The Gift of Encouragement

The power of encouragement.

Listen to Adrian Rogers. Welcome to Love Worth Finding, featuring profound truth simply stated by pastor and author Adrian Rogers. The book of Acts tells the story of a man called Barnabas, which translates to son of encouragement. There are five characteristics of Barnabas' gift of encouragement that show us how to be encouragers for others today. If you have your Bible, turn to Acts chapter 4. We'll begin in verse 34, as Adrian Rogers shares the gift of encouragement. Take God's Word, open it, if you will, please, to the book of Acts chapter 4. And in a moment, we're going to study about a man named Barnabas, and his name is very important.

You know names are important. The man that we're going to study today has a nickname, and it was Barney. I began reading here in Acts chapter 4 and verse 34. Neither was there any among them that lacked, for as many as were possessors of lands or houses, sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, and laid them down at the apostles' feet.

And distribution was made to every man according as he had need. And Joses, now that's his real name, Joses, I guess today we'd call him Joe, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas. Now, surname just means that's what they called him. That's his nickname, Barnabas. I suppose if he were an American, we'd call him Barney, surname Barney, which is being interpreted the son of consolation. Well, consolation is a word that we don't use very much today, but let me tell you what it literally means. It means encouragement.

He was the son of encouragement, a Levite and of the country of Cyprus, who, that is Barney, having land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet. I want to talk to you today about encouragement. A man that had a gift, and it was the gift of encouragement. He just had a way, this great-hearted soul, this wonderful man, he had a way of encouraging people everywhere that he went.

And I so want to be like Barnabas. You know, there's some people who are encouragers, and there's some people who are discouragers. You ever meet a discourager? They like a drink of water to a drowning man. They can brighten up a room by leaving it.

A lot of people like that. I mean, they just discourage you in everything that you do. And they themselves are the people who somehow leave you drained and depressed.

Somebody has well said that discouragement is a dark room where the negatives of fear and failure are developed. Bill Glass is a Southern Baptist evangelist. Bill Glass one time was speaking in a prison to 1,000 prisoners, and he asked them this question. He said, how many of you were told by your parents that one day you would end up in prison? Almost every one of them lifted his hand.

Every one of those prisoners, almost to the man, had parents who said, one of these days you're going to end up in prison. Some encouragement that was. It was a self-fulfilling prophecy. Now, the Bible tells us of God Himself in 2 Corinthians 1 and verse 3 that He is the God of all consolation. That is, God is the God of all encouragement. God has cornered the market on encouragement. All encouragement comes from God, real encouragement. Therefore, all discouragement comes from the devil.

You see, dear friend, discouragement is such a terrible thing because it is the tool that the devil uses to open the door to all other kinds of problems that come into your life. Now, we all get discouraged. You ever get discouraged? I do. You say, pastor, you don't show it.

I think sometimes I may show it. I get discouraged sometimes. We all get discouraged. You know somebody in your family perhaps today who's discouraged. Maybe you have a neighbor who's discouraged, a father, mother, brother, sister, child who's discouraged. Now, the Bible tells us in 1 Thessalonians 5 and verse 14, Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feeble-minded.

What it literally, literally means is a person who is small-souled, a person who is discouraged. We all know those kind of people. I mean, I want you today not to take notes on my sermon, but I want you to write down the names of five people that God will bring to your mind as I preach. Just write down five names. I want you to think of five people that I want you to encourage today. And you'll know them.

They're all around us. I want to show you five instances in the life of Barnabas where he definitely encouraged people. And I want you to take those five instances and I want you by each one of those instances maybe to put in the margin of your Bible somebody that you need to encourage.

First of all, if you would be an encourager and have the gift of encouragement as Barnabas did, I want you to find a needy person and enrich him. That's what Barnabas did in the scripture that we just read. There was a time of great persecution. These early Christians had their goods confiscated. Many of them were hiding in secret places and caves and they were afraid of the authorities and many of them were being put to death and the goods had been taken away. And Barnabas was a wealthy man. He was a landowner. But he took that land and he sold it and he brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet and he said, listen, take this and help somebody who needs to be helped.

He saw some people with a heavy load. He said, I'll just move in to bear their burden. Now, there's somebody that you know who's really struggling right now financially. And you have some money that you could give to them.

I want you to do it. You say, but Pastor, if I give them what I have, I may not have enough left when I need it for myself. Friend, I want to remind you, it's not what you keep in the barn that multiplies.

It's what you sow that multiplies. And God says, give and it shall be given unto you. Someone as well said that stewardship is that area of life where men make money and God makes men. Barnabas had it, but he realized that God had not given it to him just for his own personal aggrandizement, but God had given it to him to encourage others with and he took the resources that God had given him and used them to bless those who had need, those who were hurting. Barnabas, Barnabas was a man who found a need. He found needy people and he moved in to help and by doing that, he encouraged. You say, well, Pastor, I won't write a name down here because I don't have anything to give.

Now wait a minute. You can give more than money. Perhaps you can give love. Perhaps you can give help.

