How to Be An Encourager - Part 2 of 2

Greg Laurie: What do all these people need? Young people, middle-aged people, older people, they all need a word of encouragement. They need to know that their lives matter.
Guest (Male): People tend to listen to matters we talk about when what we talk about matters to them. Today Pastor Greg Laurie says encouragement is always welcome.
Greg Laurie: There is nothing as refreshing as an encouraging word or deed. It is like a fresh drink of water on a hot summer day.
Music: This is the day when the lost are found. This is the day for a new beginning. Amazing grace, how sweet the sound. Oh, can you hear all the angels are singing? This is the day, the day when life begins.
Guest (Male): The Gospel can be an uncomfortable message. It is a message of sin and its consequences. But of course, the remedy found in the Lord's sacrifice. But that discussion can be so effective in an atmosphere of encouragement. It is what their heart needs wrapped in what their heart wants. And today on A New Beginning, Pastor Greg Laurie points out how to be an encourager in the tradition of Barnabas. As we study the book of Acts today, we will see how we can follow in his reassuring footsteps.
Music: This is the day, the day when life begins.
Greg Laurie: So I heard about a group of frogs that were walking through the forest. Why, you're laughing already. I have not even told the story yet. Anyway, a group of frogs are walking through the forest and two of the frogs fall into this pit. The other frogs look over the side and they yell to the frogs at the bottom of the pit, "You're as good as dead. You're never going to get out of there." Well, the frogs did not want to stay in the pit and they started to jump and jump and jump. And the frogs up on the top said, "You're not going to make it. You're not going to get up here. You're never going to get out of that pit. You're going to die." And one of the frogs got so discouraged, he just laid down and died. But the other frog would not give up. He kept jumping, jumping, jumping, jumping. Finally, he jumps out of the pit. The other frogs say, "Didn't you hear us? We told you you couldn't get out of the pit." He said, "Sorry, I'm hard of hearing and I thought you were cheering for me." This is a true story. And then I stepped on the frog and killed him. No, I did not. So, that's sad, is not it? It's all fake. Okay. I bring this up because we live in a time now where there's just so much discouragement. So many people discouraging you and me each and every day. If you don't believe me, just go on social media and specifically on Twitter. All the trolls out there with their just their anger and hostility and attacks. "You'll never make it. You'll never succeed. You'll never be the person you want to be." They bully you online and on and on it goes. And this is why so many people are affected in an adverse way. I think it is affecting the mental health of our nation, especially young people. Depression rates among 14 to 17-year-olds has grown 60% from 2009 to 2017. That's really a lot. Suicide rates among young people have doubled in a decade. And 43% of millennials and Gen Zers are very concerned about their mental health. But it is not just young people that are facing this depression. It is affecting older people, too. People who are getting on in years feel left out, forgotten, unappreciated. They are seeking hope, wanting their lives to matter because they are dealing with struggles. Maybe their health is failing. Maybe they have lost a mate or they are struggling with some kind of an illness. Suicide is up among older folks as well. Men who are 65 or older are the highest risk of suicide today. Adults 85 and older are the second most likely age group to die from suicide. So what do all these people need? Young people, middle-aged people, older people, they all need a word of encouragement. They need to know that their lives matter. I can still remember discouraging things that were said to me as a kid. When I was in high school, I didn't get very good grades. I have to tell you. And so one teacher wrote this little commentary on my report card right next to D, C, D, F, et cetera. "Greg Laurie spends too much time sitting in the classroom, staring at the window, daydreaming and drawing cartoons." And then she offered this encouraging word, "He will never amount to anything." Thank you for those encouraging words. When I was in elementary school, I became a little bit of a troublemaker. I was sent to military school for a few years, and boy, they got me in shape. I mean, I was a good boy because you'd get into big trouble, including being swatted with a giant wooden paddle if you got out of line. I was on the honor roll. I was a good cadet, marching around in my little uniform. But then when I got out of military school and went