People use terms like “mentor,” “trainer,” “accountability partner” or “coach” to describe such people who take a chance on you, seeing potential in you when you do not see that potential in yourself. We all need people like that. We need to have people who believe in us, when we do not believe in ourselves. God knew that and gives many Bible stories about such relationships.
Paul (Saul) had just become a believer. His reputation definitely preceded him as many Christians did not want to have anything to do with him. “You know, he goes around the countryside to find Christians and loves to torture them.” That was his reputation. When Paul went to Jerusalem for the first time after becoming a Christian, everyone was afraid of him and wanted to hide from Paul.
Everyone, except Barnabas. Barnabas took him as it says in Acts 9:26-27 and befriended him, believing Paul had truly changed due to his Damascus encounter with Jesus. He took Paul to the apostles ...