Born of Encouragement
I've been seeing a great Christian counsellor recently. The year of the pandemic has taken a toll I hadn't expected, revealing postures present that existed long before 2020 and unearthing old sins buried but not dead. Counselling has been a painful but valuable time. In it, I discovered I was born of the bush.
I expect that needs some explanation.
To a significant degree (often far more than we willingly give credit) we are all products of our formative environment. The culture and conditions we grew up in shape us in substantial ways that leave lasting marks on our worldview and relational frameworks. For me, I'm a child of the Gulf Country in far north-western Queensland. The water of the Nicholson River runs deep in my veins, and the red dirt still stains me. The thundering monsoonal patterns of the Gulf still tower over me, and the ancient people that walk that land are kindred to me in a way I still can't fully grasp. I am, and always will be, a son of Doomadgee, my hometown.
But I no longer live amidst those arid plains traversed by ancient rivers. Dark faces that live differently in the world no longer surround me like they once did. I speak and breathe the dialect of the West. But somewhere, deep within, still echoes an old language, gone but not entirely forgotten. Powerful values of shame and honour pull deep on me in ways I'm only just beginning to understand, a lasting remnant from my childhood as I grew up in a culture that did not match the hue of my skin.
We're all born of somewhere or something. Far more formative than the geographical details of our cultural wanderings, we are first aware of our seemingly inescapable nature of being born of Adam; sinners in need of a new identity, a new birth. As such, we rejoice as the second Adam, Jesus Christ, brings new birth and a new identity. We add our "Amen" to Paul's triumphant declaration, "Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation; the old has passed away, and see, the new has come!" (2 Corinthians 5:17, CSB) So now we are born of Christ, sons of God, citizens of a new kingdom. Even so, this earthly tent remains as a constant reminder of our journey toward a future where we will see clearly, not as one who views the world through clouded glass (1 Corinthians 13:12-13).
The Son of Encouragement
There was a man, a Levite, a native of Cyprus, known to his childhood friends as Joseph. But to others, men with eyes of the Spirit, he was seen for his true identity. Joseph was born of something greater; he was a son of encouragement, and, as such, was given a new name—Barnabas (Acts 4:36). There had been something birthed in this man that so shaped his worldview and relational framework that, to others, it seemed that 'encouragement' was inescapably entwined within his DNA—it was who he was. Joseph's new birth in Christ had awakened a deeper identity, a way of being that superseded a simple action, or kind words, but was the well from which flowed a gushing fountain.
As Christians schooled by the West, who have absorbed the lessons repeated by our splintered society filled with adherents of hate, I'm not sure that we fully grasp the significance of men and women like Joseph. For discipleship to be healthy among our churches, we need to rediscover Barnabas's role and become sons and daughters of encouragement.
We've relegated encouragement to a warm smile and firm handshake, a kind pat on the back, or a certain month of the year in which we show our appreciation. To be sure, those things aren't bad, but surely to be born of encouragement is something far more, is it not?
"Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus by birth, the one the apostles called Barnabas (which is translated Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned, brought the money, and laid it at the apostles' feet." (Acts 4:36–37, CSB)
We know, by contrast to the verses that follow these, that Joseph's generosity was wholehearted. Surely this is an indication of the type of character from which encouragement flows best; men and women willing to give their all for the good of others, especially for those of the faith. Encouragement costs something. Maybe it is a place at your table, or a piece of your property, or a gentle push for someone else to step into the spotlight when it could have shone on you. Whatever the price, a Barnabas is willing to go hungry so that another may feast.
"When he arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to join 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 Saul had seen the Lord on the road and that the Lord had talked to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus." (Acts 9:26–27, CSB)
While all else stood secure in the shadows, waiting for the trap to be sprung, it took the courage of Barnabas to follow the example of Ananias (Acts 9:17) and step out to place his hand on Paul's shoulder to say, "Brother Saul." Sons of encouragement always take these types of risks, seeing through the 'if, buts, and maybes' to see the unmistakable seal of the Spirit.
"News about them reached 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 encouraged all of them to remain true to the Lord with devoted hearts, 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. The disciples were first called Christians at Antioch." (Acts 11:22–26, CSB)
Acting In Encouragement
Those born of encouragement are church builders. Under the wise and gentle encouragement of men like Joseph and Paul, devoted hearts were prompted to pursue Christ and remain true to the Lord. Under the leadership of Barnabas, men and women bore Christian's name, Christ's ones, for the first time in history. Under the discerning eye of a son of encouragement, the need for leadership meant Joseph drew others in rather than building his own platform and identity. How desperately we need this today!
Who are you born of? Are we only products of our environment, slaves to a mark on a map? Or is there a deeper identity to be reckoned with? Where are the sons of encouragement today? Are you one? Will you give yourself with wild abandon to the family identity you carry within?
Joseph was more than a Levite, a native of Cyprus; he was a son of encouragement. I am more than a child of the Gulf, a product of my formative years. I am a child of the living God, an image-bearer of my Creator, a co-heir with Christ. You are more than simply a sum of your parts; a new identity awaits you, an encourager of the saints.
Chris Thomas serves as a Teaching Pastor in a rural church on the East Coat of Australia, just a few hours north of Sydney. Gratefully married, he’s a father of 5. He sometimes writes at his blog, The Ploughman’s Rest and serves GCD as the Director of the GCD Writers’ Guild.