Today's episode of A New Beginning is brought to you by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God.
Learn more at harvest.org. And while you're there, browse our library of free eBooks designed to help you grow in your faith. An encourager sees the potential in others and cheers them on. Someone can brighten our day with just a smile or a kind word. Others seem to steal the sunshine and rain on our parade. Isn't it interesting that other people have that kind of influence on us? Today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out we should take that to heart and learn to have a positive influence on others.
It's not that hard to do and the rewards are wonderful. You've joined us for a study in the book of Acts that Pastor Greg has called the upside down life. Turning your Bibles to Acts chapter 11. Acts chapter 11 in the title of the message is how to be an encourager.
Encouragement really matters and that's something that we all need in life. In fact, I read an interesting thing about two doctors who wrote an article called the most dangerous word in the world. They wrote, quote, if you were to put yourself in an MRI scanner and take a video of your brain and flash the word no for less than one second there would be a sudden release of dozens of stress releasing hormones and neurotransmitters. The doctors continue to say these chemicals immediately interrupt the normal function of your brain impairing logic, reason, and communication.
Just flashing the word no. But then they went on to say but positive words like peace and love alter the expression of genes and strengthening areas in our frontal lobes promoting the brain's cognitive functioning. So it reminds us that words really matter. What you say to people really matters.
What you hear from people really matters. Abraham Lincoln, the president of the United States, needed encouragement. He was really attacked in the media of his day and after he was tragically assassinated in the Ford Theater they found his personal belongings and among his items that he carried with him a little pocket watch and some other things they found a little folded up newspaper article from some paper some time ago and it simply had these words written on it that President Abraham Lincoln is one of the greatest statesmen of our time. And when Lincoln would get discouraged he'd take out the little piece of paper and read it again for a little word of encouragement. Proverbs 25 11 says the right word at the right time is like precious gold set in silver. So I want to encourage you and we need to encourage one another as Christians. First Thessalonians 5 11 says encourage each other and build each other up. It does not say discourage each other and tear each other down. That's what some people do.
No. Encourage each other. Then in Hebrews 10 24 we're told let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds not giving up meeting together as a habit of some is but rather encouraging one another and so much more as we see the day of the Lord approaching. We can all use some encouragement. So let me say this to you. I don't know what you're going through right now in your life but I want to say whatever you're going through you're going to get through it. You say well Greg how do you know? You're not in my shoes.
No I'm not. But I know what the Bible says. I think of the story of when Jesus said to his disciples let's go to the other side. Speaking of the Sea of Galilee. So they boarded their little boat and predictably a storm came and it was a big storm.
So bad that even the seasoned sailors despaired of life. But what did Jesus say? He said let's go to the other side. He did not say let's go to the middle of the Sea of Galilee and drown together shall we. He said that I'd rather not board that boat if you don't mind. He said let's get over to the other side. He did not promise them calm seas but he promised a safe arrival. He said that to every one of us. You say well what do you mean? I mean ultimately we're all going to get to the other side.
And of course the other side is heaven. And you're going to get through whatever you're going through right now. Let me share some verses that may address what you're facing in the moment. You might say I'm a failure. I'll never change.
I'll always be the way that I am. The Bible says you can do all things to Christ who strengthens you. Believe what the Bible says not what your emotions say. That's Philippians 4 13. You might say well I'm afraid of the future. But God says in Deuteronomy 31 6 be strong and courageous. Don't be afraid or live in dread of them. For the Lord your God goes with you.
He will not leave you or forsake you. You might say well I can't go on another day. I can't handle what I'm going through. This hardship. This illness. Whatever it is you're facing.
And I'm reminded of the words of the Lord to the apostle Paul as he talked about his affliction that he described as a thorn in the flesh. The Lord said my grace is all you need. He'll get you through what you're going through. You say but I have no future. I've given up on living. I have no hope. Psalm 38 15 says you O Lord are my hope. You will hear my prayer. Psalm 135 says I'm counting on you Lord.