into the public school system of California and realized how much I could get away with, I went from honor roll student cadet to juvenile delinquent. And I was so bad that one teacher in a classroom next to mine, hearing of the constant harassment I dealt toward my teacher, said to her class, "I'd like to take Greg Laurie and bury him up to his neck in the sand in the blazing sun and watch the ants eat him alive." The kids told me this after the class and I actually thought that was kind of cool. I don't know what was. Really? She said that about me. But, you know, encouragement really matters. So, I want to talk about a guy in the book of Acts that was known for encouraging others. Actually, his given name was Joseph. But he was given a nickname, and his nickname was Barnabas, which means a son of encouragement or another way to translate it. He was known basically as Mr. Encouragement. Mr. Encouragement. I love that. And he steps in at a critical time in the life of the Apostle Paul. Before he was the Apostle Paul, when he was still Saul, the notorious Christian killer. The man who hunted down followers of Jesus Christ. The man who met Christ on the road to Damascus. The problem was a lot of people weren't buying it. They weren't believing that Saul was actually now a Christian. Enter Barnabas. Enter Mr. Encouragement. Barnabas says, "Oh, you're a believer for sure. I've talked to you. I know your conversion is real." That brings me to point number one. An encourager sees the potential in others and cheers them on. An encourager sees the potential in others and cheers them on. So Barnabas, Mr. Encouragement, takes Saul of Tarsus under his wing and encourages him. And he even says, "Let's go on the road together. Let's go share the Gospel together." So Barnabas is helping Saul. He's discipling Saul. He's teaching Saul, later to become Paul. He sees the potential. Acts chapter 9, verse 26. Go back a few verses, chapters. When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him, and they did not believe that he had truly become a believer. Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them Saul had seen the Lord on the road to Damascus, and the Lord had spoken to Saul, and he told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus. I love that. So Barnabas takes his credibility, and he had a lot of it. He was loved by everybody. And he put it on the line for the newly converted Saul to say, "Listen, I'm vouching for this guy. He's a real Christian." And that's something that we all need in life. We need a Barnabas or you need to be a Barnabas. Let me say that again. We all need a Barnabas or an encourager, or we need to be a Barnabas encouraging others. And your words matter, and your encouragement matters. And let's review the Great Commission. Jesus speaking, "Go into all the world and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you, and lo, I am with you even to the end of the age." It's given to every Christian. It's given to you. It's given to me. And it's interesting because in that statement, "Lo, I am with you even to the end of the age," contextually in the original language, it's implying that Jesus will be with us in a special way when we're fulfilling the Great Commission. That's not to say he won't be with us all the time because he said, "I'll never leave you or forsake you." But it is to say, Jesus speaking, "I will be with you when you do this. I will open doors for you. I will put words in your mouth. I will direct you to the right people. I'll be with you." So your job, your mission, should you decide to accept it, is to go and make disciples, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you. So Barnabas did this for the newly converted Saul. And God wants you to do this for somebody else because there are people that need your help right now. People that are hurting. People that have fallen spiritually. James 5:19 says, "Brothers, if any of you should wander from the truth and someone should bring him back, remember that whoever turns a sinner from the error of his way will save him from death and cover a multitude of sins." I love that.
Guest (Male): Pastor Greg Laurie will have the second half of his message in just a moment. You know, I've heard people describe a trip to Israel as seeing the Bible actually come to life. Hey, everybody, Greg Laurie, and I've been to Israel many times and I've led a lot of tours and I have to say that's absolutely true. Listen, when you're walking on the same stones that Jesus himself walked on, well, that's something that's enriching to your faith. It's not just a travel experience, it actually energizes and enhances your study of the Bible. Think of it this way. It's a vacation with a purpose. And we're going to be taking a tour of Israel April 6th to 15th, 2027. You can find out more at Israel.harvest.org.
