Tag: encourage one another

The Struggles of the Believer (Part Three)

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you. In God, whose word I praise—in God I trust and am not afraid. What can mere mortals do to me? (Psalm 56:3-4 NIV)

Previously, we have thought on the believer’s struggle with fear. We have seen that fear is an emotion given by God. Sadly, sin twists what is a good gift for our preservation into a sinful fear that disrupts our fellowship with God and people. We also saw that we need to replace fear with faith in the living God. Next, let’s think of two other practical steps to take when we struggle with fear.

Resolve not to fear. To have a proper resolution requires a sound, practical theology. Who is this one I should trust in when I am afraid? I should trust in God. The resting place of faith is in God himself. The Christian does not look for a favorable turn in events, the successful application of a method, or an empty hope that the problem will just go away. No, he “gets God involved in his problem.” He says to the Lord, “Things look rather dismal here, Lord, but I know that you are able.”

The content of faith conforms to God’s revelation of himself in his word. We do not expect God to act contrary to himself or his ways, but we do look with certainty for the help that he has promised in the Holy Scriptures. This means that you and I must know what God has promised. We learn what God has promised by carefully reading and studying his word. God may graciously carry the young saint through situations, when the believer has not had opportunity to learn God’s promises and ways. But do not assume that he will do the same for those who ought to have attained some degree of spiritual maturity.

A proper resolution also requires self-control, which is part of the fruit of the Spirit (Galatians 5:23). Faith is not an exercise in passivity or inactivity. Faith is a conscious dependence to trust God and to do what he wants you to do. Consider Abraham (Hebrews 11:8-9, 11, 17-18). He believed God and did what God told him to do.

This means that you must “take charge” of yourself. You tell yourself, “There is more in this situation than my physical senses can perceive. God is with me, and he is holy, sovereign, good and wise. Therefore, I choose to depend on him whatever may happen.” George Mueller many times prayed to the Lord for food for his orphanage. He depended upon God to meet great needs.

Reevaluate your situation. Having faith in God does not require us to close our eyes or put our head in the sand. Believers are not little children who put their hands over their eyes and boldly proclaim to trouble, “You can’t see me!” Sight operates within the limits of this space/time material world. The rebel sinner refuses to see anything beyond what his or her senses can perceive. The unbeliever says to the believer, “Why pray? Why hope in God?”

Faith sees everything that sight does, but it also considers what is spiritual and eternal. The believer replies to the unbeliever, “You may twist my words, you may plot and conspire, and you may watch my steps, eager to take my life. But God is on my side and you have the greater problem.”

Having faith in God does require us to wait on God for his time of deliverance. Faith will calmly watch the problem worsen, because it knows that God will act. Think of Gideon trial as Israel’s leader. He watched his army shrink from 32,000 to 10,000 to 300, and then those 300 were told to prepare for battle with trumpets and torches. The public opinion polls probably said that Gideon and his army were going to get slaughtered, but they were wrong. But true faith is then at the place where the believer can glorify God. Abraham did not weaken in faith when he considered his own body to be already dead (since he was about a hundred years old) and also the deadness of Sarah’s womb. He did not waver in unbelief at God’s promise but was strengthened in his faith and gave glory to God, because he was fully convinced that what God had promised, he was also able to do (Romans 4:19-21 CSB).

As believers, we will come into situations of fear, as David did. Sometimes it will be due to our own mistakes and sins, like happened to David. But regardless of how we arrive at a fear-inducing situation, we must be ready to think and to act Biblically. That means that you must replace fear with faith, resolve not to fear, and then reevaluate your situation to give glory to God. In the same way, we must be gracious and considerate (Galatians 6:1) when we see other believers overcome by fear. We ought to help them in their struggle of faith, and not add wounds to their consciences. A bold faith should not be brusque or harsh with others. We can encourage others kindly and compassionately. May we learn to help others with the comfort that we have received from God (2 Corinthians 1:3-4).

