The Power of One

“But Barnabas took him, brought him to the apostles,

and described…how in Damascus Saul had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.”

–Act 9:27

His name was Carl. When we first met, he had worked for the telephone company for 39 years. Some of my co-workers had warned me he was odd, even a curmudgeon. From the start, though, Carl and I got along just fine. He was manager of the Central Office, the switching network for phone calls. I managed a group that dispatched repair technicians. Carl could do his job in his sleep. I was in over my head even when I was awake. Our work didn’t intersect often, but our offices were in the same building and he took special interest in me. I was always grateful.

Less than a year removed from college, the job offered my first experience as a supervisor, the first time I had been involved in repair efforts, and the first time I had to concern myself with a union contract. Included on my staff was a man named Wallace, who had worked for the company longer than I had been alive. Wallace was the first person I met and while he did speak on my entering the room, there was a certain coolness. He would answer questions when asked, but only offer information as necessary. That was his demeanor for six months, but one day it changed dramatically. From that point forward, Wallace laughed easily, kept me from making key mistakes, and offered advice that was always sound.

I didn’t know what had made the difference, until the night Carl and his wife had me over for dinner. After the meal, he suggested I move to the living room.  Soon, he returned with a small mason jar which held about a quarter inch of clear liquid. “Give this a try,” he said and I did, consuming my first and last taste of moonshine. My throat still burns at the memory! Yet what I recall even more vividly was our conversation as Carl asked how things were going at work. I said it was getting better and that Wallace, in particular, had been especially helpful. Carl smiled and shared a conversation from a few weeks earlier.

He had dropped by my office early one morning when only Wallace was present and had asked his assessment of things. Wallace grumbled about his 21 year old “bossman” (his term for me) who knew nothing about the company or being a supervisor. Wallace’s assessment was accurate, but Carl replied “Do you think John asked for this job? He’s doing the best he can and could use your help. You have a son about his age. How would you want people to treat him?” Suddenly I knew what had transformed Wallace’s attitude and it wasn’t my growing knowledge or improved supervisory skills, but one man who made all the difference. The Biblical words we just read tell of a moment like that, too. 

They come immediately after the conversion of Saul, a great persecutor of the early church. Soon after his encounter with the risen Christ, Saul began to preach in the synagogues, announcing his new conviction that Jesus was the Son of God. Some welcomed the news and others dismissed it, yet a few became so incensed they planned to kill Saul. He learns of the plot and flees to Jerusalem. 

In Acts 7 Luke records that Saul “attempted to join the disciples, and they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple.” Their caution is understandable. When Saul had left for Damascus, he had just finished a house-to-house search for Christians, leaving the early church in a state of fear and shock. So, why should the first Christian leaders think anything was different about him now?  

“Barnabas took [Saul] brought him to the apostles,” Luke writes “and described for them how on the road he had seen the Lord, who had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.”  The gospel writer doesn’t record a response from the group, but we do hear of the impact, as the narrative says that Saul “went in and out among them in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord.”

One man stood up for Saul. One individual vouched for the trustworthiness of his conversion and new conviction. One person was ready to speak a counter word to the prevailing opinion.  Barnabas’ name meant “Son of Encouragement” and that is certainly what he did with the early church leadership team in Jerusalem. As a result, Saul–one who would become known as the Apostle Paul–was welcomed into the fold and began his missionary journeys throughout the Mediterranean region. The future of Christianity was forever altered.

Sometimes all it takes is one voice.

Many of us have been in a meeting where the first perspective aired is echoed by others and things move along toward what appears to be a unanimous vote until someone else says “I’m not so sure.” With that counter word, other voices who had not spoken before join the conversation and the tide turns toward a different outcome. Such an impact isn’t only evident in meetings.   

One note of encouragement can encourage a child pursue her dream. One act of compassion can turn a life around. One deed of courage can keep an injustice from occurring. Most of us can recall persons with such an impact upon us and such was the result of Barnabas’ timely word long ago.

No matter what your age or life circumstance, you have that kind of power. You have the capability of being a daughter or son of encouragement, too. Your efforts may not change the face of Christianity, but they will transform and bless the life of someone else. Claim it anew and use it, for good.

Powerful One, with a word you created us and all creation. Help me, this day, to use my words with intention and care, allowing them to change the life of another. Amen.