Latest / Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago / How to be an Encourager | 1 Thessalonians 5:11 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

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How to be an Encourager | 1 Thessalonians 5:11 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh · Bible Study with Pr. Daniel Batarseh | Verse by Verse Series | Maranatha Bible Church - Chicago

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Father, with all that's going around, with all that's
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happening, even in the service, we want to just pause and
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acknowledge you. You are the living God.
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You are the powerful, unmatched, all knowing God and Lord at this
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time. We have come to rejoice in Your
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Word. We've rejoiced in these
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testimonies. We've celebrated in this
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ordinance, but now we come to the force of it all, the power
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behind everything that we experience here, the living Word
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of God. And we do pray that whether we
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understand it all or not, whether we feel like we are
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mature in the faith or we're just beginning, that you would
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speak so loud and clear that you would Thunder your voice in our
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hearts, and that we would understand Your word for us as a
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church. We pray that you would even
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bless the visitors here who may not call this place home, that
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they would benefit from this word, and that they would leave
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here knowing that God was surely in that place.
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Lord, we give you glory and thanks in advance for what you
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have to say to us in Jesus name, Amen.
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I want to speak to you briefly today about one of the most
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important and needed ministries in the church.
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And that claim is not a matter of personal opinion or even
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personal experience. It is a spiritual exercise that
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is practiced over and over again and even modeled throughout the
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Scriptures and it is even a command that appears several
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times in our New Testament. The ministry that I speak of in
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your presence today is the ministry of encouragement, the
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ministry of encouragement. And I want us to just look at a
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simple verse as a start off to just see how vital and how
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crucial this mutual investment is to the life and the longevity
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of Christians. And so I hope you do have a
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Bible in your hands because we're going to 1st Thessalonians
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chapter 5. And I want us to look here at
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verse 11. Paul is speaking to this group
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of believers known as the Thessalonians, and he makes this
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brief exhortation in First Thessalonians 511.
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Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just
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as you are doing now. Since this verse begins with the
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Word, therefore we know that Paul desired this group of
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Christians to encourage one another with the things that he
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had just finished explaining and teaching in this section of
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Scripture. Truths that pertain to the
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return of the Lord choose that speak about the hope that we
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have in Christ, even in death, and the way that we as
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Christians should live in light of those glorious promises.
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And so therefore is there for that.
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But I want you to notice how Paul ends this verse after
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saying, Look, you, you need to encourage one another.
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You need to build one another up.
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He he approvingly observes the following just as you are doing
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meaning what that this community of Christians were already
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cultivating a culture of harmony, of care, of
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consolation. Now, strikingly, although Paul
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recognized that, that they have this wonderful kind of
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atmosphere that they have nurtured, he wants them to
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protect it. He desires for them to pursue it
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even more diligently. He does not want them to lose
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it. And so with a pastoral heart,
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yes, this is an Apostolic leader.
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He understands what mutual and shared encouragement can do
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among members in one church. And so he does his part by
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providing fresh truths that will strengthen.
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There's support for one another. And I want to follow in Paul's
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steps today. I want to just take the next few
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minutes here to fuel the encouragement that people know
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and give in this place. I believe that many people here
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at NBC reflect the spirit of the Thessalonians.
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And that being said, I want us to mature in it.
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And maybe for those who don't see the value of the ministry of
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encouragement, that you wouldn't just be a recipient of it, but
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you would sign up to say Lord, whatever it takes to be an
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encourager, so be it. Teach me and show me what it
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takes. I heard someone once share how
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Satan one day was auctioning off his tools and some of the things
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that he had for sale were vices like hatred, greed, lust,
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bitterness, jealousy. But there was something that was
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marked off, not for sale. And somebody asked as he saw
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this instrument hanging there like a worn out trophy, what is
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that? And without hesitation, Satan
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said, oh, you're talking about discouragement.
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Oh, you have to understand, I can't afford to give that up.
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You see, I have used this tool over the centuries in the
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millennials to pry open the hearts of people.
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And when they don't challenge the discouragement, when they
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don't resist it by the truth, I want to let you know something.
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I can make that man or woman who is discouraged to do almost
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anything. And if you think that
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illustration is an exaggeration, I want to encourage you and your
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old time to look up one of our studies in First Samuel,
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specifically chapter 27. Because that chapter deals with
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just how far David went in his disobedience because of 1 main
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thing. Unresolved discouragement.
