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 wanna just pause and acknowledge you. You're 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 wanna 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 first Thessalonians chapter five, 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 five eleven, 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. Truths 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 their support for one another. And I wanna follow in Paul's steps today. I I wanna 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 MBC 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 and the millennials to pry open the hearts of people.

And when they don't challenge discouragement, when they don't resist it by the truth, I wanna let you know something. I can make that man or woman who is discouraged do almost anything. And if you think that illustration is an exaggeration, I want to encourage you in 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 one 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 modeled 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 changed 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 we wanna 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 four, and let's look together here at the end of that chapter where we are introduced to Barnabas. Acts four beginning in verse 36.

Thus Joseph, who was 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 apostle's 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 number one, living wholeheartedly for Christ. You wanna be an encouragement to the church? Then write this down. You must, by the power and grace of God, endeavor 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 are we told that Joseph was a Levite?

Because according to the law, Levites were prohibited from owning any land in Israel. According to Deuteronomy ten nine, 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 were not as binding, were 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 wanna 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 week in 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 and 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 in record, but he did something. And that's where we realize 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 one fourteen, 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's imprisoned for his testimony. And the Lord and 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 in other brothers because of his imprisonment. How he responded to suffering. How he remained 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 entrench 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 wanna speak to the seasoned saints in this place.

This generation is absolutely confused. And there are a thousand voices coming their way. And and I just wanna 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 and 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 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 nine now.

Notice this in verse 26. Acts nine twenty six. This chapter records the conversion of the foremost persecutor of Christians, Saul of Tar Tarsus, whom we know as Paul. Let's read now what happens after Paul was converted in Acts nine twenty six. 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 at 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 nine twenty three, 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 believe that he was a Christian while the church didn't. And 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 wanna 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 wanna 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 okay. 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 encouragers 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 wanna 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' 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 gonna fall into great traps because Satan understands the power of discouragement. And I wanna 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 did they send? Barnabas. Who better to send than the son of encouragement?

And so read here in Acts eleven twenty two, 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 was struggling with their faith approached them. Well well I see something here. He was able to see the grace of God in 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 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 will 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. And 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 about him, he rose up and entered the city. And on the next day he went on with Barnabas to Derbe.

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's encouragement? 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. Didn't 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're just as helpful as and as insightful as a fortune cookie. Doesn't go anywhere. Just general statements and maxims. 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 four eighteen, 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 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 year old pastor, here's 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, okay, well, 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 two 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 song? 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 in 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.

To be able to 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 in verse one.

This is when the Holy Spirit created a very important ministry in a very special setting. Look at this. In Acts thirteen one, now there were in the church at Antioch prophets and teachers, Barnabas, Simeon, who was also called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, a lifelong friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul. While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have 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 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 gonna 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 a 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 fifteen five, he is known as the God of endurance and encouragement. God is a God of encouragement. I wanna 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 in other people the truths that have carried us. May this church, like the Thessalonians, encourage and build one another up just as we are doing.

May we never lose that momentum by your grace. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen. Amen. As the praise team comes, let's stand and give God glory for all that he's done on this Lord's Day service.