| “CHEERLEADERS OF THE FAITH” Second in a series on Spiritual Gifts Acts 9:19b-31; I Thessalonians 2:17—3:10 Olivet Covenant Presbyterian Church, Philadelphia, PA © Rev. Linda Jaymes, 6/13/10 |
During the month of June we are looking at some spiritual gifts that aren’t necessarily dramatic or obvious but nevertheless
just as important as gifts like healing. Last week we focused on hospitality and today we’ll be thinking about the gift of
encouragement. But before we begin I want to mention a couple of general principles that we should keep in mind as we think
about spiritual gifts. The first is to remember that we are talking about gifts. That means that we are not the source of these
gifts—God is. And just like salvation, we don’t earn them or deserve them, but through the Holy Spirit, God freely gives us
these gifts to be used to build up the Church.
The second principle to remember is that scripture tells us to desire and even ask for spiritual gifts. So if at this moment it
appears that we do not have a specific gift, it doesn’t mean we will never have it. We can pray for it. When we are committed
to doing the will of God and determined to serve Him in whatever way He calls us, we should ask Him to give us the spiritual
gifts we need for that specific work. The Bible shows us that many people who were called by God to do some very
remarkable things didn’t have the resources or gifts needed when God first called them. In fact, God didn’t call them because
they already had certain gifts. He usually called them because they didn’t, which made it very clear that it was God working
through that person, not the person’s own talents. So if you’ve spent most of your life thinking that you can’t serve God
because you don’t have the gifts it takes, think again. God can give you everything necessary to accomplish his will.
The last general principle to remember about spiritual gifts is that even though there are some gifts we may never have, I
think there are some qualities of specific gifts, like encouragement, that we can and should cultivate. Even if God hasn’t gifted
us with the passion and calling of pouring ourselves out in the work of encouraging others, all of us can become more aware
of the role of encouragement in matters of faith and life, and we can try to develop an encouraging attitude and lifestyle as part
of our growth in Christ. Just as I pointed out last week in terms of the gift of hospitality, encouragement should be part of the
fruit of the Spirit that everyone is called to demonstrate, even if that is not our particular gift.
In today’s first lesson from the book of Acts we heard what happened to Saul, the “Pharisee of Pharisees” and persecutor
of Christians, who had been blinded by God enroute to Damascus. That certainly got Saul’s attention and in short order he was
converted to Christ, baptized, and healed of his blindness. The story picks up as he began to preach in Damascus, much to the
amazement of the disciples there. The Jews were very upset that he had switched sides—no longer persecuting Christians but
becoming one of them—and so they conspired to kill him. But Saul learned of their plot and his followers were able to sneak
him out of the city by night, enabling Saul to flee to Jerusalem. The only trouble was that when he arrived in Jerusalem, the
Christians there didn’t believe or trust him either. Think about it. It’s very hard for us to believe that people can change,
whether they are politicians, addicts, racists…you name it. So Saul, or Paul as we know him better, was in a real bind. He
would have been up the proverbial creek without a paddle, but for a guy named Joseph, who was a Levite from the island of
Cyprus.
Now in case you’ve never heard of this Joseph and you’re wondering what Bible I’m reading, I’m talking about Barnabas.
But his real name was Joseph. Barnabas was only a nickname. Previously in Acts (chapter 4) we are told that “Joseph, a
Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”), sold a field he owned and
brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.” Apparently everyone called him Barnabas because he was such an
encouragement to his faith community.
If it weren’t for Barnabas, it’s hard to say for sure where the gospel or the church might be today. It was Barnabas who
befriended and encouraged Paul and brought him to the disciples and spoke on his behalf. He told them about Paul’s conversion
experience and how he had preached fearlessly in Damascus in the name of Jesus. At a time when Paul’s future was looking
bleak, Barnabas took Paul under his wing and became Paul’s most avid cheerleader. Because of Barnabas, the Christian
community finally accepted Paul and he was able to move about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly about Jesus Christ.
Eventually Paul traveled all over the world of his day, sharing the Gospel and planting the churches we read about in the New
Testament.
Clearly, Barnabas had the gift of encouragement. In fact, his whole life and being embodied it. It seemed to be his
calling. Luke, the writer of Acts, sums up his character by saying, “He was a good man… full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.”
