Acts Chapter 15
We Could All Use A Little Encouragement
Paul and Barnabas were staying in Antioch to encourage the church and some Jews from Judea came down and started to preach that people needed to be circumcised in order to be saved. Paul and Barnabas were so concerned they went to the leadership in Jerusalem and asked why this was being preached when salvation comes through God’s Grace and a person’s faith in Jesus!
To rectify the problem, the leadership sent Judas and Silas back to Antioch with Paul and Barnabas in order to read a letter to the people in Antioch that this doctrine of circumcision is not correct. The people in Antioch read the letter and were encouraged by its message.
What could we do to encourage others? People, everyday, are struggling with something: their faith, the stresses of life, their value and purpose, finances, etc. What could we say to someone that would encourage them to persevere and not give up? Your words of encouragement could be the very thing that helps get people focused back on the Lord versus traveling down a slippery road further and further away from the Lord.
