Acts: The Mission in Motherhoodنموونە

Encouragement

One of my favorite things my parents did for me growing up was to encourage me to cultivate the desires and giftings God had given me. They didn’t project their own agenda onto my life, but rather sought to observe where God was uniquely leading my life. As a kid, this was mostly music and songwriting. I would write songs about God and what I was learning in my relationship with Him. I remember my parents delightedly listening to and praising every song, even the ones I now cringe to think back on…

As parents, we get the unique opportunity to observe up close the unfolding of our kids' lives and to spur them on in the areas we see God at work. This act of encouragement is something inspired and empowered by the Holy Spirit within us, as we see in Acts.

Acts 11 tells us about a man named Barnabus, a Christian in the first century church who is described as “full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” (Acts 11:24). In this passage, we see that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit leads Barnabus to see and encourage God’s work in other people’s lives.

Barnabus encouraged a group of new believers to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose. The same Spirit that was inside of Barnabus is inside of us, equipping us to shine as witnesses for Christ and His love in the way we encourage others. In looking at Barnabus’ story, I want us to notice three things about his encouragement and then explore how we might develop these aspects in our own relationships.

First, godly encouragement is full of humility. Barnabus was a Jew who had put his faith in Christ, and this is an important fact because the Jewish people were the ones God had originally chosen as His people and to whom Christ and the apostles ministered to first. Right before this passage in Acts 11, we see God making it clear that He wants the Gospel message to go out to all people, both Jew and Gentile. And yet, many believing Jews remained stuck in their old ways and struggled to incorporate non-Jews into the church.

When Barnabus, however, gets word that Christians in Antioch were sharing Jesus with non-Jews and Jews alike, Acts tells us that he was glad! Barnabus yielded to the work of the Holy Spirit which led him to embrace others, and we too are called to surrender to the Spirit and reach out to those who are different from us, or maybe not in the same place as us. While it can be easy to love our kids in all their differences, the Spirit leads us not to withdraw in pride but to accept in Christ all who we encounter in our neighborhood parks, our social groups, or our workplaces. Godly encouragement is full of humility, as we do not consider ourselves better or more important than anyone else.

Second, godly encouragement looks for grace in the midst of imperfection. As Acts 11:23 says, Barnabus “saw the grace of God” in the lives of the Christians he came to encourage. I’m sure there were many issues in this young church, and yet, Barnabus looks for evidence of God’s work to dwell upon and praises it instead of focusing on the negatives.

In the lives of our kids, our spouse, our friends, what would it look like for us to train our eyes not to get stuck on the problem areas, but rather to look for God’s grace at work and to direct our encouragement here? To encourage our kids in the moments they’re playing well together. To encourage our spouse in the way he balances all his responsibilities. To encourage a friend in the way she’s seeking God and depending on him.

Third, godly encouragement exhorts continued faithfulness to God. Barnabus tells the Christians to “remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose.” At the heart of his encouragement is a reminder to keep one’s heart in the right place: devoted to God for the long run.

The key here is not to try to be like Barnabus in our own strength, but to remember what Barnabus was filled with the Holy Spirit and faith.

Our faith - believing and trusting in Jesus’ grace - solidifies our identity as one undeserving but brought in by God’s kindness. Therefore, we are humbled and accepting before others.

Our faith assures us of God’s mercy shown to us again and again in our own sin. Therefore, we are able to focus, not on the imperfections, but on God’s mercy in the lives of others.

Our faith asserts that without Christ, we can do nothing. Therefore, the heart of our encouragement is continued faithfulness to God.

God, would You empower us through Your Spirit to be vessels of godly encouragement to those around us today?