As you read about the travels of Barnabas in Acts, it seems more than coincidence that wherever he went, the next thing that
happens in the scripture record is that “many people were added to the Lord.” I think that’s no coincidence because in the
Bible, a person’s name reveals his or her actual character, and Joseph means “one who adds.” So if we translate both of the
names of this man whom we now call Barnabas, we come up with not only “son of encouragement,” but “one who adds”—
and it is amazing just how well those names describe the person he was.
So through Barnabas, the church was not only encouraged, but numbers were added to the church wherever he went. He
and his gift of encouragement were a wonderful resource to the early Church, and every church needs a Barnabas or two (or
more!) to encourage the leaders and help “add” more people to the Lord. And by the way, it seems that the founder of Olivet,
Jeremiah Chambers Chance, must have been something of a “Barnabas” himself. Out in the hallway is a large bronze plaque
dedicated to his memory, and at the bottom is printed the same phrase that is used to describe the Barnabas in the Bible: He was
a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.” (Acts 11:24)
We can even take this name analysis a step further, and translate Barnabas into Greek. Then, we get the word “paraclete,”
which is the word used in scripture to name and describe the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. This Paraclete does for us
today the same kinds of things that Jesus did for the disciples when He walked the earth. This Paraclete is the one who comes
alongside, and by his presence He is our comforter, counselor, helper, advocate, strengthener, supporter, and encourager. So
perhaps we could say that those who have the gift of encouragement are the sons and daughters of the One who is
encouragement. Filled with this gift of the Spirit, they do many of the same things the Spirit does. Like Barnabas, they put
flesh on the work the Spirit is doing in and through all of us, and they minister in a wonderful way as cheerleaders for us, as we
try to follow Jesus in our lifelong journey of faith.
From what we know about Barnabas, we never get the sense that he possessed a brilliant intellect or eloquent speech or
amazing powers of reasoning. What we do know is that he first came to the attention of the disciples when he sold all his land
and handed over the full sum to the apostles for the work of the gospel. Evidently he had the gift of giving along with the gift
of encouragement. In fact, giving is part of encouragement. People with the gift of encouragement are usually large-hearted,
selfless people, whose joy comes in saying or doing whatever it takes to help others succeed, sometimes even at great cost and
detriment to themselves. Barnabas was this kind of person. He gave himself sacrificially for the good of the church, and
worked with his own hands to support himself on his missionary journeys.
I think you know people with this very special gift. They are the ones that seem to know exactly what to say and when to
say it. When we are at our worst, or struggling with the various trials which life often brings, these encouragers come
alongside us, just like the Spirit, and remind us of how precious we are to God and to each other. Just when we wonder if
what we’re doing matters, they tell us we’re doing a great job, or remind us that they have grown in their faith because of us.
These cheerleaders see all kinds of possibilities and potential in us, and they urge us not to give up but to keep going and finish
our race of faith. Many times they are the ones who keep us going, though they’re usually in the background and get very little
credit for the work they do.
To their credit, people with this gift don’t seem to need a lot of fanfare. Barnabas must have realized that Paul’s gifts
would be more effective than his own in spreading the gospel, even though Barnabas was a Christian before Paul came to
believe in Christ, and Barnabas may even have been among Jesus’ original followers. But none of those details mattered to
Barnabas because he had his own special work of encouragement to carry out. He didn’t mind being second “banana,” when
the important thing was to use his gift with all his heart, and in so doing, facilitate the work of others such as Paul.
And after hanging around Barnabas for quite some time, guess who became quite a cheerleader himself? That’s right: the
Apostle Paul. His letter to the Thessalonians is full of his love and thanksgiving for this particular church which had become an
encouragement to him because of their strong faith. And so he wanted to encourage them in return. Actually, he had already
done that when he first brought the gospel to them in person, and he longed to go back and encourage them again, but riots and
opposition prevented him from returning. So instead, he encouraged them with his letters and by sending the young pastor,
Timothy, to strengthen and build them up in the faith and bring back a report. By this time, Paul was also becoming a Barnabas
to Timothy, and we have Paul’s letters to him, too, showing us how the gift of encouragement was growing and blossoming in
Paul.
