For those not familiar with an Anglican Service there are three Scripture readings prior to the Message. The appointed Scriptures for this day are: 1 Samuel 1:4-20; Hebrews 10:11-25, and Mark 13:1-8
A married couple .....was asleep in bed on a stormy night ......when they were awakened by a loud knock..... on the front door.
The man crawled out of bed ......and grumpily ....went downstairs.
When he opened the front door..... he found a man dripping wet..... and obviously very drunk..... who said to him;...... " Can you give me a push?"
To which the man of the house.... replied sharply; "NO!..... Go and sober up!"
He slammed the door..... and stormed upstairs.
When he got back into bed ...and explained what had happened.... his wife was indignant ......and said to him;
"That wasn't a very kind Christian response.......That man could be in trouble..... and you have just sent him out into the storm..... for the rest of the night!"
Reluctantly.... the man got out of bed a second time ..... put on his coat..... and went downstairs.
He was sure he wasn't going to get any peace..... until he did something..... for the man..... out in the rain.
When he got to the front door...... the rain was streaming down.... and he could not see..... the other man.
He could hear a faint noise..... out in the front yard ....so he called out;
"Hello? ...Are you still there? .....What can I do to help?"
To which the other man replied;...... "Could you give me a push?"
"I'd be happy to if I could see you,.... where are you?"
"I'm over here, ......... on your swing!" (Long Pause)
Sometimes life brings us events....where you just have shake your head......and smile.
Have you ever had the experience .....of being out of town .....and the car..... just will not start;..... the battery is dead?
Everything else in the car is fine ....but the "get-up-and-go" in the battery .....has "gone-up-and-went".
The short term solution..... is usually for another car .....to come alongside..... and you hook up a set of jumper cables ......from their strong battery...... to your weak one.
Drawing energy and power..... your car is able to start up again .....and function normally.
That action of lending energy..... to help get another going ....is the basic idea .....behind a key word .....in the New Testament
And that word is...... "Encourage". (Pause)
Now...There is a man in the New Testament .....who had a particular reputation..... for encouragement.
His parents named him Joseph .....but the leaders of the early church called him.... Barnabas, ....which literally meant...... "Son of encouragement".
Barnabas ....was a man who believed in..... the potential of people .....particularly those....... whom others .....were cautious .....or suspicious of.
Barnabas was willing to give.... a failure ......a second chance,
And because of his predisposition towards encouraging people ....the leaders of the early church ...gave him the nickname..... "Son of encouragement".
Beloved.....I believe you and I .....are called to be .....like Barnabas.
To be..... A Barnabas.... towards others ......allowing relationship .....to flourish.
Now,.... the root meaning of the word encourage ....simply means ......"To put courage into".
It means the imputing..... or infusion.... of power ..... advice ....or inspiration ......in order...... to allow another person...to be better.....to be recharged.
There are times ....for each of us..... when our battery .....runs down.
Encouragement .....means coming alongside .....and inputting courage .... perspective .....or attitudes .....that helps others... get up ...and get going again.
There are many Things in life.... that cause us to experience ....discouragement...... that is..... the draining of courage.
Sometimes it is a crisis,..... sometimes it is exhaustion .... sickness,..... Or ....the cutting words or actions .....of another.
To encourage ....is to do the .....direct opposite.
Where courage has faded away, ...Encouragement ....is the putting back ....or refilling ....of courage.
It represents the replacement.... of what has been taken .....or what has leaked.... out of us.
So how do we encourage?
What are some practical ways.... that we can be a Barnabas ....to the people God places .....in our lives?
Let me offer 2 specific suggestions .....from the life .....of Barnabas':
First....(1 Finger) ....Allow people to grow:
By that .....I mean .....believe that God is working in the lives ....of other people.
That they have the potential... to mature... and to grow....in Christ.
People change .......people are transformed ....as the Holy Spirit .....works in them.
A Barnabas encourager ....expects people to grow ....as God works ........in their lives.
There is an interesting illustration of this..... in the relationship ....that Barnabas had.... with the Apostle .....Paul.
Early on ......after Paul's conversion .....it was Barnabas .....who was willing ...to stand ...beside him.
The other Christians leaders ....continued to be suspicious of Paul.... but Barnabas took A risk .... ....Stood by Paul .....and brought Paul ....to meet the Apostles.
Later ....it was again Barnabas .....who went to Paul ....and launched him into pastoral ministry.... at the church ....in Antioch.
In his early days..... it was Barnabas who mentored Paul .... in the ways .....of Christian ministry.
Then Barnabas and Paul together .....launched out on an intenerate ministry ....as missionaries.
Once again the historical record is very much ...."Barnabas and Paul".
Barnabas was the leader..... and Paul..... was the apprentice.
In the historical culture of the day.... the leader of the team .....was always..... listed first.
However..... later on in the book of Acts .....we read about Paul and Barnabas..... rather than..... Barnabas and Paul.
