Reconciling Barnabas

[TLFisher]

Originally Posted by Ohio

Concerning Lee's teaching that Barnabas lost his usefulness in "The Work" after his dispute with Paul in Acts 15 over taking Mark, this verse in I Corinthians 9.6 completely debunked that teaching ...In that notorious elders training of Feb 1986, Lee taught that after Barnabas disagreed with Paul, that he was finished in the work, and that he was never mentioned again in the Bible.

Here Paul purposely debunks that notion, writing about Barnabas perhaps 10 years afterwards to Corinth. He also confirms a positive regard towards Barnabas. He links himself with Barnabas as being under much criticism, probably from the Judaizers. He states that Barnabas was still serving the Lord, living by faith just as he was.

Of those 400 plus brothers at the elders' training who signed that declaration of loyalty to Lee, was there not a single brother brave enough to stand up and speak this verse in rebuttal?

Ironically I had listened to a portion of that elders conference last weekend.

In regard to Barnabas and Paul, they were distributed with different gifts. If you are speaking from the concept of a ministry going out, perhaps Barnabas was not that brother. In today's context a brother like Barnabas may not be beneficial to a work. Where a brother like Barnabas benefits the Body is laboring on one who most would consider to be unprofitable to spend time on. I consider Barnabas as a type of the shepherd in Matthew 18 who leaves the 99 to go after the one.
Barnabas' time with John Mark must have perfected him. As later on Paul considered Mark to be useful. Who is to say the Gospel of Mark doesn't happen without Barnabas ministering Christ to Mark?
As I paraphrase another brother "who is right? who is wrong? Barnabas and Paul labored together. History tries to judge Paul must be right. Barnabas must be wrong. God does not judge this way. When we come to the judgment seat, we may hold a different view of Barnabas."