Walking with the Wise | Acts 4, 9, 11 | Chris Howles

Please have the book of Acts open, three readings,

but you can start in Acts chapter 4. I don't

Acts 4 · chapter mention

know if any of you have heard of Tim Ferriss.

He is one of the world's most successful podcasters

with over a billion downloads. Over the years,

he's interviewed many noteworthy, famous people.

And he discusses their lives and their habits,

and he seeks out their wisdom. The question he

asks each of his guests at the end of the interview

is always the same. If you could put a single

quote onto a billboard to get a message out to

billions of people. What would it be? He gets

some fascinating answers to that. But when he

himself was asked that question a while ago,

he answered that he himself would put on that

billboard, quote, you are the average of the

five people you spend the most amount of time

with. Striking, isn't it? But not new. The Bible

got there several millennia earlier. And did

it better? Less soundbite, more summons. Proverbs

13, 20, you don't need to turn to it, but it

reads this. Walk with the wise and become wise.

But a companion of fools suffers harm. Tim Ferriss

and more importantly, the Bible are saying something

significant about that formative power of proximity.

Who we walk with. matters because the people

we spend time with shape the people that we become

spend enough time with someone and they will

rub off on us they'll make a mark on us for good

or for ill and that in a sense is what we're

going to be doing over these next two chapel

talks so today obviously and this time next week

we're going to walk with the wise we're going

to walk with Barnabas We're going to trace through

his character and his convictions as he's brought

to us through the New Testament. And my hope

and my prayer is that by walking with him, something

of his wisdom, something of God's grace at work

in him will form and flourish in us too. So let's

pray. Our Lord, thank you for giving us this

opportunity to walk with the wise. Please may

something of... Your grace, powerfully at work

in Barnabas, shape and form us for good in the

days and weeks and years to come, we ask in Jesus's

name. Amen. It's quite unusual in Oak Hill Chapel

to do a kind of multi -passage character study

like this. We more commonly preach through a

single passage, rightly sitting under its...

Context and arguments and so on. These kind of

character surveys jumping across chapters or

even books can risk becoming selective or sentimental

or, God forbid, shallow. But there is a corresponding

danger in never doing such a thing. Barnabas's

New Testament portrayal is fantastic. But do

we know him? He's named 33 times in the New Testament,

more than Titus and Stephen and Andrew combined,

for example. But he's so dispersed across at

least 10 different... events and activities,

mostly in Acts, but a bit in the epistles too,

that many of us only ever see a snippet of him

here and there. And so without this sort of testament

-crossing, book -hopping, multiverse intentionality,

we so easily miss this rich, cumulative portrait

that Luke and others give us of this remarkable

saint. Now, I'm not intending over these two

talks to kind of romanticize Barnabas. Luke's

center is always the risen Lord Jesus, advancing

his words by his spirit, crucially by the power

of his grace. So we wouldn't be right to lionize

Barnabas. And I strongly suspect that that's

not what he would want us to do anyway. So the

focus here isn't this kind of striving and straining

to emulate this great man, but our rather enjoying.

And hopefully experiencing that very same transforming

grace of God that is so powerfully at work in

him. These should not be be like Barnabas talks.

We get wise by walking with Barnabas because

we get to see the transforming grace of God at

work in a real human being. So let's take our

first. step of several steps we'll be taking

on this walk with Barnabas the first time we

meet him is in Acts chapter 4 the Jerusalem church

Acts 4 · chapter mention

is experiencing a season of growing unity and

mutuality and Luke tells us in verse 32 that

all the believers were one in heart and minds

that the apostles were testifying with great

power to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus.

And then, verse 33, comes the line that kind

of sets the scene for Barnabas' introduction.

Luke says, God's grace was so powerfully at work

in them all. And at that point, Luke brings in

Barnabas. He explains that there's no needy person

among the believers because sometimes those who

had property sold it and donated the proceeds.

And he gives one named example of this generosity,

Barnabas in verse 36. Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus

whom the apostles called Barnabas, which means

son of encouragement, sold a field he owns and

brought the money and put it at the apostles'

feet. Luke's not saying that Barnabas is this

kind of instinctively, innately generous bloke.

