[0:00] In Acts chapter number 4, we have the story of Barnabas. We were going to go to Galatians chapter number 2, but we'll look at that at a later date. But as I got that email from Sam Wilson, I'm thinking that the sermon tonight should be shorter, but I also kind of thought about the type of person that Sam Wilson is and how vital it is to the ministry.
[0:19] This is the first service of a new year, 2024. You look back on 2023, you can probably think of some tremendous blessings that you have that happened, maybe some things that came into your life that were unexpected, and you might even look back on some regrets.
[0:34] Thankfully, that is behind you. It's water under a bridge, and we move on with the grace of God. But with those regrets, we could pause for a moment, and we could assess them, we could learn from them, and ask God that in the future, when we have opportunity, we want to do better.
[0:49] But there's one way in which we look back that we rarely, if never, ever regret, and it's helping somebody out. It is going out of our way when somebody is in need to go what we'd call the extra mile.
[1:02] Some of you are in jobs that are more prone to recession than others. Some of you put yourselves in more recession-proof jobs, like Matt Minster's work for the fire department, the funeral home, and the insurance company.
[1:14] No matter what happens, we're going to need him around, all right? And so he's kind of more recession-proof than others. And then, you know, inside of the church, though, if you're looking for a ministry that is recession-proof, I would encourage you to be involved in encouraging people.
[1:29] There is no shortage of opportunities to encourage people. So if you would make that your life's calling, you would see that there's plenty of opportunities in the Bible. We see it from the commands of Scripture, but firsthand, don't you know how important it is to your life, how grateful you are for those that have encouraged you?
[1:47] And we're giving examples in the Bible, but all the names that are mentioned in the book of Acts, Peter, James, John, Stephen, Philip, Paul, Nias, Barnabas, I won't name them all, about a hundred or so names I could give to you.
[1:58] There's one name that is connected with the ministry of encouragement, and you know his name as Barnabas. We're first introduced to him in Acts chapter number 4, verse 36 to 37, when there was a need for the apostles, when there was a need to have their immediate needs weren't being met, and there was Barnabas sold a piece of land, and he gave it, and he laid it there, and he brought it and he laid it at the apostles' feet.
[2:27] And so that's what we hear about Barnabas, which is a real contrast to the character in the Bible, Apostle Saul, Paul, because when we learn about him, we hear about the martyr, and them laying the coats at his feet.
[2:41] So when we get to Barnabas, they're laying, he's laying what he had at the feet of the apostles. But the second time that we learn about him, we see that God had saved a man that was persecuting the church, named Saul, and this man is coming through, and in Acts chapter 9, verses 20 through 25, there's this really exciting story about how some disciples let him down through the window of a city so they can get out of it, and then he makes his way into another room.
[3:13] And so in Acts chapter 9, verse number 26, it says, When Saul was come to Jerusalem, he has saved to join himself to the disciples, but they all were afraid of him, and believe not, he was a disciple.
[3:24] So this is where we find that Saul and Barnabas would have their first meeting. And he is there, this Saul, who will become the person that we know to be Paul, he is in there.
[3:37] And that's where the story could have been. But it says in verse number 27, So we see this extra effort that Barnabas takes from the time that Saul had walked out of the room to we don't know how Barnabas, if they saw each other on the street, or Barnabas would have went after him, but Barnabas goes, and it says here that he heard his story, and that he brings him back, he's an advocate for him.
[4:14] And so I see some three characteristics I'll give you just briefly here. Three characteristics of a person who is a good encourager. If you decide right now, before I give these to you, that you would like to be that type of person, I'll give you three of them that we see in this example.
[4:30] First of all, it's a genuine person. There's somebody who really does good for a sincere purpose. Later on, the Apostle Paul writes in Romans 12, 9, Let love be done without dissimulation, and pour that which is evil, cleave that which is good.
[4:47] If you want to be an encourager, you need to sincerely care for people. Love without hypocrisy. Love without a need for a return. Love because God has loved you, and now allows you to do that.
[5:01] You are never encouraged by someone who asks you how you're doing, but you know that they really don't want to know. If you're the kind of person that asks people how they're doing, but you don't really want to know, then you'll never be an encourager.
[5:13] So ask God to fill your heart and allow you to love other people, so that you have a genuine love for other people. There's something, when Barnabas shows up, we have this story, and then another time when he argues on behalf of John Mark, and other times there just seems something to be different about Barnabas in the story.
[5:33] He's always advocating for somebody. First of all, he's a genuine person. Secondly, he is assertive. Here we see Barnabas taking the initiative. We don't see the circumstances about Paul and Barnabas, but we see they take initiative.
