Encourage One Another

copyright 2007 TheGiantVermin

Encourage One Another

1 Thessalonians 5:12-15, "Now we ask you, brothers, to respect those who work hard among you, who are over you in the Lord and who admonish you. Hold them in the highest regard in love because of their work. Live in peace with each other. And we urge you, brothers, warn those who are idle, encourage the timid, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.”

A few weeks ago we began to look at how the body of Christ is made up of different parts all with different functions working together in unity to accomplish Gods work. We read 1 Corinthians 12:14 which says, “Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.” We talked about how we are all like pieces of a puzzle that interlock with each other to form this beautiful picture of God’s love. 

In 1 Thessalonians 5, we see that Paul was committed to conflict resolution. Here are three key points I see in these verses.

1. Practice patience. When we spend time teaching and encouraging someone to grow in their faith, or trying to help someone with their problems - one of the first things we realize is that people don’t change as fast as we want them to. Nevertheless, we’re to practice patience with “everyone.”

2. We should Refuse to retaliate. Paul is reiterating the teaching of Jesus about non-retaliation. No matter what is done to us, the follower of Jesus has no excuse to get revenge. There are people in this church who are going to hurt you, and some probably already have. But what do you do when that happens? Matthew 18:15 says, go and meet with that person and seek reconciliation. 

Whatever we do, do not retaliate.

3. We need to Cultivate Kindness. We’re to practice patience and refuse to retaliate, but we’re to do more than just not seek revenge, verse 15 says, “But always try to be kind to each other and to everyone else.”

The word “always” is emphatic. Our tendency is to look for loopholes, or a justification for why we shouldn’t be kind to someone. Romans 14:19, “Let us therefore make every effort to do what leads to peace and to mutual edification.” We’re to cultivate kindness with each other and we’re to be kind to people outside the church. 

If the church is going to function in the way God has designed it, we all need to understand that our piece of the puzzle is most effective when it is interlocked with others in harmony.

Carry Each Others Burdens

copyright 2010Patrick Dirden

Carry Each Others Burdens. Galatians 6:1-5

I haven’t watched much of the TV show American Idol, but I’ve seen enough to know that one of the judges, Simon, enjoys tearing people down. He’s not afraid to speak his mind, and he does so in a very direct way.

Now, while most of us will never have to face a harsh and relentless critic like Simon, many of us have experienced the guilt and brokenness that comes from sin or we’re struggling to bear the burdens that come from life itself. Unfortunately, the church is sometimes the last place where we can find friends who will help carry our burdens. Instead of hearing words of comfort and encouragement from fellow Christians, those who are closest to us sometimes say things that hurt us the most.

God gives us four relationship responsibilities in Galatians 6:1-5.

1. Restore the broken. Look at verse 1, “Brothers and sisters, if someone is caught in a sin, you who live by the Spirit should restore that person gently. But watch yourselves, or you also may be tempted”.

In other words, restoration is an integral and necessary part of the healing process. If someone has experienced dislocation, or brokenness, or has been torn apart by sin, they need someone who will come alongside in order to lift them up. God Himself is in the restoration business as we read in Ezekiel 34:16: “I will search for the lost and bring back the strays. I will bind up the injured and strengthen the weak.”

2. Relieve the Burdened.  The idea behind this task is that we all have burdens and God does not want us to carry them alone. Look at verse 2, “Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ.” When we help the hurting, we are fulfilling the law of Christ, which is summed up in John 13:34, “A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.”

3. Remove our pride. The Scripture is so perceptive and direct when it comes to human nature. God knows that you and I will not restore the broken or relieve the burdened if we’re too full of ourselves. Verses 3-4 challenge us to remove our pride, “If anyone thinks he is something when he is nothing, he deceives himself. Each one should test his own actions. Then he can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to anybody else…” When you see your brother or sister suffering, don’t be too arrogant to get involved.

It’s so easy for us to look down our noses and say things like:

“They deserve it.”

“They’re so weak.”

“He just can’t handle the pressure.”

“I saw it coming.”

“Maybe they’ll listen to me next time.”

“I don’t want to get involved.”

“I’m just glad it’s them and not me.”

“I know I would never do something like that.”

4: Respect Your Boundaries. Verse 5, “For each one should carry his own load.” We should help each other with the big burdens of life, but there are personal responsibilities that each person must bear for himself. The New Living Translation captures what it means to respect boundaries in verse 5, “For we are each responsible for our own conduct.” There are times when you have to pull back until the other person begins to take responsibility for what is theirs alone.

What God says about God.

copyright 2006 alexanderachmann

What God says about Himself. Isaiah 40

Imagine you overhear a conversation where two people are talking in a cubicle or in a break room, and your ears perk up when you hear your name. They are talking about you, but the weird thing about this is that neither of them has ever even met you. They didn’t get their information about you from you; it all came from rumors, second hand information, and speculation.

The fact of the matter is that many people have formulated opinions about God without ever having considered what God says about Himself. Unfortunately, many people have no idea who God really is because their view of Him is a conglomeration of what they see on TV or movies or read in books. Our society takes the “smorgasbord approach,” where people pick and choose ideas and elements they like and forget the rest.

What makes it legitimate for people to come up with their own ideas about God? People say things like, “I think God is open to other religions…” or “My God is so loving that he would never send anyone to hell…” How would you respond if someone said some things about you that weren’t totally true?

In Isaiah 40:6-8 we read, “A voice says, ‘Cry out.’ And I said, ‘What shall I cry?’ ‘All men are like grass, and all their glory is like the flowers of the field. The grass withers and the flowers fall, because the breath of the Lord blows on them. Surely the people are grass. The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever.’”

That means that every book other than the Bible will fall and its words will wither and fade away. They will not stand the test of time. This is a reminder that we should not put our hope in people or in places or in our possessions because it can all blow away in a moment. Instead, we must stand on the Word of God that lasts forever. Jesus put it this way in Matthew 24:35, “Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will never pass away.”

The Word of God is the only reliable place we can look for information about God.