I'm counting on you. I put my hope in your word. Don't put your hope in your circumstances. Don't put your hope in your money. Don't put your hope in people. Put your hope in Christ and trust the Word of God. They can't talk about hope without quoting Jeremiah 29 11 where the Lord says I know the thoughts that I think toward you says the Lord. Thoughts of peace not of evil to give you a future and a hope. Okay so I want to talk about a guy in the book of Acts that was known for encouraging others.
Actually his given name was Joseph but he was given a nickname and his nickname was Barnabas which means the son of encouragement or another way to translate it he was known basically as Mr. Encouragement. Mr. Encouragement.
I love that. I mean is there someone you know that you could literally describe as Mr. or Miss Encouragement. That's who Barnabas was.
He always had a word of encouragement for someone else. Now if you were to be summed up in one word what would we call you? Mr. Happiness. Miss Critical. Mr. Cranky. Miss Bible.
I don't know. But something that sum you up well Barnabas was Mr. Encouragement. Or are you Debbie Downer or Bobby Buskill right. Who are you? Are you always known for being the negative person? Always having the critical word? Or are you known for being the positive person? Always having the encouraging word. Now let me say you know to balance this that there is a place for criticism.
There is a place for a reality check right. That's why opposites are often drawn together in marriage. Because you'll find someone that you're attracted to but often they'll be your very opposite in the way you approach life. I know that's certainly true of my wife and myself. And it may be true of others I'm talking to right now. But it is important if you love someone to tell them the truth right. Because the Bible says, faithful are the wounds of a friend but the kisses of an enemy are deceitful. Open rebuke is better than secret love.
So sometimes there's a way of showing my love. I will say a critical thing but I'll say it in the right way. I mean if you're known for encouragement and compliments and affirmation then when you bring your word of criticism it will be received.
But if you're known for negativity hyper criticism and meanness when you come with another criticism which may in a sense even be valid it will not be received because your Mr. or Miss negativity. Instead we want to be Mr. or Miss encouragement just like Barnabas. Hey everyone I want you to know about our app called Harvest Plus. Think of it as a harvest version of Netflix.
We have all of our resources in one place. We have our movies like Steve McQueen the Salvation of an American Icon, Johnny Cash the Redemption of an American Icon, A Rush of Hope and much more. Then we have our television program, daily devotions and much more.
So go and download the Harvest Plus app. You're joining us for a study in Acts 11 today called How to Be an Encourager. Here's Pastor Greg once again. So Barnabas pops up in the book of Acts and he steps in at a critical time in the life of the Apostle Paul. Before he was the Apostle Paul when he was still Saul the notorious Christian killer. The man who hunted down followers of Jesus Christ. The man who met Christ on the road to Damascus. The problem was a lot of people weren't buying it. They weren't believing that Saul was actually now a Christian. I mean I don't even know what the modern equivalent of that would be.
Maybe it would be Alice Cooper. You know I've gotten to know him a little bit and I've interviewed him. We've hung out some and I mentioned this to people or we post these things online and people say he's not a Christian. He's evil. Well he did used to be evil. He did used to be a rock star living a rock star depraved life by his own admission and a drug addict and everything else. But God got hold of him and changed him.
But some Christians are just unwilling to accept that's even a possibility. Mind seeing another friend of mine named Michael Franzese. Now I met him years ago.
Michael was being groomed to become the godfather or the dawn of the Colombo crime family. He's a good fella. A made man. A mobster.
And so I had heard that this guy named Michael Franzese is a Christian and he wants to talk to you. And he used to be in the mafia. My response was I'd rather not meet him. And then I asked did he use the word whacked at any point in his conversation or anything about sleeping with fishes or anything related to that. And so I didn't believe this guy A was really in the mob.
I think he made that up. He wasn't in the mob. Nobody is in the mob and gets out and is still alive. And number two I didn't believe he'd become a Christian if he was in the mob.
