Day 1094: Encouragement - Acts 9 vs 22 - 31

22-24 Saul increased all the more in strength, and confounded the Jews who lived in Damascus by proving that Jesus was the Christ. When many days had passed, the Jews plotted to kill him, but their plot became known to Saul. 25 They were watching the gates day and night in order to kill him, but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a basket.

26-28 And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who spoke to him, and how at Damascus he had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. So he went in and out among them at Jerusalem, preaching boldly in the name of the Lord.

29-30 And he spoke and disputed against the Hellenists. (Greek speaking Jews) But they were seeking to kill him. And when the brothers learned this, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him off to Tarsus. 31 So the church throughout all Judea and Galilee and Samaria had peace and was being built up. And walking in the fear of the Lord and in the comfort of the Holy Spirit, it multiplied. Acts 9:22-31 English Standard Version

Jesus had said that He would show Saul how much he must suffer as a disciple, and we see today how those sufferings started immediately. As he began proving to the Jews that Jesus was the Christ, so their animosity against him was increased. We see in vs 25 how he escaped their plots by being lowered with a basket. We see too how the Hellenist Jews wanted to kill him in Jerusalem, so his Christian brothers sent him away to Tarsus, the town he had come from. But it brought an end to the first wave of persecution of the Church. Verse 31 says that they now walked in 'the fear of the Lord', and 'the comfort of the Holy Spirit.' Two vital perspectives that made the early Church grow!

It is through fear of the Lord that we turn from sins that would grieve Him, and the fear of the Lord keeps us from taking God for granted. But mingled with that fear is the comfort the Holy Spirit brings to our hearts, and Jesus had promised to send the comforter to His disciples.

Which brings us to Barnabas. We first met him in Chapter 4, and read how “Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles' feet.” (Acts 4:36) Now we find him being the one to dispel the doubts and fears of the saints at Jerusalem concerning Saul. (vs 26-28)

We will read more of Barnabas as we go on through the book of Acts, but for now let's focus on the name he'd been given. Barnabas – which means 'son of encouragement'. What a ministry there is in such a person. We don't know if he had been in Damascus when Saul was converted, but what a key role he played. When Saul needed a friend who would introduce him to the believers in Jerusalem it was Barnabas who came to his side. He testified to how Saul had preached Jesus boldly to the Jews. And Barnabas won over the saints at Jerusalem.

It's interesting to note that the word for ‘encouragement’ and ‘comfort’ are the same in Greek. It's the word 'paraklesis'. I'm sure that the Holy Spirit exercises His ministry of encouragement and comfort through people. What a blessing it is to have someone come alongside us when we need it the most. Years later, Paul would write: “But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, and not only by his coming, but also by the comfort with which he was comforted by you, as he told us of your longing, your mourning, your zeal for me, so that I rejoiced still more.” (2Corinthians 7:6-7) May we be those who bring comfort and encouragement to those who most need it.