Acts 4:36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,
Acts 4:37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles feet.
His name was Joses = Exalted Which is a derivative or variation of the name Joseph = Let him add (The apostles named him Barnabas = The son of consolation,) = (Let him add Courage) (Consolation)
Consolation speaks of comfort, encouragement, exhortation, lifting up, cheering.
One of the greatest needs in the body of Christ is the ministry of encouragement
life itself has a way of draining you, and sapping you of cheer and joy,-thats before we even talk about the spiritual element of our warfare with the devil.
All around us there are people who are hurting, people who are defeated, discouraged, depressed, there are people close to you who feel hopeless, and alone, circumstances have beat them down, many of them may be on the verge of giving up.
They need a lift
Ask your neighbor: Can I get a lift?
I am thankful for the calling that God has placed on my life, but more important than the title of Pastor or Prophet or Apostle or Evangelist is the ministry of lifting people.
People don’t care what your title or position is, what people want to know is: Do you care enough to take a little time and bend down and give them a lift.
At one time or another every one needs encouragement, kings and queens, governors and presidents, Pastors, Sunday school teachers, Even apostles and prophets, need encouragement from time to time.
You may never be an Apostle, you may never go to a third world country and preach the gospel, you may never stand in the office of the prophet or pastor or evangelist, but you can be a people lifter.
Ecc 4:9-10 Two are better than one; because they have a good reward for their labour.
10 For if they fall, the one will lift up his fellow: but woe to him that is alone when he falleth; for he hath not another to help him up.
I came to this house tonight, to lift you up, to tell you ( You can make it, to tell you You can do it, to tell you never give up, don’t quit, keep on believing, keep on confessing, keep on praying, keep on praising, ( I came to tell you that your best days are ahead, ) God is not a man that he should lie or the son of man that he should repent, if he said it he’s gonna do it and if he spoke it he’s gonna make it good.
I came to lift your head up, to change your perspective:
Ps 121:1 David said. I will lift up mine eyes unto the hills, from whence cometh my help.
Tell your your neighbor: Things are looking up
Heb 12:12 Heb 12:12 Wherefore lift up the hands which hang down, and the feeble knees;
Lift up the hands which hang down. As if from weariness and exhaustion. The hands fall by the side when we are exhausted with toil, or worn down by disease.
And the feeble knees. The knees also become enfeebled by long effort, and tremble as if their strength were gone. Courage and resolution may do much, however, to make them firm, and it is to this that the apostle exhorts those to whom he wrote. The hope of victory will do much to strengthen one almost exhausted in battle; the desire to reach home invigorates the frame of the weary traveller. So it is with the Christian. In persecution and sickness and bereavement, he may be ready to sink under his burdens. The hands fall, and the knees tremble, and the heart sinks within us. But confidence in God, and the hope of heaven, and the assurance that all this is for our good, will reinvigorate the enfeebled frame, and enable us to bear what we once supposed would crush us to the dust. A courageous mind braces a feeble body, and hope makes it fresh for new conflicts.
The Word Feeble in this Context of usage means:
AV-sick of the palsy 2, taken with palsy
3) to loosen, dissolve
5) suffering from the relaxing of the nerves, unstrung, weak of limb
6) tottering, weakened, feeble knees (Paralyzed)
This is what the devil tries to do to people is to Paralyze them, to fill them with fear and dread, and anxiety, to rob them of any hope for a brighter future, to drain them of the courage and the faith to stand and fight.
Our Ministry as The true anointed Sons and Daughters of God is to destroy the spirit of paralysis and break the spirit of fear and the attitude of despondancy and to infuse faith and courage back into the Spirit.
The ministry of encouragement is a lifting ministry.
Jn 15:1-5 Jesus mentions 3 different conditions of branches
#1 The branch in him that beareth not fruit.
#2 The branch that beareth fruit
#3 The branch that abideth not in him.
There are 3 different responses to these 3 different conditions.
#3=Abideth not in him, (he is cast forth as a branch, withered, men gather them, cast them into the fire and they are burned.
#2=Beareth fruit (Purgeth, pruneth, that it may bring forth more fruit).
#1=In him but beareth not fruit (Taketh away).
This is where we see The ministry of lifting up. (Encouragement)
Taketh away does not mean, get rid of, destroy, cast aside, --It means (Lift up, to raise upwards, to elevate,
1 Samuel 30:6 And David was greatly distressed; for the people spake of stoning him, because the soul of all the people was grieved, every man for his sons and for his daughters: but David encouraged himself in the LORD his God.
It is true that every one needs to know how to encourage themselves, but it is also true that we need to know how to encourage each other.
The ministry of encouragement is a ministry we are all called to.
The ministry of encouragement is something that will never expire.
Read.
Isa 35:3-7 3 Strengthen ye the weak hands, and confirm the feeble knees.
Notice it's encouragement and then healing, deliverance, spiritual renewal.
There was this outstanding characteristic in barnabas life that caused the apostles to think of him as the encourager In so much that they surnamed him or nick named him (son of consolation).
Remember his name (Joses)= exalted. A derivative of Joseph= Let him add.
Well that is the requirements of an encourager
1 Now Peter and John went up together into the temple at the hour of prayer, being the ninth hour.
2 And a certain man lame from his mother’s womb was carried, whom they laid daily at the gate of the temple which is called Beautiful, to ask alms of them that entered into the temple;
3 Who seeing Peter and John about to go into the temple asked an alms.
4 And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us.
5 And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them.
6 Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.
7 And he took him by the right hand, and lifted him up: and immediately his feet and ankle bones received strength.
8 And he leaping up stood, and walked, and entered with them into the temple, walking, and leaping, and praising God.
9 And all the people saw him walking and praising God:
10 And they knew that it was he which sat for alms at the Beautiful gate of the temple: and they were filled with wonder and amazement at that which had happened unto him.
This mans life was changed immediately because somebody gave him a lift:
The lame man looked at peter and john expected to receive something from them.
They had something to give him,
Tell your neighbor: look over here, I’ve got something.
I’ve got an anointing that will change your life, I’ve got some fire, I’ve got some peace and some joy.
#1 You have to have been lifted =(exalted) before you can exalt somebody else
2 Co 2:2-4
2 Grace be to you and peace from God our Father, and from the Lord Jesus Christ.
3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
#2 You have to have received something before you can give it.
Freely you have received, freely give.
Peter and John said to the lame man (Such as I have give I thee), In the name of Jesus Christ........
Galatians 6:2 Bear ye one anothers burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
The ministry of encouragement is a round the clock job
When you truly have the spirit of encouragement in your life, you do not wait for people to get down, before you speak uplifting words,
If we had more encouragers on the Job we would have a lot less despondent, discouraged, stressed out, depressed, oppressed, people in the church and in the world.
Proverbs 12:25 Heaviness in the heart of man maketh it stoop: but a good word maketh it glad.
Proverbs 16:24 Pleasant words are as an honeycomb, sweet to the soul, and health to the bones.
Proverbs 11:11 By the blessing of the upright the city is exalted: but it is overthrown by the mouth of the wicked.
Proverbs 10:11 The mouth of a righteous man is a well of life: but violence covereth the mouth of the wicked.
Isaiah 50:4 The Lord GOD hath given me the tongue of the learned, that I should know how to speak a word in season to him that is weary: he wakeneth morning by morning, he wakeneth mine ear to hear as the learned.
