How to be an Encourager | 1 Thessalonians 5:11 | Pastor Daniel Batarseh

Father, with all that's going around, with all that's

happening, even in the service, we want to just pause and

acknowledge you. You are the living God.

You are the powerful, unmatched, all knowing God and Lord at this

time. We have come to rejoice in Your

Word. We've rejoiced in these

testimonies. We've celebrated in this

ordinance, but now we come to the force of it all, the power

behind everything that we experience here, the living Word

of God. And we do pray that whether we

understand it all or not, whether we feel like we are

mature in the faith or we're just beginning, that you would

speak so loud and clear that you would Thunder your voice in our

hearts, and that we would understand Your word for us as a

church. We pray that you would even

bless the visitors here who may not call this place home, that

they would benefit from this word, and that they would leave

here knowing that God was surely in that place.

Lord, we give you glory and thanks in advance for what you

have to say to us in Jesus name, Amen.

I want to speak to you briefly today about one of the most

important and needed ministries in the church.

And that claim is not a matter of personal opinion or even

personal experience. It is a spiritual exercise that

is practiced over and over again and even modeled throughout the

Scriptures and it is even a command that appears several

times in our New Testament. The ministry that I speak of in

your presence today is the ministry of encouragement, the

ministry of encouragement. And I want us to just look at a

simple verse as a start off to just see how vital and how

crucial this mutual investment is to the life and the longevity

of Christians. And so I hope you do have a

Bible in your hands because we're going to 1st Thessalonians

chapter 5. And I want us to look here at

verse 11. Paul is speaking to this group

of believers known as the Thessalonians, and he makes this

brief exhortation in First Thessalonians 511.

Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just

as you are doing now. Since this verse begins with the

Word, therefore we know that Paul desired this group of

Christians to encourage one another with the things that he

had just finished explaining and teaching in this section of

Scripture. Truths that pertain to the

return of the Lord choose that speak about the hope that we

have in Christ, even in death, and the way that we as

Christians should live in light of those glorious promises.

And so therefore is there for that.

But I want you to notice how Paul ends this verse after

saying, Look, you, you need to encourage one another.

You need to build one another up.

He he approvingly observes the following just as you are doing

meaning what that this community of Christians were already

cultivating a culture of harmony, of care, of

consolation. Now, strikingly, although Paul

recognized that, that they have this wonderful kind of

atmosphere that they have nurtured, he wants them to

protect it. He desires for them to pursue it

even more diligently. He does not want them to lose

it. And so with a pastoral heart,

yes, this is an Apostolic leader.

He understands what mutual and shared encouragement can do

among members in one church. And so he does his part by

providing fresh truths that will strengthen.

There's support for one another. And I want to follow in Paul's

steps today. I want to just take the next few

minutes here to fuel the encouragement that people know

and give in this place. I believe that many people here

at NBC reflect the spirit of the Thessalonians.

And that being said, I want us to mature in it.

And maybe for those who don't see the value of the ministry of

encouragement, that you wouldn't just be a recipient of it, but

you would sign up to say Lord, whatever it takes to be an

encourager, so be it. Teach me and show me what it

takes. I heard someone once share how

Satan one day was auctioning off his tools and some of the things

that he had for sale were vices like hatred, greed, lust,

bitterness, jealousy. But there was something that was

marked off, not for sale. And somebody asked as he saw

this instrument hanging there like a worn out trophy, what is

that? And without hesitation, Satan

said, oh, you're talking about discouragement.

Oh, you have to understand, I can't afford to give that up.

You see, I have used this tool over the centuries in the

millennials to pry open the hearts of people.

And when they don't challenge the discouragement, when they

don't resist it by the truth, I want to let you know something.

I can make that man or woman who is discouraged to do almost

anything. And if you think that

illustration is an exaggeration, I want to encourage you and your

old time to look up one of our studies in First Samuel,

specifically chapter 27. Because that chapter deals with

just how far David went in his disobedience because of 1 main

thing. Unresolved discouragement.

