Be an Advocate

Acts 9:26-27 (ESV) – They were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. 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.

The Christians in Jerusalem had reason to not trust Saul (later and better known as Paul). He had fully endorsed the stoning of the first Christian martyr, Stephen (Acts 7:58). He had authority from the Jewish priests to imprison anyone claiming to be a Christian (Acts 9:2, 22:4). He made it his mission to do everything he could to destroy the young Christian church (Acts 26:9-11). He could have pretended to have had a miraculous conversion just to be able to infiltrate the Christian community to learn the hiding places and discover who all the Christians were. He could have led the total destruction of the fledgling church in its home city. Christianity might have been completely eradicated if this happened. It was no surprise the Jerusalem believers were afraid of this Saul.

Everything changed one day, though, because of the actions of one brave Christian, with the well-deserved nickname of Son of Encouragement (Acts 4:36). Barnabas was not one of the twelve disciples who walked closely with Jesus in Galilee, but he had experienced a life changing encounter with Jesus. He had made a noteworthy financial contribution to the early church (Acts 4:37).  

Barnabas understood what was happening but he also understood that what Paul had experienced was real. Barnabas must have also seen what God would be able to do through this gifted young man, so, not for the last time (Acts 11:26), Barnabas found Paul, took him to the Jerusalem Christians, spoke on Paul’s behalf, and opened the door for Paul’s acceptance and the credibility to take his ministry to another level.

The Christians knew and trusted Barnabas, and Barnabas knew and trusted Paul. He became the bridge for a vital relationship. Has there been someone in your life whose speaking well of you to others opened doors of opportunity for you? Have you ever come to trust someone you had not previously met because of an endorsement or recommendation from someone you did know? Relational trust carries more weight for most people than the most elaborate resume. Even in our age of advanced technology, networking is more important now than ever.

Who will you advocate? What relationships can you help form that can lay the foundation for great achievements? Intentionally be aware of people you know who can benefit one another through yet unseen relationships. You can be the one to make that connection. You can be a son or daughter of encouragement.