothing of staying away from a meeting. When the spirit has come, forsake not the assembling of yourselves together as the man of the Son is, for exalting one another and so much the more you see the day approaching, the coming of the Lord. The Spirit of God teaches us to obey. And that means baptism. That means the Lord's suffering. Yes. And no one's going to tell me they know anything of being filled with the Spirit if they're disobeying God's word. I don't believe a word of it. If a person is filled with the Spirit, you know something will repeat. these and other things. And so there are a lot of contradiction about these people who are failing to be filled with the Spirit, and yet there are glaring inconsistencies in their life. If you're filled with the Spirit, you'll do what the Spirit has given in the Word and you'll obey. so he was full of the Holy Spirit. The next thing we noticed as we read it he was a good man. Now this is not natural human goodness but this is a goodness that comes from God. Why, who's it said? There is none good but one and that is God. The Lord Jesus said that. In other words he was trying to get that which young ruler to see. that he was God. For the young ruler says, good master. Lord Jesus said that none is good but what? That is gospel. He wanted that young man to realize this is God manifest in the flesh. God manifest in the flesh. This is divine goodness. Divine goodness. This is not natural goodness, a natural sweetness. You'll notice in the Old Testament, honey was not used in some of the sacrifices, yet honey is very sweet. It's a natural sweetness. God says, I don't want it in my offerings. God doesn't want natural sweetness. I know some people, and just naturally, they're sweet. They have a sweetness. a lovely disposition, a warm personality. They'd do anything for their neighbor. They'd do that, but they were not saved. They're just naturally kind. They're just naturally sympathetic. They're just naturally understanding. That is not the truth of the Spirit of God's law. A lot of natural sweetness. but that which is of the spirit of God is of a different kind the fruit of the Spirit the fruit of the Spirit I've known ungodly men to be touched with such a humanity I've known ungodly men why they had some praise that would put some Christians to shame That's just natural sweetness. And God says, I don't want this. I don't want anything that comes out of that soil of the human heart, that fallen nature. I want that which comes the result of my spirit. Well, indeed, that fruit of the spirit. Not the fruit of a fallen nature, but the fruit of the Holy Spirit of God. These are things that we need to be exercised. Then he was generous. If you'll notice chapter four and thirty-seven, having land, he sold it and brought the money and laid it up the apostles feet. At the end of verse thirty-six it says he was a Levite and of the country of Cyprus. This is quite interesting. Five of us was very liberal. He was a Levite and he had land and he sold and had bought the money and he gave it to the apostles now in the Old Testament the Levite didn't own any property God gave no land to the Levites God says I'm the inheritance of the Levites the Levites are going to do the service around the tabernacle and they're going to be taken care of by the offerings that come in to the church. I'm not giving the Levites any inheritance. I am their inheritance. And so in the Old Testament a Levite had known property. But here's one, a Levite in the New Testament. He's heavenly of the tribe of the Levites. He did have some land. Evidently, he wasn't getting very well didn't care of, but likely not functioning as a true Levite because of the state of the nation at that time. The moment he got saved, ah, now the true Levite is coming up. A new nation, one separated by God as the Levites were at his birth. And he went and dropped this piece of property, this farm, and he gave it. Evidently after this time he'd been living off that farm. But now he takes that piece of property and he sounds it and he brings the proceeds and he lays it at the apartment. He was a liberal man. A liberal. Let me tell you something too. A spirit-filled man is a liberal man. A man who's filled the spirit. always ready to get. I remember once we were having an open air meeting up in Canada about twelve miles from my home and the place called St. Mary's and there were about ten of us around there and we had it so arranged that because there was always a big crowd around a lot of busy street corner too that we stood pretty close together to keep anybody from getting in like a drunk or someone like that. This fella was standing in up far from me, and he could sing those hymns. I was quite surprised. But he was as drunk as a poop. And he wanted to get out of the lake. Great. No, you can't. Yeah, I don't want to get out of there and we're just for a walk. No, you can't. We held him back. And he pulled the water bills out of his pocket that was broken off. I know if he'd have done that, we'd have taken the next morning he woke up, he'd have been looking us up. But anyway, under the influence of liquor, he wanted to give us that great big gold money. Drunks are generally literate. Be not drunk with wine, but in the success of the pill with the spirit. and a person is filled with the Spirit of God, like Barnabas, they'll be exercised about the things of God, liberal. How can they happen? They'd like to know that. Another thing about Barnabas, not only was he generous and liberal, as we've noticed, but he was sympathetic. find in chapter nine and twenty seven but Barnabas took Paul 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 the Lord Jesus here is Barnabas and he's very sympathetic with this young convert Paul and that's another trait that the spirit is sympathy to be sympathetic And he was very unselfish. Where do you find that? You find that in chapter eleven, verse twenty-three. And it says, When he came and had seen the grace of God, was glad and exhorted them all that with purpose of heart they would flee unto the Lord. What he was a good man. Maybe we should have had verse twenty-two. Then tidings of these things, of the blessing and the soul being saved. Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem, and they sent forth Barnabas that he should go as far as the Antioch, where he was come, and had seen the grace of God was jealous. No, the rest wasn't his or her to his label. He wasn't envy. He rejoiced. at the grace of God that is there manifest in the salvation of all these souls. When he had seen the grace of God, he was glad and exhorted them, all that with purpose of heart he would plead unto the Lord. He was an unselfish man. An unselfish man. When he saw that someone else had been blessed and God had used someone else, no envy, no jealousy, was willing to rejoice with one who was rejoicing, and encourage those unconverts to plead unto the Lord. And he was a very successful man, as you'll notice here, much people were, in verse twenty-four, captured up. For he was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, and much people was added on to the Lord. What else would you expect? This man, God, a good man, full of faith, full of the Holy Spirit, you would expect some truth in the gospel from such a character, and you do. Much people was added on to the Lord. Had he been jealous or envied ambious the spirit would have been grieved and then there would have been no addition to the church. But here is a man, a wonderful spirit. He rejoiced in another man's labor. And much people was added unto the Lord. He was a very self-effacing man. The first mention of these two is in chapter thirteen and verse two. The first mention of Saul And Barnabas, Barnabas comes first. But it says, And they minister to the Lord and past it. The Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas. Now he's at Barnabas first. Barnabas and Saul for the work went unto I have called him. And if you go down to verse forty-six, it's revert. But instead of Barnabas being first, it says, Paul said unto Barnabas. Paul is first now. And also you find it in another place in the same chapter. It's reversed. And from now on, only once do we find Barnabas' first, then fall. Now it's reversed. Paul is first. Then Barnabas, and Barnabas will be a little older than Paul. For Barnabas could see that he is a chosen person. God hangers upon Paul. And he didn't mind playing the second fiddle. He didn't mind being second. As Spurgeon says, it takes more grace than tongue can tell to play the second fiddle yet. And it has got to be a second fiddle in what he wants. But if a man who only can play the second fiddle tries to play the first, he's likely to jaw the head and all of it. But here is Barnaby's. Barnaby's... glad to be set. He knew his limitations. When he saw these converts, he went up to Jerusalem to bring Paul down, i.e. a man who's got a little more than I've got. This is the nature of violence. One almost hates to conclude with what I'm going to conclude with. I've mentioned eleven things about violence, but this is another one. He was a human being. Why do I say that? Do you know that Paul and Barnabas got into an argument? In chapter fifteen, what was the cause of the argument? Well, when they left Antioch, they took John Mark with them. John Mark, of course, Mark, his Roman name, John is his Jewish name or Hebrew name. This is the mark that wrote the gospel. But this is the first mention that we have of this gospel was written afterward. But the first mention we have of Mark is in chapter twelve. And he's had a prayer meeting. You can read that for yourself. Chapter twelve and verse twelve. And when he had considered the thing he came to the house of Mary, the mother of John. whose surname was Mark, where many were gathered together to pray. Home of Mary. She had a son by name of Mark called John Mark, and it was a place of prayer. This was the background, the environment in which Mark grew up. And who was the brother to Mary, who was the mother of Mark? Barnabas. Barnabas was Mark's uncle. And so on Barnabas they take young Mark along with them. They hadn't gone far before what Mark went back to Jerusalem. But we must have joined them again, because the next time he went back from Transylia, he went back later. And Paul says, bar this young man, Mark or Mark has forsaken me, having loved this present evil world. Mark went back twice. He loved this present evil world. But his uncle Barnabas said, no, we're going to take him there. Paul says we're going on some oddest missionary journey. And seeing he's gone back twice, he's unreliable. I don't think we should take a look. But contention was so great between Paul and Barnabas that they parted one from another. And Mark and Barnabas couldn't admit to one another. Let's see it. That, isn't it? Why is it so? because Barnabas was never heard of again. He was wrong. Evidently, he was wrong. But he wanted his nephew, all this human nature, blood thicker than water. How easy it is to temper our own flesh and blood. How easy it is to be fed to the about our own fact, even at the expense of truth. You say anything about my brother or sister. You see what allows us. Maybe what is said is true. Why don't you remember it? And so here you find Barnabas and he fell to the Apostle Paul. He took his nephew away and went and he's not heard of the dead. He drops that aside. Strange, isn't it? And then later on, he got into another dispute. Our midst was at Galatia. And it says concerning this that Barnabas was also carried away with their dissemination. Peter had preached of the Gentiles, but accepted of the Lord. He learned that in chapter ten, who preached on this morning. But then some other Jews, such as Judaizing characters, legalizing Jews, came along and they said, Peter, you're doing wrong, eating, breaking bread with those Gentiles. And Peter went along with them, and he wouldn't eat with the Gentiles. And Barnabas went along with them. Barnabas also was caught in this assembly. and separate himself from me again.