When he kept focusing on something that caused him to be

hopeless and dejected, and he couldn't shake free from it.

It's an amazing case study to see just how dangerous

discouragement can be. Discouragement is one of Satan's

favorite weapons against God's most faithful servants.

And if you can't get a Christian to disqualify him or herself

from ministry because of scandal or character flaws or

immorality, know this. He will harass them with

discouragement until they give up on their own.

And that's why we need to take this ministry as a church

seriously. It can't just come from leaders.

It can't just come from sermons. It must be an ever flowing

stream in this family. And the way we're going to do

this is by looking at one of the clearest examples of a person

who modelled what encouragement is and what it can do.

In fact, this individual who is a follower of Christ so embodied

consolation and an uplifting spirit that they actually change

his name to reflect it. They actually began to call this

man in the early church son of encouragement in the Hebrew.

It's Barnabas. Can you imagine what that was

like for the early Christians in that time?

That whenever Barnabas walked into a room, they said, oh,

encouragement is here. Or perhaps before they made any

decision, they would say, let's let us seek the son of

encouragement and see what he has to say about this before we

conclude on it. Imagine having such a reputation

that the apostles themselves thought, look, your name, we

understand it's Joseph, but we want to call you now, son of

encouragement. You can imagine that he has so

much to offer us in his example, but because of our limited time,

let's look at three ways, three ways that each of us can grow

and mature in the ministry of encouragement.

And I believe there's no better place to start than when we are

introduced to this man, Barnabas.

And so meet me in Acts chapter 4.

Acts 4 · chapter mention

And let's look together here at the end of that chapter where we

are introduced to Barnabas, Acts 4, beginning in verse 36.

Thus Joseph, who is 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. I find it absolutely fascinating

that the very place where we are introduced to the man who is

encouragement Incarnate, there is not a single word mentioned.

The very first time the word encouragement appears in the

book of Acts, there is no recorded speech.

What do we have here? Instead, we have a man who lived

in a certain way. We have a man who, by his

example, inspired other Christians without saying

anything. We limit encouragement to what

you say. Yeah, we'll get there in a

moment. But that's not how it shows up

with this man. It shows up with action.

It shows up by point #1 living wholeheartedly for Christ.

You want to be an encouragement to the church?

Then write this down. You must, by the power and grace

of God, endeavour to live radically for the Lord Jesus.

What's happening here with this man Barnabas?

Well, he contributed to a need in the early church and he made

the choice here to be very generous.

And what makes this so special? And the reason why I believe the

Holy Spirit highlights his donation, though many other

people donated, is because of his lineage.

Why aren't we told that Joseph was a Levite?

Because according to the law, Levites were prohibited from

owning any land in Israel. According to Deuteronomy 10/9,

Levi was set apart to perform temple duties, and because of

that the Lord himself was their inheritance.

They didn't have any tribal allotment.

They just lived in cities within the borders of other tribes.

So how do we explain this Levite owning land?

Well, I think the following thought helps us.

He was a native of Cyprus, and so he was born and raised

outside of the borders of Israel.

And so this could mean that like many of the laws, especially

after the Babylonian exile, a lot of these things that we're

not as binding, we're not as seriously taken.

Or it could mean that because of the dispersion of the Jews over

the centuries, a man like Joseph had more liberty to own land in

different regions. We're not explicitly told, but

what is clear here is that you can imagine how challenging it

must have been for somebody like Joseph, who came from a heritage

that never owned property, that could never pass down real

estate, and yet willingly gives it up.

And yet when he realizes that there's an opportunity here to

contribute to the mission and the message of Christ, he

joyfully and willingly surrenders.

This is how we are introduced to the Son of encouragement.

And here's what it means for us that you and I, if we want to

grow in this ministry, don't need to worry about our words

just yet. We need to be focused on our

convictions. You know, careless words most

definitely can wound fellow believers.

But you know what else can? Carnal faith.

