The man we know as the Apostle Paul — missionary, theologian, church planter, and author of much of the New Testament — did not begin his Christian life with applause. He began it in isolation and suspicion.
Saul of Tarsus had terrorized the church. He was feared, hated, and avoided. When Jesus stopped him on the Damascus road and opened his blinded eyes to the truth, he stepped into the very community he once sought to destroy.
But the saints weren’t ready to embrace him.
And so, this newly converted “chief of sinners” found himself alone.
Until Barnabas stepped in.
“Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and described how Saul had seen the Lord on the road to Damascus…”
— Acts 9:27, BSB
The Wounded Convert and the Welcoming Brother
Acts 9 tells us that after Saul’s dramatic conversion, he tried to join the disciples in Jerusalem — but they were all afraid of him. And reasonably so. The last time many of them had seen Saul, he was dragging believers to prison or overseeing the stoning of Stephen.
“They did not believe he was a disciple.”
(Acts 9:26, BSB)
How crushing that must have been. The man who had seen the risen Christ, who had been blinded by His glory, who had repented and been baptized — now rejected by the very people of God he sought to join.
That’s when Barnabas, whose name means “Son of Encouragement,” stepped forward. He believed in the work of grace. He believed Christ really does transform sinners. And he was willing to stake his own reputation on it.
“Then Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles.”
(Acts 9:27, BSB)
Paul needed encouragement. And God gave him Barnabas.
Even the Strong Need Strengthening
Sometimes we imagine spiritual giants like Paul as self-sufficient and emotionally bulletproof. But Scripture tells a better, more honest story.
Even the man who would later write, “I can do all things through Christ,” still needed people in his life to walk beside him in the early days of his faith. He needed someone who believed God could use him despite his past. Someone who would open doors. Someone who would say, “I see what God is doing in you.”
That someone was Barnabas.
Barnabas didn’t preach sermons (at least none recorded), but his ministry was no less powerful. He made room for grace. He looked beyond what Saul had done and saw who Christ was making him to be.
In doing so, Barnabas modeled something vital for the Church today: Encouragement is not optional in the body of Christ. It is essential.
The Ministry of Encouragement Is the Ministry of Christ
Encouragement is not flattery. It’s not surface-level cheerleading. It is speaking gospel truth into a brother or sister’s soul when they are most tempted to doubt, retreat, or give up.
This is what Christ does for us. He advocates. He intercedes. He reminds us that we are no longer who we were.
And when Barnabas took Saul’s arm and brought him to the apostles, he was acting like Jesus — standing with the outcast, bringing near the one who was once far off.
The Church needs more Barnabases. Saints who will risk comfort and reputation to come alongside new believers, especially the ones with messy pasts. People who will say, “God is at work in you. Don’t give up.”
Do You Feel Like Paul?
Maybe today you relate more to Saul than Barnabas. You’re saved — truly. You’ve seen the glory of Christ. Your life has changed. But your past still haunts you. Others seem hesitant to trust you. You wonder if God can really use someone like you.
Let Paul’s story — and Barnabas’s encouragement — comfort your heart.
Christ knows who you are. He has washed you. He has appointed you. And even if others doubt, He never will.
And in His mercy, He often sends a Barnabas. Maybe not always in the form of public recognition, but through a kind word, a faithful friend, a brother or sister who sees you through the eyes of grace.
If you’re struggling, ask God to send someone to speak courage into your heart — or better yet, open your heart to those He already has.
Or Maybe You’re a Barnabas in the Making
The Church doesn’t just need preachers and teachers. It needs encouragers. Men and women who will believe the best of what God is doing in others, who will come alongside struggling believers and walk with them toward maturity.
You may not feel like you have much to offer. You may not have Paul’s intellect or Apollos’s eloquence — but you can be a Barnabas.
You can see someone overlooked and draw them in. You can vouch for someone wrestling with shame. You can remind them of grace. You can help them feel that they belong in the family of God.
And that work — often unnoticed — is eternal.
Jesus Builds His Church with Encouragement
After Barnabas welcomed Paul, their relationship would blossom into a powerful ministry partnership. They would preach the gospel together, suffer together, and even later disagree and go separate ways.
But it all started with encouragement.
And we must not forget: Jesus Himself is the ultimate encourager. He is the One who lifts the head of the guilty, who strengthens the weak, who speaks peace to the fearful. He takes Saul the persecutor and makes him Paul the preacher. He calls the broken into His family and gives them brothers and sisters to walk with.
Even Paul needed a Barnabas. And so do we.
Conclusion: Be the One Who Remembers Grace
In a world quick to judge and slow to forgive, the Church must be a people who remember what grace really means.
Barnabas did.
And because he did, a man once blinded by hate became the clearest proclaimer of gospel light the world has ever known.
So don’t underestimate the power of encouragement.
It just might be what God uses to awaken the next Paul.
Learn Christ 
Leave a comment