Encourage One Another

My first thoughts concerning encouragement are along the lines of saying kind words to other people. Proverbs 16:24 reads, “Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” But as I began to study this command, I quickly found that biblical encouragement is much more then trying to “turn that frown upside-down”!

Hebrews 10: 23-25 is the main passage teaching this one another. Verse 25 says we are to encourage one another by “not forsaking our assembling together”. As I carefully consider this statement, I see how encouragement can have many facets. Our regular church attendance encourages our own faith to grow. Our example also encourages others to be regular in their attendance, and it encourages the leadership to see regular attendance among the people. This is a win-win-win situation.

But Hebrews 10:24 takes encouragement to an even higher plane. Here the writer tells us we are to “stimulate one another to love and good deeds”. This is going way beyond showing up on Sunday morning and complimenting someone’s new dress. We are to be seeking more faithful, Christ-like service because of the interaction we had with that person.

In Acts 11:23, we read that Barnabus encouraged the believers in Antioch “to remain true to the Lord.” This is certainly more than a pat on the back, “atta boy”, feel-good moment. We find later in Acts 11: 25-26, that Barnabus brought Paul to Antioch where they both worked for a year to teach and disciple these believers. These men invested their lives to ensure that others were steadfast in their faith.

So now I think I’ve got a better understanding of biblical encouragement. However, I’m left wondering what I can do to actually encourage love, good deeds, and remaining true to the Lord? I think the first step is to be an example, exhibiting these qualities in my own life. And yes, “atta boys” are in order when you see these character traits in the lives of others.

But when I think over this list, I realize that these qualities are imparted by the Holy Spirit. His indwelling of the believer brings about love, good deeds and steadfastness. This implies that biblical encouragement also involves intercession. We are to pray for our fellow brothers and sisters in Christ to be filled with the Holy Spirit and to live Spirit-led lives. In Luke 11:13 Jesus is teaching on prayer and says that our heavenly Father is eager to give the good gift of the Holy Spirit “to those who ask”.

To summarize, biblical encouragement is much more than kind words and compliments. We are to desire the super-natural qualities of “agape” love, good deeds and steadfastness in our own lives as well as each other. Like Barnabus and Paul, we should labor so others will have intimacy with God’s word; for it is there that we come to know true “agape” love. Without such knowledge, there are no “good deeds” and our faith will soon fail.

Furthermore, Hebrews 10:25 adds a sense of urgency about our mission; this encouragement needs to be done “all the more as you see the day drawing near.” There is a pressing deadline beyond which our encouragement will stop, either by death or the Lord’s soon return.

Hebrews 3:13  “But encourage one another day after day, as long as it is still called “today”, so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”

Discussion Questions:

What other practical ways can we encourage love, good deeds, and steadfastness? In what ways have you personally been encouraged in these areas?

Justification vs. Sanctification

Happy Saint Filbert’s Day! August 22nd is the day that folks in Europe begin harvesting their filberts (hazelnuts). I have a contorted filbert tree in my front yard that measures just about 5 feet tall. It grows well enough – sending off long branches, but they “contort”, hence its name.

The twistings and turnings of this tree make for a very interesting sight, but not a lot of upward growth. My life seems to parallel this tree’s behavior. I twist and turn, I get off the “narrow path” of sanctification and my upward growth seems minimal at times.

This morning I found this tree had three branches that were growing nearly straight downward, two even touching the ground. Today I pruned them off while I was looking for nuts to harvest. This speaks to me about my own worldliness and right now I’m reflecting on what might be my two or three most egregious behaviors. What would the Lord have me be trying to prune in my own life?

My justification, pardon for sin, was secured, once and for all, over 30 years ago when I was born-again into Christ Jesus. However, my sanctification is a journey that was only begun that day, growing in holiness is a life-long process. All Christians are all like contorted filberts to some extent, twisting and turning, some days even touching the ugly earth from which we came. But prayerfully, on most days we strive to reach for the true Light shining above us and our eternal, heavenly home.

The bottom line is that the Holy Spirit who has justified and pardoned me before the Holy Lord God, is also the same Holy Spirit that indwells me to chart the course for my on-going sanctification and holiness. You simply cannot be pardoned and not also be striving for holiness. A great lie to the contrary has been propagated in many pulpits and for many years. But the Bible teaches Jesus Christ is both Savior and Lord; those whom He justifies, He also sanctifies.

Hebrews 12:14 “Pursue peace with all men, and the sanctification without which no one will see the Lord.”