[Applause] welcome to this daily encouragement from our daily bread I'm James Banks and I titled today's meditation people of encouragement sheer encouragement that was the phrase JRR talken used to describe the personal support his friend and colleague CS Lewis gave him as he wrote The Epic the Lord of the Rings trilogy tolk's work on the series had been painstaking and exacting and he personally typed out the lengthy manuscripts more than twice when he sent them to Lewis Lewis responded all the long years you have spent on it are Justified perhaps scriptures best known encourager was
Joseph from Cyprus better known as Barnabas meaning son of encouragement the name the apostles gave him in Acts 4 it was Barnabas who advocated for Paul to the apostles later when non-jewish Believers began to place their faith in Jesus Luke tells us Barnabas was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts Luke describes him as a good man full of the Holy Spirit and Faith adding that because of him a great number of people were brought to the Lord the worth of encouraging words can't be measured as we
offer words of faith and love to others God who gives Eternal encouragement may move through what we share to transform someone's life forever may he help us to offer sheer encouragement to someone [Music] today today's our daily bread devotional scripture reading is from Acts 11: 19- 26 now those who had been scattered by the persecution that broke out when Steven was killed traveled as far as Phoenicia Cyprus and Antioch spreading the word only among Jews some of them however men from Cyprus and sirene went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also telling them
the good news about the Lord Jesus the Lord's hand was with them and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord news of this reached the church in Jerusalem and they sent Barnabas to Antioch when he arrived and saw what the grace of God had done he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts he was a good man full of the Holy Spirit and faith and a great number of people were brought to the Lord then Barnabas went to Tarsus to look for Saul
and when he found him he brought him to Antioch so for a whole year Barnabas and Saul met with the church and taught great numbers of people the disciples were called Christians first at Antioch let's pray dear God please help us to be an encouragement to someone today so that they see you in us and know we are Christians too in Jesus name we pray amen thanks for listening today my name is James Banks and today's encouragement was provided by our daily bread Ministries
