![]() They shared Scripture-saturated words with each other to spur one another on in faith ( Acts 14:22), hope ( Rom. The New Testament reveals that encouragement was a regular part of the early church’s life together ( Acts 13:15, 16:40, 18:27, 20:1-2, 27:36). It points a person to God’s promises that assures them that all they face is under his control. It points out evidences of grace in another’s life to help them see that God is using them. That kind of encouragement is important, but the encouragement the Scriptures refer to is explicitly Christian encouragement.Įncouragement is shared with the hopes that it will lift someone’s heart toward the Lord ( Col. 3:13).īiblical encouragement isn’t focused on complementing someone’s haircut or telling them how good their homemade salsa tastes. ![]() God knows his people are in need of grace-filled reminders, so he calls us to encourage each other every day until his Son returns ( Heb. When encouragement is absent from the life of a church people will feel unloved, unimportant, useless, and forgotten. 3:12), and trials of various kinds ( James 1:2-3). Sin steals joy, our bodies break down, our plans falter, our dreams die, our resolves weaken, our perspective dims. We live in a broken world where everything calls us toward selfishness and despair. In the Gospel of John, Jesus warned that “in this world you will have trouble,” which he then followed with a much needed encouragement: “But take heart I have overcome the world” ( John 16:33). God commanded that his people encourage each other because he knows we need it. It keeps hearts beating, minds clear, and hands inspired to serve.īecause encouragement is so important to the church, God doesn’t merely recommend it he explicitly commands it ( 1 Thess. In one sense, encouragement is like oxygen in the life of a church. As I read passage after passage, I was struck by how vital this expression of love is for God’s people. Receiving the note led me to open up my Bible and dig around to see what the Lord says to us about encouragement. It was only about three sentences long but the Lord used it to stir some much-needed strength in my soul. ![]() Yesterday I received a kind note of encouragement from a friend. “Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called ‘Today,’ so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.” ( Heb.
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