Encouragement for the Faithful

Philemon 1:4-7 ESV

“I thank my God always when I remember you in my prayers, because I hear of your love and of the faith that you have toward the Lord Jesus and for all the saints, and I pray that the sharing of your faith may become effective for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ. For I have derived much joy and comfort from your love, my brother, because the hearts of the saints have been refreshed through you.”

Nice to be Encouraged

It is always nice to hear encouraging (uplifting, positive) words, isn’t it? For we all need encouragement. But, and I am not intending to put a damper on this, we must make certain that the encouragement applies to us. For if it doesn’t, then it isn’t truly encouragement, for then it becomes a lie. And lies are never kind nor are they true biblical encouragement, although they may feel good when we hear them.

Now the reason I am beginning this way is that, number one, these words were spoken specifically to Philemon, and so they only apply to us if the words are true about us. And the second reason is that many professing Christians are applying the promises of God and biblical words of encouragement to themselves when they do not apply to them. For the promises of God all have conditions that we must meet for those promises to be fulfilled in our lives (1).

And one other thing on this subject is that we live in a day and time in the culture of today’s modern market-driven “churches” (businesses) where it is being pushed on us that we should only speak positive and uplifting words to one another, and we should not be “negative,” i.e. we shouldn’t talk about sin, judgment, repentance, obedience, holiness, and submission to Christ as Lord. But we should only speak words which make people feel good. But that is not honest, and fundamentally it is selfish in nature.

So, let’s take a close look at Paul’s words to Philemon and then apply them to our lives only where they are true about us. And if what is being expressed here, in the way of encouragement, doesn’t apply to us, but biblically it is how we should be living, then we should submit to our Lord in this and obey him in doing what we are supposed to be doing for these words to be true about us, so that they can encourage us, in truth.

Biblical Love and Faith

Now, for us to have biblical love and faith, it means that we are walking in obedience to our Lord and to his commands under the New Covenant, that we are walking in holiness and righteousness, and not in sin, and that we are doing for others what is godly and pure and righteous, and not what is impure and sinful and harmful to them, on purpose. It means we are fundamentally selfless, not selfish, and that we are putting God and the true needs of others above ourselves, and in place of selfish desires.

Now, if we are being effective in the sharing of our faith for the full knowledge of every good thing that is in us for the sake of Christ, what should that look like? Well, the first thing that comes to my mind is how Paul said that he taught the whole counsel of God. In other words, he did not hold back the truth of the gospel in any way in order to not offend people with the truth of the gospel. He spoke the whole truth, and not these half-truths (lies) that so many are speaking today in the name of Jesus Christ.

The second thing that comes to mind is that we should not be teaching above what we are living, i.e. we should not be hypocrites who are encouraging others to live in ways in which we are not living in practice. Now, this doesn’t mean we are perfect people and that we never err in any way. For we are still human beings, and we still live in flesh bodies, and we are still capable of sinning, as well as we will continue to be tempted to sin. But not one of us should be walking in sin, making sin our practice, and not making righteousness and obedience to our Lord our practice.

And if we are truly loving God and our fellow Christians, we are not going to be filling their minds with false promises or with false compliments just to make them feel good so that we are being “positive” and not “negative.” For the love of God compels us to speak the truth in love to one another and to not lie to one another, but to exhort, urge, and provoke one another to walk in holiness and in righteousness, in obedience to our Lord, and to not walk in sin. And this, too, is encouragement!

So, refreshing the saints is not lying to them so that they feel good about themselves, which is what many are doing today. For so many are telling those who profess faith in Jesus Christ that, although they are deliberately and habitually sinning against the Lord, many in sexual addiction, that if they start to feel guilty about their sin that they should just “claim who you are in Christ.” But who we are in Christ is not a status. It is a reality in our lives in how we are living in walks of obedience and holiness and moral purity and faithfulness and honesty, and not in deliberate and habitual sin.

So, if we are going to give out true encouragement, and if we are going to sincerely and in truth refresh the hearts of the saints of God, i.e. those who are walking in obedience to the Lord, then we must speak the truth in love and not the lies. Yes, be kind, but lies are never kind. Yes, be encouraging, but be truthful. Don’t tell people just what they want to hear. Tell them what they need to hear. And if a fellow Christian is serving the Lord faithfully, then let that person know that you see that, and praise the Lord for that.

Oh, to Be Like Thee, Blessed Redeemer 

Lyrics by Thomas O. Chisholm, 1897

Music by W. J. Kirkpatrick, 1897

Oh, to be like Thee! blessèd Redeemer,

This is my constant longing and prayer;

Gladly I’ll forfeit all of earth’s treasures,

Jesus, Thy perfect likeness to wear.

Oh, to be like Thee! full of compassion,

Loving, forgiving, tender and kind,

Helping the helpless, cheering the fainting,

Seeking the wandering sinner to find.

O to be like Thee! lowly in spirit,

Holy and harmless, patient and brave;

Meekly enduring cruel reproaches,

Willing to suffer others to save.

O to be like Thee! while I am pleading,

Pour out Thy Spirit, fill with Thy love;

Make me a temple meet for Thy dwelling,

Fit me for life and Heaven above.

Oh, to be like Thee! Oh, to be like Thee,

Blessèd Redeemer, pure as Thou art;

Come in Thy sweetness, come in Thy fullness;

Stamp Thine own image deep on my heart.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KrYhiK2nQBg 

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(1) https://runwithit.blog/2023/05/29/his-benefits-have-conditions/