“The Great Encourager” (Acts 11:19-26)

 

*Christ at the Sea of Galilee by Jacopo Tintoretto (1570s)

Encouragement

Encouragement is empowering. This past Thursday was a sports day for the Han family. First, we all went up to Caribou to cheer for Grace at her cross-country meet. The weather was hot, and the course was challenging – especially the big hill at the end. As Grace was running up the hill, a Woodland runner passed her. All the GHCA team and families, and our family, cheered for Grace. Though she was passed, Grace came back strong and won her race. Then, we moved on to Washburn to cheer for Lydia’s and Abe’s soccer games. As I was watching the game, one of the parents said to me, “I’ve watched all of the boy’s games so far. Abe had been kind of timid and gentle. But today, he is aggressive and playing so well.” That’s the power of encouragement. In fact, encouragement is one of the spiritual gifts. Paul writes in Romans 12:8, “If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging” (NLT).

 

Son of Encouragement

Probably, Barnabas is the shining example of someone who used the gift of encouragement so well. His real name was Joseph, but the apostles nicknamed him “Barnabas” meaning, “Son of Encouragement” (Acts 4:36). He was known for comforting and helping others.

After Saul encountered the risen Christ and arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him. They didn’t believe he was really a disciple. But it was Barnabas who believed in him, advocated for him, and helped him to join the early Christian group. Saul passionately preached the good news, but wherever he went, he was not well received. Instead, people tried to kill him. So then, his friends took him to Caesarea and sent him to his hometown of Tarsus (9:30). Saul stayed there for about 10 years. They are often called Saul’s “silent years.”

It seemed he was forgotten, and his life was wasted. But then, some of the scattered Christians began to preach the good news in Antioch. Many people came to believe and turned to the Lord. The early church sent Barnabas to help this newborn church. Barnabas realized that the task was so big that he needed capable help. So he took a trip of about a hundred miles to recruit Saul (11:25–26). Saul was probably more talented and educated than Barnabas. By bringing Saul, he was seriously jeopardizing his own leadership position. Yet at the expense of his prominence, Barnabas encouraged Saul to use his gifts to build up the church. Over time, Barnabas’ presence decreased, and Saul’s influence increased.

 

The Great Encourager

Today’s scripture, the story of Barnabas, is not just a moral lesson or a role model. His story points to the perfect and greater Encourager, Christ Jesus. In 1570s, Jacopo Tintoretto painted his masterpiece, Christ at the Sea of Galilee.

Tintoretto captures the dramatic moment when the disciples are caught in a storm. The waves are crashing, the boat is tossed, and fear is overwhelming. Peter, by faith, steps out of the boat to walk toward Jesus. But then, he sees the wind and the waves, and his courage fails. He begins to sink.

This is the cry of Psalm 69:1: “Save me, O God, because the waters have come up to my neck!” Peter feels that desperation, drowning, helpless, lost. And yet, Jesus immediately reaches out, lifts him up, and brings him back to life. But here is the deeper truth: when Jesus stretched out his hand to Peter, it foreshadowed what he himself would later endure. Jesus would not just taste the spray of the storm. He would taste death itself. He went under the waves of judgment so that we might rise. He sank into the depths so that we might stand on solid ground.

Barnabas encouraged Saul by stepping aside so his gifts could shine. But Christ is the greater Barnabas, the greater Encourager, who goes even further. He takes our place in the storm, lifting us up when we are sinking at the cost of His own life. That’s why the gospel is about Christ – who he is and what he did.

 

O My Soul!

So how can we experience Christ, the Great Encourager, in our own lives? Psalm 42 and 43 give us the answer (Today’s Call to Worship). These psalms were written by the sons of Korah, the very descendants of a man who rebelled against Moses and was swallowed by the earth in God’s judgment (Numbers 26). Yet in mercy, God spared his children, restored them, and even raised them up to be worship leaders in Israel. Still, they carried the stigma from their past. People mocked them: “Where is your God?” Their souls were divided—hope pulling one way, despair pulling the other. And isn’t that our story too? Many of us know spiritual depression not just because of present troubles, but also because of guilt from the past—voices of shame, regret, or failure that haunt us.

What is the cure? The psalmist shows us: stop only listening to your soul; and instead, start speaking to it. Pray honestly, “Vindicate me, O God!” (cf. Psalm 43:1-4) Then preach courageously to your soul (v. 5), “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise him, my Savior and my God.” This is how we taste and see the goodness of Christ the Great Encourager—by lifting His Word, His Promise, to our own hearts until despair gives way to hope.

 

The Way Out

Let me close with a story from The Pilgrim’s Progress. Christian and his friend Hopeful were on their way to the Celestial City. The narrow road was hard, so they decided to take a parallel path—an easier way, with fewer hardships. But that shortcut led them into terrible danger. They met a storm, then they lost their way, and finally they were captured by Giant Despair and thrown into Doubting Castle. For three long days, they were locked away—hungry, thirsty, beaten without mercy. The giant whispered lies to them, urging them to give up, even to take their own lives. He showed them the bones and skulls of others who had done so.

But on Saturday night, while praying, Christian suddenly remembered something. He had forgotten the key in his pocket all along. The key’s name was Promise. With it, he unlocked the doors of Doubting Castle, and he and Hopeful were able to escape.

I don’t know about you, but for me, I often find myself in the prison of despair – weary, discouraged, ready to give up. But in Christ, we have a key in our pocket. It is God’s promises. When we believe and peach His Word to our own souls, the chains of despair are broken and hope rises again.

So let us preach to our souls, as the psalmist did: “Why are you downcast, O my soul? Why so disturbed within me? Put your hope in God, for I will yet praise Him, my Savior and my God.” (Psalm 43:5)