In 1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 (NIV) Paul uses the father-child relationship to emphasize the vital importance of encouragement. In that passage Paul says, "For you know that we dealt with each of you as a father deals with his own children, encouraging, comforting and urging you to live lives worthy of God, who calls you into his kingdom and glory."
Why Encouragement Matters
All parents know that their encouragement has a profound impact on their children. In his book Encouragement, Dr. Larry Crabb talks about his son's track meets. He says, "I can recall standing by the finish line at many track meets, waiting for my son to come straining down the last stretch of a two-mile run. Exhausted by the labor of pushing himself to his limit, and sometimes bothered by a variety of aches and cramps, he was sorely tempted to collapse fifty yards short of the finish line. But as each of our team's runners came into view, the line of paunchy, out-of-shape fathers would take up the cry, 'C'mon son, only a few yards to go! Push! Push! Kick up your legs! You can do it, bud!' "
All of us have seen what happens when fathers encourage their children like this. Almost without exception, the children respond by grimacing with determination. They get that glimmer of hope in their eyes and they pump their legs with renewed vigor until they cross the finish line. And why? What makes the difference?
Encouragement.
Now imagine what would happen if encouragement were absent from that same track meet. Imagine what would happen if, on the final stretch, the fathers yelled out to their sons or daughters, "Wow, you look beat! Why don't you quit? You're in sixth place! Maybe running isn't your sport! Hey, look at the bright side, there is always the marching band!"
We know that encouragement often makes the difference between winning and losing! In1 Thessalonians 2:11-12 (NIV), Paul is talking to every single one of us today. He is talking to fathers, mothers, grandparents, teachers and church leaders. He is essentially saying to us, "As a father encourages his child to win every race, so I have been encouraging, comforting and urging you to live a life worthy of God!" The implication is that we should take encouragement just as seriously as Paul does.
How often do we ever just stop and realize how powerful a word of encouragement can be to someone who is struggling to live a life worthy of God? Think of the power that encouragement has for that individual who has been pushing himself to live a godly life. And to that individual who has grown weary in the face of temptation. And to that individual who is tempted to collapse under the weight of his sin. And to that individual, who is holding her side, begging to get out of the race, suffering from soreness and cramps and aching bones. And to that new Christian who has just left the starting blocks and has begun the Christian life. And to that new Christian who is falling behind the pack and struggling to catch his breath. And to that individual who is sluggishly approaching the finish line, lacking the desire to kick that little extra effort.
Friends, encouragement can make an eternity's difference; a real kingdom difference!
Over the last few weeks, we have been talking about the marks of a healthy church. Healthy churches are committed to excellence. Healthy churches are committed to exalting God in every area of life. Healthy churches are committed to expecting Christ-likeness of their members. Healthy churches are committed to evangelizing those who don't know Christ. Healthy churches are committed to educating. Healthy churches are committed to an every-member-equipping ministry.
And as we will see today, healthy churches are committed to encouraging, to stirring, to provoking, and to inciting people to live the life that pleases Christ.
Encouragement is a critical necessity for believers.
Now, if you have your Bibles, I'd like you to find Hebrews 10:25. This verse is all about encouragement. Specifically, it tells us that one of the purposes of our meeting together as a church is to encourage one another. Encouragement is not something that is merely incidental in the church. It is not something that a few nice ladies get together and do every so often. It is not something that only a few people need and even fewer do on regular basis.
Rather, encouragement is a kind of main course. Encouragement is one of the most basic and necessary of all Christian responsibilities. Hebrews 10:25 (NIV) says, "Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another, and all the more as you see the day approaching." What a simple, yet powerful admonition for the Church. "Let us encourage one another."
One of the greatest needs in the Church today is for Christians who, like Paul, will take the time to encourage, comfort and urge other Christians to live lives worthy of God. Our greatest need is for people like Ed and Flo Wilkens, Lance Hurley, Don and Sue Schroeder and Andy Hansen. You do not know any of these people! But you should know that without their encouragement, I wouldn't be standing before you today, a Christian, preaching and serving Christ.
So what is this encouragement stuff, and why is it a big deal?
The Biblical meaning and practice of encouragement.
First of all, the biblical word for encouragement literally means, "to call alongside of".
Several years back, there was a Special Olympics in Seattle. Nine contestants, each mentally and physically handicapped, carefully assembled along the starting line for the one hundred yard dash. As the gun sounded off, all nine contestants started out, not in a mad dash, but with great determination nonetheless! Suddenly, one of the contestants tripped and fell on the jagged asphalt. He skinned his knees and the palms of his hands. He started crying, as much out of embarrassment and fear as from pain.
But then a remarkable thing took place. Almost immediately, the other eight contestants heard the boy crying and began slowing down. Soon, the race had stopped and all eight contestants were huddled around the boy who had fallen. A young girl with Down's Syndrome bent down and gave the boy a kiss and said, "This will make it better." And then all nine of the contestants linked arms and walked together, side by side, to the finish line. The entire stadium erupted in applause. The cheering lasted for a solid ten minutes.
Such is the biblical picture of encouragement. It has the idea of coming alongside someone who has fallen. It has the idea of linking arms with other Christians and drawing on the strength of the whole church. Encouragement is about standing alongside a fellow brother or sister in Christ and building into them the courage to triumphantly cross the finish line!
