There are many scriptures that encourage God’s followers to be different than the world around them.
Unfortunately, sometimes that instruction has been applied in a way that is not flattering to God, nor his cause. On the other hand, we have a man named Barnabas. He was different, but in a good way.
Acts 11:24 says that, “[Barnabas] was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith.”
I like he is called a good man. Sadly, the word “good” has become sort of a bland compliment in our day. However, in the Bible it is a great word that carries the idea of being consistent.
A good person has nothing out of place in his or her character. They are like a piece of wood that is solid all the way through, with no rot in the middle. Barnabas is mentioned 28 times in the Bible, and in almost every case he is doing something positive and good.
The verse then says that he was “Full of the Holy Spirit.” What does that mean? Well, I am not completely sure, but at the very minimum it must mean that there was something Godly about him.
He was not just a nice person. Rather, he had a different spirit that caused him to live differently and it was immediately recognizable. While there may be some debate about what that looks like, it is safe to say that when God’s spirit lives in us, someone ought to notice.
Lastly, he was full of faith. Faith is another one of those words that has lost its original meaning. In our time, we have boiled faith down to mean simply what one believes. However, Biblical faith always led to action.
When we first meet Barnabas, he is selling a field and giving the money away (Acts 4:36-27). Later, when the biggest enemy of the church converts to Christianity, Barnabas is the first to welcome and befriend him (Acts 9:27). He volunteers to go on long trips to teach the message of Christ (Acts 13).
His faith was not theoretical. It made him do something.
After describing Barnabas, Acts 11:24 concludes by saying that, “A great number of people were brought to faith in the Lord.”
This should not surprise us.
God can do great things through his people when they are different in a good way.
