Are You a Son or Daughter of Encouragement?
Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means “son of encouragement”), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles’ feet.
Acts 4:36,37
Barnabas is one of my favorite Bible people. His real name was Joseph, but something about him caused Jesus’ very own apostles to call him “son of encouragement.” Later on, he was chosen directly by the Holy Spirit, along with the Apostle Paul, to carry the good news about Jesus to new cities and countries.
What does “son of encouragement” mean? Obviously, his dad was not named Encouragement. Instead, it was a name given to him because he was so full of encouragement, that’s what everyone knew him for.
Are you a son or daughter of encouragement? It might be helpful to know what encouragement means. In the Greek the Bible was written in, it’s a compound word meaning to “speak alongside.” So, it is not a speaking down to someone from a position of authority. Sometimes, yes, that is necessary. The encourager, rather, is on the same level as the person receiving encouragement.
what is the difference between
speaking to or at someone
and speaking alongside someone?
That does not mean simply saying what the person alongside you wants to hear. They may need correction, advice, or guidance. They also need affirmation, respect, and a listening ear.
Nor does it mean that a person in authority can’t be an encourager. But encouragement does require the person in authority to find a way not to speak down to but to speak alongside the person they want to encourage.
The picture of speaking alongside someone shows that you’re both pointed in the same direction, both looking at the same goal. In the case of Christians, we share the common goal of following Christ as he leads us to heaven.
But, why encourage? It is because our Lord Jesus encourages us to encourage others in his Word (2 Corinthians 13:11; 1 Thessalonians 5:11, 14; Hebrews 3:13). He truly has encouraged us by giving us the good news that our Father in heaven does not hold our sins against us, but rather forgives us for the sake of his Son, our Lord Jesus.
And if you have the special gift of encouragement, that is, you are a son or daughter of encouragement, you are encouraged to use your gift. Paul writes in Romans 12:
For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. … If [your gift] is to encourage, then give encouragement.
Are you a son or daughter of encouragement? We may not all have been equipped with the same gifts for encouragement. But we have all been given a gift with which we can encourage. We have the good news of Jesus which enables us to point our brothers and sisters to his cross where they can find their hope, their peace, and their encouragement.