At some point in their journeys.... Paul assumed ....the more prominent........ leadership role.
The implication is ....that Barnabas..... switched being the mentor or coach to Paul .....and became ....his associate.
God used the compassionate heart of Barnabas.... to help Paul ...become grounded in the church ....and thus, ....in the faith.
Beloved.....First (1 Finger) allow people to grow .....and Secondly (2 Fingers) ......Be committed... to a Christian community
What do I mean?
According to the New Testament Scriptures .... to have an encouragement mind set ..... means having a high value ....on belonging....... to the community of faith.
As a Christian ....we are called ....to belong to..... a fellowship ....of other believers.
The coming together.... with fellow Christians..... is expressly stated in the Scriptures..... as an act of ......mutual encouragement.
We do not know for certain.... who wrote the New Testament book.... of Hebrews.
For .....There are not many clues..... in the original manuscript.
However many scholars attribute Hebrews..... to the authorship....... of Barnabas.
In Chapter 10:24,25 we read these words: BIBLE "And let us consider ....how we may spur one another on ....toward love and good deeds..... Let us not give up meeting together, ....as some are in the habit of doing, .....but let us encourage one another and all the more.... as you see the Day ....approaching." END
"But let us .....encourage one another"
And One of the ways .....we encourage each other in the Christian faith .....is to gather together .....with fellow believers.
To stay apart ....or to not relate .....with fellow Christians .....has the opposite effect.... of encouragement.
It leads to ......discouragement.
Proverbs 17:17 states...... As iron sharpens iron, .... so one person .....sharpens another.
Coming together ....with fellow Christians ....and being part of Christian community.... encourages fellow believers ....in their walk ....with the Lord.
Like two burning hot coals within a fireplace.... each gives off heat .....and each receives heat ....from the other.
Separate the two coals ....and they will both go out .....very quickly.
Our text from Hebrews 10:25 suggests that there is another reason..... for being in community .....with other Christians.
Beloved...... Being in Community.... is not only about what you receive out of this fellowship, ....but more importantly.... what you are able to give..... to others.
To put that more strongly, .... having a low view of community and gathering for corporate worship ...is not just about you missing out;
It is also about you ......robbing others .....of what you are capable of inputting ........ into them.
When we worship together, ...when pray together, .... when we play together ....we observe ....a connection ....with Jesus.
When we experience that ....we are stirred .....and motivated ....in our relationship ....with God.
If you stay away .......others miss out, ....and in turn.... if others stay away...... we are robbed.
If we are serious about behaving..... in the Barnabas manner .....then one of the best places to start .....is adopting ....a high value .....of Christian community.
Being Christian..... is about belonging to a community of faith ........a community....that encourages.... one another.
The Scriptures tell us to love one another deeply, .....to confess our sins to one another .....and to pray for one another..... so that ..... we may be .....healed.
We are told ....not to grumble against each other, ....not to lie to each other,.... nor to provoke and envy .....each other.
Beloved.....We are to build each other up.... To encourage one another.
Paul prayed that the Lord would make our love increase..... and overflow..... to others.
Paul tells the Colossians ....to bear up each other .....and forgive whatever grievances .....they may have against ....one another.
The apostle John in his short epistle tells us 5 times ....in 5 verses ......." To love one another."
William Arthur Ward ....one of America's most quoted writers..... of inspirational maxims put it this way:
"Flatter me, ......and I may not believe you.
Criticize me, ......and I may not like you.
Ignore me, ........and I may not forgive you.
Encourage me,.. and I will not forget you."
Our words .....are one of the most powerful weapons ....that we have.
With just a few words .....we can tear down and hurt deeply.
And with just a few words .....we can brighten someone's spirits greatly .....and encourage them.
Clearly, ....God calls us..... to be like Barnabas:
(1 Finger) to believe the best in each other,
and (2 Fingers) to encourage each other ....to be transformed ......into the image of Christ.
Be men and women of the Cross.
Be a Barnabas
Beloved.....Be a light .....of Encouragement.
Amen and Amen!
---Another potential Illustration below---
This Message is based on a Sermon by Pat Cook titled " Being a child of encouragement " and I commend it to you.
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"Another Illustration:"
Robert Schuller tells a story about a banker who always tossed a coin in the cup of a legless beggar who sat on the street outside the bank. But, unlike most people, the banker would always insist on getting one of the pencils the man had beside him. "You are a merchant," the banker would say, "and I always expect to receive good value from merchants I do business with." One day the legless man was not on the sidewalk. Time passed and the banker forgot about him, until he walked into a public building and there in the concessions stand sat the former beggar. He was obviously the owner of his own small business now. "I have always hoped you might come by someday," the man said. "You are largely responsible for me being here. You kept telling me that I was a 'merchant'. I started thinking of myself that way, instead of a beggar receiving gifts. I started selling pencils -- lots of them. You gave me self-respect, caused me to look at myself differently." That reminds us of the scripture: Hebrews 10:24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
