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10:30 am
Sunday School
9:30 am

Ministry of Encouragement

(Acts 4:32-37, 15:36-41; 2Cor 1:3-11)

- Pastor James, inspired by the teaching of Rev. Dave Ramsey of Kairos Prison Ministry

Barnabas, Son of Encouragement

Once in a while, we come across an ordinary, undistinguished, and unrenowned person whose life leaves an indelible impact on our lives. In spite of little worldly status and fame, his or her influence on us turns out to be immeasurable.

Barnabas is such a person. He is a 1st century missionary, relatively unknown to most Christians. Yet he is one of those ordinary people whose life can have an indelible impact on us.

We know about Barnabas mostly through the Book of Acts and a few other books in the New Testament. The first time we see him in action (Acts 4:36-7), he sells his property so that the money could be shared with anyone in need. This little incident reveals a glimpse of his generous character.

Perhaps, the deepest insight into his character comes from the name given to him by the Apostles. His original name was Joseph, a Jewish name. But the Apostles gave him a new name, Barnabas, with means "Son of Encouragement."

In the Bible, the change of name is far more significant than we might think because the name of a person symbolizes character or virtue. In some African cultures, when a baby is born, they hold an elaborate and jubilant naming ceremony to give names for the baby. The names given in the ceremony symbolize the kind of person the parents hope the baby to be. Undoubtedly, the Apostles observed the character of Joseph and gave him the name Barnabas, Son of Encouragement, because it aptly portrayed his character.

Interestingly, the word "encouragement" is closely linked to the Holy Spirit, who is known as the Comforter (Counselor, Helper, or Advocate in various translations). The words "encouragement" (paraclesis) and "Comforter" (paracletos) are essentially the same in the Greek, the original language of the New Testament. The Holy Spirit is the Encourager. Have you ever thought that one of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to encourage you? Have you ever prayed for the Holy Spirit to encourage you in times of trials and tribulations?

Barnabas is named Son of Encouragement because the Apostles saw the ministry of encouragement in him.

In Acts 9, we meet Barnabas for the 2nd time in his dealing with Paul. Before his conversion experience, Paul had been a zealous persecutor of the church. He went from house to house, dragging off Christians and putting them in prison.

After his dramatic conversion to Christ, Paul comes to Jerusalem to meet church leaders. Understandably, they are afraid to meet Paul. How can they trust the one who had been zealously putting Christians in prison? Enemies do not become friends overnight. They suspect that Paul is a spy.

This is where Barnabas steps in. He takes Paul in person and brings him before the Apostles. He then explains how Paul met Christ on the road to Damascus, how Christ spoke to him, and how Paul preached boldly in the name of Jesus. Because of the timely support of Barnabas, Paul is accepted by the church in Jerusalem.

Again in Acts 11, we see Barnabas in action, this time in his dealing with the Gentiles. We need to remember that, in the 1st century, the Gentiles were regarded as outsiders, unfit for God's kingdom. When the Jewish Christians in Jerusalem hear the report of the Gentiles coming to Christ, they become suspicious of this unapproved activity. So they send Barnabas to investigate. Barnabas goes up to Antioch, and he witnesses the grace of God working among the Gentiles. And what does he do? He rejoices and encourages the Gentiles to remain faithful to the Lord.

Eventually, Barnabas becomes Paul's companion in the 1st missionary journey, traveling together, preaching the good news of Jesus Christ, and planting new churches in Asia Minor.

Following the success of their 1st missionary journey, Paul and Barnabas make a new plan for their 2nd journey. However, this is where the plot thickens. Barnabas wants to take John, also called Mark, but Paul doesn't want to take him. What's the reason for Paul's refusal? It's because John Mark deserted them during the 1st missionary journey.

According to the church tradition, John Mark is the writer of the Gospel of Mark. He went on the 1st missionary journey with Paul and Barnabas. He was probably a young lad or a youth at the time. For reasons we do not know, Mark dropped out of the missionary journey. Perhaps, the pressures of ministry were too much for him. Perhaps, the reality of mission work was different from what he had expected. Whatever the reason was, Mark quit in the middle.

