1. Encourager
How to be an

2. Barnabas: Mr. Encouragement
Acts 4:36 “Joseph, a Levite and a Cypriot by birth, whom the apostles named Barnabas, which is translated Son of Encouragement…”
“Son of encouragement” = Characterized by encouragement
Today: Mr. Encouragement

3. Acts 11:20-24
But there were some of them, Cypriot and Cyrenian men, who came to Antioch and began speaking to the Hellenists, proclaiming the good news about the Lord Jesus.
The Lord’s hand was with them, and a large number who believed turned to the Lord.
Then the report about them reached the ears of the church in Jerusalem, and they sent out Barnabas to travel as far as Antioch.
When he arrived and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with a firm resolve of the heart—

4. Holman Christian Standard Bible
for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith—and large numbers of people were added to the Lord.
Then he went to Tarsus to search for Saul,
and when he found him he brought him to Antioch. For a whole year they met with the church and taught large numbers, and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch.
Holman Christian Standard Bible

6. We are Encouraged When…
Our strengths are confirmed
Our direction is affirmed
Our hard times (sufferings & failures) are put into perspective
Our efforts are appreciated
Our higher motives are inspired

7. Christians Have Spiritual Resources to Draw On For Encouragement
Romans 15:5 “The God of endurance and encouragement…”
Romans 15:4 “The encouragement of the Scriptures”
Acts 9:31 “So the church throughout all Judea, Galilee, and Samaria had peace, being built up and walking in the fear of the Lord and in the encouragement of the Holy Spirit, and it increased in numbers.”
Acts 11:24 “For he [Barnabas] was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith…”
He saw the grace of God and was glad
He encouraged them all

8. Encouragement is More Relational Than Informational
1st Thessalonians 3:2-3 “And we sent Timothy, our brother and God’s co-worker in the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you concerning your faith, so that no one will be shaken by these persecutions….”
Information alone will not change my life, since I won’t let it in if I don’t trust the other person not to hurt me.
“Maximum growth in Christian maturity occurs when truth is presented in the context of relationships.” - Larry Crabb & Dan Alexander, Encouragement: The Key to Caring

9. Encouragement Begins with Acceptance
Acts 9: Barnabas Helps Paul
When he [Paul] arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to associate with the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, since they did not believe he was a disciple.
Barnabas, however, took him and brought him to the apostles and explained to them how, on the road, Saul had seen the Lord, and that He had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.
Saul was coming and going with them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.

10. Encouragement Begins with Acceptance
Communicate acceptance of the other person regardless of what he has done or could say.
Listen until you gain a real understanding of the person’s problem – before saying anything.
Be slow to give advice; quick advice communicates, “The answer is obvious, but since you’re too dumb to see it, I’ll just have to tell you!”
Don’t expect anything dramatic; most of the time encouragement is the result of a lot of little things adding up.

11. Encouragement Speaks to Peoples’ Hearts
2nd Chronicles 32:6 “[Hezekiah] set military commanders over the people and gathered the people in the square of the city gate. Then he encouraged them…”
Literally, He spoke to their hearts
Same word for encourage in Ruth 2:13 and 2nd Samuel 19:7
Ephesians 6:22 “I am sending [Tychicus] to you for this very reason, to let you know how we are and to encourage your hearts.”

12. Speaking to Hearts
Direct your words toward relieving the other person’s fear
Ignore the fronts people put up – speak to their hearts.
Use a tone of voice that says you’re safe
Speak sincerely – don’t feel you have to appear to have it all together… that is merely putting up a front of your own.
Encouragement is more about attitude than saying certain words.
Avoid sarcasm, cutting remarks, or making people the target of your humor – that causes them to put up such a defensive wall you can’t speak to their hearts.

13. Encouragement is About Building People Up
Ephesians 4:29 “No rotten talk should come from your mouth, but only what is good for the building up of someone in need, in order to give grace to those who hear.”
John Maxwell: There are….
The Hiders – who ignore problems and hope they go away.
The Hurlers – who throw truth at people, “only speaking the truth”
The Healers

15. Translations That May Have Been Used: Abbreviations & Copyright Info
AMP or Amplified: © Copyright 1954, 1958, 1962, 1964, 1965, 1987 by The Lockman Foundation
ESV: The Holy Bible, English Standard Version © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a division of Good News Publishers.
HCSB: Holman Christian Standard Bible © 2001, Broadman & Holman Publishers, LifeWay Christian Resources 127 Ninth Avenue North, Nashville, TN 37234
JPS: The Holy Scriptures (Old Testament) By the Jewish Publication Society All rights reserved
MSG or Message: The Message © 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 2000, 2001, 2002 by Eugene H. Peterson
NAS: Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NAS) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE. Copyright 1960, 1988, by The Lockman Foundation, California. All rights reserved.
NAS95: Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NAS95) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW AMERICAN STANDARD BIBLE. Copyright 1960, 1995, by The Lockman Foundation, California. All rights reserved.
NET: The NET Bible, New English Translation (NET) Copyright © 1996, 1997, 1998 By Biblical Studies Press, LLC. All Rights Reserved The Holy Bible: The NET Bible(r) Copyright © 1998 By Biblical Studies Press, L.L.C. All rights reserved
NIV: Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NIV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW INTERNATIONAL VERSION. Copyright 1973, 1978, 1984 by The International Bible Society. All rights reserved. Used by permission of Zondervan Publishing House. Scripture quoted by permission.
NJKV: Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NKJV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW KING JAMES VERSION. Copyright (c) 1982 by Thomas Nelson Inc. All rights reserved.
NLT: Quotations designated (NLT) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW LIVING TRANSLATION Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright © 1996 by Tyndale Charitable Trust. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Wheaton, Illinois, All rights reserved. New Living, NLT, and the New Living Translation logo are registered trademarks of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.
NRSV: Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (NRSV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: NEW REVISED STANDARD VERSION. Copyrighted 1989 by the Division of Christian Education of the National Council of the Churches of Christ in the United States of America, and are used by permission. All rights reserved.
Phillips: J.B.Phillips, "The New Testament in Modern English", 1962 edition, published by HarperCollins, is presented here with the kind permission of Mrs Vera Phillips and the J.B.Phillips estate
RSV: Scripture quoted by permission. Quotations designated (RSV) are from THE HOLY BIBLE: REVISED STANDARD VERSION. Copyright 1946, 1952, 1973 by National Council of Churches of Christ. All rights reserved.
Weymouth: WEYMOUTH NEW TESTAMENT: NEW TESTAMENT IN MODERN SPEECH by Richard F. Weymouth 3rd Edition (1912)--Revised & edited E. Hampden-Cooke
YLT: Young's Literal Translation of the Holy Bible by J.N. Young, 1862, 1898 (Author of the Young's Analytical Concordance)