Read Acts 11: 25-26 “Then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul, and when he found him, he brought him to Antioch. So, for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people.”
Today, as we dive deeper into discovering who Barnabas is and what lessons we can learn from his life, let’s take a moment to notice his friendship with Saul. Saul is also known as Paul. Paul had a reputation for his intense persecution of Christians. He was once an enemy to the Christians, but became a truly vibrant believer in Jesus. Barnabas was willing to risk his life to meet with Paul and convince others of his heartfelt transition to being an ally and not an enemy. Barnabas was drawn to people he could encourage and he was a great help to those around him because of his gifts of encouragement. Paul went on to do great things for the Lord. In these verses, we see that Barnabus went out of his way looking for Paul. When he found him, he then brought Paul to a different city and stayed with him for a year! I believe Barnabus knew that Paul needed him. Paul needed someone to keep him focused on who he was becoming and not who he once was. Paul needed Barnabus to help others to truly welcome him and listen to his message. We can only wonder what might have happened to Paul without Barnabas.
Is there someone in your life who offered you hope and encouragement through a difficult time? Or is there someone who might need a bit of encouragement to keep staying strong in their faith and who needs someone to walk alongside them? Our patient encouragement can provide the strength and guidance that someone may need today. We can all seek ways to be a bit like Barnabas. Encouragement can have a powerful impact on the Kingdom of God.
