What’s Your Nickname? Becoming a Son of Encouragement скачать в хорошем качестве

What’s Your Nickname? Becoming a Son of Encouragement

I want you to think with me about a name. Not the name your parents gave you. Not the name on your birth certificate. But the name people would give you after watching your life. In Acts chapter 4, I read about a man named Joseph. But the apostles didn’t keep calling him Joseph. They renamed him Barnabas, which means Son of Encouragement. And when I study his life, I see why that name fits him so well. The early church was united, one heart, one soul. They shared what they had. No one claimed possessions as their own. And in that moment, Barnabas stepped forward. He owned land. He sold it. He laid the money at the apostles’ feet so that others could be cared for. That tells me something about his heart. Jesus said, “Where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.” Barnabas’ treasure wasn’t tied up in property. It wasn’t tied up in security. His treasure was in people. His treasure was in Christ. So I have to ask myself, what do my possessions say about me? What does my giving say about where my heart is? Barnabas didn’t just encourage with words. He encouraged with action. John writes that love must be “in deed and in truth.” Barnabas lived that kind of love. But his encouragement didn’t stop with generosity. In Acts chapter 9, when Saul of Tarsus tried to join the disciples, everyone was afraid. And understandably so—Saul had persecuted the church. But Barnabas stepped in. He stood beside Saul. He spoke for him. He testified about his conversion. When others doubted, Barnabas believed. I wonder, am I willing to stand beside someone with a past? Am I willing to give someone a second chance? Then, in Acts chapter 11, when the church in Antioch was growing, who did the apostles send? Barnabas. Why? Because he would strengthen them. He would build them up. He would rejoice in what God was doing. That’s what encouragers do, they don’t compete. They celebrate. And then there’s John Mark. In Acts chapter 15, Paul and Barnabas disagreed sharply over him. Mark had left the work earlier. Paul didn’t want to take him again. But Barnabas saw potential. Barnabas saw the possibility. Barnabas chose restoration over rejection. And history tells us something beautiful, John Mark didn’t stay a failure. He became useful. In fact, he would later write the Gospel of Mark. What if Barnabas had given up on him? There are people today who have stumbled. People who have drifted. People who feel ashamed. They don’t need condemnation—they need someone to lift their hands like Aaron and Hur lifted Moses’ hands in battle. Encouragement holds people up when they are too tired to stand on their own. Paul later wrote in 1 Thessalonians 5:11 to comfort and edify one another. That wasn’t a suggestion. That was instruction. So let me ask you something personal: When was the last time you told someone, “I appreciate you”? When was the last time you said, “Keep going”? When was the last time you gently restored someone? If the apostles watched your life the way they watched Joseph’s life, what nickname would they give you? Would it be “Faithful”? Would it be “Generous”? Would it be “Teacher”? Or would it be something less flattering? Barnabas’ name fit him because his life matched it. And I believe this: the church today still needs sons and daughters of encouragement. People who give. People who defend the misunderstood. People who restore the fallen. People who strengthen the weak. So I’m asking myself, and I’m asking you: If heaven gave you a nickname based on your conduct, what would it be? May it be said of us that we build up, not tear down. That we restore, not reject. That we encourage, not discourage. If there’s someone you need to lift up, do it. If there’s someone you need to forgive, do it. If there’s someone you need to become, start today. Be a Barnabas. If you need encouragement, prayer, restoration—don’t stand alone. Let someone hold your hands up.