Then news of these things came to the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to go as far as Antioch. When he came and had seen the grace of God, he was glad, and encouraged them all that with purpose of heart they should continue with the Lord. For he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord. Then Barnabas departed for Tarsus to seek Saul. And when he had found him, he brought him to Antioch. So it was that for a whole year they assembled with the church and taught a great many people. And the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch (Acts 11:22-26 ).
The Scriptures reserve the “good man” for use only 10 times. Barnabas was given this description for good reason. He exemplified a man of God who was always encouraging brethren. He was a great source of encouragement to Paul and to the early church. Is it any wonder the brethren in Jerusalem chose Barnabas to go out and encourage all of those who were new in the faith?
The example of Christ-likeness in Antioch makes it easy to understand why the disciples were first called Christians in that city. The encouraging leaders they had were Paul and Barnabas. Let’s set our sights on being encouragers just like Barnabas so that we too can be worthy to wear the name Christian. Like Jerusalem, if we selected an encourager to send out to those in need, would it be me or someone else? It is not possible to have too many encouragers in the church, so let’s all start today by encouraging someone. I know you can do it.
For the elders, Gregg Woodall