How many backsliders would still be in the church if someone would have encouraged them? How many pastors would still be involved in ministry that have fallen along the way because of discouragement? We need the Lord's help, but we also need each other to speak life into the hearts and minds of people who are carrying a heavy burden.
My pastor brother is a prime example of what I'm writing about. He is a straight-shooter and doesn't take any gruff from people, but he is an encourager first and foremost. He has a heart for lifting people up even when they've done him wrong. If we would all be like that I believe the church would be better off.
Paul reminds us that we need to be honest and concerned with others in the faith:
-Encourage other believers with the reminder of Christ's coming.
It redirects our thinking to an eternal perspective and ultimate deliverance from the sin and death.
1 Thessalonians 5:17b, 18 "We who are still alive and are left will be caught up in the clouds to meet the Lord in the air. And so we will be with the Lord forever. Therefore encourage each other with these words."
-Realize the power of presence; we need each other.
Just being there is encouraging! When you're with others, you're telling them that they're important. The Apostle Paul closed his letter to the church at Colosse promising to send his friend Tychius:
Colossians 4:8b "that he may encourage your hearts."
-If you're part of a church, Bible study or fellowship, be committed to showing up for services.
Your simple presence encourages others that they are part of a community of faith and that they are not alone. That's why the writer of Hebrews says,
Hebrews 10:25 "Let us not give up the habit of meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another and all the more as we see the Day approaching."
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