Because of this disappointing experience, Paul is not going to take a chance on this young lad again. But Barnabas wants to include him. Our text (Acts 15:39) says that Paul and Barnabas has such a sharp disagreement that they part company. Barnabas takes Mark and sails for Cyprus while Paul takes Silas and goes off to Syria. They go on their separate ways. The result of their disagreement is a division of leadership. The whole thing is marred by the frailty of humans.

I'm glad that the Bible includes this story of disagreement among church leaders. The Bible doesn't sanitize the reality. This is a real church with real people. Some people say, "I like the church, but I don't like the institution." Well, there has never been a church apart from the institution, apart from real people, warts and all.

If you're looking for a perfect church, then this passage will shatter you. If you've joined Peddie Church because of all the friendly people or because of the pastors and leaders, then you're in for disappointment.

I hope you've joined Peddie Church because of Jesus Christ, because you've witnessed His work in Peddie Church in spite of us, and because you've been called by Jesus Christ to serve Him.

In a real church with real people, there will be disagreements. In fact, it's healthy to have some disagreements as long as we do it in a respectful way. What does harm to the church is when a disagreement is turned into an attack on a person, a divisive political campaign, or a destructive accusation. Then it becomes harmful to the body of Christ. Paul and Barnabas don't do that. They don't get involved in a prolonged power struggle over whether to take Mark or not. They don't accuse each other. They simply agree to disagree and go on their separate ways.

In spite of their disagreement, God's mission continues. In spite of human frailties, God's kingdom expands. In spite of us, God's work is brought to completion.

Going back to the story of Barnabas, we don't know what motivated Barnabas to include Mark. It's possible to interpret this as favoritism because Mark is a cousin of Barnabas (Col. 4:10). Perhaps, it's because of the family connection. We don't know for sure.

However, given the character of Barnabas demonstrated so far, I think it might have something to do with his encouraging spirit. When Paul was suspected of being a spy, it was Barnabas who stood up for Paul and included him in the church. It was Barnabas who affirmed the authenticity of Gentile's conversion in Antioch. I believe Barnabas is saying, "Let's give this young lad another chance. He might have disappointed us in the past. He might have been unreliable. But I see a potential. He will be an asset to God's kingdom. Let's give him another opportunity." So Barnabas takes him.

When Paul refuses to take Mark with him, we might think it would be the end of the relationship between Paul and Mark. But in the Apostle Paul's second letter to Timothy (2 Timothy 4:11), we find something truly remarkable. Here, probably toward the end of his life, Paul is writing to Timothy, another young man:

Do your best to come to me quickly, for Demas, because he loved this world, has deserted me and has gone to Thessalonica. Crescens has gone to Galatia, and Titus to Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Apparently, losing coworkers in ministry is not uncommon. Several people have deserted Paul, and only Luke is with him at this time. Now, listen to what Paul says next:

Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry. What a remarkable transformation in relationship! Paul, who was so disappointed with Mark, now says that Mark is helpful to him in ministry. And he wants Mark to be with him as a coworker. That's God's grace.

This young lad, who once dropped out of a missionary journey, has now become a trustworthy servant, helpful to the one who once rejected him. And I wonder if it has something to do with the encouragement of Barnabas, who believed in this young man and gave him another chance.

Young people need a few adults like Barnabas - father, mother, uncles, aunts, and mentors - who would believe in them no matter what, be with them through the mountains and valleys of life, and stand by them in times of trouble. Their ministry of encouragement will have an enduring effect on the lives of young people.

Encouragement in Our Weakness

Reflecting on the life of Barnabas, I would like to make two comments on the ministry of encouragement. As we mentioned already, the word "encouragement" is the same word that describes the Holy Spirit, the Comforter. One of the ministries of the Holy Spirit is to encourage us.