Friends, the reason encouragement is so necessary has to do with the fact that none of us can finish the race alone. The road without encouragement is one of the hardest roads we could ever walk.
We cannot live the Christian life on our own strength. We cannot stay encouraged apart from the encouragement of others. We cannot survive in isolation from God's people and from God's word. Apart from encouragement, we will grow weary in doing good as we live and work with people who don't share our beliefs or our godly lifestyle. Apart from encouragement, we will get burned out as our work and service goes unnoticed and unappreciated. Apart from encouragement, we'll become frustrated and get discouraged with our growth and we will lose perspective about God's work in our life. Apart from encouragement, we will be unable to rekindle passion for godly living. The survival rate isn't very high for Christians who detach themselves from an encouraging community of Christians.
Last night, I was talking to a junior from Chatham high school who is a Christian. He made the comment that most of the kids his age, as many as seventy percent, tend to fall away from Christ once they go away to a college or university. He is absolutely right about this, only I think the percentage is even higher. In college, kids are taken away from the Church and transplanted into a secular environment where God is blasphemed and godly living is ridiculed.
I would add another reason. An atheistic learning environment is not the only reason why kids fall away from faith in Christ during college. Another reason kids fall away is because in college, they often become isolated from a caring, encouraging Christian community that values godly living. Apart from a Christian community and regular encouragement, it is virtually impossible for them to remain faithful. Without encouragement, we are terribly vulnerable to discouragement.
The whole reason the Bible prohibits Christians from marrying unbelievers is because unbelieving spouses tend to discourage and belittle, rather than encourage and affirm the value of godly living and faith. As Christians, we need all encouragement we can get! We cannot afford forsaking the assembly and skipping these times of mutual encouragement.
Ideas for sharing encouragement.
Now before I wrap things up, I want to talk specifically about the kind of encouragement we need to be offering each other in the Church. Great encouragement can be given through a well-timed note, e-mail or letter. Great encouragement can be given through our personal example, as people living in similar circumstances take note of our faithfulness. Great encouragement can be given through a physical gesture, like putting our arm around someone who is going through a difficult time. Great encouragement can be given as we stand alongside someone and roll up our sleeves and share in one another's burdens.
"Spoken" words are a powerful encouragement.
But let me talk for a moment about spoken encouragement. In a word, we need to harness the power of words. Proverbs 18:21 (NIV) tells us, "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." Proverbs 12:25 (NIV) says, "Good words can make an anxious heart glad." Proverbs 16:24 (NIV) says, "Pleasant words are sweet to the soul and bring healing to the bones." Proverbs 25:23 (NIV) says, "How delightful is a timely word."
As Christians, we say a lot of things. We need to be sure we concentrate on saying the right things. Often words are spoken without sincerity. We may casually say to a friend, "How's your day today?" Or, "I'll pray for you." Or, "Maybe we could get together sometime." Or, "It is good to see you." Or, "You are doing a good job."
So often, we say things to merely be polite, while having no intention of offering encouragement or ministry to the person we are speaking to. We need to make sure our words are sincere and intentional. We need to avoid being merely polite and shallow. We need to realize that words are a like a surgeon's knife. When placed in the wrong hands and used carelessly, words can bring death. However, when words are placed in the right hands and used carefully, they can bring healing, life, and restoration.
Larry Crabb in his book Encouragement says, "God intends that we be people who use words to encourage one another. A well-timed word has the power to urge a runner to finish the race, to rekindle hope when despair has set in, to spark a bit of warmth in an otherwise cold life, to trigger healthful self-evaluation in someone who doesn't think much about his shortcomings, and to renew confidence when problems have the upper hand."
"Spiritual" words are a powerful encouragement.
Not only should we harness the power of words and use them wisely, but we should also make sure that we ground our encouragement in the truth of God's word.
A few years ago, I did a funeral and decided to visit in the home of the widow. She was a really nice lady and had a strong faith in Jesus Christ. However, she was taking encouragement in a false belief that her recently deceased husband had become her guardian angel. As she talked, I kept thinking how much more comforting and superior the truth was! We are far greater than the angels. Her husband was a child of God and was standing in the presence of Christ in heaven. We are far greater than the angels.
It is not a coincidence that whenever encouragement is mentioned in the Bible, God's word is almost always mentioned alongside it. In Titus 1:9 (NIV) a requirement for elders is that they "hold firmly to the trustworthy message as it has been taught, so that he can encourage others by sound doctrine and refute those who oppose it." In 2 Timothy 4:2 (NIV) Paul tells Timothy to, "Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage with great patience and careful instruction."
No encouragement is to be found in false doctrine, vague niceties, exaggerated compliments, well-intentioned lies, or any other falsehoods. The purest form of encouragement is always found in the truth of God's word, and through the honest speech of God's people.
As we pull back then, a biblical picture of encouraging emerges. Encouraging makes a real difference. It makes an eternity's difference. Encouragement is one of our greatest needs and one of the primary reasons for which we regularly gather together as a church. Encouragement involves coming alongside each other and drawing strength from the Church at large and from the truth of God's word. Apart from encouragement, we tend to drift into spiritual isolation, where we become vulnerable and powerless to live the Christian life. Encouragement makes the difference between finishing and failing.
As we look forward, we must learn to harness the power of the spoken word for the express purpose of stimulating, inspiring, stirring, provoking, and inciting people to live the Christian life. May God bless this church to this end.