Strengthen Thy Brethren / Encouragement: The Forgotten Commandment

Strengthen Thy Brethren

Encouragement: The Forgotten Commandment

 Generally speaking, as a whole, the church in North America is not in a good place. My instincts tell me that the church of today has long since digressed down the pathway of the great Falling Away. And one the contributing factors to that descent is the lack of Encouragers within the ranks of the Lords army.

 With regards to that feeling, I have just finished reading yet another article concerning a spirit of “discouragement” within far too many of our churches and especially among a lot of Pastors. It is virtually in actual effect by any standard of definition, “a spiritual crisis pandemic!”

 So, why has this modern period of seemingly insurmountable discouragement ensued? The vast majority of pastors with whom I communicate with are saying they are considering, or have considered quitting their churches.

 I can completely commiserate with the feelings of these pastors, and other church leaders as well; for I have been there myself, and concluded for me that it was necessary for the welfare of all concerned to resign as a local pastor. 

  And yet, for the truly spirit-called pastors and leaders, they still retain a passion and a zeal for serving our Lord. It shocked me to discover that most pastors do not even have a cadre of close friends that they can lean on for help. 

 I regularly hear from many small-town church people say that their communities are dying and there just aren’t as many young people anymore; but when I look at the demographics, I find there are just as many people and young families in these communities as there ever was, and often more than it ever had.  What happens is that the connection of the church with people in the community has diminished.

 

But, beyond these facts is the reality that our younger generations, are more susceptible to social entertainments and cultural indoctrination’s, and have not been advantaged to become duly ingrained with the Gospel. 

So, with these all thoughts in mind, we all need to remember that the Bible literally commands us to encourage one another, to remind each other of the truth that God loves us, that God equips us, that we are treasured, and that even our struggles are worth all the trials. 

  For all the discouraged Christians out there reading this narrative, allow me to remind you of a few things. In Genesis 2:18; we observe that God told Adam that it was not good for him to be all alone. In the same vein, it is not good for Christians and pastors to be alone so much. 

 We are all social creatures, and we need each other. Just as Eve was a “help meet” for Adam, all of us as Christians need a compassionate “spiritual help meet.” This is just one reason we are instructed to faithfully assemble ourselves together with fellow Christians!

 Secondly, Hebrews 3:13 instructs all Christians as follows: “exhort one another daily, while it is called today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.”

 Herein we find that we as Christians are advised, even “commanded” to Exhort (encourage) one another, and especially to encourage our leaders as they labor in the Lords service!

 Thirdly, I would note that this verse also says to make it a point to “encourage” each other on a “daily basis.” It then adds the addendum to do this daily while it is “today.” The “today” inference is relative to the entire Church Age and is absolutely an advisory command!

Fourthly, this verse adds that if we fail to practice daily encouragement of our fellow servants, it could lead the discouraged brother into a falling away state and or a descent into hardened sin.

 Now then, why is this “spiritual command” so instrumental among all the members in our churches and especially in regards to our pastors?

The word translated “encouragement” or “exhortation” is the Greek word paraklésis, related to the word paraclete. Paraklésis basically means “a call to one’s side.” In other words, we as Christians have a priority to have one another’s back, to come to the aid of, or to spiritually build each other up in the Lord.

 

 We all need this chain of “spiritual teamwork” because we all have a vicious and very clever adversary, who never ceases to plot against the servants of the Lord. 

 In fact, one of Satan’s most practiced sinister strategies is to cause “Discouragement” within the team of Gods chosen!

 The Devil is not only the “author of temptation,” he is also the author of the 5 D’s; disappointment, despair, depression, Discouragement and finally Defeat! 

1. Without consistent encouragement, hardship becomes meaningless, and our will to struggle through and continue the fight gradually wanes.

2. Without persistent individual encouragement, life would soon feel pointless and burdensome. 

3. Without the encouragement of a caring team, we can be easily overwhelmed by the very real pains of our lives, living in a Fallen World.

4. Without some essential encouragement, we each can begin to feel unwanted and unloved, and feel a loss of all sense of divine purpose.

5. Without any occasional uplifting spiritual encouragement, we each could begin to think that God is a liar or is unconcerned with our welfare. This is a defeat that Satan wants to inflict on all of us!

 So, these are just a few of the reasons that the Bible strictly “commands us to encourage one another,” to remind each other of the truth that God loves each of us, that God equips us, and that we are each one truly treasured by him; and that without him, none of us on his team could accomplish anything!

 Proverbs 16:24 specifies these eloquent words:

“Pleasant words are a honeycomb, sweet to the soul and healing to the bones.” God’s Word is definitely full of encouragement.”

 Finally, in closing friends, allow me to take you back to a point in time when our Lord and Savior might well have had the occasion to be the most “discouraged” he had ever been. Yet even at this point, he prayed and then encouraged others. 

  It was the Eve of his pending Crucifixion! He sweat drops of blood while praying and asking his Father to permit for that awful impending death to pass him by. Yet he consented to his Fathers will. 

  But mere hours earlier, sitting down for the Last Supper with his spiritual brothers, he told Peter; “Satan has desired to have you, that he may sift you as wheat; but I have prayed for thee, that thy faith fail not, and when thou art recovered, STRENGTHEN THY BROTHERS.” (Luke 22:32)

  And make no mistake about it, Satan has the capability of “sifting anyone of us like wheat” particularly if we succumb to disappointment, despair, depression and Discouragement.

 Therefore, like Jesus, let us also pray for our brothers and strengthen them as we watch for and await our Lords Return, And what could possibly be more Encouraging than his return!

by: Darrell G. Young

Focus on the Bible

Focus on Jerusalem

September 23, 2021