Barnabas

The opening lesson of a character study on encouragement, which the teacher defines not as courtesy but as doing and saying the things that move others toward Jesus. Barnabas is the model, in three moves: generous with his possessions in Acts 4, generous with his appreciation when Jerusalem sent him to inspect the boundary-crossing church at Antioch, and generous in seeing potential: vouching for Saul when no one else would, and standing by Mark even when it meant parting from Paul. It ends with everyone texting someone encouragement on the spot.