Living Examples - Barnabas - A Great Encourager

Pray – (1/2 minute)

Read – (2 1/2 minutes) – “Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), . . .” (Acts 4:36)
      Passage: Psalm 130:1-8

        I learned to drive in a 1967 Volkswagen Beetle. That German made car had a simple engine, no air conditioning, an am radio and one side door mirror which was on the driver’s side. It was an inexpensive, efficient and easy to maintain car. A BMW is a German car on the other end of the car spectrum. Whatever model it is, A BMW is expensive, sporty and would be hard for most people to do their own maintenance on. However, both need gas to run and a VW Beetle goes faster and farther with a full tank of gas than a BMW with an empty tank.

Our lives need to be filled up with a special gas called encouragement. An encourager is someone who puts courage into another by what through word or action. A discouraged is someone who drains courage in another in the same way. A man in the early church, named Joseph, was one who was always filling people up with encouragement. He made such an impact for Christ that the apostles began calling him Barnabas - Son of Encouragement and his name is mentioned in the book of Acts more than anyone else except Peter and Paul. He was a great encourager and you can be one too.

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Pray - (1 1/2 minutes)