Randall Caselman
Bella Vista Church of Christ
10/19/98 am
Kiss Of Encouragement
Reading – Acts 4.32-37
Encouragement is vital for life and relationships. Encouragement is like a breeze on a hot summer day. Encouragement helps us overcome when we feel overwhelmed. It helps us soar to success rather than sink in failure. Encouragement helps us be a victor rather than be a victim. We all hunger and thirst for encouragement. There is never a time in life when we don't need encouragement.
If encouragement is that important. If encouragement brings:
- Hope,
- Strength,
- And growth to people’s lives, then we need to challenge one another to be encouragers.
Listen to these challenges from scripture: I'm reading from the NIV.
1 Thessalonians 5.11 & 14
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. Encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone.
2 Thessalonians 2.17
Be encouraged in your hearts and strengthen in every good deed and word.
2 Timothy 4.2
Preach the Word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage , with great patience and careful instruction.
Titus 1.9
Hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it.
Hebrews 3.13
Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin's deceitfulness.
Hebrews 10.25
Forsake not the assembling of yourselves together, as the habit of some has become, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching.
Scriptures tell us we ought to be encouragers. With this in mind, let’s see what we can learn about being an encourager. You'll need a Bible for our study this morning.
I believe God has placed in scripture a definition, no, more than a definition, a model for us to follow... We find our definition and model in the book of Acts. Our model has three names:
- Joseph,
- Called Barnabas,
- And his nickname is Son of Encouragement.
What I want to do with the lesson is simply scan the book of Acts and see what we can learn from this one known as the Son of Encouragement. Turn to Acts chapter four and let’s meet Him.
WHAT ARE THE CHARACTERISTICS OF AN ENCOURAGER — A LOOK AT BARNABAS?
AN ENCOURAGER GIVES FREELY OF HIS RESOURCES.
Barnabas sells a piece of land and gives the money to the church and they distribute it to those who are in need. The New Testament church of the first century had a family mindset. They believed in and practiced the idea of what is mine is yours if you need it. This idea came from John the Baptist, it was his message of repentance. He said the kingdom of God is coming. .. Prepare for it by repentance. Then he told what repentance was. Folk, we need to read Luke 3.11 again. We have forgotten the message. When asked what repentance was, John answered, The man with two coats should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same.
John said, New Testament churches, kingdom seekers, will be people of encouragement. Those willing to give to others. Encouragement sometimes means:
- Giving to others,
- Fulfilling the needs of others, out of our own God-given resources.
You see encouragers recognize that what they have really doesn’t belong to them, but to God. We are only stewards of God’s blessings. We will not take our possessions with us. There are no pockets in funeral shrouds. Hearses don't pull U-hauls. Barnabas understood this. He didn’t need this field, this second coat... But some of his brethren did. So he freely gives to others. Audience, if you want to encourage someone — do something tangible for them. People don’t care how much we know about:
- God,
- Christ,
- The church,
- Bible,
- The plan of salvation, until they know how much we care about them.
SOMETIMES OUR EVANGELISM FAILS BECAUSE WE CARE MORE ABOUT BIBLE THAN WE CARE ABOUT PEOPLE.
Jesus said, the Law was made for man, not man for the Law. God is in the people business... He cares about people. He has done something tangible for us. — Gave His Son to save us.
Our churches send money to missionaries, orphans homes, and needy families. We call it support. It is really encouragement. Letting them know we are behind them. We encourage them with our tangible resources. Sometimes words are not enough are they? James says it’s not enough when a brother comes needing help for us to say, I wish you well, be you warmed and filled. We must support our words with tangible encouragement — support.
How do we know if we are a genuine encourager? Look at our checkbook! If you want to know what is important to us look at our checkbooks. How do we spend our God-given resources? God gives us three things — 4 Ts — Time, Talent, Treasure and Truth. We can gauge what is important to us by how we spend these three T’s; on self, or on others? Jesus said, Where your treasure is there is your heart also. Treasure laid up in heaven is the tangible support of TIME, TALENT, TREASURE , and TRUTH we give to others, versus what we spend on self.
Another point here — Encouragers don’t expect any thing in return. When they give, it’s over. They're not looking for anything in return. And they could care less who gets the credit. Their main goal is simply to meet the need. Scripture says, an encourager gives with an openhanded philosophy about his possessions. Corrie Ten Boom put it so well. She said, “I’ve learned not to hold onto anything too tightly, because it hurts too much when God has to pry back my fingers to get to it. So, I’ve learned to live life with an open hand — so that God can give and take as he wishes.” That was Job’s philosophy wasn’t it? The Lord gives, the Lord takes.
AN ENCOURAGER ACCEPTS US WHERE WE ARE.
Turn to Acts 9. The Jews were conspiring to kill Paul. But fellow church members slipped him out of town by night in a basket over the wall. He then goes to Jerusalem to join with the church there. But they were afraid of him... They couldn’t believe he had been converted to Jesus. After all they had seen him there holding the coats of those who stoned Stephen. Perhaps they had witnessed others:
- Jailed,
- Beaten,
- Killed-- because of Paul’s efforts in ravaging the church of Christ.
Acts 9.21 says, Isn't he the man who caused havoc in Jerusalem among those who call on this name? And hasn't he come here to take them as prisoners to the chief priests?" These Christians in Jerusalem had reason for concern, didn’t they? But notice who comes to the rescue. Acts 9.27, But Barnabas took him and brought him to the Apostles and told them about his Damascus road experience. So Paul stayed in Jerusalem, moving about freely, speaking boldly in the name of Jesus.
Do you see the second characteristic of an encourager here?
