Acts 11 19-30 2006
Easter 6
Acts 11:19-30
May 21,2006
“Encourage One Another”
after E. White
And [Barnabas] When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. . (Acts 11:23)
Introduction: My mother, wise woman that she is, always told me, “If you don’t have anything good to say, don’t say any thing at all.” Have you heard that before? Maybe you have even said that to your own children, “If you don’t have anything good to say don’t say anything at all. The next question is, have you taken those words to heart for yourselves? I have to say that many times I have adopted another phrase, “If you don’t have anything good to say, say it anyway. That doesn’t seem very nice does it? It seems to go that way in my life; I think one way that is right and behave in ways that are exactly opposite. The scriptures remind us that we are to think and to act in the same way, according to the example that our Lord Jesus Christ gave us. With our epistle lesson we are reminded that we are to be encouragers of each other, to build each other up, rather than to tear each other down To say good things about each other rather than bad things, to encourage each other. Our epistle lesson from the book of Acts gives us a good example of a person of encouragement.
How many of you have ever heard of Barnabas? He's not too well known today, but he was very prominent in the early church. He appears twenty-four times in the Book of Acts alone and then is mentioned in three of Paul's letters. Many Christians barely know his name today. He was one of the most important persons in the formation of the early church.
We first meet him in Acts, chapter four, where we learn that Barnabas wasn't his real name at all. His real name is Joseph, but the apostles renamed him Barnabas, which means, "Son of encouragement" (Acts 4:36). That was because Barnabas was known for his gift of encouraging his fellow believers, just as we are called to give that gift today.
He looked for the best in people, not the worst, and this is an important part of giving encouragement. We see this clearly when Barnabas shows up again in Acts, in chapter nine, where he comes to the aid of a lonely and desperate man named Saul who would later be called Paul.
Saul, the persecutor of the church, has just been converted and was starting to preach the gospel. The Jews thought he was a traitor and were out to kill him. For his own protection, Saul needs to go into hiding, but the Christians don't want to risk taking him in. They remember how zealously Saul had hounded the church and they feared that his conversion is a trick to find more Christians and send them to their deaths.
Who comes to the help of Saul, Barnabas? He personally takes Saul to the apostles and vouches for his sincerity. He said, Saul fearlessly preaches in the name of Jesus Christ. Barnabas encouraged Saul in his Christian faith and calling and encourages the disciples to accept him. God used Barnabas to make Saul into Paul, one of the greatest names in the church after Jesus (Acts 9:23-29). All of this happened because Barnabas was willing to take a chance on someone. He was able to see the best in a man when others saw only the worst. True to the meaning of his name, Barnabas gave the gift of encouragement at a time when it was needed most.
The gift of encouragement is a real blessing, especially when it is so easy to find discouragement in this world. It's so easy to find people to tell us why something can't be done instead of why it can be done - people seem all too willing to throw cold water on the warm fires of our hopes and dreams.
Think about how it happens! We build up our confidence to tackle some challenge in life and then along comes someone to discourage us: They say, "Oh, I don't know why you ever bother; you're never going to do it! It won't work, so why get your hopes up?" When people discourage us like this, they can really make us feel deflated and defeated. We can feel our confidence just flow out of us, like air out of a leaky tire. You know, it might take us half an hour to pump a big tire full of air; it takes just a second to puncture it with a knife. Because of this, we need people like Barnabas in our lives! We need people who will build us up with words of encouragement, not tear us down with words of despair.
Sometimes, words of encouragement can change the whole direction of a person's life, as in the case of Andor Foldes. Andor Foldes is now in his mid-seventies, he has been known by many as one of the greatest concert pianists in the world.
He made his debut at the age of eight with the Budapest Philharmonic Orchestra. He was a child prodigy - a genius - and everyone expected a great career from him at the piano.
But by the time he was sixteen, he was miserable. He was having problems with his teacher and was ready to quit. But then one day, another world famous pianist came to Budapest and asked young Foldes to play for him. He was Emil von Sauer, the last surviving pupil of the great composer, Franz Liszt, who in turn was a pupil of the great Beethoven. Foldes played for Emil von Sauer and when he was done, the old man rose and walked over to the piano. He leaned over and kissed Foldes on the forehead and then he said, "My son, when I was your age, I became a pupil of Franz Liszt. He kissed me on the forehead after my first lesson and said, 'Take good care of this kiss - it comes from Beethoven, who gave it to me after hearing me play.' I have waited for years to pass on this heritage, but now I feel you deserve it." It was a kiss of praise, passed down from Beethoven to Liszt to Von Sauer and now it was given to Andor Foldes. It inspired the sixteen-year-old boy for the rest of his life.