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When he kept focusing on something that caused him to be
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hopeless and dejected, and he couldn't shake free from it.
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It's an amazing case study to see just how dangerous
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discouragement can be. Discouragement is one of Satan's
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favorite weapons against God's most faithful servants.
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And if you can't get a Christian to disqualify him or herself
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from ministry because of scandal or character flaws or
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immorality, know this. He will harass them with
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discouragement until they give up on their own.
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And that's why we need to take this ministry as a church
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seriously. It can't just come from leaders.
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It can't just come from sermons. It must be an ever flowing
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stream in this family. And the way we're going to do
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this is by looking at one of the clearest examples of a person
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who modelled what encouragement is and what it can do.
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In fact, this individual who is a follower of Christ so embodied
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consolation and an uplifting spirit that they actually change
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his name to reflect it. They actually began to call this
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man in the early church son of encouragement in the Hebrew.
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It's Barnabas. Can you imagine what that was
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like for the early Christians in that time?
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That whenever Barnabas walked into a room, they said, oh,
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encouragement is here. Or perhaps before they made any
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decision, they would say, let's let us seek the son of
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encouragement and see what he has to say about this before we
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conclude on it. Imagine having such a reputation
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that the apostles themselves thought, look, your name, we
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understand it's Joseph, but we want to call you now, son of
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encouragement. You can imagine that he has so
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much to offer us in his example, but because of our limited time,
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let's look at three ways, three ways that each of us can grow
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and mature in the ministry of encouragement.
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And I believe there's no better place to start than when we are
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introduced to this man, Barnabas.
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And so meet me in Acts chapter 4.
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And let's look together here at the end of that chapter where we
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are introduced to Barnabas, Acts 4, beginning in verse 36.
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Thus Joseph, who is called by the apostles Barnabas, which
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means son of encouragement, A Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold
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a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at
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the apostles feet. I find it absolutely fascinating
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that the very place where we are introduced to the man who is
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encouragement Incarnate, there is not a single word mentioned.
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The very first time the word encouragement appears in the
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book of Acts, there is no recorded speech.
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What do we have here? Instead, we have a man who lived
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in a certain way. We have a man who, by his
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example, inspired other Christians without saying
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anything. We limit encouragement to what
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you say. Yeah, we'll get there in a
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moment. But that's not how it shows up
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with this man. It shows up with action.
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It shows up by point #1 living wholeheartedly for Christ.
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You want to be an encouragement to the church?
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Then write this down. You must, by the power and grace
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of God, endeavour to live radically for the Lord Jesus.
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What's happening here with this man Barnabas?
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Well, he contributed to a need in the early church and he made
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the choice here to be very generous.
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And what makes this so special? And the reason why I believe the
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Holy Spirit highlights his donation, though many other
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people donated, is because of his lineage.
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Why aren't we told that Joseph was a Levite?
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Because according to the law, Levites were prohibited from
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owning any land in Israel. According to Deuteronomy 10/9,
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Levi was set apart to perform temple duties, and because of
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that the Lord himself was their inheritance.
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They didn't have any tribal allotment.
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They just lived in cities within the borders of other tribes.
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So how do we explain this Levite owning land?
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Well, I think the following thought helps us.
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He was a native of Cyprus, and so he was born and raised
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outside of the borders of Israel.
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And so this could mean that like many of the laws, especially
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after the Babylonian exile, a lot of these things that we're
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not as binding, we're not as seriously taken.
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Or it could mean that because of the dispersion of the Jews over
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the centuries, a man like Joseph had more liberty to own land in
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different regions. We're not explicitly told, but
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what is clear here is that you can imagine how challenging it
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must have been for somebody like Joseph, who came from a heritage
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that never owned property, that could never pass down real
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estate, and yet willingly gives it up.
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And yet when he realizes that there's an opportunity here to
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contribute to the mission and the message of Christ, he
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joyfully and willingly surrenders.
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This is how we are introduced to the Son of encouragement.
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And here's what it means for us that you and I, if we want to
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grow in this ministry, don't need to worry about our words
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just yet. We need to be focused on our
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convictions. You know, careless words most
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definitely can wound fellow believers.
