Barnabas is first mentioned in Acts 4:36,37:"Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas
(which is, being interpreted, the son of consolation), a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus,
having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet." Barnabas is an
Aramaic name and the Greek word used to translate the name can be translated into English as
consolation, comfort, exhortation, or encouragement. Although the King James Version uses
"consolation" in Acts 4:36, in modern English "encouragement" has a more robust connotation
than "consolation." Not all of us need consolation, but we all need encouragement.

Barnabas is first mentioned concerning selling land and giving the proceeds to the apostles. In Acts
9:27 Barnabas introduced Saul of Tarsus to the apostles and told them of Saul’s recent conversion
and subsequent preaching in Damascus. In Acts 11:22,23 we read that Barnabas was sent from
Jerusalem to Antioch, and "when he came and had seen the grace of God, [he] was glad and
exhorted [or consoled, comforted, encouraged] them all, that with purpose of heart they would
cleave unto the Lord." Then he went to Tarsus to get Saul and bring him to Antioch.

Barnabas and Saul (now called Paul) traveled together, along with Barnabas’ cousin, John Mark,
on Paul’s first missionary journey (Acts 13,14). Paul wanted Barnabas to go with him on a second
journey (Acts 15:36). However, Paul and Barnabas went separate ways because they could not
agree on whether to take Mark along again. Paul regarded Mark as unstable because he had left
them during the first journey. Barnabas wanted to given Mark another chance, perhaps desiring
to encourage him. Who was right? Perhaps both were. Mark seems to have grown spiritually
under the guidance of Barnabas (verse 39), for a few years later Paul asked Timothy to bring Mark
to him, "for he is profitable to me for the ministry" (2 Tim. 4:11). Also, the Holy Spirit used
Mark to write the second Gospel.

It has been said that Satan’s main weapon against Christians is discouragement. Encouragement
is a ministry that can be carried out in public or private, by men or women, and is vitally needed.
What is the purpose of encouragement? Is it just to have people feel good about themselves? No,
encouragement, like all other aspects of ministry, is to help Christians to become more like Christ
and to develop and use their spiritual gifts to serve God and encourage others.

What is the best way to encourage others? Is it to point out their faults, their slip-ups, their
ineptness? No, the best way is to use Phil. 4:8 as a guiding principle and concentrate on the
positive. If a person is teaching doctrinal error or is engaging in actual sin, he must be admonished
immediately, although even then as gently as possible (Gal. 6:1). But if a person is merely inept
or forgetful or ignorant, we do not need to criticize all his shortcomings. In the assembly Bible
reading, if a brother speaks for an hour and says only one memorable sentence, let us concentrate
on that one sentence:"Brother, I really appreciated your thought on _____." Soon, there will be
two sentences per hour, and with further encouragement, three, and so on.

In the home, if the wife makes good biscuits and burns everything else, let us talk about the
biscuits. If the husband does one thing that pleases his wife, she should express appreciation for
that one thing rather than nagging him about the other things she does not like. With

encouragement, the husband may turn into a model husband. If we can only think of one thing
positive our child said or did in a given day, it will be a great encouragement to him/her to remind
him/her of that one thing (or as many as there are) at bedtime.

Satan does not need our help in his business of accusing and discouraging the brethren. Let us
build up and encourage each other. How wonderful it would be if each of us could receive the
name "Barnabas" from our brother and sisters in Christ because of our help and encouragement
of them.

FRAGMENT
Robert Moffat tells of a man coming to him in great distress because his favorite dog had eaten
his New Testament. "The Book is so full of the words of love and kindness, they will make him
so gentle, he will be of no use for hunting," he complained. The man had seen wild savages
transformed into gentle disciples by faith in the Word of God.