August 14th - Acts 11:22-23

Acts 11:22-23 News of this reached the church in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. When the church leaders in Jerusalem heard about the rapid growth of the church in Antioch, they had lots of questions. Because the church in Jerusalem was strongly Jewish in character, there were some who were deeply suspicious of what was going on in Antioch. Their concern was that the followers of Jesus should follow the Old Testament law. They needed to send someone who would be able to understand the non-Jewish background of most of the new converts in Antioch and who could give them plenty of encouragement. They made a very good choice when they selected Barnabas. Barnabas was well known for his gift of encouragement. When we first meet Barnabas in Acts 4:36-37, Luke notes that his name means “son of encouragement”. That particular gift was crucial at this moment. If one of the other leaders from Jerusalem had visited Antioch and demanded that they should all follow the Jewish law, it could have been incredibly destructive. When Barnabas got to Antioch, all he could do was rejoice! In his joy, he encouraged the church to keep it up and to stay true to the Lord. Making good appointments was crucial in the early Church, and it still is today. We need to pray that God will raise up an army of wise and godly encouragers. Question Who has been the greatest encourager in your Christian life? Prayer Loving God, thank you for all those to whom You have given the special gift of encouragement. Amen