Many times, the gift of encouragement grows in us because we recognize and appreciate the many times others have used
that same gift on us. When we receive the encouragement of the cheerleaders in our midst, it often makes us want to be more
like them. Encouragement is not only an important gift but a powerful one, and when we share it we can actually be used by
the Spirit to change lives for the better. In contrast, perhaps one of the saddest things is to see what happens when someone
doesn’t have a Barnabas to encourage them in the most difficult trials of life.
For example, there is a true story about a new and nervous altar boy serving in a small, country church who dropped the
flask of wine while trying to help the priest during mass. The angry priest slapped him in the face and shouted, “Get out of
here and don’t ever come back.” Without a Barnabas in his life, he never did, but went on to become Marshall Tito, the
communist leader of Yugoslavia. In contrast is a similar true story about a young altar boy in a city church in another land,
who also, accidentally, dropped the wine during mass. His Bishop, however, turned to him and with a twinkle in his eye, gently
whispered, “Some day you’ll grow up to be a priest.” That youngster eventually became Archbishop Fulton Sheen. It’s
amazing to realize the power that a simple word of encouragement can have in another life…and it’s chilling to think of what
can happen when words of discouragement are used instead. No wonder scripture speaks so often of the need for us to
encourage each other in the church. Thank God! that in every church God has called some people to be cheerleaders. As they
use their special gift, others gain the strength and courage to use their gifts, and the work of the gospel can go forward.
Do you think you might be one of these cheerleaders? Would you like to be? Why don’t you think about asking God to
give you this wonderful gift? We need plenty of cheerleaders around here to help get the work done and to be the best church
we can be. I can testify to the fact that it is often the encouragement of God’s cheerleading squad that gets us through the
trials of life. Those people who are Barnabas for us remind us that the Holy Spirit of Jesus is with us, working through the
words and presence of these cheerleaders of the faith. They help make God real for us, and by their presence and their
encouragement they remind us of the reason we are a church. That reason is Jesus Christ. He is our hope and our salvation;
He has redeemed us and called us here and has given us all kinds of gifts to be used to build up and strengthen this part of his
body. When we yield to his Spirit and let Him shape us into the Pauls and Barnabases and Priscillas and Marys that He needs,
we too will discover, just like Paul and Barnabas did, that the deepest joy in life comes in using our gifts for Him. And if that
isn’t reason for encouragement, I don’t know what is.
Let us pray.
just as important as gifts like healing. Last week we focused on hospitality and today we’ll be thinking about the gift of
encouragement. But before we begin I want to mention a couple of general principles that we should keep in mind as we think
about spiritual gifts. The first is to remember that we are talking about gifts. That means that we are not the source of these
gifts—God is. And just like salvation, we don’t earn them or deserve them, but through the Holy Spirit, God freely gives us
these gifts to be used to build up the Church.
The second principle to remember is that scripture tells us to desire and even ask for spiritual gifts. So if at this moment it
appears that we do not have a specific gift, it doesn’t mean we will never have it. We can pray for it. When we are committed
to doing the will of God and determined to serve Him in whatever way He calls us, we should ask Him to give us the spiritual
gifts we need for that specific work. The Bible shows us that many people who were called by God to do some very
remarkable things didn’t have the resources or gifts needed when God first called them. In fact, God didn’t call them because
they already had certain gifts. He usually called them because they didn’t, which made it very clear that it was God working
through that person, not the person’s own talents. So if you’ve spent most of your life thinking that you can’t serve God
because you don’t have the gifts it takes, think again. God can give you everything necessary to accomplish his will.
The last general principle to remember about spiritual gifts is that even though there are some gifts we may never have, I
think there are some qualities of specific gifts, like encouragement, that we can and should cultivate. Even if God hasn’t gifted
us with the passion and calling of pouring ourselves out in the work of encouraging others, all of us can become more aware
of the role of encouragement in matters of faith and life, and we can try to develop an encouraging attitude and lifestyle as part
of our growth in Christ. Just as I pointed out last week in terms of the gift of hospitality, encouragement should be part of the
fruit of the Spirit that everyone is called to demonstrate, even if that is not our particular gift.
