Who Are You Discipling? – Henry Abrahams

Barnabas is the person responsible for the Jerusalem Church’s acceptance of Saul (Acts 9:27). Barnabas saw the call of God on Saul’s life and he saw the faith Saul had to live it out. Barnabas does not forget about this young man, Saul, as he is called to spearhead the church in the area of Antioch. Now for the story.

We pick the story up where persecuted believers end up in Antioch, most likely from the hands of Saul, hence the mention of Stephen’s martyrdom. The grace of God had manifested, and many believed. The church in Jerusalem heard about this and sent Barnabas to spearhead the movement in that area. He saw what God had done there and realized he needed some assistance in equipping and teaching the church. This is where we will read the scriptures to see what he did and what we can learn from his actions. Below is an excerpt from Acts 11:25-26 ESV. (NOTE the italicized font is my emphasis)

25 So Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught a great many people. And in Antioch the disciples were first called Christians.

Barnabas’s actions teach us a simple method of discipleship. Though the word “discipleship” is not mentioned, it is implied from the text. We see that Barnabas brought Saul in to help with the movement in Antioch. Here are the four steps that Barnabas went through to bring his disciple, Saul into service.

Go – Barnabas went. Where are you going? Work? School? Family Event? Church?

Look – Barnabas looked for Saul. Who is your Saul? Know who are you looking for. This requires intentionality.

Find – Barnabas found Saul. Now you know where and who you are looking for, get in touch with them.

Bring – Barnabas brought Saul. This requires both you and your disciple to be aware and in agreement about how you are approach whatever God is calling both of you into.

As our church is growing in evangelism efforts, ask yourself who are you discipling? If no one comes to mind, pray, and follow the steps that Barnabas laid out for us.