Without further suspense, the “E” word is ENCOURAGEMENT! It is a universal need in the life of every believer and yet can easily be neglected over other seemingly more important things in the lives and mission of God’s people.
Looking back over my 43 years of being a Christ follower, I can clearly see at least 2 things: 1. I have gone through numerous seasons of discouragement and in each of them, God used these seasons to springboard me forward spiritually. 2. In each of these seasons, God used His people to speak encouragement to my heart in such a way that my heart turned toward God in a new and fresh way because He is our ultimate source of encouragement.
Being an encourager does not come naturally for most of us. It certainly doesn’t for me, especially as I reflect on my story of growing up in a hyper-critical home. Yet, it’s not an option for those who know Jesus…It’s a command based on God’s great love for US! Think about how in the New Testament, we are given 32 reminders of what WE are to DO for ONE ANOTHER. Things like: love, honor, welcome, show hospitality, live in harmony, be at peace, be kind, forgive, bear burdens, comfort, pray, etc…and yes, ENCOURAGE one another. So, let's unpack some key elements when it comes to biblical encouragement!
What is the source of our encouragement? Paul tells us in Philippians 2:1-5: “Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, 2 then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. 3 Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, 4 not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others.” The takeaway here is our own relational intimacy with Christ will often determine whether we are good encouragers. Put another way, if we are being encouraged by Jesus, we will be giving that away to others.
What is encouragement? The N.T. verb translated ‘encourage’ can also mean “to comfort, cheer up, console, speak in a friendly manner.” A big picture view of ‘encourage’ in the N.T. paints a picture of the life-giving power of our shared beliefs about Jesus and our shared life in Jesus. Jesus himself used the noun form of this verb when, in John 14:26, he called the Holy Spirit our ‘helper’-or our encourager as an “empowering presence” among us. The J.B. Phillips translation paraphrased this title of the H.S. as “someone to stand by you.” So, encouragement looks like, standing with one another and bringing a life-giving presence to one another.
Real biblical encouragement is one way we experience the Holy Spirit together and it’s one of the many reasons we say at Fellowship…TOGETHER IS BETTER! Our community groups are not life-depleting but life giving, not critical but rich in affirmation.
Encouragement reflects the Gospel! God’s grace to us through the brutal death of His only Son because of our deep sinfulness and His continued steadfast love and faithfulness to us is both humbling and encouraging. We are called to exhibit that kind of love to others as 1 John 4:19 tells us: “We love because he first loved us.” D.A. Carson speaks to this: “Encouragement is what the gospel FEELS like as it moves from one believer to another. It is one of the most important ministries in the church of the N.T. It deserves nothing less than to set the predominant tone of our churches, staff teams, homes and yes, our personal ministries. And here’s why…I have never met anyone suffering from too much encouragement.”
Why do we ALL need tangible, relational and horizontal encouragement from each other? The bottom line is we are a broken people, with broken stories (though as believers we are full of hope because of Christ) living in a broken world. Romans 8 says that both the creation and humanity groan as we await the return of Christ. Life is painful and hard. We not only have to live with our own fight against sin but with others who sin against us. Add to that the real pull of the world and devil to woo us away from our love and allegiance to Christ. This daily battle, as Spurgeon says… “can wear us down”! Add to that, we, the blood bought people of God are to walk with people in their darkest days even as we walk in ours. We live in an epidemic of anxiety, loneliness, addiction, grief. Yep, both life and ministry are difficult to put it mildly. The NEED is great!
What are some ways to grow in encouragement?
- Pray with and over people at every chance you get! Take them to God’s great throne of grace so they may find help in their time of need. (Hebrews 4:16)
- With our words! Proverbs 12:25 tell us that “anxiety in a man’s heart weights him down, but a good word makes him glad.” Start this practice at home with those closest to you and let it go viral with all you encounter. Our words, whether written or spoken, can breathe courage and strength into the hearts of those who feel the strain of life.
- Ask for it! Yes, tell others that you NEED some help and encouragement. Break through your pride of being self sufficient and pour your heart out to your spouse or a trusted friend. You’ll be amazed at how God will use this to equip you to live in a new way of crying out to both him and others about all of life.
- Confess your sin to others! This may seem weird on a blog about encouragement but listen to Jesus half brother James: “Confess your sins to one another and pray for one another, so you may be whole and healed.” David in Psalms 51 speaks of how him confessing his sin and how God then created in him joy, gladness and renewing of a steadfast spirit in him. Sin robs all of us of our encouragement in Christ.
- Give a small gift to let others know you are thinking of them…a gift that reminds them of both your love for them and God’s love for them.
- Love Works Outward! Yes, a couple Sundays ago as we spread about our city was such an encouragement to many who feel left out and left behind. The stories I’ve heard bring glory to God and hope to those who live daily in great need. Let’s let ‘love working outward’ keep going within our own body as we hear of and see tangible needs.