Escaping Ordinary Week 9: Friday

"When Saul arrived in Jerusalem, he tried to meet with the believers, but they were all afraid of him. They did not believe he had truly become a believer! Then Barnabas brought him to the apostles and told them how Saul had seen the Lord on the way to Damascus and how the Lord had spoken to Saul. He also told them that Saul had preached boldly in the name of Jesus in Damascus." Acts 9:26-27

The other day, my four-year-old nephew Owen received an award at school for noticing that one of his classmates was sad and playing by herself and inviting her to play with him and the classmates he was playing with. Our family is so proud of him! We are proud of him for including this classmate when she felt lonely, and we hope this spirit of kindness continues developing in him. At its core, living with this spirit of inclusiveness is part of encouragement. When someone who feels like an outsider is invited and included at the table, they are encouraged, knowing they are wanted and cared for. Today we are going to look at a familiar story in Scripture to see how one man's encouraging inclusiveness paved the way for the greatest missionary the world has ever seen.

When the apostle Paul's life was changed forever, and He became a follower of Christ, Barnabas validated him when many were skeptical. Before his name changed from Saul to Paul, Paul had ruthlessly sought out Christians to persecute and even kill. Then, God radically changed His life, and he became a Christ follower. As you can imagine, many were skeptical and even fearful of him. During this time, Acts 9 tells us that Barnabas brought Paul to the apostles and told them about everything God had done in Paul's life and how he had already seen him boldly preach about the good news of Christ (verses 26-27). As a result, the apostles accepted Paul as a Christ follower, and the church grew (verse 28).

Encouragement is not exclusive, my friend. It is the exact opposite. Encouragement seeks out those who feel they are outcasts, are not included, or seem too far gone. Is there someone in your life who you know feels like an outcast or others view as too far gone? What can you do to offer inclusion to them this week? How can you let them know they are loved and cared for? Show them some way this week that they matter because they were created by God.

Moving toward action

Is there currently someone in your life who you know feels like an outsider? Maybe someone is not being included or accepted in your friend group, or maybe someone you know is new to town and having a hard time feeling accepted. Reach out to them. Invite them to attend a church service with you, and eat a meal with them afterward if possible.

Going Deeper

 Acts 9:26-31 (NLT)