Sometimes God Sends a Barnabas

I recently heard someone make this statement:

“Only God should correct you. The Holy Spirit lives inside of you, so if God wants something changed, the Holy Spirit will tell you.”

There is something true in that statement.

God does correct His children. The Holy Spirit does convict us, lead us, teach us, and reveal areas of our lives that need to change.

But there is a problem when we take that truth one step further and conclude:

“Therefore, God will never use another person to correct me.”

That simply isn't what we see in Scripture.

In fact, throughout the Bible we see God repeatedly using people to correct, encourage, warn, teach, confirm, and restore other people.

All godly correction ultimately comes from God.

But God doesn't always correct us one-on-one.

Sometimes God sends an Ananias.

And sometimes God sends a Barnabas.

Saul Met Jesus—But God Still Sent Ananias

Acts 9 gives us one of the most dramatic conversions in Scripture.

Saul was traveling toward Damascus when Jesus confronted him.

This wasn't Saul hearing about Jesus from another preacher.

Jesus personally appeared to him.

Saul heard His voice.

His entire life was interrupted.

He was blinded and led into Damascus.

If there were ever a situation where we might expect God to say, “I have this handled personally,” this would probably be it.

But that's not what happened.

God spoke to a disciple named Ananias and told him to go to Saul.

Ananias understandably hesitated. He knew Saul's reputation. He knew this was the man who had been persecuting believers.

But God told him:

“Go thy way: for he is a chosen vessel unto me…” — Acts 9:15 KJV

So Ananias went.

He entered the house, laid his hands upon Saul, called him “Brother Saul,” and participated in what God was doing in Saul's life.

Think about that.

Jesus had already personally encountered Saul.

Yet Jesus still sent a person.

Why?

Because God's direct involvement in our lives does not eliminate God's desire to work through His people.

The Holy Spirit doesn't make the Body of Christ unnecessary.

The Holy Spirit works through the Body of Christ.

Then God Used Barnabas

The story becomes even more interesting later in Acts 9.

Saul eventually traveled to Jerusalem and attempted to join the disciples.

But there was a problem.

They were afraid of him.

Acts tells us:

“And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple.” — Acts 9:26 KJV

These weren't unbelievers.

These were disciples.

Yet they didn't understand what God had done in Saul.

That raises an important question.

If having the Holy Spirit means God will always personally tell every believer everything they need to know, why didn't every disciple simply know that Saul had truly been converted?

Why were they afraid?

Why didn't they automatically understand what God had done?

Because having the Holy Spirit does not make us omniscient.

And that's when Barnabas enters the story.

The next verse says:

“But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way…” — Acts 9:27 KJV

Barnabas told them what God had done.

God had changed Saul.

But the other disciples didn't know it yet.

Someone had to tell them.

Sometimes God speaks directly to your heart.

Sometimes God reveals something through His Word.

Sometimes God brings conviction while you're praying.

And sometimes...

God sends a Barnabas.

Scripture Actually Tells Us to Restore One Another

This isn't an isolated story.

Paul would later write:

“Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.” — Galatians 6:1 KJV

Notice what Paul doesn't say.

He doesn't say:

“Don't say anything. The Holy Spirit lives inside them. If God wants them to change, He'll tell them.”

Instead, Paul tells spiritually mature believers to restore someone who has been overtaken in a fault.

But notice how they are supposed to do it:

In a spirit of meekness.

That's important.

Biblical correction isn't about proving that I'm right and you're wrong.

It's not about embarrassing someone.

It's not about holding knowledge over someone.

It's not an excuse for gossip disguised as “discernment.”

And it certainly isn't permission to assume we know someone's motives.

Biblical correction is about restoration.

The goal isn't winning an argument.

The goal is helping someone move closer to Christ.

“The Holy Spirit Hasn't Told Me That”

This is where I think we need to be especially careful.

Sometimes when someone brings something difficult to us, our immediate response can become:

“Well, God hasn't told me that.”

But what if the person standing in front of you is one of the ways God is trying to get your attention?

Maybe God has already been speaking and you haven't recognized His voice in that area.

Maybe you've become comfortable with something He wants to remove.

Maybe there's a blind spot you simply cannot see.

Or maybe God is teaching you something you haven't learned yet.

That doesn't mean everyone who corrects you is right.

We should test what people tell us.

We should compare it with Scripture.

We should pray.

We should examine the fruit.

We should seek God.

Someone saying, “God told me” does not automatically make their statement true.

But neither does saying, “God hasn't told me” automatically make their statement false.

There is another response available to us:

“Thank you. I'm going to take that before God.”

That response requires humility.

And humility creates room for God to work.

God Created a Body for a Reason

Christianity was never designed to be:

Me, my Bible, and God—and nobody else can tell me anything.

Paul describes believers as the Body of Christ in 1 Corinthians 12.

Different members have different functions.

We need one another.

We encourage one another.

We pray for one another.

We teach one another.

We bear one another's burdens.

We sharpen one another.

And yes, sometimes we correct one another.

If the Holy Spirit living inside each believer meant we never needed another believer to speak into our lives, much of the New Testament's teaching about Christian community wouldn't make sense.

God could have completed everything with Saul privately.

Instead, He sent Ananias.

God could have independently revealed Saul's conversion to every disciple in Jerusalem.

Instead, Barnabas stood before them and explained what God had done.

That's not a weakness in God's method.

That's part of God's design.

God builds relationships.

God builds trust.

God builds community.

God teaches us humility.

And sometimes He teaches us to recognize His voice coming through another member of His Body.

Correction Still Has to Look Like Jesus

There is an important warning on the other side of this.

We cannot use this teaching to justify controlling people.

We don't get to walk around telling everyone:

“God sent me to correct you, so you have to listen to me.”

Biblical correction must remain biblical.

Galatians 6:1 says restoration should happen with meekness.

Jesus teaches a relational process for addressing sin in Matthew 18:15–17.

Correction should lead toward reconciliation and restoration—not humiliation and superiority.

If I enjoy correcting people more than I enjoy loving them, something is wrong.

If I am looking for faults instead of looking for opportunities to restore people, something is wrong.

And if correction makes me feel superior to the person I'm correcting, I need to examine my own

heart before God.

The person bringing correction isn't the Holy Spirit.

They are simply a person whom the Holy Spirit may be using.

That means the person receiving correction needs humility.

But the person giving correction needs just as much humility.

Sometimes God Sends a Barnabas

So yes, I believe the Holy Spirit corrects us.

Absolutely.

But I don't believe Scripture teaches that He will always do it privately.

Sometimes God speaks directly.

Sometimes He uses Scripture.

Sometimes He uses circumstances.

Sometimes He sends an Ananias.

Sometimes He sends a Barnabas.

Sometimes another believer loves you enough to say:

“Pay attention to this. I think God wants to do something here.”

Don't immediately accept everything another person tells you.

Test it.

Pray about it.

Search Scripture.

Seek God.

But don't immediately reject it simply because God didn't tell you first.

Because maybe He is telling you.

Maybe He just chose to use one of His people to do it.

All godly correction comes from God.

But God doesn't always correct one-on-one.

Sometimes...

God sends a Barnabas.

Pastor Scott