KEY SCRIPTURE: Acts 11:25 KJV “Then departed Barnabas to Tarsus, for to seek Saul”:

The Lord Jesus showed us the need to always go after the lost or those who might be getting weak in their faith.  Luke 15:4 KJV “What man of you, having an hundred sheep, if he lose one of them, doth not leave the ninety and nine in the wilderness, and go after that which is lost, until he find it?” Apostle Paul persecuted the Christians, and the church was greatly afraid of him when they heard him preach about Jesus, nobody was prepared to stand with him and for him. He started preaching in Damascus and confounded the Jews there. They decided to kill him (Acts 9:23). The brethren got hint of it and let him down over the wall in a basket. When he got to Jerusalem, none of the brethren in Jerusalem were prepared to stand with him, except Joses who was nicknamed Barnabas, who took him to the apostles and introduced him to them.

In Jerusalem he spoke the word so boldly as the scripture put it in the following verse. Act 9:29 KJV” And he spake boldly in the name of the Lord Jesus, and disputed against the Grecians: but they went about to slay him”. As a result of this, the brethren took Paul and sent him to Tarsus (Acts 9:30) . Nothing was heard of him from that time. Could it be that the initial hostilities were weakening his ability to come back? He was not doing any ministry work. I believe he went back into his tent making business. It was at this time that Barnabas did not forget about him, or got discouraged in him, but traveled to Tarsus to look out for him.

What would have happened to Paul’s future ministry, if Barnabas had not gone looking for him?  Go after that brother who no longer comes to church. Don’t give up on following them up

Many brethren have fallen out of the faith, and have lost their ministries because, they might have been discouraged about certain challenges, yet they could have been set on fire, if brethren had not given up on them. Some years ago, I went on outreach at University of Ghana, precisely at the Commonwealth hall. I met a young man who was a converted Muslim to Christianity. He was receiving lots of threats from his parent back at home, from the north. He was at the verge of giving up his faith in Christ. After my encounter with him, he became strong in the Lord again, and even went up north during vacation time, and led some of his siblings to Christ. Don’t be discouraged about going to assist a brother or sister, who is fallen or backsliding. You may be restoring another Paul.

CONFESSION

Every soul is precious and everyone who has once known Christ and is getting weak can be helped back onto his feet again.  I do not get discouraged in any of them. I diligently seek out for them, and help them to get back on their feet in the Lord.

FURTHER STUDIES

Acts 14:21 KJV “And when they had preached the gospel to that city, and had taught many, they returned again to Lystra, and to Iconium, and Antioch”,

Acts 15:3 KJV “And being brought on their way by the church, they passed through Phenice and Samaria, declaring the conversion of the Gentiles: and they caused great joy unto all the brethren”.