As I have been turning over in my mind what I might say at the farewell, especially what I am thankful for as I look back over my time as minister, the encouragement I have received from so many stands out. It has come to me in many ways – people letting me know they are praying for me, or the example many of you have been of persevering trust in the Lord Jesus in trial and grief, or the readiness shown to change to live Jesus’ way when some correction has been given, or through generous and constant financial support of the congregation, or the cheerfulness of your serving sustained only by love of Jesus, and many other ways. These encouragements are one of the ways the Lord has kept me going over the years and I am not unique in needing, and being sustained by, the encouragement of my brothers and sisters. We all need encouragement to keep going and growing as followers of Jesus, and there can be times in our lives when we need it more than usual – times of loneliness, of loss; times of temptation, when we risk being hardened by the deceitfulness of sin [Hebrews 3:13]; times of change, where our anxiety can make us lose sight of God’s good promises, or times of extreme busyness where those promises are driven from our mind; times when we feel our best efforts still fall short of what we were hoping to do or be.
We all need encouragement
We all need encouragement, and we are all to give encouragement. “encourage one another and build one another up” Paul tells the Thessalonian believers [1 Thessalonians 5:11], and the author of Hebrews writes ‘Encourage [or exhort] one another every day, as long as it is called today’ [Hebrews 3:13]. So in this talk I want to encourage you to encourage one another to persevere in Christ by drawing your attention first to two examples of people whose actions and lives encouraged and then two examples of encouraging words in Scripture.
Two encouragers: Onesiphorus
Onesiphorus we meet in 2 Timothy 1:16-18. When Paul was at his most vulnerable, imprisoned in Rome and abandoned by many, Onesiphorus was not prepared to forget or shun Paul but ‘searched for [him] earnestly’ and brought him comfort by his presence and practical help. Paul was so grateful. Onesiphorus’ encouragement was intentional, took effort, and exposed him to the risk of association with one reckoned an enemy of the state – but he was determined to bring it. We do not have people in prison, but in our church where there are many single people there is lots of opportunity to practice the encouragement of an Onesiphorus. There is nothing as discouraging as feeling alone and forgotten, and when you are on your own it is hard to always have to be the one who initiates relationship, and sometimes there may be no energy for that. Brothers and sisters who are not prepared to forget those who are sidelined from normal church life by sickness or weariness but instead make the effort to seek out those on their own are powerfully encouraging. The encouragement they give is not just by their thoughtful presence. They also encourage by showing that faith in Jesus is real, it really does change us to be the people our Lord wants us to be, those who love one another not just with words but in deed and truth.
Two encouragers: Barnabas
Our second example of an encourager is Joseph of Cyprus. You may not know him by that name because encouraging others was so characteristic of him that the apostles gave him another name – Barnabas, son of encouragement [Acts 4:36]. What earned him that name, not just from the apostles but down through history? What can we see from his many mentions in Acts?
He was generous. He is first mentioned in Acts as someone who has sold a field and given the proceeds to the apostles to support the church in Jerusalem. His action is juxtaposed with that of Ananias and Sapphira. Barnabas acts from a sincere faith and a genuine love, to do good to believers, not to be seen. That kind of generosity springs from faith and love, taking Jesus’ promise of provision and command to love one another seriously, and is wonderfully encouraging, particularly to those with the responsibility of providing for the needs of believers.
And then in his dealings with Paul we see Barnabas is someone who recognises and welcomes the work of God in someone’s life [Acts 9:27] and is willing to take a risk to include him in the community of God’s people. Barnabas, in Antioch, creates an opportunity for Paul to serve alongside him. He was not someone who was threatened by another’s competence but rather promoted Paul in using his gifts to the full, seeking the good of the believers in Antioch [Acts 11:25-26]. Later in Acts we find Barnabas in conflict with Paul over the continuing inclusion of John Mark in the missionary team [Acts 15:36-39]. We are not given a lot of information but it seems Barnabas was someone who could give someone another chance, was patient while they grew in maturity as followers of Jesus. There is a lot more that could be said of Barnabas, but what a model of an encouraging person – generous in seeking the welfare of fellow believers, generous in welcoming believers into the life of God’s people, patient with change, promoting the service of others, not giving up on people – a “good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith” as Luke describes him [Acts 11:24], practicing the love that is patient and kind, that bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things [1 Corinthians 13:7] in his dealings with his brothers and sisters. Barnabas wasn’t self-absorbed, just focusing on his own service, but thought of others, and how he could nurture their following and service of Jesus, and put those thoughts into action. The church is built up by those like Barnabas. We should all embrace his example.
Encouraging words
Christian encouragement also includes words, words we can all speak to one another, and there are two passages in particular that give us an idea of which words will encourage us. Paul finishes speaking to believers in Thessalonica who were grieving the death of fellow believers by saying “Therefore encourage each other with these words.” [1 Thessalonians 4:18]. What words? Words that spoke of our sure hope of rising with the Lord Jesus, of being with Him together forever, words grounded squarely in the gospel, our shared belief that Christ has died and risen again [1 Thessalonians 4:14]. Bringing the promise of God and the truth of the gospel to a believer in grief and loss, turning their eyes to the Lord Jesus and His faithful love and victory over death, encourages.
And Hebrews 13:22 describes the whole letter as a word of exhortation or encouragement. What word will encourage believers tempted to give up because of the trials they are facing and the temptations and discouragements of being different in a hostile world, a world like ours? A word like Hebrews that holds before us Christ’s knowledge of our circumstances, His sympathy with us in our temptations, His greatness compared to all others, the effectiveness of His death to bring us to God once and for all, and the seriousness of giving up in our following Him, the word that urges us to fix our eyes on Jesus [Hebrews 12:1-3] and trust our Father’s loving discipline. Christian encouragement is more than cheering from the sidelines or even a casual enquiry into how someone is going. It is more than a sympathetic ear, though that helps. It is remembering Jesus together – who He is, what He has done, and what He gives us in the gospel, and these are words we can store in our own hearts and then speak to one another.
We all need encouragement, and we are all to encourage one another. Now is a good time to resolve to become someone, like Barnabas, who is known and welcomed for his encouragement of his brothers and sisters, an encouragement which, in its welcome and nurture of Paul, has blessed every believer since. Who knows what the impact of your encouraging of others will be.