Well I was wrong on both counts. He was arrested. Sent to prison.
And while in solitary confinement also known as the hole. He was given a bible which he started reading. And he committed his life to Christ. And because he never ratted out any other mobster he eventually was released from prison. And he used to listen to me while he was in solitary confinement on the radio. And so he wanted to meet me and we'd become friends since then. But look this is the same thing that Saul was dealing with.
No one believed he was really a Christian. Enter Barnabas. Enter Mr. Encouragement. Barnabas says oh you're a believer for sure. I've talked to you.
I know your conversion is real. That brings me to point number one. An encourager sees the potential in others and cheers them on. An encourager sees the potential in others and cheers them on. So Barnabas Mr. Encouragement takes Saul of Tarsus under his wing and encourages him. And he even says let's go on the road together.
Let's go share the gospel together. So Barnabas is helping Saul. He's discipling Saul. He's teaching Saul later to become Paul.
He sees the potential. Acts chapter 9 verse 26. Go back a few verses chapters. When Saul arrived in Jerusalem he tried to meet with the believers but they were all afraid of him and they did not believe that he had truly become a believer. Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them Saul had seen the Lord on the road to Damascus and the Lord had spoken to Saul and he told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus.
I love that. So Barnabas takes his credibility and he had a lot of it. He was loved by everybody. And he put it on the line for the newly converted Saul and said listen I'm vouching for this guy. He's a real Christian. And that's something that we all need in life. We need a Barnabas. Or you need to be a Barnabas.
Let me say that again. We all need a Barnabas or an encourager. Or we need to be a Barnabas encouraging others. Because sometimes people don't believe you're really converted. You know after I became a Christian I the funny thing is I grew my hair and beard out after I was converted.
Prior to that I had longish hair but then I became like a hippie type looking guy. And so I was attending Calvary Chapel where there were a lot of people that looked like me. And I decided to go to another church one Sunday.
A very conservative church. And I walked in and they were just ending their first service. They had the choir and the preacher was in a suit and tie. And everybody was. All the men were in suit and ties. They were dressed very nicely.
And they had the pipe organ and all that. But I heard the tail end of the first message and I thought that's a good message. I'm looking forward to listening to it. And I was listening to it. So I come walking in and my bell bottoms and my hippie shirt and my long hair and my beard and I take a seat. Everyone literally is staring at me. I mean everyone staring at me.
Ok I guess they don't have many people that look like me here. Then the preacher gets up for the second service and I notice the message is different this time. It is evangelistic. And at the end he is saying there is somebody here that needs Jesus. Someone who is lost.
They are probably on drugs. And I notice he is looking right at me. And I am thinking oh man this preacher thinks a sinner is here. Well I am a sinner but I am converted now. And I am literally listening to him and I have my Bible and I am sort of pushing it up like look. I am a Christian.
Stop. He keeps preaching. Then we are going to invite you to come to Christ.
The choir starts singing just as I am. And he is looking at me. Everyone. I am not exaggerating. Everyone is looking at me. Finally the preacher.
I am not making this up. Gets up from behind his pulpit. Walks down the stairs. Walks right over to me and says, are you saved? I said yes I am.
He looked very disappointed. I wasted an entire evangelistic message on this guy. Then he said, are you baptized? Yes I am.
Then he says, are you coming to the church picnic? I don't know. So the service ends and literally 20 people or more ask me three questions.
The same three questions. Are you saved? Yes I am. Have you been baptized?
Yes I have. Are you coming to the church picnic? No. I don't want to be with you people any longer.
You are a little weird. I needed someone to help me in that time in between after my conversion. Because it is really easy to fall back into your old life. And get pulled back by your old friends. Right.
You know what I am talking about. And then you are doing the old things again. And I was a new Christian. I wasn't raised in the church. I didn't understand their lingo or vocabulary. And I went to this little Bible study in my high school campus after I was a Christian.