Guest (Male): Step right into biblical history. Join Pastor Greg for a tour of the Holy Land, April 6th through 15th, 2027. Get details at Israel.harvest.org. Well, we're getting some good counsel on the importance of encouragement today. Pastor Greg continues his study based in Acts chapter 11.
Greg Laurie: You know, sometimes what people need is just a friend. You don't have to know all the answers. I think we think, "Oh, I have to be a theologian." No, you don't. You can get on the job training. You can learn what you need to learn as you need it. But you can get in there and just engage in what I like to describe as a ministry of presence, just being there. Let's say someone's in a hospital room and they're in pain and they're in need. Sometimes just being there. You don't need a sermon. Everything isn't a sermon. You might be surprised to hear me say that because I'm a preacher, right? But there's a time to sermonize and then there's a time to just empathize and just care and offer the appropriate scriptures at the right time. And here's another thing to think about. Whatever you're going through in life is preparing you for something else. And he can take the pain of your life and use it. I wouldn't wish my childhood on anyone, but now I use it as a tool to help other people because they'll tell me about their upbringing and I'll say, "Well, here was my upbringing, here's what God did for me, and he can do this for you." And having my son go to be with the Lord in 2008, if I could bring him back, I would do it in a moment. But I realized that this happened, I don't know why it happened, but I will not waste my pain. And I use it as a tool now to help other people who have heard the devastating news that their child has died, or their spouse has died, or a loved one has died. And so I know that I can come and just help them through that. I don't really have that much to say, but if I can in some way, shape or form, help them through that difficult time, that's what I want to do. We all want to be that encourager because there's nothing as refreshing as an encouraging word or deed. It's like a fresh drink of water on a hot summer day. Proverbs 25:25 says, "Good news from far away is like cold water to the thirsty." I think encouragement may be the greatest need in our world today. That brings me to my second point. If you want to be an encourager, you will help other Christians grow in their faith. If you want to be an encourager, you will help other Christians grow in their faith. So Barnabas and Paul went on a missionary journey together. And it became pretty clear that Paul had a great gift to preach, even greater than Barnabas' gift. So Barnabas sort of stepped aside and let Paul do what he did. He was doing his job well. Now, they did have a conflict, and we'll talk about this later, and they parted ways as friends, but they did part ways. But the point of it is, Barnabas had done his job. What was his job? To disciple Paul, to help Paul get acclimated to the church, to help Paul discover, cultivate, and use the gifts that God had given to him. Once I was done, now Barnabas can exit the scene and go do it again. That's our job. It's sort of like wash, rinse, repeat, right? In the same way, preach, encourage, disciple, repeat. Preach, encourage, disciple, repeat. You just do it over and over again for as many people as you can. Mr. Encouragement. Here's an instance in Acts chapter 11 now, the verse we turned to, when they dispatched Barnabas for a special project. God was working, and people were coming to Christ, and they said, "Hey, let's send Mr. Encouragement over there." Acts 11:22. And when the church at Jerusalem heard what had happened, they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw this evidence of God's blessing, he was filled with joy and he encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. Barnabas was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith, and many people were brought to the Lord. I love that. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and strong in faith. Let that be said of you that you're a good man, a good woman, full of the Holy Spirit, encouraging others. And I love the word that Barnabas gave to the believers there. He encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. And I want to encourage you to do the same right now. Stay true to the Lord. Hold the course that you are on. Don't deviate from it to the left or the right. I've mentioned Chuck Smith a couple of times in this message. Here's one last story. I was having lunch with him once. So we're sitting there, and I said, "Chuck, if an older Chuck had speak to a younger Chuck, what would you say to yourself?" And Chuck said, "Greg, will you stop asking me these stupid questions? I just want to eat my food." No, he didn't say that, but he should have. He said, "Hold the course." What he meant was just stay on that path that