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Encouragement, Who needs it?

After the study on Flattery, who needs it? Looks like we could all use some encouragement. Some people it seems took the message very personal, which may be good to some degree, but to another degree, Jesus did not come to bring peace but a sword. So everyone is not going to receive the messages that Lord places upon your heart.

Who needs encouragement? Well from what I can see is the only correct answer could be, everyone! I would like to look at some Scriptures that deal with encouragement, and some great men of God who were not unlike the rest of us and needed encouragement too.

First of all lets look at Moses in Duet. chapter 3. Moses had been forbidden by the Lord to enter the Promised land, not because Moses lacked faith but because he had disobeyed God and had not treated Him as holy (Num. 20: 12). But he pleaded with the Lord that he might be able to cross over the Jordan and see the good land, the pleasant mountains, and Lebanon. I believe he was having a pity party and feeling sorry for himself. Not unlike something we might do at times! The Lord answered Moses and said, "Enough of that!" (Duet.3:26) The Lord in this verse reminds me of a parent who is getting sick and tired that their child is whining around about what they don't have!

The Lord continues in this verse and tells Moses "Speak no more to Me of this matter"

Then in V. 27 He lets Moses see the land, (just like a parent giving in to their whining child). "Go up to the top of Pisgah, and lift your eyes toward the west, the north, the south and the east; behold it with your eyes, for you shall not cross over this Jordan."

God did tell Moses not to talk to Him about this again. But He showed His mercy to him by showing him the land from a distance. Moses was not to wallow in self-pity, but was to encourage Joshua as his replacement in leading the Israelites.

" But command Joshua, and encourage him and strengthen him; for he shall go over before this people, and he shall cause them to inherit the land which you will see." V. 28.

How many of us wallow in self-pity because we don't have a mate, or because we do have one? We wallow in self-pity because the neighbor drives a better car than we do, or because we lost our job and we can't meet our bills. All of those reasons may be legitimate reasons for concern, but we are the children of the most high God, who owns the cattle on a thousand hills, and there is nothing impossible with Him.

Moses was instructed to stop wallowing around in self-pity and start encouraging others.This is still the best advice to anyone in this day! If you are discouraged about anything! Start encouraging someone else! That will get you out of that pity-party quicker than anything else.

Ministers of the Gospel need encouragement too, there are many that bring the Word of the Lord and labor hard in their calling! Many labor tirelessly to visit and encourage the believers, and some struggle with much opposition from what are supposed to be brothers in the Lord.

The apostle Paul longed to visit the Thessolonians again where he had started a church for the young believers, but he was unable to do so because of much opposition. He was concerned about the survival of the church because he had so little time to lay a solid foundation there.So he sent Timothy to Thessalonica to "establish" and "encourage" the Christians there.

"and sent Timothy, our brother and minister of God, and our fellow laborer in the gospel of Christ, to establish you and encourage you concerning your faith," 1Thess.3:2

Because Paul himself could not go to Thessalonica, he sent Timothy in his place. He was to build them up in their faith and encourage them. Difficulties are to be expected in the Christian life, and Paul warned the congregation of their coming afflictions. The Scripture teaches that those who live godly lives should expect persecution (2Tim. 3:12). As a matter of fact Christ Christ warned His disciples that they would experience the same type of rejection He had experienced (John 15: 18-21).

but suffereing from persecution should not cause Christians to be down cast. In stead they should rejoice that they have been considered worthy of sharing in Christ's sufferings (see Matt. 5:10-12).

A minister is encouraged when they see that their labor is not in vain! When they see their congregation growing spiritually, they are so encouraged that they desire to do even better! This is what the apostle Paul said to the Romans 1:11-12- "For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established- that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me."

Yes Paul would be encouraged, and so would his followers be encouraged. How many times have we not attended a church service and been encouraged by the message that was spoken, something we needed to hear just at that time because of a struggle we were going through at that precise time.Or had a serious situation we were facing and someone prayed with us, comforted us, or helped meet our needs in one way or another.This gave us encouragement, that God is real and that He still has true followers doing His bidding.

Another thing that brings encouragement in the Church today are the gifts of the Spirit that are mentioned in 1Corinthians chapter 14, namely the gift of Prophesy.

v. 31 "For you can all prophesy one by one, that all may learn and all may be encouraged."