In today’s first lesson from the book of Acts we heard what happened to Saul, the “Pharisee of Pharisees” and persecutor
of Christians, who had been blinded by God enroute to Damascus. That certainly got Saul’s attention and in short order he was
converted to Christ, baptized, and healed of his blindness. The story picks up as he began to preach in Damascus, much to the
amazement of the disciples there. The Jews were very upset that he had switched sides—no longer persecuting Christians but
becoming one of them—and so they conspired to kill him. But Saul learned of their plot and his followers were able to sneak
him out of the city by night, enabling Saul to flee to Jerusalem. The only trouble was that when he arrived in Jerusalem, the
Christians there didn’t believe or trust him either. Think about it. It’s very hard for us to believe that people can change,
whether they are politicians, addicts, racists…you name it. So Saul, or Paul as we know him better, was in a real bind. He
would have been up the proverbial creek without a paddle, but for a guy named Joseph, who was a Levite from the island of
Cyprus.
Now in case you’ve never heard of this Joseph and you’re wondering what Bible I’m reading, I’m talking about Barnabas.
But his real name was Joseph. Barnabas was only a nickname. Previously in Acts (chapter 4) we are told that “Joseph, a
Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”), sold a field he owned and
brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.” Apparently everyone called him Barnabas because he was such an
encouragement to his faith community.
If it weren’t for Barnabas, it’s hard to say for sure where the gospel or the church might be today. It was Barnabas who
befriended and encouraged Paul and brought him to the disciples and spoke on his behalf. He told them about Paul’s conversion
experience and how he had preached fearlessly in Damascus in the name of Jesus. At a time when Paul’s future was looking
bleak, Barnabas took Paul under his wing and became Paul’s most avid cheerleader. Because of Barnabas, the Christian
community finally accepted Paul and he was able to move about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly about Jesus Christ.
Eventually Paul traveled all over the world of his day, sharing the Gospel and planting the churches we read about in the New
Testament.
Clearly, Barnabas had the gift of encouragement. In fact, his whole life and being embodied it. It seemed to be his
calling. Luke, the writer of Acts, sums up his character by saying, “He was a good man… full of the Holy Spirit and of faith.”
As you read about the travels of Barnabas in Acts, it seems more than coincidence that wherever he went, the next thing that
happens in the scripture record is that “many people were added to the Lord.” I think that’s no coincidence because in the
Bible, a person’s name reveals his or her actual character, and Joseph means “one who adds.” So if we translate both of the
names of this man whom we now call Barnabas, we come up with not only “son of encouragement,” but “one who adds”—
and it is amazing just how well those names describe the person he was.
So through Barnabas, the church was not only encouraged, but numbers were added to the church wherever he went. He
and his gift of encouragement were a wonderful resource to the early Church, and every church needs a Barnabas or two (or
more!) to encourage the leaders and help “add” more people to the Lord. And by the way, it seems that the founder of Olivet,
Jeremiah Chambers Chance, must have been something of a “Barnabas” himself. Out in the hallway is a large bronze plaque
dedicated to his memory, and at the bottom is printed the same phrase that is used to describe the Barnabas in the Bible: He was
a good man, full of the Holy Ghost and of faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord.” (Acts 11:24)
We can even take this name analysis a step further, and translate Barnabas into Greek. Then, we get the word “paraclete,”
which is the word used in scripture to name and describe the Person and work of the Holy Spirit. This Paraclete does for us
today the same kinds of things that Jesus did for the disciples when He walked the earth. This Paraclete is the one who comes
alongside, and by his presence He is our comforter, counselor, helper, advocate, strengthener, supporter, and encourager. So
perhaps we could say that those who have the gift of encouragement are the sons and daughters of the One who is
encouragement. Filled with this gift of the Spirit, they do many of the same things the Spirit does. Like Barnabas, they put
flesh on the work the Spirit is doing in and through all of us, and they minister in a wonderful way as cheerleaders for us, as we
try to follow Jesus in our lifelong journey of faith.
From what we know about Barnabas, we never get the sense that he possessed a brilliant intellect or eloquent speech or
amazing powers of reasoning. What we do know is that he first came to the attention of the disciples when he sold all his land
and handed over the full sum to the apostles for the work of the gospel. Evidently he had the gift of giving along with the gift
of encouragement. In fact, giving is part of encouragement. People with the gift of encouragement are usually large-hearted,
selfless people, whose joy comes in saying or doing whatever it takes to help others succeed, sometimes even at great cost and
detriment to themselves. Barnabas was this kind of person. He gave himself sacrificially for the good of the church, and
worked with his own hands to support himself on his missionary journeys.