Perhaps you can go over and help your next door neighbor who just had a baby to do her laundry. You can give time. Perhaps you can help that boy who's having such a difficult time with mathematics. Maybe you could become his tutor.

Maybe his dad and his mom don't know how to do it. Maybe they didn't have the educational background that you have. Maybe you could do that. Maybe you could give wisdom. Maybe you are a retired executive and you live next door at a little married couple.

They don't even know how to set up a budget. You could go over there and set up some ledgers for them and show them how to balance a bank book. There's so much that you have to give and it may not mean all that much for you to give it, but I'll guarantee you it'll mean a lot to somebody who needs it. Be an encourager. Here was a man who loved to encourage people so much that they called him Barney, which means encourager son of consolation. Number two, have you gotten a name for the first one yet?

If you haven't, think. Just find dear friend a needy person and enrich him. God give you a name.

Secondly, find a lonely person and include him. Let's go on and look, if you will, in Acts chapter 9. Let me show you this man, Barnabas, the next time we find him here.

Now, I begin in Acts chapter 9 and verse 23. This is an episode in the life of the apostle Paul who at this time has just been saved and nobody really trusts him very much because he was a persecutor of the church. He was really a violent man when it came to Christians and he was a member of the Jewish Sanhedrin. He was a ruler, a leader among the Jews and now when he professed Christianity, they didn't trust him either. He'd been persecuting the Christians. The Christians didn't trust him. Now he got saved and his former crowd didn't trust him and so look, if you will, in verse 23. And after that many days were fulfilled, the Jews took counsel to kill him.

Who? Paul. He's known as Saul at this time, but their laying await was known of Saul and they watched the gates day and night to kill him. They said, sooner or later, he's going to come out this gate and we're going to pounce him. Then the disciples took him, that is Saul, who later would become Paul by night and let him down by the wall in a basket.

Can you imagine how humiliating this is? I mean, there he's, here's this man, this learned man, this triple PhD, he's huddled up in a basket. They're luring him over the wall in a basket. They're letting him down.

They let him down by the wall in a basket. And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he is saved to join himself to the disciples, but they were all afraid of him. Isn't that something? Do you see how he's caught in the middle here? And believe not, he was a disciple. They didn't believe that he was saved. But now look at verse 27.

I love verse 27. But Barnabas, oh, thank God for that. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way and how that he had spoken to him and how that he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. Barnabas moved in to this lonely man and just reached out those big arms and took Saul in. I'm telling you, if you will think God will give you the name of some lonely person who desperately needs your love, who desperately needs for you to include him.

The apostle Paul never forgot what Barnabas did for him. He wrote this in Romans chapter 15 verses 5 through 7. Now the God of patience and consolation, that's our word, listen to it, the God of comfort grant you to be like-minded one toward another according to Christ Jesus. He says God is a God of comfort and you be that way to one another. And then he says in verse 7, wherefore receive ye one another.

Paul knew what it was to be received because he had known what it was to be rejected. Well, have you got a name? Good. Let's go on now to a third name I want you to write down.

Not only do I want you to find somebody who has a need and move in to meet it, and not only do I want you to find the lonely person and move out to include him, but I want you to find a misunderstood person and affirm him. Look, if you will, now in Acts chapter 11, would you please? Acts chapter 11. Now the gospel is spreading and revival fire is breaking out everywhere. And a revival breaks out in Antioch. Look in verse 20. And some of them were men of Cyprus and Cyrene, which when they were come to Antioch, spake unto the Grecians, preaching the Lord Jesus. Oh, and look in verse 21. And the hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number believed and turned to the Lord.

Oh, that's what I want. Oh, God, your hand. And a great number of people saved. Then tidings of these things came unto the ears of the church which was in Jerusalem. And now watch, and they sent forth who? You named him Barnabas, great soul. They sent old Barnabas, encourager that he should go as far as Antioch, who when he came and had seen the grace of God was glad and exhorted them all. That means he encouraged them all. He cheered them all up that they would with purpose of heart, they would cleave unto the Lord. For he, Barnabas, was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost and faith, and much people was added unto the Lord. Now, here's a man who found some people who perhaps were misunderstood and affirmed them.

You see, a revival had broken out in Antioch, but the center of Christianity at this time was Jerusalem, and that's where the apostles were. And this revival, they were wondering, is this really true fire or wildfire? How do we know they're real believers? We don't want to deny the work of the Holy Ghost, but we don't want to attribute to the Holy Ghost the work of Satan either. We're not quite certain that everything is right over there.

We just don't know. So Barnabas goes up to investigate, and when he's up there, he just says, guys, this is great. Thank God for you. The hand of God is upon you.

He affirmed them. I'm telling you, folks, there are a lot of people who are starting out for God who need your affirmation. There are a lot of people who are misunderstood who need your affirmation. There are a lot of people who are not trusted, who need you to encourage them, like Barney encouraged these kind of people.

Do you know somebody right now who's about to start on something that needs your encouragement? I mean, do you know somebody now has an embryo idea? Maybe they're starting a new Sunday school class. Maybe they're trying to write a book. Maybe they're trying to get started in a business. Maybe they're trying to have a baby.