Rather, Luke is showing us that here is God's

transforming grace powerfully at work. Grace

that disrupts Barnabas's previous instincts.

Grace that breaks that very tight bond between

what a person owns and what they think they have

the right to keep hold of. Now, interestingly.

One of the mentions of Barnabas in an epistle

comes on 1 Corinthians 9, where Barnabas is held

up as an example of someone who's working hard

to support himself in gospel ministry. And it

may be speculation, but I think it's reasonable

to think that maybe Barnabas giving away his

lands, giving away his wealth, it may have otherwise

provided him with a financial cushion in ministry.

If that is indeed the case, then his decision

to sell his land is powerful grace. It is costly

grace at work. Barnabas, his real name is Joseph,

but he's called Barnabas because it means son

of encouragement. His generosity clearly encourages

this fledgling church. What's the source of it

all? Where's it come from? Well, there's no need

to turn to it now because we'll get to it in

a minute. But one of the readings was chapter

11, where Luke describes Barnabas as a good man

full of the Holy Spirit and faith. That's the

divine foundation for this generosity and encouragement

we see in chapter four. His goodness is not this

kind of self -generated virtue. It's not a sort

of his own effort. It is a spiritual work. The

Holy Spirit is generating goodness in and through

him by faith. Faith, that posture of Barnabas,

of dependence to live on what God provides rather

than what he can grab and gather. And so because

Barnabas has received from Christ what he can

never earn and what he can never lose, he is

freed to release his grip on things once held

dear. And when we walk with Barnabas, we see

that grace is the very essence. of the Christian

life. It is not just an entry requirement before

moving on to the more serious task of becoming

discipled and disciplined Christians. Rather,

the grace that saves is the grace that transforms,

reordering our loves, our ambitions, our relationships,

our instincts, just like with Barnabas. The Christian

life is not this kind of self -help, moral improvement

through intense effort. It is the outworking

of God's grace in us by his spirit through faith.

And I think in Barnabas and through that truth,

I hope there is something useful as we think

about our Christian formation here at Oak Hill.

It's easy in any sort of college like this where

so much of life necessarily has to be measured

and assessed and documented and reported. It

is easy to equate Christian maturity with our

metrics or our productivity in some way. And

there's a danger that formation, therefore, becomes

this kind of accumulation of the right knowledge

and development of the right habits. But walking

with Barnabas shows us something deeper and better.

Christian maturity is about becoming dependent

people in whom the grace of God has so taken

root that we are freed from ourselves and our

instincts to grab and grasp and thus made more

available for God and for others. Our success

this year at college is not primarily what is

captured on a transcript or written on a report

or outlined in an annual review. but rather is

the grace of God cultivating deeper dependence

on him and freedom for him. One thing I love

about walking with Barnabas is to see how this

man who so receives and reflects God's powerful,

costly grace in himself is then able as a result

to recognize and delight in that grace in others

too. even the unlikeliest and scariest other

imaginable. And so turn a couple of pages to

Acts chapter 9, where we get to walk another

Acts 9 · chapter mention

step or two with Barnabas. Acts chapter 9 is

Acts 9 · chapter mention

famous for the conversion of Saul. We might be

familiar with what happens next with the wonderful

Ananias who hosts Saul and restores him in Damascus.

But many of us miss, crucially, The moment that

then follows. Because when the murderous persecutor,

now converted Saul, comes to Jerusalem for the

first time as a follower of Christ, the response

of the believers there, understandably, is to

be fearful and suspicious. Chapter 9, verse 26.

When he came to Jerusalem, Saul tried to join

the disciples, but they were all afraid of him,

not believing that he really was. A disciple.

And can we blame them? Saul had devoted his life

to trying to destroy them. He's partaken in the

killing of their friends and co -workers. Even

he's arrested many others who can blame them

for how they're feeling. But amidst this distrust

and fear, the son of encouragement steps in.

But Barnabas. Verse 27, but Barnabas took Saul

and brought him to the apostles. He told them

how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and

that the Lord had spoken to him and how in Damascus

he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus.