That can be just as detrimental and discouraging to other

believers. But the way that we can actually

bless others is shown here by determining that you will truly

live for Christ and believing that the Lord can use that to

work wonders in the spiritual disciplines and devotions of

other Christians. When I think back to some of the

people who have encouraged my faith the most, I can honestly

say that most of them didn't say anything to me directly.

It was just by watching them at a distance, observing how they

love their wives and their husbands, witnessing how we can

and week out. Nothing can shake them away from

their ministry that they've committed to as a member of a

local church, that over the months and years you look at

their Bibles that they carry in it.

It's it's becoming more weathered and used and

highlighted. I remember being a believer

early on in my walk with Christ and being part of a local church

for a short time. And clearly this made an

impression on me because it came to mind as I was preparing these

thoughts, an elderly man there who could barely walk up

straight. But whenever this man prayed out

loud, not because of his confidence, not because of his

eloquence, not because he could quote Scripture by memory, just

because when he prayed, you knew that it was coming from the

depths of his heart, every time that man was asked to pray in

that meeting, he would stand up, barely able to, in his own

strength, put his hands on the Pew in front of him, and he

would cry out to God. And I would think to myself, I

want what he has. And I don't ever remember

telling him that. And maybe in my infancy,

spiritual infancy, I hesitated to approach him, to let him know

how much of an encouragement he has been to me.

So he doesn't know how much that has motivated me in my own

prayer life. Barnabas didn't say anything, at

least here in record, but he did something.

And that's where we realized that he was a source of

encouragement. And I think of Paul's words, in

case you think that this is limited to this man, in the

beginning of his letter to the Philippians, he tells him in

114. And most of the brothers, having

become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more

bold to speak the word without fear.

Think about that. He reflects on the price that he

paid for the gospel, that he is imprisoned for his testimony.

And the Lord in his grace allowed him to see the fruit of

his commitment to the cause of Christ.

And he says here that the brothers have become more

confident in the Lord. Why?

Because of his counseling sessions, because of his

sermons, because of his letters. Yes, we can say that he has

blessed them in those ways. But in this case, he instilled

greater boldness. And other brothers, because of

his imprisonment, how he responded to suffering, how he

remains steadfast, how he was willing to go all the way, even

unto death for this cause and this message.

And in the same way, brothers and sisters, if if you just so

entrenched yourself and so focus on the Lord and allow him to

just ravage every part of you, one of the fruits of that is

that others who want the same, others who have just come into

the faith, they will sense the the joy and the possibility in

Christ and they will be built up.

They will be moved. And maybe like me, I never

shared it with the old man and you may never hear it, but don't

doubt the significance of your sanctification.

Immerse yourself in Christ. Let your roots go deep.

Take your faith seriously. Allow Him to fill you and to

transform you. Yes, for his pleasure, but also

for for the glory of His name and other believers who,

especially in this age, desperately need seasoned Saints

to show that it's possible to cling to Christ for years and

years to come. There's a lot of I want to speak

to the seasoned Saints in this place.

This generation is absolutely confused and there are 1000

voices coming their way. And I just want to let you know

that people are watching your marriages and they are watching

your children and they are watching your social media

posts. And they can either stir them to

say it's possible to advance in life and to have all this

busyness but still prioritize the church and still honor God

and not get swayed or distracted by the things that are always

pulling at you and calling for you.

Don't dismiss how your silent testimony can do miracles in

other people. Don't dismiss that there is an

indirect encouragement that we all offer whether we realize it

or not. Barnabas was such a man, but

that's not the only thing he teaches us.

The very next time the name Barnabas appears in the book of

Acts teaches us a second thing about how we can be matured in

the ministry of encouragement. Let's go to Acts 9.

Now notice this in verse 26, Acts 926.

This chapter records the conversion of the foremost

persecutor of Christians, Saul of Tarsus, whom we know as Paul.

Let's read now what happens after Paul was converted in Acts

926. 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 had 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.

So Paul here is saved miraculously.

