ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER

 Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (NIV)

                I had the privilege of attending a conference for pastors and ministry leaders this past week. The conference was titled ReCourage and it was intended to encourage those who are serving on the front lines of ministry. I can say that they accomplished their goal. I came away refreshed and encouraged.

                Genuine encouragement has become a rare commodity in our world. Most people are feeling pushed to do more with less. Companies are down-sizing and then asking their employees to pick up the slack. The pressure to perform is constant and unrelenting. According to the CDC, 51% of young people feel discouraged and depressed.  

                This has been a discouraging time for the church as well. The pandemic has taken its toll on churches. Church attendance has dropped by some 20%. Many people who stopped attending church during the pandemic have yet to come back, if they ever will. Church finances have taken a hit as well. Many churches have seen a dramatic decline in their finances, which has been the cause of much belt tightening and added pressure. Although the pandemic was not the cause on many of the stresses churches face, it tended to exaggerate them.

                As individual believers in Christ, it is easy for us to become discouraged when we look at all that is going on in our world. The moral climate of our world seems to continue to spiral downward. The level of global conflict continues to increase. And additionally, we are facing more and more natural disasters. It feels like our world is falling apart.

                One of the things stressed at the conference that I attended was that our hope is not found in our circumstances but in our Lord and Savior. When we focus on our circumstances, we get discouraged. But when we focus on Christ and what He has done for us, we can be encouraged. This is not pie-in-the-sky or putting our head in the sand. It is realizing and embracing the truth that there is more to life than what we can see. God is still on the throne. Our salvation is secure. We are deeply loved by God. God has not abandoned us.

                The Bible challenges us to encourage one another as a part of the Body of Christ. I know from personal experience that the times I feel the most discouraged is when I am isolated from others. When a person feels like they have to face the challenges of life alone, discouragement sets in. But when we pull together, we can see hope. The writer to the Hebrews puts it this way.

Therefore, brothers, since we have confidence to enter the Most Holy Place by the blood of Jesus, by a new and living way opened for us through the curtain, that is, his body, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near to God with a sincere heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water. Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 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.
Hebrews 10:19-25 (NIV)

                We can encourage one another because we know that this life is not the end of the story. As Peter says, we can look forward to an inheritance, kept for us in heaven, that will never spoil or fade. Jesus promised that He is preparing a place of rest for us, and one day He will come and take us home. But we can also be encouraged because we don’t have to face the challenges of life alone. Jesus has given us the Holy Spirit to be with us constantly. He has also given us one another, the church, the body of Christ. God has demonstrated His love for us through His church. We belong. We have a place that matters. We are significant. We have purpose and meaning, not just for some time in the future, but for right now. We can be encouraged because we can make a difference for all of eternity. All that the world accomplishes apart from God will fade away. But whatever is done for God will last forever.

                We all need to be encouraged on a regular basis. The challenges of life can easily drain our emotional resources if we are not careful. That is why the Bible tells us to encourage one another daily. Just like we need daily food and rest, we also need daily encouragement. The word encourage means to be filled with courage and that is exactly what we need today. We need to be filled with courage that comes from God to face whatever the world throws our way. Whatever it is, we can stand firm because we know in whom we trust, and He is faithful.

Have I not commanded you? Be strong and courageous. Do not be terrified; do not be discouraged, for the LORD your God will be with you wherever you go.
Joshua 1:9 (NIV)