Son of Encouragement

Acts 11:22-26 

22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. 25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

One Minute Manager

One practical secret of the ‘1-Minute Manager’ is 1-Minute Praising.

Initially, one might think and say, “Just some 60-seconds of praise and that’s it!”

Observes and catch employees doing something right and praise them for it.

The ‘1-Minute Manager’ would look at you straight in the eye and tells you precisely what you did right; then he shares with you how good he feels about what you did.

That’s a very inspiring and encouraging kind of manager, right?

For managers, it would be a priceless way to inspire employees to perform their job better. If you did something right and your boss affirms that you did the right thing, that would challenge and encourage you to keep doing what’s right, right?

That practical means of encouraging employees has biblical background.

The church in Jerusalem heard that a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord in Antioch and Barnabas was dispatched to confirm what happened. Barnabas was glad to confirm the work of God’s grace in Antioch and encouraged them.

1.  God’s Grace

22 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 23 When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. 

The disciples were persecuted; instead of bitterness, they travelled and continued witnessing. God allowed persecution to disperse the disciples and more people were converted.

The church in Jerusalem heard that a great number of people were turning to the Lord. They wanted to confirm the news; the church sent Barnabas to verify if it’s true. Barnabas saw the great number of people coming to the Lord in Antioch.

The name Barnabas literally means Son of Encouragement or Son of Exhortation. Indeed, Barnabas encouraged the disciples in Antioch to remain faithful to the Lord. Barnabas was full of the Holy Spirit and he saw what the grace of God has done in Antioch.

24 He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.

The Holy Spirit in the life of Barnabas enabled him to recognize what God’s grace has done. While Barnabas admonished the disciples and the new converts, more people were brought to the Lord as a result of his exhortation and encouragement.

The phrase ‘a great number of people’ was mentioned several times in Chapter 11. The influx of new believers must have been noteworthy in the first century. The disciples in the 1st century experienced a dynamite-explosion of enthusiasm from the Holy Spirit that resulted to evangelism explosion.

God’s grace was at work in the life of the disciples and they remain faithful to their calling. In the midst of persecution, they continued to testify what God has done in their life.

Fishing Enthusiast

Fishing attracts interest because it challenges patience to expect the reward of a catch. An expert fisherman knows the right fishing gear, place, and time to fish a great catch. Anyone can exert much effort, have much patience, going to the right place but fishing at a wrong time, one cannot find any catch or net even a single bite. If it is your first time to go fishing and no bite at all, that is very discouraging.

A man was very excited to go fishing; he requested his friend to join him. His friend knows that it’s not the best time to fish but he granted the request. Very early in the morning, they went fishing but have caught nothing, no bite.

No other fishermen fishing except for one who called himself a novice fisherman. Accordingly, the novice fisherman caught much fish in the same place few days ago that was why he came to the same place but not catch that time.

On their way home, the excitement of fishing obviously turned to discouragement. His friend explained that their timing is not the best time to go fishing because it’s flooding time.

If there’s no catch or not even one bite, one can be easily bored and discouraged in fishing. One needs an expert fisherman to explain the right timing and right place to go fishing.

One can be very patient in sharing the gospel; one can go out regularly to evangelize but without positive result, it will be very discouraging to evangelize. Like an expert fisherman to a novice fisherman, the Holy Spirit is the expert fisher of men who would give the right time and the right place when and where the novice disciple would proceed to fish for men. The Holy Spirit empowers, encourages, and gives us enthusiasm to go witnessing at the right time, right place, and right person He has prepared to be evangelized and discipled. There’ll always be enthusiasm in sharing the gospel when God’s grace is at work in us.

God uses disciples gifted with encouragement like Barnabas to encourage faithfulness. While giving encouragement to the church in Antioch, Barnabas remembered Saul

2.  Applied Discipleship

25 Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, 26 and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.

Carefully look at this: It was in Antioch where ‘the disciples’ were initially called Christians. The author did not say “believers or followers;” ‘the disciples’ were called Christians.

When Jesus was on earth He had thousands of followers and believers but He had only a few hundreds of disciples. Not all His followers, not all believers but only His disciples were filled with the Holy Spirit.

It was not inclusive to all believers; only the disciples were called Christians at Antioch.

What is the difference between a believer and a disciple?

A believer can be a new convert or a mature convert but not necessarily a disciple. A disciple is a believer who puts into practice the teachings of Christ. Sharing the gospel and making disciple are most concrete indication a genuine disciples.

Anyone can claim to be a Christian but the biblical usage of Christians pertains to the disciples filled with the Holy Spirit who were actively involved in witnessing.

Barnabas was rightfully called Christian because a great number of people were brought to the Lord through him when he exhorted, admonished and encouraged the Christians in Antioch. Barnabas was a great example of a spirit-filled disciple making disciples. While encouraging the church in Antioch, Barnabas remembered Saul and brought him to Antioch from Tarsus. Barnabas was not the one who shared the gospel to Saul but Barnabas discipled Saul by exposing him in the church ministry of encouragement in Antioch.

Saul was not an instant expert in the ministry; he had Barnabas as his discipler.

Job Applicant

A young person forgoes, he gave up his university studies and went job hunting. He applied as a carpenter in a major construction firm in the big city.

He was interviewed: “Do you have any experience in carpentry?”

“Yeah! I’ve been making wooden furniture; carpentry is my hobby,” he answered.

“Do you have any picture of your project; do you have any certification or diploma?”

The young person was not able to get the carpentry job because he failed to show any certification or proof that he is really a genuine carpenter.

Anyone can seriously and sincerely claim he is a carpenter but employers look for evidences. Anyone can seriously and sincerely claim he is a Christian but the Bible teaches those spirit-filled disciples involved in witnessing were called Christians at Antioch

Not all people who sincerely claim to be Christian are genuine disciple of Christ. Believers who are making disciples have proven that they are genuine disciples.

Search and asses yourselves honestly: Are you a follower, a believer, or a disciple?

Let’s learn from Barnabas: let God’s grace be at work in our life and be filled with the Spirit.

When God’s grace is at work in our life and we are filled with the Holy Spirit, we cannot help but to go and make disciple—those are manifestations of biblical Christians.

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