You're talking about a terrorist who now is transformed by the

power of the gospel. And naturally he wants to

fellowship because when you become a Christian, you're drawn

to other Christians. And so he arrives in Jerusalem

and he, he wants to try to plug in.

And it's no surprise to us that his attempt was met with great

resistance from the believers in Jerusalem.

So they push them away. It was so hard for them to

fathom how such a fierce, maybe the fiercest opponent.

Against the gospel is somehow now wanting to actually be in

our midst and to count himself as one of the redeemed.

Now you have to understand this isn't the day after Paul

converted. If you look back at Acts 923,

notice what is mentioned there. When many days had passed, the

Jews plotted to kill him, him being Paul.

So up to this point, Paul had been preaching Christ in

synagogues. Paul had been threatened and

chased. Paul was almost killed in

Damascus. This man had proven over time

that he's really saved. He is so obviously changed that

even the Jews believed that he was a Christian while the church

didn't. I think that's actually

something worth pausing and meditating on.

Imagine how that made Paul feel. He wasn't a robot.

I know he seemed to be superhuman, but he was a man

with emotions. All you have to read is his

letters to get that clear. How would some have acted if

they had come to the front steps of a church in Jerusalem?

Imagine knocking on the door of every church in Jerusalem and

they shut the door in your face. I thought you guys are all about

grace and forgiveness and redemption.

I almost lost my life for this gospel.

And this is how you Christians act.

Imagine he turned away from the faith.

Imagine he aborted his calling. What kind of disaster would that

be? And I want to speak to those who

might be suffering from what we call church hurt.

I am not trying to minimize the pain that can be caused by

Christians and even Christian leaders, but look at Paul as

your example. He did not give up on Christ,

nor did he give up on the Church of Christ simply because in a

certain circumstance some of Christ's representatives did not

reflect the nature of their Master.

I want to look at this at a different angle.

This also shows us how one single Christian can change the

experience of a person like Paul who was hurt by the church.

Look back here at our text. Notice what happens in verse 27.

But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles.

Why? Because Barnabas was able to see

what most could not immediately perceive.

And it's not that Barnabas was like some who are naturally

optimistic, maybe dangerously optimistic, where they kind of

dismiss all the red flags and say, well, it's OK, let's just

give him a chance. Barnabas is working with

evidence. Notice that he defends Paul.

He goes, no, no, this is his testimony.

He heard Christ. Look what he endured for Christ.

And I think here that there is a principle that encourages are

those who can recognize progress, they can identify

growth, they can catch glimpses of God's grace at work in

somebody's life, and they support it, they nurture it,

they celebrate it, they give God glory for it, and they want to

strengthen it. See, Barnabas is defending Paul

here, and we understand that Paul was called by God, but from

a human level, do you understand how significant this is that

Paul's ministry would go to a brand new level because of

Barnabas's encouragement? And I don't doubt for a moment

that somebody's encouragement can can cause ministries to

begin and ministries to remain and ministries to go on.

If we don't believe that, then we're going to fall into great

trust because Satan understands the power of discouragement.

And I want to prove this to you further, how Barnabas was able

to see what many others, even good Christian leaders, could

not immediately register. I want you to see a phrase in

Acts 11. Go to Acts 11 in verse 22.

This is when a move of the Spirit was beginning in a place

called Antioch. And in Antioch the report of

conversions came to the leaders. And so who do they send,

Barnabas? Who better to send than the Son

of encouragement? And so read here.

In Acts 1122, the report of this came to the ears of the church

in Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.

When he came, here's the phrase, and saw the grace of God, he was

glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord

with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy

Spirit and of faith, and a great many people were added to the

Lord. Notice that again he saw the

grace of God at work, and it made him glad, and it encouraged

him to encourage the believers. Human nature is excellent at

fault fighting even Christians. It doesn't take much skill or

effort to point out the things that we don't like in others.

And with that, many people don't hesitate to express their

displeasure of people's shortcomings.

But those who are ministers of encouragement, like Barnabas,

they genuinely can perceive and identify God's grace at work.

