I’ve been in some type of ministry role, either volunteer or on staff, since I was 15. I grew up in the church, and it was never a question if we were going to church, and went at least twice a week. I’ve seen the joy that is in ministry and I’ve seen the pain that comes in ministry. Something that God has been teaching me more and more the past several months is that what is needed most in the church today, other than the saving message of Jesus Christ, is encouragement.
As Jessika and I are raising support, which you can read about here, we began meeting with people that we’ve done ministry with. Many of these people we hadn’t talked to in awhile and as we were sharing what God was doing, we began to receive so much encouragement. We’ve felt so loved and supported.
Encouragement is something that we all crave in some form or fashion. We want to be accepted, we want to feel like we belong. But what I’ve found missing from many churches is encouragement. We have many strategies to get people there on Sundays, we now have many strategies to get people to watch our online service. We have strategies on how to get people to stay in church, how to get them involved. However, sometimes encouragement is forgotten. Now before we go on I do want you to understand that I do not believe that encouragement is the end all be all of what churches should be doing, but I believe that it is often overlooked in churches and in Christian life all together.
Encouragement in Acts
The book of Acts serves almost as a handbook of what a church looks like. The disciples were with Jesus for 3 years and then he was gone. Jesus told them to wait for the Spirit and they waited. When the Spirit came down at Pentecost, they are now the leaders of this rapid moving movement. They relied on the Spirit and Jesus’ teachings as they were leading the church. The early church worshipped together, did life together, it says that they had “all things in common.” As the church grew, however, they were not able to be together. Many spread because of persecution, new churches were popping up all over.
What did those who were scattered, those that were many cities over from Jerusalem need? They needed encouragement. Why? Following Jesus can be hard, it can be lonely. Life gets in the way and we weren’t meant to ever be isolated in our faith. Doubts start to creep in and we start to look inward. Our focus tends to be selfish when we aren’t with others, sharing with others. The church needs encouragement.
When we look at characters in Acts we find someone with the nickname of “son of encouragement” or Barnabas. We’re introduced to him in Acts 4 and we see him selling his property to give the church in order to grow it. We get the idea that this was everything he had. Then we see him convince the other apostles to give Paul, then Saul, a chance. We see him discipling one of the first Gentile churches in Antioch, and then the church commissions him and Paul to be the first missionaries/church planters. In all of this what he is remembered for is his encouragement.
We see many examples of the disciples healing, discipling those who didn’t know Jesus, and all the while encouraging them. Not belittling them for what they didn’t know, but encouraging. We see the letters of Paul offering encouragement to these churches. Letting them know that they aren’t forgotten, but they have someone praying and thinking about them.
The world we live in right now is desperate for encouragement. Everywhere we look there are two sides yelling at each other, belittling one another, condemning each other, and the church has not been immune to this divide.
We serve a God of hope, in this hopeless world we are called to show hope.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peach in believing, so that by the power of the Holy Spirt you may abound in hope.
Romans 15:13
We have been giving the free gift of salvation, we have come from death to life. We must act like it.
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 5:9-11
This world is not about being right about things that don’t matter in eternity, this world is our opportunity to further God’s kingdom by caring and loving those around us. We aren’t quick to speak, quick to condemn, quick to mock, but we’re quick to love. The world is watching Christians, they are watching how we respond. Are they seeing Christ or something else?
Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.
Ephesians 4:31-32
What is holding you back from being an encourager, even to those you don’t agree with? What do you need to step away from that is taking you away from loving those around you? There are hurting and lonely people all around us during this time. We are called to be light, we are called to be salt to a dying world.
Are we quicker to spread our political beliefs or that the Creator of the universe loves us enough to humble himself to die a sinner’s death. Why? So that sinners like you and me can be made right with God and be given the gift of salvation and eternal life.
This is the only belief, message that matters.
How can you help?
Jessika and I will be raising financial support for our time during my residency. We are looking for people to partner with us through monthly donations, that will help fund us as we work toward planting a church. If you would like to join our team and partner with us financially, you can do so by clicking the “Give Here” button below.
Ryan Henson 