We all need encouragement and of course, we can also be encouraged in just the everyday affairs of our lives. Encouragement is also important in the life of the church. In fact, this is a principal reason we get together each week in God's house: to encourage one another in Christian living. Paul writes in Hebrews 3:13, "Encourage one another every day." And again in Hebrews he writes, "Consider how to stir up one another to love and good works. Do not neglect to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encourage one another" (10:24-25).
Think of what negativity can do to a church. Imagine the attitude and spirit which would pervade the church if everyone walked around saying, "We'll never get new members; we'll never make our budget; why don’t more people come to church, what’s wrong with them, it seems like our best days are all behind us." Why, that kind of attitude, if it prevails, saps the life and strength of a church.
Instead, imagine what a difference encouragement can make in the church. We need people to say, "Yes, let's try this," and "Let's try that. “I’m glad your here today, it’s good to see you.” “I’ve been thinking about you, and praying for you.” “Hasn’t the Lord been good to us.” These are words of encouragement that build up the body of Christ. Encouragement like this is a rising tide which lifts up every boat, because if there is one place where the message should be heard, it should be here in the church: For our Lord Jesus said, “Do not be dismayed and do not be discouraged. Go ahead and trust in God, for in Him, all things are possible” (cf. Matthew 19:26).
Why was Barnabas so able to encourage the church? Why are we able to encourage each other? It is because of Jesus our great encourager. Jesus was constantly encouraging people, everywhere He went. See how often He said to people, "Fear not," or "Take heart," or "Be of good cheer." He praised the poor widow when all she had was a penny to give at the temple (Luke 21:3). He praised John the Baptist when he lay discouraged in a prison, saying that no one born of woman was greater than John (Luke 7:28). At every opportunity, Jesus provided an uplifting word. He knew how important encouragement is in nourishing the human spirit. We have His wonderful words of encouragement in our Gospel text for today, words spoken to us. He said, “As the Father loved me, I also love you, abide in my love. That’s encouraging isn’t it? How about, “These things I have spoken to you that my joy may remain in you, and that your joy may be full. That’s encouraging too. Jesus continues, I have called you friends…that is friends of the Lord, friends with God Himself. Finally Jesus say’s, “I have chosen you.” We all know what it is like to be chosen, to be picked out for a special relationship or purpose. Are there any more encouraging words than these? There are! Jesus said, “Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one’s life for His friends.
This is the source of Barnabas’ encouragement and our encouragement for each other. When Barnabas reached Antioch, we are told that he saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts.” He understood that those believers in Antioch had received the grace of God, that is, His unmerited favor. Through the Word of God and baptism God had called these people to faith, just as He had been called to faith. This fact alone makes these people special. He calls them to remain true to the Lord. This means to trust in His Word. To remain in the Lord means to believe that Jesus is the Savior that God sent into the world. To remain in Him means to trust that because of His death on the cross all of our sins have been forgiven. This is what our Lord means when He said, “Abide in my love.” Where is His love found in its greatest expression, as Jesus said, no greater love has a man that he lay his life down for his friends. This He has done for each one of us through His death on the cross and resurrection from the grave. We have the greatest encouragement for life now with each other and life eternal with the Lord. The Lord invites us to share His encouraging Word with each other.
As Christian we should not neglect the encouraging word, the gesture, the action that can be taken to lift up someone else. Real encouragement comes not just from what we say but from what we do, when we do we show someone else that we care for them and believe in them.
We all know how easy it is to speak the discouraging word. We all have our reasons for doing so, and as well intended as we sometimes may be with our criticisms, we often tear each other down rather than build each other up. We should ask ourselves, am I building up the people around me, especially my fellow brothers and sisters in Christ? Do my words and actions hurt rather than heal, even if I think I am right? We all have the opportunity to follow Lord's Way, in the manner of Barnabas - people who are filled with promise and conviction - God's people who are brimming with grace and eager to share with others that precious, priceless gift of encouragement.
I want to conclude with the words of another encourager, the Apostle John. He starts out, “Beloved.” I love that. Isn’t that a beautiful word. Husbands and wives, just imagine that your mate addressed you this way and meant it. Imagine the encouragement that you would feel. Our Lord does mean it when he speaks it to us. “7 Beloved, let us love one another, for love is from God, and whoever loves has been born of God and knows God. 8 Anyone who does not love does not know God, because God is love. 9 In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent his only Son into the world, so that we might live through him. 10 In this is love, not that we have loved God but that he loved us and sent his Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Beloved, if God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. These are words of encouragement! Amen.