the power of an encourager

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.

Acts 9:27

This part of the story of Saul shows us that very early on in his conversion, controversy marked his gospel ministry. Saul was dramatically saved on the Damascus road, and in the matter of just a few days went from persecutor of the gospel to preacher of the gospel. This shook up the Jewish leaders who had sent him on a mission of hate. It also unsettled the Christian community that had experienced his previous persecution.

Nonetheless, Saul, like a burned double agent spy, stayed just ahead of things by boldly preaching the gospel, clearly showing his new allegiance to Jesus and His Church. The controversy within the church about him needed to be settled so that the gospel could continue to advance. Enter “the Son of Encouragement”... Barnabus would defend Saul to the apostles in Jerusalem. His sponsorship ended the church’s official suspicions about Saul. His encouragement set the stage for Saul to continue to be used by God for gospel proclamation.

Eventually though, death threats from Saul’s former employers led the church to take some protective measures. They escorted Saul to the port of Caesarea and from there he set sail for Tarsus to seek refuge in his hometown. There he would be protected from the immediate threat and God would prepare him for even greater and more controversial ministry.

Saul’s story reminds me of the power of encouragement. God used Barnabus to put Saul into the best place with the church leadership. This would then literally save Saul’s life. And then God would continue to grow Saul to be an influential leader himself, bold with the gospel, to launch the church globally. And this would multiply as Saul would also grow new leaders. Encouragement is a powerful spiritual gift with long lasting effects... a type of ministry greatly blessed by God beyond our initial scope of knowing when we first reach out to encourage.