Grace and peace, David

More on Meeting Together

20140916_160521Hebrews 10:25

Not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching (NIV)

After thinking about the desire that the Lord has for his people to gather together as a church (assembly, cf. 1 Corinthians 11:18), next let’s think about the reason. The writer might have mentioned a reason such as the worship of God. Or there is the opportunity for a gospel witness to friends that do not yet know the Lord but are willing to come and observe a loving and caring church that proclaims hope (confident expectation). Or, thinking of the passage already cited from First Corinthians, a church needs to gather for a meal to remember the Lord together. These are all good reasons to meet together.

However, the writer of Hebrews concludes this great passage with another reason. We are to meet together to encourage one another. While the Holy Spirit has come to encourage us, the Lord wants his followers to encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11). “Encourage one another” is one of the basic differences between an edifice church and a sharing of life (koinonia) church. Those who attend an edifice church are very concerned about the “service” that will happen there. By the service, they mean the public program that is presented. In various edifice churches this means different actions, whether the observance of rituals and sacraments, or a strict order of service that is planned to the minute (that is no exaggeration), or a musical performance (dominated by the worship leader, band, and singers), or listening to a long, carefully constructed doctrinal sermon, or an evangelistic message that is followed by an emotional invitation (altar call), or some sort of combination of the above. The important matter in the edifice church is to have the best possible performance of the desired program. Before and after the program, there might be some chitchat about sports or children or politics or vacations. But to encounter personal encouragement is rare.

To meet together in a sharing of life church is to be involved with people, not a program. Yes, such churches will have worship, music, prayer, a message from the word, etc. But the concern is not to get through a program and then to evaluate how well the leaders lead the program. The Lord and people matter in a sharing of life church, because the Vine gives life to the branches, and he wants them to love one another with his kind of love (John 15:1-17). For this reason, there is a lot of time invested in talking together about the Lord and our lives in our families, job places, neighborhoods, and activities. Another time we will go into more detail. But the difference is the focus is on the Lord and people, not on any program. The Holy Spirit is in control, not an “order of service”.

When you are not in your local gathering of believers, your place in the body is vacant. Often when we meet together, it’s like being without a finger, a foot, an arm, or ears. You can’t contribute and the body is crippled. “My oh my, where is our ‘liver’ today?” Someone answers, “Oh, don’t you know? The ‘liver’ is off doing something or other with the ‘knee cap’. And by the way, the ‘back muscle’ is grumpy today, so be careful what you say!” You are at liberty to think that is a crazy illustration. But please listen to this. The exhortation to meet together to encourage one another is not merely “good advice”, but it is God’s will for your life. And this exhortation is addressed to people who have every reason to comply with it. The writer addresses those who are forgiven, those cleansed by the blood of Christ, those who may approach God boldly, yes, to those who are in covenant with the living God. As a person loves God and his family, he or she desires to be at family gatherings.

When we gather together, we must encourage each other.

  • Encourage one another to believe, to hope and to love. Notice how faith, hope and love occur in this paragraph (10:19-25), as well as many places in the New Testament Scriptures.
  • Encourage one another to grow in knowledge of God, of the word he has given, and in the Christian way of life.
  • Encourage one another to endure. It is tough to live for Jesus Christ in a world that hates him. Loving words of hope in the Lord’s resurrection victory can be greatly used by Spirit to strengthen each other in spiritual warfare.
  • Encourage one another to do good (1 Peter 2:11-15). The writer said this in 10:24, but we forget too easily that we are to do good works, so that others might see them and glorify our Father in heaven.

The writer adds a solemn motive. The Day is approaching. “The Day” means the “Day of the Lord”, which is the time when he will act openly in the greatness of his glorious power. The result will be salvation for his people and judgment for his enemies. Are you ready for Christ’s coming? Believers look for the dawning of that Day. We are watching for the return of the Lord Jesus Christ. This requires us to grow in grace in the light of that Day: “all the more”. Since every day brings us one day nearer to the return of our Lord, we ought to be better prepared each day. For this reason, meet together regularly with your brothers and sisters in Christ.

Grace and peace, David