So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely

in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of

the Lord. You may have noticed across the New

Testament, that little word, but, carries so

many wonderful moments with it. Ephesians 2,

but God being rich in mercy. Philippians 3, but

whatever gain I had, I now count as loss. 1 Peter

2, but you are a chosen people. So many wonderful

buts, but this one might be my favourite. But

Barnabas. But Barnabas took Saul and brought

him to the apostles. Is there a more significant

turning point in all of church history than that

one? Not many. Our grace -filled, grace -giving

friend Barnabas becomes a bridge between a suspicious

church and a controversial convert. Now, it's

not that Barnabas is being gullible. He does

not say that everyone who claims a dramatic conversion

should immediately be given trust in a platform,

but he has listened to Saul's story. He retells

it accurately and he trusts in the power of God's

transformative grace so deeply that he is willing

to rest every single ounce of his own credibility

on this unimaginably high stakes decision to

advocate for Saul. This isn't a personality trait

of Barnabas. His behavior here is generated by

the gospel. The grace at work in him readies

him to advocate for the potential of that same

transforming grace in others. He does not deny

what Saul has done. He's not playing around with

danger, but he believes that what Christ is doing

in Saul is more decisive than what Saul has done.

Striking, isn't it? It is surprisingly easy to

speak of transformation in theory, yet still

keep people filed under the heading of what they

used to be. Of course, safeguarding and serious

wisdom are non -negotiable things. But Barnabas'

story asks us whether our theology of grace has

room. for the unlikeliest of people. Perhaps

this challenges our tendency to recognize grace

most readily in people who already belong to

our theological tribe or who practice ministry

in similar ways to us or who run a Bible study

as we would or pray in similar terms as we might

or who have come from a particular background

or through particular pathways to get here. We

need grace to resist confusing theological or

cultural familiarity with spiritual maturity.

Perhaps we need to learn to look for what God

is doing before we start looking for what we

would change. But as we move to a close, there

is one more step I want us to take with Barnabas

for today, at least. More next week, I assure

you. Barnabas is being sent somewhere where the

challenge is no longer simply to recognize grace

in one unexpected person like Saul, but actually

in an entire community where ethnic and cultural

identity lies way beyond his own familiar boundaries.

Turn the page, please, to Acts chapter 11. In

Acts 11 · chapter mention

verse 19, Luke tells us how those who had been

scattered by the persecution that broke out when

Stephen was killed, traveled as far as Phoenicia,

Cyprus and Antioch, spreading the words only

among the Jews. Then we get to the magnificent

verse 20. Up to this point, the gospel is spreading,

but it is still mostly moving within the familiar

channels of Jewish cultural identity. But everything

changes in verse 20. Actually, there's a good

case here to say that this is the single most

consequential event in all mission history. Maybe

that surprises you. At first glance, verse 20

just looks like a simple kind of Lucan transition

verse, a quick summary of what's going on before

we move on to the next action or character where,

you know, the fun really kicks in. But look more

closely. This apparently ordinary verse contains

the seeds of why we can even sit here today.

Verse 20. Some of them, however. Men from Cyprus

and Cyrene went to Antioch and began to speak

to Greeks also, telling them the good news about

the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them

and a great number of people believed and turned

to the Lord. This is not simply one God -fearing

Gentile household coming to faith, important

as the Cornelius story is in the previous chapters.

This is Gentiles en masse. coming to Christ and

a genuinely multi -ethnic community taking shape

in Antioch, far from Jerusalem. This is the moment

when the gospel decisively breaks free beyond

the ethnic boundaries within which the early

church had understood itself. This is the moment

when the promise of a people drawn from every

nation begins to take visible shape in the church.

This is a head -spinning, boundary breaking,

paradigm shifting, earth shattering bombshell

for any Christian in Jerusalem, for the apostles

and the Christians there. And moments like this

require people with the spiritual maturity to

recognize grace where it has appeared somewhere

very unexpected. Do we know anyone like that?

Well, the apostles did. Verse 22. News of this

reached the church in Jerusalem and they sent

Barnabas to investigate. He's a Levite, so he

has impeccable Jewish credentials, but he's also

from Cyprus. A diaspora Jew who knows something

of life beyond Jerusalem and Judea. He's connected

enough to Jerusalem to be trusted there, but

culturally mobile enough not to be paralyzed

by the thought of cultural difference up in Antioch.

