By Kenneth B.E. Roxburgh, Ph.D.
Professor of Religion, Samford University
Encourage One Another
Acts 11:19–26
Some of the nicknames we were given at school could be cruel and callous, intended to hurt rather than affirm. In the early Church we know about a Christian from Cyprus whose name was Joseph, but the Christian community in Jerusalem gave him the nickname of “son of encouragement.”
Scottish author and minister William Barclay called him “the man with a big heart.” It was in that ministry of encouragement that he excelled. He was a man of wide vision and generous heart. He encouraged by example in Acts 4 by dedicating property to the needs of others and in Acts 9 by encouraging a young convert called Saul. Here in Acts 11 he is sent by the church in Jerusalem to explore the mission to the Gentiles, and we read that he “saw the evidence of the grace of God and was glad.”
Encouragement involves facilitating faith in Christ. (19–21)
He hadn’t been involved in the evangelism but he was excited by what had taken place. He observed the change in lifestyle among these pagan people, from immorality to holiness and rejoiced, gave thanks to God and called them to continue in their commitment to the Lord.
It is only when Christ is at the center of our lives and we live closely to him in fellowship and obedience that we will endure, continue to be faithful and discover that continuous growth is our experience because we read that “a great number of people were brought to the Lord.” When our evangelism has Christ as the subject and object, the source and goal, then God will bless us.
Encouragement includes growing in grace. (22–24)
We sometimes use the expression “by hook or by crook” to indicate the desire to attain certain ends by any means possible — it conjures up ideas of deceit. Yet originally it was used to describe the two edges of the ministry of the Church — “by hook” referring to the work of evangelism as those who are fishers of men and “by crook” which spoke of the care and nurture of the flock of Christ by those who were shepherds of the sheep. We forget that twin ministry of the Church at our peril. We are called to ministry “by hook and by crook.”
At the heart of this spiritual growth was Barnabas, who is described as a “good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.” He was a person of integrity whose life was controlled by the Holy Spirit and manifested the fruit of the Spirit and the gifts of the Spirit, especially the gift of encouragement. It is not insignificant that the Greek word for encouragement is “parakaleo” and the word for the Holy Spirit which John uses is “Paraclete.” If we are controlled by the Spirit we will manifest His ministry of building up, not tearing down; of comforting, not harassing; of helping, not hindering one another in our spiritual growth.
Encouragement deepens our commitment to service. (25–26)
The growth within the Church continued, according to these verses, because for 12 months Paul and Barnabas engaged in a teaching ministry. Churches live, grow and flourish by the Word of God; they wilt and wither without it. Richard Hayes suggests, “We learn what the text means only if we submit ourselves to its power in such a way that we are changed by it.”
Our study of Scripture — searching for its meaning — must be accompanied by a life of obedience which will lead us to serve others.
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