In the 2 Corinthians text, God is called "the God of all comfort," which literally means, "the God of all encouragement." Notice the repetition of the word "encourage" in the following literal translation of 2 Corinthians 1:3b-5:

encouragement

encourages

encourage

sufferings of Christ

our encouragement

Note especially the intimate connection between the sufferings of Christ and our encouragement. How can the sufferings of Christ be our encouragement? How can the horror of crucifixion encourage us? It's because, through His death on the cross, Christ put Himself in solidarity with all those who suffer. He Himself went through all our troubles. He Himself bore our pain and sorrow. That's why He can encourage us in all our troubles.

Likewise, we can encourage others because we ourselves suffered in our brokenness. Only those who know their brokenness can encourage others. If we think we are well, then we would focus on other people's problems, find a speck of dust in the eyes of others, and criticize them. But if we know our brokenness, we would understand the brokenness in others, and we would relate to them as another broken person.

Many of you have experienced losses in your life, many of you have gone through times of pain, many of you have struggled with sin, and many of you have walked through the valley of shadow. When you're right in the middle of it, you wished God would take the trouble away from you. But after having gone through such times, you would probably say that they turned out to be a blessing in disguise. You are blessed because you can now be an instrument of encouragement for those who are going through painful times.

Our society is easily impressed by people who appear strong - superstars, celebrities, the rich and the famous. We churches often follow the values of our society. We are easily impressed by superstar preachers, mega-churches, big buildings, and big programs.

But I have witnessed over and over that the most powerful ministries happen in the midst of our weakness, the deepest transformations happen at the rock bottom of life, and the most encouraging voices arise from the downtrodden. Why? Because God's glory increases as we decrease. The Apostle Paul says that God's power is made perfect in our weakness (2 Cor. 12:9). God uses our weakness to reveal His glory so that the power of Christ may be known. That's a paradox of the Christian faith.

Some of you who have been to Wednesday Prayer Meeting know what I'm talking about. I've received so much encouragement from the brothers and sisters who are homeless. They may appear to have nothing to give to others. But out of their brokenness arises the abundance of praise, thanksgiving, and prayer. Out of their weakness arises the outpouring of God's mercy.

Focus on Similarities, Not on Differences.

Finally, we can be an encouragement to others by focusing on similarities, rather than on differences.

Paul and Mark were reconciled in the end because they focused on what they shared in common - the vision of God's kingdom, their love for the lost, and their longing to reach out to the Gentiles.

It's hard to be an encouragement to others when we focus on differences. If we continue to focus on differences, it will divide any community, no matter how healthy it is. The same goes for our family. It's all too easy to divide our family by focusing on differences.

Instead, we need to focus on what we share in common - the common bond we have as human beings created in the image of God, the common longings that God has planted in our hearts, the common desire to be respected and loved, the common need for dignity, and the common vision of God's kingdom.

As we think of modern day prophets, one pattern emerges: we remember them, not because of their criticism, but because of the common vision that touched the heart of humanity. We remember them, not because of what they stood against, but because of what they stood for. We remember them because we find encouragement in what they stood for.

One of those modern-day prophets is Archbishop Desmond Tutu of South Africa. We know he's against racism. But we honor him as our hero because of his grace even after long years of oppression, his commitment to forgiveness and reconciliation, and his inclusive vision of community.

Another modern-day prophet is Martin Luther King Jr. We know what he stood against. But we remember him as our hero because of what he stood for, because of his dream that touched the heart of humanity - the dream of freedom, the dream of brotherly love, and the dream of reconciliation.

At the end of our life, we want to be remembered for what we stood for, not for what we stood against. In this respect, there are three kinds of people. There are those who are against something most of the time. At the end of their life, they are remembered for their criticisms. Then, there are those who are neither hot nor cold, who live their lives indifferently, minding only their own business. They are not remembered much. And then, there are those who live for others, to build up others, to encourage the downtrodden, and to support the cause of God's kingdom. At the end of their life, they are remembered for what they stood for.

What about you? At the end of your life, what will you be remembered for?

There are many Barnabas' in our church, many sons and daughters of encouragement. God has given you a precious ministry - the ministry of encouragement, the ministry of the Holy Spirit. Let us minister out of weakness so that the power of Christ may be known. Let us focus on the common vision - the vision of God's kingdom - so that the kingdom of God may flourish in our family, in our church, and in our neighborhood. Amen.