Maybe they want an adoption. Why don't you affirm them? Why don't you just come alongside of them, put your arm around them and say, hey, I just believe in you. More than that, I believe in the grace of God that I see in you and through you.

Have you got a name? Good. Let's go on to the next one and tell you something else that Barnabas did. Look, if you will, in chapter 11 now, beginning in verse 25, and let me read verses 25 and 26 and tell you what they mean to me. Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him unto Antioch.

And it came to pass that a whole year they assembled themselves with the church and taught much people, and the disciples were called Christians first in Antioch. Now, here's what happens. Barnabas goes down there, and he says, hey, this is of God. God is in this.

He gets so excited. He says, now, we've got a lot of new wine here, but we need to get a wine skin to put it in. We need somebody who can teach these people.

We need somebody with a good mind who can develop them and to help them to grow. I know the guy. It's that guy, Saul.

He's the guy. I believe, I just believe the hand of God is on that man. I believe God's called him into the ministry. I believe that God will use him to help these people in Antioch. I'm going to go get Saul. Saul! Hey, buddy, listen, I've been to Antioch.

You won't believe what's happening in Antioch. Now, Saul, I know you, Saul. You've been steeped in all that religion, but you know the Old Testament inside and out, and now you've seen Jesus Christ face to face, and I've seen the power of God on your life. Saul, God has his hand on you, and God wants to use you. Now, Saul, you come down here. I want to get you in this church over here, Saul. I want you to help these brothers at Antioch. I want you to come and share.

I know you're green. I know that you're not developed, but I believe, friend, you've got it in a warehouse, and we're going to put it in a showcase. Now, you come on and get down here and go to work. Now, what do I want you to do?

Here's the fourth name. I want you to find an undeveloped person and discipling. I want you to find an undiscovered person and develop him. Now, Barnabas didn't just stay there and say, well, I'm going to lead this whole thing myself. I mean, Barnabas was not interested in starting a cult called Barney's Boys. He knew that the job was beyond him, and so he found a young man named Saul with gifts and abilities, the same Saul that had fled from the wrath of his enemies, and he saw that he had hidden talent and buried abilities, and he began to work and to develop this young man named Saul. Now, he didn't put himself first. He put Saul first. Now, Barnabas, so far as I know, never wrote a book in the Bible.

As a matter of fact, I know he didn't. But half of the New Testament as we know it was written by Paul that Barnabas encouraged. Oh, and later on, the great apostle Paul wrote a lesson I think he learned from Barnabas in Galatians chapter 6 and verse 1. Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness. Now, last of all, I want you to find a failing person and restore him. Do you know somebody who's quit? Somebody who's a failure? Do you know somebody who's washed out in business? Perhaps ruined his marriage? Somebody who is a disgrace?

Somebody who it just feels like there's no hope for me? Ye which are spiritual, restore such a one in the spirit of meekness. Be a Barnabas to that person. Let me tell you why Barnabas was such a great man.

Now, look at it. Acts 11, verse 24, for he was a good man. Do you know why he was a good man? Oh, you say, well, just his genes and chromosomes.

Oh, no, you missed it. He was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost. It was God in him, because, you see, God has cornered the market on consolation.

He's the God of all consolation. Why was he a good man? Because he's full of the Holy Ghost. Well, you say, why was he full of the Holy Ghost? Well, continue to read. He was a good man and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith.

He was a good man because he's full of the Holy Ghost, and he's full of the Holy Ghost because he was a man of faith. Isn't that wonderful? And, friend, that's something that any of us can do today. Trust God to fill us with the Holy Spirit and give us the gift of encouragement. And there are five people who are waiting on you.

You got the names? I hope you do. Father God, I pray that you would help those who are discouraged today and, Lord, that you'd help them through us and give to us the gift and the ministry of encouragement and give us a church full of Barnabas's.

In your holy name I pray, amen. What an insightful message today on Love Worth Finding. You know, we love hearing how the ministry and the messages of Pastor Adrian Rogers have inspired you in your faith journey. If you can, go online and let us know your story. Go to lwf.org slash mylwfstory. You can submit your own testimony or read others who have shared their stories with us. We often select those stories to be shared throughout our Love Worth Finding community and we will always protect your privacy if that's what you'd like.

Can't wait to hear from you. Again, go to lwf.org slash mylwfstory. Now, if you'd like to order a copy of today's message, you can request one by the title The Gift of Encouragement. Call 1-877-LOVEGOD to order or you can order online at lwf.org slash radio or you can write us at Love Worth Finding, Box 38600, Memphis, Tennessee 38183. Well, thanks for studying in God's Word with us today. Before we go, let me remind you that if you'd like to start receiving daily evotions and links to our daily message programs, sign up for our daily heartbeat emails at lwf.org slash radio. Be sure to join us next time for more from Adrian Rogers right here on Love Worth Finding. We received an email recently from a listener who wrote this, God is using Love Worth Finding to help me along in my Christian walk.

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