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But you know what else can? Carnal faith.
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That can be just as detrimental and discouraging to other
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believers. But the way that we can actually
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bless others is shown here by determining that you will truly
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live for Christ and believing that the Lord can use that to
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work wonders in the spiritual disciplines and devotions of
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other Christians. When I think back to some of the
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people who have encouraged my faith the most, I can honestly
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say that most of them didn't say anything to me directly.
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It was just by watching them at a distance, observing how they
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love their wives and their husbands, witnessing how we can
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and week out. Nothing can shake them away from
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their ministry that they've committed to as a member of a
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local church, that over the months and years you look at
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their Bibles that they carry in it.
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It's it's becoming more weathered and used and
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highlighted. I remember being a believer
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early on in my walk with Christ and being part of a local church
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for a short time. And clearly this made an
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impression on me because it came to mind as I was preparing these
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thoughts, an elderly man there who could barely walk up
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straight. But whenever this man prayed out
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loud, not because of his confidence, not because of his
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eloquence, not because he could quote Scripture by memory, just
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because when he prayed, you knew that it was coming from the
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depths of his heart, every time that man was asked to pray in
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that meeting, he would stand up, barely able to, in his own
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strength, put his hands on the Pew in front of him, and he
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would cry out to God. And I would think to myself, I
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want what he has. And I don't ever remember
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telling him that. And maybe in my infancy,
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spiritual infancy, I hesitated to approach him, to let him know
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how much of an encouragement he has been to me.
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So he doesn't know how much that has motivated me in my own
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prayer life. Barnabas didn't say anything, at
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least here in record, but he did something.
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And that's where we realized that he was a source of
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encouragement. And I think of Paul's words, in
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case you think that this is limited to this man, in the
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beginning of his letter to the Philippians, he tells him in
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114. And most of the brothers, having
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become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more
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bold to speak the word without fear.
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Think about that. He reflects on the price that he
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paid for the gospel, that he is imprisoned for his testimony.
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And the Lord in his grace allowed him to see the fruit of
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his commitment to the cause of Christ.
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And he says here that the brothers have become more
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confident in the Lord. Why?
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Because of his counseling sessions, because of his
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sermons, because of his letters. Yes, we can say that he has
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blessed them in those ways. But in this case, he instilled
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greater boldness. And other brothers, because of
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his imprisonment, how he responded to suffering, how he
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remains steadfast, how he was willing to go all the way, even
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unto death for this cause and this message.
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And in the same way, brothers and sisters, if if you just so
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entrenched yourself and so focus on the Lord and allow him to
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just ravage every part of you, one of the fruits of that is
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that others who want the same, others who have just come into
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the faith, they will sense the the joy and the possibility in
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Christ and they will be built up.
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They will be moved. And maybe like me, I never
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shared it with the old man and you may never hear it, but don't
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doubt the significance of your sanctification.
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Immerse yourself in Christ. Let your roots go deep.
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Take your faith seriously. Allow Him to fill you and to
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transform you. Yes, for his pleasure, but also
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for for the glory of His name and other believers who,
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especially in this age, desperately need seasoned Saints
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to show that it's possible to cling to Christ for years and
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years to come. There's a lot of I want to speak
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to the seasoned Saints in this place.
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This generation is absolutely confused and there are 1000
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voices coming their way. And I just want to let you know
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that people are watching your marriages and they are watching
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your children and they are watching your social media
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posts. And they can either stir them to
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say it's possible to advance in life and to have all this
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busyness but still prioritize the church and still honor God
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and not get swayed or distracted by the things that are always
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pulling at you and calling for you.
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Don't dismiss how your silent testimony can do miracles in
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other people. Don't dismiss that there is an
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indirect encouragement that we all offer whether we realize it
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or not. Barnabas was such a man, but
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that's not the only thing he teaches us.
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The very next time the name Barnabas appears in the book of
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Acts teaches us a second thing about how we can be matured in
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the ministry of encouragement. Let's go to Acts 9.
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Now notice this in verse 26, Acts 926.
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This chapter records the conversion of the foremost
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persecutor of Christians, Saul of Tarsus, whom we know as Paul.
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Let's read now what happens after Paul was converted in Acts
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926. And when he had come to
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Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples, and they were all
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afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.
