Encourage and Strengthen

 DEVOTION

THE ACTS OF THE APOSTLES

ENCOURAGE AND STRENGTHEN

Acts 15:30-35

30 The men were sent off and went down to Antioch, where they gathered the church together and delivered the letter. 31 The people read it and were glad for its encouraging message. 32 Judas and Silas, who themselves were prophets, said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. 33 After spending some time there, they were sent off by the brothers with the blessing of peace to return to those who had sent them.   35 But Paul and Barnabas remained in Antioch, where they and many others taught and preached the word of the Lord.

NIV

We are dealing with a message contained in this letter, sent by the apostles and elders in Jerusalem, as well as the personal messages of Silas and Judas, called Barsabas. What we need to focus on is, first, the response to the message, and second, the work of Silas and Barsabas. Of course, the written letter was encouraging in the sense that these new Gentile believers did not have to undergo the painful experience of circumcision. It is one thing, according to Jewish law, to circumcise an eight-day-old boy, but for an adult male, it is a very painful thing that debilitates a man for several days. So, not having to experience that would be very encouraging. However, we also note that Silas and Judas were prophets and said much to encourage and strengthen the brothers. Encouraging and strengthening others should be one of the main traits of all believers. We are told many times in various Epistles to encourage and build one another up. Judas and Silas were encouragers, seeking to build up those brothers according to their needs. Those times were different from what we have available to us now. These brothers in Antioch did not have all four gospels, nor any of the epistles of Paul, Peter, or John. Most likely, they did not even have copies of the torah, or any of the Psalms, and the words of the prophets. All they had were messages from men who came to Antioch, some with words that would burden the new believers; but when the apostles and elders sent this letter and Silas and Judas, they brought words of truth that encouraged and strengthened the new believers. That is the kind of words that should come out of our mouths, even if other believers have the whole Bible available to them, and should be encouraged and strengthened by reading and exploring the truths within it. Although we have the fullness of the scriptures, it seems we can still go through times when our hearts are heavy, because we are going through some difficult experience. We might even become a bit discouraged or disappointed because it seems our prayers are not being answered, or we are not seeing an improvement in our situation. That is why we all should be ready, willing, and able to encourage and strengthen each other.