And that causes them to rejoice. And whatever snippets they do

see in someone, they're magnetized towards it to build

them up and for that to excel in their lives.

And I sat back last night thinking to myself, I wonder

what Barnabas would have said or acted like in different

situations. And one that came to mind was

what would Barnabas do if, let's say, a dejected soul who is

struggling with their faith approach them?

Well, I see something here. He was able to see the grace of

God and things. And I can imagine Barnabas

saying something along the lines of, brother, I know your

skepticism frightens you, but I want you to be encouraged

genuinely because you are clearly concerned about your

walk with Christ. You're clearly disturbed by the

fact that you might be hurting him and hurting your testimony

because you're now kind of wrestling with these things.

Is that not evidence that you are sincere?

Is that not something that shows you that down deep inside you

love the Lord and you can attest to the power of the Word of God?

Use this as fuel in your life to investigate further and trust

that God and His grace will bring you through and you'll be

more confident and more strong in your faith than ever.

Do you see that? He saw the grace of God, He was

able to see the good, and he's able to offer encouragement from

that place. Now, I'm not saying here that

that means we can't ever rebuke anybody.

We can't correct anybody. We can't take sin in people's

lives seriously. I'm talking about Barnabas here.

But there's somebody who's more encouraging than him, and that's

Christ. And even at times with his own

students, he rebuked them for their unbelief.

Look, you've been in class here for almost three years and

you're still not getting it. And that's just as much loving

as what we see here with this man.

What I am saying, though, is that it's not our disposition to

encourage. And yet this man shows us that

it's possible. May the Holy Spirit help us

always be able to see the grace of God at work, even if others

can't right away. Is there another way that we can

grow as ministers of encouragement?

Yes, and this is my final thought.

You need to know the Word of God.

Let's go to our final text, perhaps in Acts 14 and verse 20.

At this point, Barnabas and Saul, who is now known as Paul,

have been working together as a missionary team, and I want you

to see what happens at this juncture.

Acts 14, verse 20. But when the disciples gathered

Acts 14:20

about him, he rose up and entered the city, and on the

next day he went on with Barnabas to Derby.

When they had preached the gospel to that city and had made

many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to

Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging

them to continue in the faith and saying that through many

tribulations we must enter the Kingdom of God.

What was the substance of Barnabas encouragement?

What, what was the fuel to his consolation?

What did he use as material? Well, every time you see

encouragement brought up in the Scriptures, the goal was always

to strengthen people's faith for them to continue to believe

Christ and serve Christ and honor the Christ.

Now you can't do that unless you know God's Word, what He asks of

us, what He promises us, how He has moved in the past, how He

has not changed. Remember, we learned that

Barnabas was full of the Holy Spirit.

Then we read that in Acts 11. It's impossible to be, to be

filled with the Holy Spirit and not be filled with God's Word.

So this, this fellow leader and missionary partner was oozing

the truths of God. And if anybody, and I've seen

it, if anybody endeavors to be a minister of encouragement, void

of the word of Christ, dwelling in them richly, they are just as

helpful as and as insightful as a fortune cookie.

Doesn't go anywhere, just general statements and maxim's.

There's no weight to it. There's no power, there's no

anchor. And so you see this throughout

Scripture. I even remember what Paul said

to the same group of believers that we addressed at the

beginning of this message. The Thessalonians, he said

before our main text of First Thessalonians 418, therefore

encourage one another with these words.

What words? His words.

And Paul understood that he was led by the Spirit.

He understood that he was inspired by the Spirit to

provide divine revelation. So you Thessalonians, you need

the words that I give to you that are ultimately the Word of

God to be able to even know true and lasting encouragement.

I was reminded of a pastor's testimony in this area.

He was young in ministry. He was just starting out and at

one point he received a phone call to his surprise of one of

the members of his church who had an accident and was quickly

dying. He had no time to go home.

This was before iPhones and Bible apps.