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But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and
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declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord who spoke
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to him, and how had Damascus He had preached boldly in the name
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of Jesus. So he went in and out among them
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at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.
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So Paul here is saved miraculously.
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You're talking about a terrorist who now is transformed by the
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power of the gospel. And naturally he wants to
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fellowship because when you become a Christian, you're drawn
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to other Christians. And so he arrives in Jerusalem
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and he, he wants to try to plug in.
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And it's no surprise to us that his attempt was met with great
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resistance from the believers in Jerusalem.
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So they push them away. It was so hard for them to
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fathom how such a fierce, maybe the fiercest opponent.
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Against the gospel is somehow now wanting to actually be in
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our midst and to count himself as one of the redeemed.
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Now you have to understand this isn't the day after Paul
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converted. If you look back at Acts 923,
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notice what is mentioned there. When many days had passed, the
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Jews plotted to kill him, him being Paul.
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So up to this point, Paul had been preaching Christ in
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synagogues. Paul had been threatened and
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chased. Paul was almost killed in
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Damascus. This man had proven over time
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that he's really saved. He is so obviously changed that
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even the Jews believed that he was a Christian while the church
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didn't. I think that's actually
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something worth pausing and meditating on.
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Imagine how that made Paul feel. He wasn't a robot.
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I know he seemed to be superhuman, but he was a man
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with emotions. All you have to read is his
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letters to get that clear. How would some have acted if
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they had come to the front steps of a church in Jerusalem?
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Imagine knocking on the door of every church in Jerusalem and
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they shut the door in your face. I thought you guys are all about
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grace and forgiveness and redemption.
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I almost lost my life for this gospel.
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And this is how you Christians act.
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Imagine he turned away from the faith.
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Imagine he aborted his calling. What kind of disaster would that
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be? And I want to speak to those who
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might be suffering from what we call church hurt.
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I am not trying to minimize the pain that can be caused by
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Christians and even Christian leaders, but look at Paul as
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your example. He did not give up on Christ,
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nor did he give up on the Church of Christ simply because in a
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certain circumstance some of Christ's representatives did not
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reflect the nature of their Master.
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I want to look at this at a different angle.
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This also shows us how one single Christian can change the
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experience of a person like Paul who was hurt by the church.
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Look back here at our text. Notice what happens in verse 27.
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But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles.
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Why? Because Barnabas was able to see
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what most could not immediately perceive.
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And it's not that Barnabas was like some who are naturally
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optimistic, maybe dangerously optimistic, where they kind of
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dismiss all the red flags and say, well, it's OK, let's just
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give him a chance. Barnabas is working with
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evidence. Notice that he defends Paul.
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He goes, no, no, this is his testimony.
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He heard Christ. Look what he endured for Christ.
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And I think here that there is a principle that encourages are
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those who can recognize progress, they can identify
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growth, they can catch glimpses of God's grace at work in
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somebody's life, and they support it, they nurture it,
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they celebrate it, they give God glory for it, and they want to
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strengthen it. See, Barnabas is defending Paul
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here, and we understand that Paul was called by God, but from
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a human level, do you understand how significant this is that
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Paul's ministry would go to a brand new level because of
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Barnabas's encouragement? And I don't doubt for a moment
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that somebody's encouragement can can cause ministries to
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begin and ministries to remain and ministries to go on.
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If we don't believe that, then we're going to fall into great
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trust because Satan understands the power of discouragement.
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And I want to prove this to you further, how Barnabas was able
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to see what many others, even good Christian leaders, could
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not immediately register. I want you to see a phrase in
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Acts 11. Go to Acts 11 in verse 22.
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This is when a move of the Spirit was beginning in a place
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called Antioch. And in Antioch the report of
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conversions came to the leaders. And so who do they send,
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Barnabas? Who better to send than the Son
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of encouragement? And so read here.
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In Acts 1122, the report of this came to the ears of the church
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in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.
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When he came, here's the phrase, and saw the grace of God, he was
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glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord
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with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy
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Spirit and of faith, and a great many people were added to the
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Lord. Notice that again he saw the
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grace of God at work, and it made him glad, and it encouraged
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him to encourage the believers. Human nature is excellent at
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fault fighting even Christians. It doesn't take much skill or
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effort to point out the things that we don't like in others.
