Encouraging One Another

“The elder to the beloved Gaius, whom I love in truth.

“Beloved, I pray that all may go well with you and that you may be in good health, as it goes well with your soul. For I rejoiced greatly when the brothers came and testified to your truth, as indeed you are walking in the truth. I have no greater joy than to hear that my children are walking in the truth.

“Beloved, it is a faithful thing you do in all your efforts for these brothers, strangers as they are, who testified to your love before the church. You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God. For they have gone out for the sake of the name, accepting nothing from the Gentiles. Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.” (3rd John 1:1-8 ESV)

We who believe in Jesus Christ to be Lord and Savior of our lives are to be encouragers. Sometimes the encouragement is like it is here that feels good to our emotions, but sometimes it must be more of an exhortation which is a holy urging or a strong encouragement away from particular behaviors to walks of obedience to our Lord and to surrender to his will for us in holy living, and to no longer walk in sin. And we need both types of encouragements within the body of Christ toward one another. 

We also need to be those who are praying for one another’s needs and prayer requests. But we should be praying according to the will of God and not necessarily always as the one we are praying for is hoping for. So, we need to pray for discernment in how and what to pray for other Christians so that our prayers are effective because they are according to the will of God. And then we should check in with those for whom we are praying occasionally to see how things are going with them, too.

Now all of us are probably not going to do all of this perfectly all the time, but we must make it our goal and our practice to be encouragers and to pay attention to people’s needs and to be praying for them and inquiring of them as to how things are going with them, for we all need encouragement, don’t we? We all need to know that someone out there cares about us and how we are doing and who wants to encourage us and to pray for us. And we should do for others as we would want to have done for us.

But not one of us can be all things to all people, and we are not going to be able to meet everyone’s needs for encouragement because we are not superhumans. So we just need to trust the Lord to lead and to guide us in who he wants us to encourage and in what ways and in what timing. And we should be praying to the Lord for his leading in this and for him to put people on our hearts and to show us the needs and to know when to say what and when to whomever he wants to be encouraged at that moment in time.

Especially we should be encouraging one another in our walks of faith and in obedience to our Lord. And when we see fellow believers in Jesus walking in the ways of the Lord and/or sharing their testimonies of faith, we should try to encourage them. For we should take joy in our fellow Christians walking in the truth of God’s word, especially in these times in which we live when so many are walking in the ways of the flesh, and in the ways of the world, and not in the ways of the Lord, and not in obedience to his commands.

And when we see fellow Christians showing one another the love of Jesus, we should bless them for that, and thank them for their expressions of love and kindness, especially if their acts of kindness are directed towards us personally, but not only to us. Now we should not speak lies to them just to make them feel good, for lies are never kind. So, in whatever way in which you choose to show your appreciation and to acknowledge someone’s expressions of love and kindness, always speak the truth in love.

And then sometimes the Lord has us add on an exhortation, as John did here when he said, “You will do well to send them on their journey in a manner worthy of God.” And when he said, “Therefore we ought to support people like these, that we may be fellow workers for the truth.” And like I said, we need both kinds of encouragements in the Lord so that our walks of faith in the Lord are according to his word, and so that we are living our lives pleasing to the Lord in all that we do, for the glory of God, in his power.

[Matt 5:13-16; Matt 28:18-20; Jn 4:31-38; Jn 13:13-17; Jn 14:12; Acts 1:8; Acts 2:14-18; Acts 26:18; Rom 10:14-15; Rom 12:1-8; Rom 15:14; 1 Co 12:1-31; 1 Co 14:1-5; Eph 4:1-16; Eph 5:11-27; Php 2:1-8; Col 3:16; Heb 3:13; Heb 10:23-25; 1 Pet 2:9,21; 1 Jn 2:6]  

Love Must Be Genuine 

An Original Work / October 22, 2013

Based off Romans 12:9-21

Love must be genuine.

Hate what’s evil; cling to good.

Love each other with affection.

Show respect for ev’ryone.

Never lack in your zeal.

Serve the Lord with diligence.

Rejoice in steadfast hope.

In affliction, patient be.

Keep on praying; share with others.

Practice hospitality.

Bless those who persecute.

Feel with others sympathy.

Be not filled with conceit.

Daily sit at Jesus’ feet.

Live in harmony with others.

Live at peace with ev’ryone.

Repay not to someone

With the evil he begot.

Do not take your revenge;

Leave it to the wrath of God.

If your enemy is thirsty,

Give to him something to drink.

Do what’s right for mankind.

Evil: overcome with good.

https://vimeo.com/114695549