“Good job, buddy!” Those are words that are constantly spoken from my oldest son to my youngest son. It is one of my favorite sentences in the English language. I love watching my kids perform on a sports field, but I think I find greater joy watching their siblings cheer them on from the sidelines. When I hear my kids encouraging one another and supporting one another, I feel like I am winning as a parent.
I feel the same way as a pastor when I see members of our church encouraging one another.
Of course, I am right to feel this way because encouraging and building each other up is a fulfillment of God’s commands through the apostle Paul.
When he wrote to the church at Thessalonica, Paul knew that many of the people there were anxious about the Day of the Lord, because they were not fully informed. These early believers were struggling to live faithfully in a world hostile to their beliefs.
In 1 Thessalonians 5, Paul wrote to encourage these early believers,
For you are all children of light, children of the day. We are not of the night or of the darkness. So then let us not sleep, as others do, but let us keep awake and be sober. For those who sleep, sleep at night, and those who get drunk, are drunk at night. But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation. For God has not destined us for wrath, but to obtain salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ, who died for us so that whether we are awake or asleep we might live with him. Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
1 Thessalonians 5:6-11
The Thessalonians didn’t need to fear that they would face judgment on the Day of the Lord. They had been delivered from darkness. But, the objective truth of their situation didn’t always assuage their fears.
You can be safe and still feel afraid. It is illogical, but it is real.
The Thessalonians were safe, but they still struggled to always feel safe. Rather than attack their weak faith, Paul built them up with encouraging words and he urged them to do the same to one another. They were to encourage one another and build one another up.
Notice, they were already doing it, “just as you are doing,” but Paul urged them anyway.
I once had a football coach that said, “You don’t need anyone to tell you that you’re doing a good job.”
That man was wrong. Paul saw the good work that was being done and he commended it.
The church of Jesus Christ should be filled with people who regularly encourage others and with people who encourage the people who are already encouraging. Are you confused yet? That’s OK. The point here is this: in a world of negativity and constant pressure, the church should be a place where people are loved, welcomed, accepted, and encouraged.
The church should be filled with people working to see God’s kingdom on earth as it is in heaven. But, the church must also be filled with people cheering on those people who are working. We are all on the same team, working toward the same goal.
The writer to the Hebrews urged,
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.
Hebrews 3:13
When I celebrate my sister, I find it harder to envy her. When I celebrate my brother, I build him up, and I refuse a foothold for sin in my own life.
It is still called, “Today,” so let’s get busy.
Here are a few steps you might take to become a better encourager today:
- Send a hand-written card thanking someone for their service.
- Look someone in the eye this week and tell them that they did a good job.
- Brag on someone in public.
- Leave an anonymous note of encouragement.
- Set a reminder on your phone to text encouragement each morning.
- Make an effort to notice the unnoticed people in your church (greeters, nursery workers, custodians, and kitchen volunteers).
How have you been encouraged in the past? How did it make a difference in your life?
Photo by Brett Jordan on Unsplash
