“...They encouraged them to continue in the faith, reminding them that we must suffer many hardships to enter the Kingdom of God.”
Even though Paul and Barnabas knew that they faced dangers if they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch were they had been threatened and physically attacked; they did because they believed that they had a responsibility to encourage the believers in those cities. Like them we must support other believers who need help and encouragement regardless of how inconvenient or uncomfortable the task may be, how convenient or comfortable do you think it was for Jesus to go to the cross for us?
We all need to be encouraged, at one time or another, Barnabas originally named Joseph got the name Barnabas because he was such an encourager, Barnabas means “Son of Encouragement” and he was drawn to encourage those around him, however as he encouraged fellow Christians, non-Christians flocked to him and became believers.
So valuable were Barnabas’s actions that we could thank him for most of the New Testament. God used his relationship with Paul at one point to return to the cities were they had been threatened and beat, and then the same with John Mark when he encouraged him to go with him and Paul to Antioch.
First, it was Barnabas who met with Paul after his conversion when he arrived in Jerusalem and the Christians were so fearful of Paul, and then to convince them that Paul their former enemy was now a faithful believer in Jesus. Can you imagine what could have happened to Paul without Barnabas’s encouragement to him and to the other Christians?
Then he encouraged Mark to go with Paul and himself to Antioch, and when Paul did not want Mark to join them and went with Silas, Barnabas went a separate way with Mark and doubled up the missionary effort. Thanks to Barnabas’s patient and effective encouragement Mark went on to have such an effective ministry and later reunited with Paul in their missionary efforts.
Unlike Barnabas some of us criticize others because of their shortcomings instead of encouraging them, let’s instead build up that brother or sister, husband or wife, friend and definitely other Christians with encouragement, we must build their trust with encouragement. Take the time and accept the opportunity to encourage anyone that you come in contact with today just like Barnabas did.
Rayed Redemption Ministry
Euless, TX 76039
www.rayedredemption.org
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