And the guy they brought in that week was a little different. And I felt very uncomfortable. I thought I don't know if I really want to hang around these people.
But I am not really comfortable around my old friends anymore. Maybe I will just sort of be a solo Christian. I am telling you I could have fallen through the cracks so easily. But thank God some guy who was my Barnabas came up to me. His name was Mark. And he said, hi your name is Greg isn't it? Yeah it is. I saw you accept Christ the other day at the Bible study at lunch time.
I said, yeah it is kind of even defensive. Yeah. He goes, that is great. Okay. He goes, you want to come to church with me? I said, no thank you. No I want you to come to church with me. No I don't want to go to church with you. No really you got to come with me. I don't want to come with you. He says, where do you live?
No I don't want you to come. Next thing I know he is at my house. He picks me up. He drives me to church. I love this guy.
He was so persistent. And that was Calvary Chapel in the middle of the Jesus movement. I walked into a spiritual awakening and I didn't even know it. And I walk into this building and it is filled with people. All this excitement. So many younger people as well.
Older folks too. And I was a little overwhelmed by all this love. And I actually didn't want to be there. And I was hoping I could just leave because there were no seats. And someone in the front row waved, Greg. Greg.
They are from my high school. We have a seat for you. So I walk. I take a seat in the front row.
And out walks Chuck Smith. And I heard the Bible presented in a way for the first time that I understood. And then they couldn't keep me away from the place because I just wanted to grow and learn more.
Listen. We are all called to be a Barnabas. Some people want to be the Billy Graham. They want to be the Apostle Paul.
Someone has got to be the Barnabas. Working behind the scenes. Because that person you are discipling, that person you are encouraging may go on to change the world. And your words matter.
And your encouragement matters. Important insight today on how we can step up and be a source of good reassurance in someone else's life. Pastor Greg Laurie with counsel from our study series in the book of Acts here on A New Beginning.
A series called The Upside Down Life. Well Pastor Greg as you've been speaking, maybe there's somebody listening who's really enjoyed hearing your story of your early days as a believer. And it's become apparent that they don't have a story of their own. They've never really come to the Lord and made things right with him. Yeah.
What can they do to fix that? What I would say is he's only a prayer way. Which means if you will call upon the name of the Lord right now through prayer, he will hear your prayer and answer your prayer. Listen, if you want Jesus Christ to come into your life, if you want him to forgive you of your sin, if you want to know that you'll go to heaven when you die, just pray this prayer right now after me. Just pray, Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you're the savior who died on the cross for my sin and rose again from the dead. I turn from my sin now and I choose to follow you from this moment forward as my savior and Lord, as my God and my friend. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.
Amen. And listen, if you have just prayed that prayer with Pastor Greg and you've meant those words sincerely, we want to welcome you into the family of God. And let us help you get started walking each day with the Lord. Pastor Greg wants to send you his New Believer's Bible, absolutely free, along with some other helpful resources. They'll help answer your questions and get you started off right as you live for God each day. Just let us know you prayed with Pastor Greg and that you want the New Believer's Bible when you call 1-800-821-3300.
We can take your call anytime at 1-800-821-3300 or go online to harvest.org and click the words Know God. Well, Pastor Greg, we received a great listener comment about the new cartoon series The Adventures of Ben Born Again and Yellow Dog. Let me read this to you. It says, Greg, you never cease to amaze me.
I just watched the Bridges Out episode. My goodness, what amazing work. I struggle to talk with my son, who is now 16, about God because he has mild autism and ADHD. This allowed me to have an open dialogue with him. He asks questions and was able to understand things more clearly.
I also tested all the Bible study I've been doing when I was answering his questions. Keep it coming. And thank you again for always coming out with these unique ways of reaching people. What a great comment, isn't it?