I think you know people with this very special gift. They are the ones that seem to know exactly what to say and when to
say it. When we are at our worst, or struggling with the various trials which life often brings, these encouragers come
alongside us, just like the Spirit, and remind us of how precious we are to God and to each other. Just when we wonder if
what we’re doing matters, they tell us we’re doing a great job, or remind us that they have grown in their faith because of us.
These cheerleaders see all kinds of possibilities and potential in us, and they urge us not to give up but to keep going and finish
our race of faith. Many times they are the ones who keep us going, though they’re usually in the background and get very little
credit for the work they do.
To their credit, people with this gift don’t seem to need a lot of fanfare. Barnabas must have realized that Paul’s gifts
would be more effective than his own in spreading the gospel, even though Barnabas was a Christian before Paul came to
believe in Christ, and Barnabas may even have been among Jesus’ original followers. But none of those details mattered to
Barnabas because he had his own special work of encouragement to carry out. He didn’t mind being second “banana,” when
the important thing was to use his gift with all his heart, and in so doing, facilitate the work of others such as Paul.
And after hanging around Barnabas for quite some time, guess who became quite a cheerleader himself? That’s right: the
Apostle Paul. His letter to the Thessalonians is full of his love and thanksgiving for this particular church which had become an
encouragement to him because of their strong faith. And so he wanted to encourage them in return. Actually, he had already
done that when he first brought the gospel to them in person, and he longed to go back and encourage them again, but riots and
opposition prevented him from returning. So instead, he encouraged them with his letters and by sending the young pastor,
Timothy, to strengthen and build them up in the faith and bring back a report. By this time, Paul was also becoming a Barnabas
to Timothy, and we have Paul’s letters to him, too, showing us how the gift of encouragement was growing and blossoming in
Paul.
Many times, the gift of encouragement grows in us because we recognize and appreciate the many times others have used
that same gift on us. When we receive the encouragement of the cheerleaders in our midst, it often makes us want to be more
like them. Encouragement is not only an important gift but a powerful one, and when we share it we can actually be used by
the Spirit to change lives for the better. In contrast, perhaps one of the saddest things is to see what happens when someone
doesn’t have a Barnabas to encourage them in the most difficult trials of life.
For example, there is a true story about a new and nervous altar boy serving in a small, country church who dropped the
flask of wine while trying to help the priest during mass. The angry priest slapped him in the face and shouted, “Get out of
here and don’t ever come back.” Without a Barnabas in his life, he never did, but went on to become Marshall Tito, the
communist leader of Yugoslavia. In contrast is a similar true story about a young altar boy in a city church in another land,
who also, accidentally, dropped the wine during mass. His Bishop, however, turned to him and with a twinkle in his eye, gently
whispered, “Some day you’ll grow up to be a priest.” That youngster eventually became Archbishop Fulton Sheen. It’s
amazing to realize the power that a simple word of encouragement can have in another life…and it’s chilling to think of what
can happen when words of discouragement are used instead. No wonder scripture speaks so often of the need for us to
encourage each other in the church. Thank God! that in every church God has called some people to be cheerleaders. As they
use their special gift, others gain the strength and courage to use their gifts, and the work of the gospel can go forward.
Do you think you might be one of these cheerleaders? Would you like to be? Why don’t you think about asking God to
give you this wonderful gift? We need plenty of cheerleaders around here to help get the work done and to be the best church
we can be. I can testify to the fact that it is often the encouragement of God’s cheerleading squad that gets us through the
trials of life. Those people who are Barnabas for us remind us that the Holy Spirit of Jesus is with us, working through the
words and presence of these cheerleaders of the faith. They help make God real for us, and by their presence and their
encouragement they remind us of the reason we are a church. That reason is Jesus Christ. He is our hope and our salvation;
He has redeemed us and called us here and has given us all kinds of gifts to be used to build up and strengthen this part of his
body. When we yield to his Spirit and let Him shape us into the Pauls and Barnabases and Priscillas and Marys that He needs,
we too will discover, just like Paul and Barnabas did, that the deepest joy in life comes in using our gifts for Him. And if that
isn’t reason for encouragement, I don’t know what is.
Let us pray.