you're on and don't get off that path. And that's what Barnabas was saying to the believers. He encouraged the believers to stay true to the Lord. And let me close with this, hold your course. I know it's hard. Maybe you've hit a rough patch. Maybe there are some problems. Maybe you've stumbled and you've fallen. Get back up again. God gives second chances, and he'll see you through. Whatever you're going through because he's bigger than your problem. It's going to get better. But you know, I mentioned in the beginning of this message that there are some that are so down, they're so discouraged, they've even thought of taking their lives. And let me just say, if I'm talking to anyone who has entertained those thoughts, please reject them. Push them out of your mind because you are loved by a lot of people. More than you know. You're needed. You're wanted. And best of all, you're loved by God. And no matter what things you've done wrong, he will forgive you, but you must come to him. Don't even think of taking your own life. Instead, give your life to Jesus Christ, and you'll find life. Jesus said, "Whoever will lose his life for my sake will find it." What does that even mean? To lose your life means I take my dreams, my aspirations, my hopes, and I say, "This is what I'd like to do, but Lord, I want your will more than my will." Even if there's a conflict, I want it. And here's what you'll discover. You'll discover God's plans for you are far better than your plans for yourself. But it starts with giving your life to Jesus Christ. And so I'm going to close by extending an invitation to anybody here, if you're not sure if Jesus is living in your life, if you haven't asked him to forgive you of your sin, it can happen right here, right now. My whole life changed on a Friday in 1970. I didn't wake up in the morning and say, "Hey, I think that I'll change my entire course of living and become a Christian, and then maybe one day I'll even become a preacher and lose all of my hair." That's my goal. No. That thought did not cross my mind. But that's what God had in store for me. Who knows what God has in store for you. So we're going to close in prayer. And if you don't know Jesus yet, this is your moment to come to him and believe. Let's pray. Father, thank you for your word to us. Thank you for your encouragement to us. And thank you for your promise to us. The promise to forgive us of all of our sins if we'll turn from them and put our faith in Jesus Christ, who died on the cross for our sin and rose again from the dead. I pray for any person here, if they don't know you yet, Lord, let this be the moment they believe. If you want Jesus Christ to come into your life and forgive you of your sin, just pray this simple prayer. Lord Jesus, I know that I'm a sinner, but I know that you're the savior, who died on the cross for me. I turn from my sin now, and I choose to follow you. I want your will for my life. I ask this now in Jesus' name. Amen.
Guest (Male): It's an important moment in the lives of so many people listening right now. Pastor Greg Laurie praying a prayer with those who are asking Jesus to be their Savior today. And if you've just prayed that prayer and you've meant those words sincerely, we want to help you begin to live this new life of faith. Pastor Greg would like to send you his new believer's Bible. It's free of charge, and it'll help answer many of the questions you might have and get you started off right as you walk each day with the Lord. So ask for it when you call 1-800-821-3300. We can take your call anytime. That's 1-800-821-3300. Or go online to harvest.org. And then let us say a word of thanks to those who support us financially. Those who make it possible for us to bring you these studies each day. We're definitely a listener-supported ministry. It's the generosity of listeners that help us be here with these programs. So if you've partnered with us, thank you. And if you have yet to partner with us, I hope you'll get in touch today and let us know that you're standing with us. Even a small investment would help. It's actually an investment in changing lives. Thank you for partnering with us. You can donate securely online at harvest.org or call us at 1-800-821-3300. Again, that's 1-800-821-3300.
Guest (Male): Did you know that we put our services that we do on Sundays online? It's called Harvest at Home. And you can be a part of our extended congregation, no matter where you are. And people watch from literally all around the world. So if you want to watch Harvest at Home or view it later if you like, just download the Harvest Plus app. And then join us for Harvest at Home.
Guest (Male): Well, next time, Pastor Greg addresses a challenging subject. Tune in for a message called, "Why Do Christians Have to Suffer?" Join us here on A New Beginning with Pastor and Bible teacher Greg Laurie.
Music: This is the day, the day when life begins.