It really is. And this goes back to my very beginning, Dave. I became a Christian at age 17. My sole goal in life at that point was to be a professional cartoonist. As I've said before, I used to correspond with Charles M. Schulz, the creator of Peanuts. He very graciously responded to my ridiculous questions and requests that I would send to him. I would ask him for free things, free artwork, his opinions on my cartoons. I was amazed when he would write me back.
But when I became a Christian, I noticed that there was nothing that we could give out to people that wasn't sort of heavy-handed. And so that's why I drew what became known as a living water truck. And if you saw the Jesus Revolution movie, you remember there's a number of scenes in there where Joe Courtney playing Greg is drawing these tracks and different things. And so that's how I got started.
Now, it's a funny thing. Fast forward over 50 years, and I've kind of returned to these roots, but now we're using different platforms, painting on different canvases. One canvas we've been painting on is a movie canvas. So we were very involved in the Jesus Revolution film.
We produced documentary films like Steve McQueen, The Salvation of an American Icon, Johnny Cash, The Redemption of an American Icon, a project called Fame, another project called A Rush of Hope to engage people in that level. But now the newest thing is Ben Born Again and this animation. And we're building a library now with a series of episodes and spinoff products. We have a super cool comic book that is an update of the Living Water track, and we're producing more items.
But now we have a refresh of a very popular item that we've been offering to people for years. In fact, well over 500,000 of these little booklets have gone out to kids over the years. So we've gone back, we've rebuilt it from scratch using the new cartoon characters, the new animation, and it's simply called the Ben Born Again New Believers Growth Book. This is for kids only. Adults are not allowed to read it.
No, I'm just kidding. The adults can read it too. But it's for kids, written to kids in a way that they will understand going over the basic truths of what it means to be a Christian. Well, going back to what this lady wrote to us, she said with an exclamation point, keep it coming. How can people help us?
How can our listeners help us keep it coming? Well, thanks for that question. You know, animation, I'll be honest with you, is expensive. It takes a lot of work. We'll start writing the script, and we won't see the finished product until a few months later.
But it's a very fascinating process, and I think it's worth it when it's done. Because you can say to someone, here, listen to a sermon. Ah, that's okay. I don't want to. Hey, watch a cartoon. They just might watch a cartoon. And I mean people of all ages.
You know adults like cartoons too. And so this is a new way to reach people. But there is expense involved. And so this is sort of a foray into new territory for us, doing something that needs to be done, reaching an audience that needs to be reached. So here's my challenge to our listeners. You have children or grandchildren, or you know kids in your neighborhood, kids that you come into contact with, they need to know about Jesus. But they need to hear the gospel in a way that they understand as a kid.
That's where Ben Born Again and Yellow Dog come in. That's where cartoons and animation and comic books and other resources come in. They're designed to reach these people. For instance, let's say I was going into another country, and I was going to speak and their language was different than mine. I would have an interpreter who would help me communicate with those people. This is like an interpreter speaking to a younger generation in their language.
These are available on social media, but in printed form as well. So if you care about children, if you want to reach the next generation, if you want to sort of pioneer with us some new territory, then I encourage you to invest in this. Of course, we'll send you at no charge a free copy of the Ben Born Again New Believers Growth Book, but you might want to give more as an investment into the future generation. I encourage you to do that.
Yeah, and your partnership is so much appreciated. Thank you for standing with us, and we hope you'll ask for the Ben Born Again New Believers Growth Book. It's a great way for a young person to learn the basics of the Christian faith.
It's fun, understandable, and entertaining. Get in touch with your investment, and be sure to ask for the Ben Born Again New Believers Growth Book. You can call us at 1-800-821-3300.
That's a 24-7 phone number, 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org. Well, next time, more insight from Pastor Greg's study called How to Be an Encourager. Join us here on A New Beginning with pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie. Thanks for listening to A New Beginning with Greg Laurie, a podcast made possible by Harvest Partners, helping people everywhere know God. Sign up for daily devotions and learn how to become a Harvest Partner at harvest.org.