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And with that, many people don't hesitate to express their
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displeasure of people's shortcomings.
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But those who are ministers of encouragement, like Barnabas,
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they genuinely can perceive and identify God's grace at work.
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And that causes them to rejoice. And whatever snippets they do
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see in someone, they're magnetized towards it to build
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them up and for that to excel in their lives.
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And I sat back last night thinking to myself, I wonder
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what Barnabas would have said or acted like in different
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situations. And one that came to mind was
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what would Barnabas do if, let's say, a dejected soul who is
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struggling with their faith approach them?
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Well, I see something here. He was able to see the grace of
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God and things. And I can imagine Barnabas
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saying something along the lines of, brother, I know your
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skepticism frightens you, but I want you to be encouraged
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genuinely because you are clearly concerned about your
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walk with Christ. You're clearly disturbed by the
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fact that you might be hurting him and hurting your testimony
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because you're now kind of wrestling with these things.
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Is that not evidence that you are sincere?
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Is that not something that shows you that down deep inside you
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love the Lord and you can attest to the power of the Word of God?
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Use this as fuel in your life to investigate further and trust
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that God and His grace will bring you through and you'll be
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more confident and more strong in your faith than ever.
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Do you see that? He saw the grace of God, He was
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able to see the good, and he's able to offer encouragement from
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that place. Now, I'm not saying here that
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that means we can't ever rebuke anybody.
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We can't correct anybody. We can't take sin in people's
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lives seriously. I'm talking about Barnabas here.
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But there's somebody who's more encouraging than him, and that's
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Christ. And even at times with his own
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students, he rebuked them for their unbelief.
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Look, you've been in class here for almost three years and
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you're still not getting it. And that's just as much loving
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as what we see here with this man.
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What I am saying, though, is that it's not our disposition to
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encourage. And yet this man shows us that
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it's possible. May the Holy Spirit help us
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always be able to see the grace of God at work, even if others
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can't right away. Is there another way that we can
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grow as ministers of encouragement?
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Yes, and this is my final thought.
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You need to know the Word of God.
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Let's go to our final text, perhaps in Acts 14 and verse 20.
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At this point, Barnabas and Saul, who is now known as Paul,
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have been working together as a missionary team, and I want you
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to see what happens at this juncture.
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Acts 14, verse 20. But when the disciples gathered
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about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the
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next day he went on with Barnabas to Derby.
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When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made
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many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to
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Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging
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them to continue in the faith and saying that through many
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tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God.
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What was the substance of Barnabas encouragement?
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What, what was the fuel to his consolation?
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What did he use as material? Well, every time you see
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encouragement brought up in the Scriptures, the goal was always
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to strengthen people's faith for them to continue to believe
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Christ and serve Christ and honor the Christ.
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Now you can't do that unless you know God's Word, what He asks of
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us, what He promises us, how He has moved in the past, how He
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has not changed. Remember, we learned that
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Barnabas was full of the Holy Spirit.
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Then we read that in Acts 11. It's impossible to be, to be
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filled with the Holy Spirit and not be filled with God's Word.
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So this, this fellow leader and missionary partner was oozing
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the truths of God. And if anybody, and I've seen
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it, if anybody endeavors to be a minister of encouragement, void
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of the word of Christ, dwelling in them richly, they are just as
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helpful as and as insightful as a fortune cookie.
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Doesn't go anywhere, just general statements and maxim's.
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There's no weight to it. There's no power, there's no
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anchor. And so you see this throughout
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Scripture. I even remember what Paul said
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to the same group of believers that we addressed at the
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beginning of this message. The Thessalonians, he said
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before our main text of First Thessalonians 418, therefore
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encourage one another with these words.
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What words? His words.
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And Paul understood that he was led by the Spirit.
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He understood that he was inspired by the Spirit to
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provide divine revelation. So you Thessalonians, you need
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the words that I give to you that are ultimately the Word of
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God to be able to even know true and lasting encouragement.
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I was reminded of a pastor's testimony in this area.
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He was young in ministry. He was just starting out and at
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one point he received a phone call to his surprise of one of
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the members of his church who had an accident and was quickly
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dying. He had no time to go home.