But most of all, verse 24, we read it again.

He is a good man, full of faith and the Holy

Spirit. He is a man who knows grace. How to receive

it, how to rejoice in it, how to rely on it,

how to recognize it in others and how to radiate

it outwards as well. So verse 23, when he arrives

in Antioch and saw what the grace of God had

done, he was glad and encouraged them to remain

true to the Lord with all of their hearts. Not

when he arrived in Antioch and saw what the grace

of God had done. He pulled out his checklist

and complained, you guys, this is not really

how we do things back at the Jerusalem HQ. No,

he was glad and encouraged them. Barnas could

have assumed that unfamiliarity was unfaithfulness.

He could have worried about control and language

and leadership structures or the fact that this

church had emerged without a kind of Jerusalem

planning it. But instead, he discerns where the

grace of God is at play. He's not abandoning

his convictions. The opposite of cultural arrogance

is not a kind of theological naivety. His theological

discernment is mature enough to distinguish God's

grace at work beyond his own personal and preferred

cultural expressions of God's grace at work.

What I'm saying is this, Barnabas can recognize

the same Christ in a different form of Christianity.

And I've got to say, That's who I want to be.

It really is. I want grace to fill my heart so

richly and shape my instincts so deeply that

when I encounter something unfamiliar, my thought

isn't firstly, they're not doing it properly,

but rather, where is God at work here? I need

to walk with Barnabas. And learn from him how

to look for grace, to notice where Christ is

being honored, where the spirit is producing

faith, where people are growing in holiness.

And I need to learn to be genuinely glad when

I find it. And actually, that's not just who

I want to be. I think for all of us in this moment,

it's who we need to be. Because we are living

through our own. Acts 11. The last 50 years has

brought more radical change in the worldwide

church than at any point since the first 50 years

of the church. You don't have to sit in my classes

for long or follow me much on Twitter before

you start hearing me talk about how Christianity's

center of gravity has radically shifted from

a millennia of North Atlantic domination. It

has moved southwards to the majority world of

Africa, Asia and Latin America. Christianity

is now unfathomably dispersed. Diasporic, multilingual,

intercultural and polycentric. Many of the most

vibrant churches and ministries in the world

today, and even in the UK today, do not look

or sound or organise themselves like many of

us instinctively regard as good and proper. Cultures

are meeting and mixing and mingling in unprecedented

ways. And what is needed now is exactly what

was needed back then in Acts 11. Disciples like

Barnabas, whose hearts have been shaped so deeply

by powerful, costly grace, that they can recognize

the work of God when it appears somewhere unexpected

and be glad. Now, one of the things we're trying

to do here rightly at college is learn how to

detect and discern error. Absolutely correct

and essential that we do so. We rightly want

and need to be those who can distinguish categories,

notice exegetical weaknesses, identify theological

confusion, challenge bad argumentation and so

on. But there is a danger that our theological

vision becomes asymmetrical. We become highly

trained to recognize error, but correspondingly

poor to recognize grace. We can become attuned

to seek out what can be challenged rather than

what can be celebrated. What a gift it would

be for God's church locally and globally for

Oak Hillers to grow in this Barnabas -like wisdom,

to enter into a church or a culture or a conversation

and notice what God is already doing there. And

then have the grace to be glad and be able to

nurture and encourage it. What a gift that would

be. We need to finish. I very much enjoy walking

with Barnabas. I enjoy seeing what grace does

and has done to his spiritual eyesight. In Acts

4, he recognizes that his possessions are not

ultimately his own. In Acts 9, he recognizes

that Saul is not ultimately defined by his past.

In Acts 11, he recognizes the church is not ultimately

defined by Jerusalem's familiar cultural forms.

Grace loosens his grip on possessions, on fear,

on control, on prejudices. Next week, we'll walk

even further with Barnabas. Watching as he invests

in and magnifies God's grace in others and even

has others do that to him, sometimes painfully.

But for now, perhaps the prayer is simple. Lord,

make us people who by faith and the power of

your spirit have so deeply received your grace

that we can recognize. and rejoice in it wherever

you give it.