[5:46] I wonder when Paul writes in Romans 12, 13, about distributing the necessities of the saints, and given the hospitality, if he thought about his friend Barnabas, and how Barnabas was a person that would connect the dots, that would go the extra mile, that he was assertive when it came to helping other people.
[6:06] And then lastly, we see here that they're selfless. They're concerned for other people. In Philippians 2, 20, when Paul is speaking about what it would take for somebody to come behind and do the ministry, he says, I have no man like-minded who would naturally care for your state.
[6:22] They care for other people. And so if you want to be an encourager, which would be a wonderful ministry to have, we need to make sure that you're genuine in the way that you care for people, that you're not just doing it for your own sake, because that isn't what really helps people.
[6:36] The way in which we can help that looks good doesn't really do the deep work that ought to be done. We ought to be assertive. Connect the dots. When everybody else in the room says, maybe somebody ought to follow after Saul and hear more of his story, it was one person that did.
[6:50] There was one person that went after Saul and connected the dots and made it happen. And we ought to be selfless. We ought to naturally care for people's state. And so this is a trait that's life-shaping.
[7:03] When you have it in your own life, it will shape, it will change the course of your life. Like you decide right now that you are going to be an encourager, that you're going to live as a generous person, it will change the trajectory of your life.
[7:17] In Acts 11, 21 and 22, it says, The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned unto the Lord. And the tidings of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem. And what did they decide they needed to do?
[7:29] They sent forth Barnabas, and he should go as far as Antioch. And the scriptures, when it says, we're of Paul and we're of Apollos, and they said we're of Jesus, and people are arguing about who they're of, there aren't people that are saying, I'm of Barnabas.
[7:43] But when it came time that there was a need, they said, hey, there's a great number of people turning to Christ, we ought to send Barnabas. We know what Barnabas could do. There's a bunch of young believers in this area, they could really use Barnabas.
[7:57] This whole world could use people like that. Your story could use people like that. Probably you could use somebody like that in your life. And then it brings Paul along his journey. And so in Acts 9, 28, there's Paul, the people were frightened of him, then Barnabas does his work of encouraging, and it says in verse 28, and he was with them, coming in and going out at Jerusalem.
[8:20] Because of Barnabas' work, he brings him in. A person who was kind of ignored, a person that wasn't being followed up with, Barnabas reaches out to him, and brings him in.
[8:31] And now here's Paul. And so in the book of Acts, we see it termed, following primarily the life of Peter, and then it's going to transition to the life of Paul. But we have in a few verses here, a character named Barnabas, that God uses to help turn those pages.
[8:47] That would be a wonderful person to be. I don't mean the night that our brother here is the Apostle Paul, and that he persecuted churches, or that Sam Wilson is Barnabas. But when I thought about the conversation going from a racetrack to an email to coming here the night, I thought that's the kind of assertive care that I want to provide for people that I meet when given the opportunity.
[9:09] So I would encourage you, be a genuine person, be assertive, and be selfless if you want to be an encourager. Before I pray and Stephen comes, we sing some more songs together.
[9:20] I was at a Bible study earlier this week, or last week, with a bunch of older gentlemen. And when it came around the prayer time, this one man, and it was in Kentucky, and he was in a pair of overalls that I think he's been wearing since the mid-70s.
[9:34] And he just sat back, and they said, do you have anything you want to praise the Lord for? And he just said, I'm just a turtle on the fence post. And nobody in the room had to ask him what he was talking about.
[9:46] All the old men knew exactly what he was talking about. I'm just a turtle on a fence post. And he just said, I would never be where I'm at in life if it wasn't for the goodness of other people.
[9:58] And I want to know tonight, do you know that you're just a turtle on a fence post? If it hadn't have been for other people in your life, encouraging you and helping you, you would not be here tonight.
[10:08] Get to experiencing all the wonderful things that we experience as God's people. And so let's be that kind of person. As much as you desire to have it in your life, other people desire to have that as well.
[10:19] Heavenly Father, I thank you for what we have heard already. And Lord, I pray that you would help us, Lord. Lord, we heard updates from missionaries tonight as they talked about the ministry they had.
[10:30] Lord, I heard my nephew share about how he shared the gospel. Lord, there's no better way to encourage somebody than to tell them that though they're on their way to a place called hell, that Jesus Christ has died for them and that they can be saved.
[10:42] There's nothing more encouraging. Lord, have we heard of their ministry? Now may all of us accept the ministry in which you have given us tonight. And may we all as a church accept our responsibility to be an encourager.
[10:55] Thank you the example for Barnabas in the Bible. And I thank you for the example of what we have with other people inside of our church. And may that be found in every one of us in this coming year to be involved in that ministry.
[11:09] In Jesus' name I pray. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.