He didn't have the chance to go and grab his pocket Bible or his

preaching Bible. He had to go to the hospital

immediately. And when he entered into that

room as a 30 something year old pastor, here is this member who

is surrounded by loved ones and they are mourning and they are

broken. And the scene was silent.

The only noise that was there was just the sniffles of of

those who were trying to process this.

Finally, somebody looked over at the pastor and said, pastor,

give us a word. You know, what most of us might

do in that moment is OK, and there's nothing wrong with that.

But he didn't have that tool at his disposal and he could not

think of anything. No Scripture, no Psalm.

He tried to reach back. Even for him, I believe nothing.

So he prayed, just a broken prayer, weak, just so despondent

by the fact that he was not prepared for this moment.

And he walked out of that hospital vowing to himself, I

will never let that happen again.

And that began his quest of memorizing Scripture so that if

he was put on the spot, he could give something to build the

people up. And that was a challenge to me.

What Psalms do I know? Not complete Psalms.

Just maybe 2 verses, maybe even one verse that's at the tip of

my tongue that if I get a phone call and I'm out somewhere, I

can say let's pray and I can quote that Psalm.

What promises do I know in God's word by heart that can help

somebody who needs hope? Am I familiar enough with the

testimonies of God's work and history, narratives and stories

that I can relate to people's situations?

If not, I have nothing to offer in terms of encouragement.

I may have my personal experiences.

That helps, but ultimately, as you know, this is where it comes

from. Barnabas knew the word.

And so for me, from time to time, though my memorization is

not the greatest strength, I try to look for verses, not just for

my own soul to quote in the midst of temptation or my own

trials and battles, but to be able to share it to somebody

else, deal with the offer to somebody else.

Just wonderful promises that can cover so many things.

Know the word well. I said this was the last text,

but I think I can offer something else.

I want us to look at something here in Acts 13 and verse one.

This is when the Holy Spirit created a very important

ministry in a very special setting.

Look at this in Acts 13, one now they were in the church at

Antioch, prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon who was also

called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manny and a lifelong friend of

Harry the Tetrarch and Saul. While they were worshipping the

Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said set apart for me

Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I've called them.

Then, after fasting and praying, they laid their hands on them

and sent them off. Now, knowing what I know about

Saul, who would become Paul in the same chapter, I can see why

the Holy Spirit might have selected him, though

undeservingly. He had a colossal intellect.

He was very courageous. He worked so hard even as an

unbeliever. His zeal is now transferred over

to the truth, but it was almost just ingrained in him.

But Barnabas, What did Barnabas have to offer in this?

Exactly what we've been speaking about, encouragement.

In the wisdom of the Holy Spirit, he selects Saul and he

says, oh, this man is going to need some encouragement.

Barnabas, go with him. If Paul needed it, what about

you? If Paul needed it, what about

me? There is no such thing as a

Christian who can walk this life solo without being visited by

the weight and the gravity of discouragement.

So you might look at us, a Saul, a Paul, a mighty theologian, an

apologist, an evangelist, A missionary, and we can praise

that and give God glory to that. But the Holy Spirit also

selected Barnabas because the minister of an encouragement is

so needed. And if you have no motivation to

see how beautiful and how much we should actually seek this,

let me give you a final thought. Do you know that one of God's

names, you can say one of God's titles more precisely is that

according to Romans 15, five, he is known as the God of endurance

and encouragement. God is a God of encouragement.

I want to be like my God. Lord, we thank you for this

short reminder of a profound truth.

Help us each to live more wholeheartedly for Christ to

give of ourselves in a way that would inspire onlookers and

fellow believers. Help us be able to see the grace

of God at work in the lives of others.

And finally, may we invest in greater ways the Word of God in

our hearts so that it can be ready on our lips to infuse

another people, the truths that have carried us.

May this church, like the Thessalonians, encourage and

build one other up just as we are doing.

May we never lose that momentum. By your grace, in Jesus name we

pray. Amen.

Amen. As a praise team comes, let's

stand and give God glory for all that He's done on this Lord's

Day service.