This is a continuation of my ongoing series that highlights one person from each month’s ministry. For the rest of the series, click here.
Barnabas
What happens to a man when he spends two weeks on a mountain in Zambia in the presence of the Lord?
The Lord speaks truth to him, gives him a new name, and tells the man who he is and how he will be used by Him.
“You will become the Living Word.”
Our contact in Zambia was unable to spend a lot of time with our team, due to being in school. He arranged for someone else to accompany us to our ministry, a man named Barnabas. The first time that Radiant Vibes met Barnabas, we all knew–without speaking a word–that this man in front of us was a full man- full of the Holy Spirit, full of the wisdom and knowledge of the Lord, full of truth, full of Scripture, and full of love.
I have never met someone who knows the Bible as well as Barnabas does. Quoting Scripture, no matter the circumstance, is as natural to Barnabas as breathing. A lot of Christians who I have met tend to only know the general idea of a Scripture verse for any given situation–and no, they do not always know where that verse is found or the context around it. Barnabas knows every part of his Bible, inside and out.
That alone would be encouraging to any believers, but Barnabas was more than just his knowledge of and love for Scripture.
The perpetual excitement and zeal that Barnabas has for sharing the Gospel with anyone and everyone around him is inspiring. The wisdom that God has given him is a deep well, never running dry (as a team, one of our favorite things to do with Barnabas was just to start a conversation with him about the Lord, sit back, and have our minds and hearts filled with wisdom). The love that he has for his wife and children has set a firm foundation for his family to stand upon. His consistent encouragement after our ministry times–no matter how many or how few people we talked with–motivated us and turned any doubts in our hearts about our effectiveness into confidence and praises unto the Lord. His outlook was always positive and joyful. And let’s be honest–his huge passion for soccer gives him additional credibility.
Barnabas lives in Zambia, but I know for sure that the Lord is using him far beyond the borders of that nation.
“But if I say, ‘I will not mention him or speak any more in his name,’ his word is in my heart like a fire, a fire shut up in my bones. I am weary of holding it in; indeed, I cannot.” Jeremiah 20:9