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This was before iPhones and Bible apps.
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He didn't have the chance to go and grab his pocket Bible or his
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preaching Bible. He had to go to the hospital
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immediately. And when he entered into that
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room as a 30 something year old pastor, here is this member who
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is surrounded by loved ones and they are mourning and they are
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broken. And the scene was silent.
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The only noise that was there was just the sniffles of of
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those who were trying to process this.
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Finally, somebody looked over at the pastor and said, pastor,
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give us a word. You know, what most of us might
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do in that moment is OK, and there's nothing wrong with that.
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But he didn't have that tool at his disposal and he could not
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think of anything. No Scripture, no Psalm.
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He tried to reach back. Even for him, I believe nothing.
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So he prayed, just a broken prayer, weak, just so despondent
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by the fact that he was not prepared for this moment.
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And he walked out of that hospital vowing to himself, I
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will never let that happen again.
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And that began his quest of memorizing Scripture so that if
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he was put on the spot, he could give something to build the
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people up. And that was a challenge to me.
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What Psalms do I know? Not complete Psalms.
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Just maybe 2 verses, maybe even one verse that's at the tip of
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my tongue that if I get a phone call and I'm out somewhere, I
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can say let's pray and I can quote that Psalm.
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What promises do I know in God's word by heart that can help
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somebody who needs hope? Am I familiar enough with the
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testimonies of God's work and history, narratives and stories
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that I can relate to people's situations?
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If not, I have nothing to offer in terms of encouragement.
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I may have my personal experiences.
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That helps, but ultimately, as you know, this is where it comes
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from. Barnabas knew the word.
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And so for me, from time to time, though my memorization is
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not the greatest strength, I try to look for verses, not just for
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my own soul to quote in the midst of temptation or my own
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trials and battles, but to be able to share it to somebody
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else, deal with the offer to somebody else.
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Just wonderful promises that can cover so many things.
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Know the word well. I said this was the last text,
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but I think I can offer something else.
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I want us to look at something here in Acts 13 and verse one.
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This is when the Holy Spirit created a very important
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ministry in a very special setting.
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Look at this in Acts 13, one now they were in the church at
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Antioch, prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was also
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called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manny and a lifelong friend of
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Harry the Tetrarch and Saul. While they were worshipping the
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Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said set apart for me
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Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I've called them.
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Then, after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them
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and sent them off. Now, knowing what I know about
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Saul, who would become Paul in the same chapter, I can see why
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the Holy Spirit might have selected him, though
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undeservingly. He had a colossal intellect.
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He was very courageous. He worked so hard even as an
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unbeliever. His zeal is now transferred over
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to the truth, but it was almost just ingrained in him.
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But Barnabas, What did Barnabas have to offer in this?
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Exactly what we've been speaking about, encouragement.
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In the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, he selects Saul and he
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says, oh, this man is going to need some encouragement.
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Barnabas, go with him. If Paul needed it, what about
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you? If Paul needed it, what about
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me? There is no such thing as a
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Christian who can walk this life solo without being visited by
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the weight and the gravity of discouragement.
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So you might look at us, a Saul, a Paul, a mighty theologian, an
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apologist, an evangelist, A missionary, and we can praise
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that and give God glory to that. But the Holy Spirit also
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selected Barnabas because the minister of an encouragement is
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so needed. And if you have no motivation to
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see how beautiful and how much we should actually seek this,
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let me give you a final thought. Do you know that one of God's
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names, you can say one of God's titles more precisely is that
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according to Romans 15, five, he is known as the God of endurance
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and encouragement. God is a God of encouragement.
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I want to be like my God. Lord, we thank you for this
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short reminder of a profound truth.
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Help us each to live more wholeheartedly for Christ to
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give of ourselves in a way that would inspire onlookers and
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fellow believers. Help us be able to see the grace
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of God at work in the lives of others.
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And finally, may we invest in greater ways the Word of God in
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our hearts so that it can be ready on our lips to infuse
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another people, the truths that have carried us.
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May this church, like the Thessalonians, encourage and
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build one other up just as we are doing.
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May we never lose that momentum. By your grace, in Jesus name we
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pray. Amen.
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Amen. As a praise team comes, let's
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stand and give God glory for all that He's done on this Lord's
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Day service.