And when Saul had come to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, and did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. And he declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. Acts 9:26-27

We mentioned in an earlier post that the believers in Damascus were reticent to accept Saul as a believer. We mentioned that while caution may be wise, we should seek to give new believers, regardless of their past, the benefit of the doubt. Trust, but verify!

Saul was met with the same skepticism in Jerusalem. And it is understandable. After all, Saul was a chief persecutor of Christians. Praise God for Barnabas. Barnabas took a chance, stood by Saul, and vouched for him. That was not only a noble position to take, it must have also been a great comfort to Saul. Saul and Barnabas became fast friends and ministry partners in the first great missionary enterprise of the Church (Acts 13-14).

In a more general application, I am convicted that I must seek to be an advocate for believers who might not be so readily accepted. This does not mean, of course, defending false teachers, people living in obvious sin, or those whose profession of faith is truly suspect. What it does mean is that I must be a ready defender of the brethren—even as I would want to be defended by my brethren—whether they are being attacked by believers or unbelievers.