- Encouragers accept us where we are — Helping us to be what we can be.
- Encouragers don’t look at our past, but at the present and future.
- Encouragers do not see our faults and mistakes, our sins, but our potential, what we could be
Folk, not one of us comes to Christ with an advantage. All of us are sinners in need of His continuing grace and favor. Here is the good news — There is now therefore no condemnation to those who are in Christ. If God does not hold our past against us who are we to hold one another’s past against each other?
In Christ we are new creatures — a new creation — not one time at baptism — but daily, every moment, as we continue to walk in the light. Jesus’ blood didn’t just cleanse us one time in New Testament baptism, but continues to cleanse us of all our sins... That’s I John 1.7. Praise God this morning for Barnabas. He accepted Paul where he was, and didn’t judge him on his past. Church, think about it, we might not have had 2/3 of our New Testament, had it not been for the encouragement Barnabas showed Paul.
What difference can we make in the lives of:
- Our children,
- Our neighbors,
- Those in the church of God,
- And those we differ with religiously, by accepting them where they are, while helping them get where they should be, rather than judging them on their past?
ENCOURAGERS GET EXCITED ABOUT THE PROGRESS AND POTENTIAL OF OTHERS.
Turn to Acts 11.19-26 and let's read: Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen travelled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord's hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord. News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. 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. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord. Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people. The disciples were called Christians first at Antioch.
Did you notice what Barnabas did — Vs 23? He was glad at their conversion and encouraged them to remain true to the Lord. He got excited about their progress. Encouragers get excited about the progress of others. When they see a Christian overcome temptation and sin, they encourage them and rejoice with them.
Folk, we have too many in the church today, including preachers, going about the brotherhood:
- Looking for and pointing out problems,
- Checking for faults,
- Questioning our faith,
- Criticizing elders,
- Going about just generally being mean and ugly.
When what we need is more encouragement for everyone to be true to the Lord. That's exactly what Barnabas did. He is our definition, our model, our example in New Testament encouragement.
Look at what happens when believers are encouraged — in verses 24 through 26:
- Great numbers of people were taught.
- Great numbers of people were brought to the Lord.
- And they were called Christians first at Antioch.
All this as a result of what?... ENCOURAGEMENT.
ENCOURAGERS ARE UNSELFISH.
Here in Acts 11, Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Paul. That’s strange thinking for us today. When things are going well, we want to take the credit, ride the success train as far as we can. Not Barnabas, he knew that Paul could do a better job than he could in the church at Antioch. Barnabas knew that he had brought this church as far as he could without help. So He strikes out for assistance.
You see,
- Encouragers are not out to make a name for themselves, but are interested in glorifying God.
- Encouragers are willing to take a back seat when others can do a better job.
- Encouragers are willing to preach in small churches.
- Encouraging teachers are willing to teach even if there is only one student in the class.
- Encouragers have a servant mentality.
- Encouragers are willing to wash feet.
- Encouragers are willing to place the good of others before their personal preferences.
- Encouragers are those members who are willing to hold up the hands of others.
- Encouragers are those willing to send others on foreign missions when they can't go. ARE WE WILLING TO BE AN ENCOURAGER?
ENCOURAGERS GIVE OTHERS A SECOND CHANCE.
In Acts 15.36-41 Paul and Barnabas decide to go back and visit the churches they planted on the first missionary journey. But there is a problem. That problem is John Mark. Barnabas wants to give Mark a second chance. You remember, he deserted them on the first mission trip and returned home from Cyprus about 1/3 of the way through the evangelistic effort. Paul says, No! He ain’t going! Barnabas says, He deserves another chance. Scripture tells us the disagreement was so sharp that Paul and Barnabas split company. Paul chose Silas. Barnabas takes John Mark and they each set out on separate journeys.
There is an interesting theory as to why Barnabas went to the mat for John Mark giving him a second chance. You remember in Acts chapter 1, Judas has hanged himself and the apostles are selecting another to take his place. Two men were selected, Matthias and Joseph Barsabas. They cast lots and Matthias was selected. Is it possible that Joseph Barsabas was later called Barnabas? Had the apostles, the disciples, changed his name to Barnabas, because of his encouragement of others? If so, perhaps we can understand why Barnabas was so sensitive to John Mark’s rejection. He knew the pain, first hand. We hear little about Matthias in the rest of the New Testament, but we’ve heard a lot about Barnabas. Encouragers are willing to give a second chance.
Aren’t you glad that God is an encourager? That he didn’t give up on us at our:
- First,
- Second,
- Third,
- 100th,
- 1000th failure — but keeps giving us another chance?
Peter says that he is not willing that any should perish, but that all should come to repentance. God is an encourager. The challenge this morning is for us to be more like Barnabas — more like God giving others another chance.
Artist Benjamin West tells how he learned to paint as a boy. Whenever his mother left, he would pull out the paints and try his hand. He tells how, that one day he made quite a mess. He hoped to clean it up before his mother returned, But she came in and discovered his mess. West says, he was completely surprised by her reaction. Instead of scolding him, she picked up the painting and said, My what a great piece of work! She gave him a kiss on the cheek and walked away. He says, with that kiss I became a painter.
Every day you and I make a mess of life. The last thing we need is for someone to come along and say, What a mess you’ve made of things! What we need is a kiss of encouragement.
- Men, let me challenge you to be an encourager
- Ladies, be an encourager.
- Elders, be encouragers.
- Teachers, be encouragers.
- Preacher, be an encourager.
- Christians, be encouragers.
This morning, I encourage you to accept Jesus as your Savior. Become a child of God by Faith, Repentance and New Testament Baptism for the remission of your sins. Will you do that?
