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       Encouraging Other—A Way of Life!

Purpose: to develop the character quality and habit of living as an encourager!

 

Exercise:  Take the 3x5 card (You can not give your parents as an answer):

1.      Write down your favorite school teacher or Sunday school teacher.  Why?          

[Spirit of faith!]

2.      Write down the most delightful Christian you have ever met.    Why?                          

[Encourager!]

3.      The most pleasant and enjoyable person that you have worked with.    Why?      

[Happy-humorous!]

 

I.     Decide to Be An Encourager!

 

Heb 3:12—Take care, brethren, lest there should be in any one of you an evil, 

unbelieving heart, in falling away from the living God. 

13     But encourage one another day after day,    {But encourage one another daily (NIV)}        as long as it is still called "Today,"                                                                                              

lest any one of you be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. (NAS)          

{sin’s deceitfulness (NIV)

 

Do you see what I see: 

1.      Lack of encouragement produces evil, an unbelieving heart, backsliding, hardness, 

& deception.

2.      Encouragement produces victory, faith, steadfastness,

[ Note that faith is related to encouragement & backsliding to failure to encourage!]

 

2 Cor 2:6--This punishment which was inflicted by the majority is sufficient for such a man,

7       so that, on the contrary, you ought rather to forgive and comfort him,                                                    lest perhaps such a one be swallowed up with too much sorrow.

8       Therefore I urge you to reaffirm your love to him.

 11     lest Satan should take advantage of us;

for we are not ignorant of his devices. (NKJ)         

 [to keep from being outsmarted by Satan (TLB)]

 

II.    The Word Encourage in Heb. 3:13 is parakaleite from Parakaleo:

 

Ø      It means One called along side to Help, Encourage, Comfort, Fortify, or to act as an Advocate.

 

Ø      This word is a command in the original.

 

Ø      It translated by some versions as exhort, but this can leave a negative implication:                          (“Brother, I have an word of exhortation for you.”  Response: “Why don’t we just skip it.”)

 

Ø      As you all know, this is the same word used for the Holy Spirit:  John 14:16-17--And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter, that he may abide with you for ever; Even the Spirit of truth; whom the world cannot receive, because it seeth him not, neither knoweth him: but ye know him; for he dwelleth with you, and shall be in you. (KJV)                                                          

{God doesn’t say, I will give you another Criticizer, Accuser, Beat-you-downer, or Rebuker, Exhorter!}

 

Ø      John 14:26--But the Comforter, which is the Holy Ghost, whom the Father will send in my name, he shall teach you all things, and bring all things to your remembrance, whatsoever I have said unto you.   (KJV)

 

Ø      John 15:26--But when the Comforter is come, whom I will send unto you from the Father, even the Spirit of truth, which proceedeth from the Father, he shall testify of me:   (KJV)

 

Ø      John 16:7--Nevertheless I tell you the truth; It is expedient for you that I go away: for if I go not away, the Comforter will not come unto you; but if I depart, I will send him unto you.   (KJV)

 The Holy Spirit is an Encourager, in fact, encouragement is one of the gifts of the Holy Spirit:

 Rom 12:7-8--If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.  (NIV)

III.       Encouragement is a Way of Life (daily):

           “But encourage one another daily”  (NIV)

1.      Encouragement prevents falling away; “turning away” and “hardening”!

2.      Pastor’s children (elder’s or church leader’s) backslide because of lack of encouragement!

3.      Encouragement is needed by all ages, genders, or categories—teenagers, youth, children, husbands, wives, singles, the elderly, mid-life crisis.

4.      Pastors and all leaders need encouragement.  Congregations need encouragement.

5.      A key to having a successful marriage is encouragement.

6.      A key to being a successful pastor is to be an encourager.

7.      Encouragement produces faith, and therefore victory!

8.      People are starving for a word of appreciation, support, joy—i.e. encouragement!

9.      Words of encouragement produce positive change--

Col 4:6--Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, 

so that you may know how to answer everyone. (NIV)

10.  The fruit of criticism (critic’s) is most often resentment, anger, and rebellion.

 

A definite key to being a successful parent, pastor, employer, employee, etc.  is to be an encourager!

 

IV.  Negative People are Energy Vampires:

  • You can be around energy draining people so much that it drags you down emotionally, mentally, and spiritually. 

  •  You need friends that impart faith and a positive attitude towards life.

  • There are high maintenance people and there are low maintenance people.

  •  Are you a “river-of-life” type of person?   

Ps 46:4-There is a river whose streams shall make glad the city of God,                                                    the holy place of the tabernacle of the Most High.

5       God is in the midst of her, she shall not be moved;                                                                             God shall help her, just at the break of dawn.  (NKJ)

 V.  An Assignment:

1.      Make encouragement a daily life goal—an everyday adventure.

2.      Make encouragement your choice of response—how you respond to every situation.

3.      Encouragement is not just positive words—encouragement is action.

4.      Negative situations can become positive—mix negatives with a “spirit of faith”!

5.      Not only “random acts of kindness,”—pray for a clear-cut opening to do an act of kindness!

6.      Prov 25:11--A word aptly spoken is like apples of gold in settings of silver. (NIV)                           “A word fitly spoken is as lovely as gold apples in a silver basket!”—Be Sincere!

 7.      Have thank you cards, stationary, and stamps on hand ready—write notes constantly; right now make a list of three names!

Five Additional Verses:

1Thes 5:11—Therefore encourage one another, and build up one another, just as you also are doing. (NAS)

 

Prov 16:24—Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.  (NIV)

 

Matt 7:12—Therefore, however you want people to treat you, so treat them, for this is the Law and the Prophets. (NAS)

 

Heb 10:24-25--and let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds,        not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.  (NAS)                                  

 

Acts 14:21-22--And after they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in  the faith, and saying, "Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God."  (NAS)

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