“After the usual readings from the books of Moses and the prophets, those in charge of the service sent them this message: “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, come and give it.””
Acts 13:15 (NLT)
When Barnabas and Paul arrive, they go to the synagogue, where those who worship God are already reading the book of Moses and the prophets. As converts from Judaism to the Christian faith, they understand what is happening in that room, and they can easily assemble with them. That shows me something about how we help others find Jesus: we go find people who are like us, people who need the same turn we have made, and we offer them the good news.
At the end of the service, those in charge of the synagogue ask, “Brothers, if you have any word of encouragement for the people, come and give it.” That word encouragement grabs me because Barnabas is literally known as the son of encouragement. Barnabas was the one who stuck his neck out for Saul when everyone else was scared and did not believe Saul had really changed.
So when these leaders ask for encouragement, you would think Barnabas would stand up, not the one who used to condemn, shame, and harm Christians. But no, this is a turning point in Acts. The man who once tried to tear believers down is now the one building people up. Paul has now become the main encourager in Acts, not Barnabas. After this moment in Acts 13, we are going to see Paul offer encouragement after encouragement after encouragement that is still encouraging believers today.
How does that happen? God put Saul with the right leader in Barnabas to model something for him to grasp and hold on to. Somebody has to go first, and Barnabas went first for Saul. As the Holy Spirit changes Saul from the inside out into Paul, Saul is also being shaped from the outside in by what he sees in Barnabas. We must have believers around us like Barnabas to model what Scripture is calling us to and what the Holy Spirit is drawing us towards, then we can live it out. So who is the Barnabas in your life that God is showing you to yoke up with, to hang around, to be with, and learn from? Or who is God calling you to encourage because of what he has already done in you?