How to have hope over fear – Encourage one another, Part 3

Saul has just made a decision to turn his life around 180 degrees. He met Jesus, and everything would now change. He used to persecute Christians, and now he was preaching about Jesus. But that all happened far away from the church’s home base in Jerusalem. No surprise, then, what we read in Acts 9, verse 26, “When [Saul] came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.”

Except for one person.  Barnabas.  Look at the next verse:

“But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.”

Barnabas the encourager steps in and supports Saul!  It was wise of the disciples to be cautious.  They weren’t wrong.  Saul could easily have been trying to worm his way into their trust, only to take them down.  But Barnabas the encourager saw past the fear and supported the work of God that was clearly evident in Paul’s life. 

Encouragers are like that.  Encouragers see how God can work in people’s live, and they push discouraged people to see how God can work.  Encouragers have a vision beyond the current circumstances.  We can get so caught up in the muck and mire, thinking that our current difficult circumstances are all that life will ever be.  It is normal to get stuck in those kinds of ruts.  When we are in those ruts, we tend to use absolute words like “always” or “never” or “no way.” 

“Why does stuff like this always happen to me?”  “I will never pay off that debt.”  “I will always be alone.”  “All I ever do is give in to temptation, to that sin, that bad habit.” 

“I will always, never, ever.”  Absolute words can hold us in fear.

Barnabas-types, encouragers, are so important because they remind us that there are other ways to view life.  In the early church, the people were afraid of Saul because in their limited view of God, there was no way that a terrible person could change so fast into a genuinely good person.   Encouragers are vital because they remind us, “Yes, there is a way.”  Encouragers see hope, and they share the hope they see.

Barnabas’ story continues in Acts 11. Some time has passed since chapter 9, and now the church sends Barnabas to reach out to the Christians in Antioch, meaning that the church had spread beyond the borders of Israel.  Barnabas goes to Antioch, and as we read in Acts 11, verse 23, he encourages them, no surprise there, to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 

Notice the description of Barnabas in verse 24, “He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.”  We read that kind of description about many of the disciples, as it is a wonderful description of discipleship.  Barnabas was a true disciple.  What I want us to consider, however, given the topic of our posts this week, is what we read in verse 23.  He encouraged them to remain true to the Lord.  Barnabas’ encouragement led to their growth, both in quality and quantity. 

We encourage people by urging them to remain true to the Lord.  We encourage people when we point them to the Lord, to follow the Lord with all their hearts.  Encouragement is not just a “You can do it.”  It is that, but it is “You can do it, by following the Lord with all your heart.”  Encouragers point people to Jesus.  Encouragers help people remember the truth about God’s love for them, and how God has interacted lovingly with them in their lives.  Encouragers encourage people to build their lives on Jesus, to depend on him, to obey him. 

Photo by Pablo Heimplatz on Unsplash