Now I emphasized the all, that is not underlined in my Bible or yours either.Now of course there was to be order in the Church meetings, and all things needed to be done for edification, that is to build each other up in the faith. But in this verse it says that all can prophesy, but it needed to be done in order, one by one. How can you learn anything if everyone talks at the same time? In fact in v.30 it says that "if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent."

The gift of prophesy will edify and encourage the the church. I know that it has encouraged me many times when I heard the interpretation of a message in tongues, or a prophetic message for the body of Christ!

Encouragement, Who Needs It

(Final Part)

Col. 2:2 "that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, and ataining to all riches of the full assurance of understanding, to the knowledge of the mystery of God, both of the Father and of Christ." NKJV

False teachers had crept into the Colossian church. So Paul wrote this letter to deal with the doctrinal heresy that was creeping into the church. As in all his epistles (letters), Paul seems to write as though he had our own society in mind. Even today, new cults claim to be Christian yet deny the deity of Christ and the basic beliefs of Christianity. Many today view Jesus as no more than a "great teacher." Paul's patient correction of the Colossian believers should remind us that we need to keep the worship of Jesus Christ central in our church. Paul is encouraging the Colossian believers to continue in their walk with Him.

Today Christians need the same kind of encouragement from their leaders in the church. There are too many wordly temptations luring Christians away from continuing a close walk with the Lord. Such as wordly books and magazines, TV programs and movies, the Internet and even sports just to name a few.

2Chron. 30:22 "And Hezekiah gave encouragement to all Levites who taught the good knowledge of the Lord; and they ate throughout the feast seven days offering peace offerings and making confession to the Lord God of their fathers." NKJV

Here the king, Hezekiah, gives encouragement to the Levites ( who were the spiritual leaders of God's people). Who ever said that leaders such as pastors, elders, evangelists, missionaries or teachers of God's Word don't need encouragement? They are constantly at work giving encouragement to God's people, but they also need to be encourage from time to time themselves.

Let a minister or leader make a mistake and everyone notices it and many will put him down. Pray for him a few may do, but not many will ever tell him so. Let a minister do a great job, preaching, teaching or writing, his message may hardly be noticed, a few may make a comment but for the most part it gets ignored. No wonder that so many of God's ministers get out of the ministry and find themselves secular jobs. Would that more of us become like Hezekiah's and encourage God's workers to keep on keeping on spreading the Good News!

Thank God for people like Joses of Acts 4:36, who was also named Barnabas by the apostles ( which is translated Son of Encouragement), a Levite of the country of Cyprus. NKJV

He encouraged the apostles by selling his land and bringing the money from it and laid it at the apostles feet, for it to be used for all the believers who has a need, for they had all things common.

Not so with Ananias and Sapphira who also sold their land, but wanted to make a reputation for themselves like that of Barnabas. But they were not seeking to serve other believers but themselves.

May we follow in the footsteps of Barnabas and become 'sons of encouragement' too.

When someone is doing a great job, tell them so! You may be an instrument of encouraging one of God's very special ministers to strive to do even better! When someone is down and you know about, why not be an encourager today and lift them up?

"Do unto others as you would have others do unto you."

What can you do if there is no one to encourage you in your work for the Lord?

my advice is not to give up! Here are some ways you can encourage yourself:

1. Pray in the Spirit ( in tongues) 1 Cor. 14:4 says: "He who speaks in a tongue edifies himself."

2. Read and study God's Word and let the Holy Spirit speak to you and lift you up!

3. Listen to uplifting messages , in church or on tapes.

4. Read uplifting devotionals, books and or messages.

I trust this study has been a blessing and an encouragement to you. Most of the comments were made by me, but some from the Nelson NKJV Study Bible.

Love in Jesus,

Aalie

Flattey who need it ,we all do.Well it like not give your baby a hug a day .See what happens if you do not do it.We all live on it we like the sound of it.And if we do not get it some peoply will do wrong to get flattey.right or wrong peoply went it..Pleace love the Loard and he will give it to you a 100time over.god bless

Thank you Bro. Ark for your comments. You are right we all need a pat on the back every once in a while!

But one day we hope the Lord will say to us, "Well done thou good and faithful servant, enter thou into the joy of the Lord."

Those will be the words I want to hear!! God Bless you Bro. Ark!!

Important Announcement The MSN Groups service will close in February 2009. You can move your group to Multiply, MSN’s partner for online groups. Learn More
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