The Art of Encouragement

Rev Gideon Lee

Hebrews 3:13

but exhort one another daily, while it is called “Today,” lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

Hebrews 10:24-25

24 And let us consider one another in order to stir up love and good works, 25 not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as is the manner of some, but exhorting one another, and so much the more as you see the Day approaching.

This morning I want to talk to you about the art of encouragement. To encourage all who are around us. I am glad bro Vive spoke about appreciating those who is serving when making the announcements. I didn't talk to him about my message.

Man is not made to be alone. Even God said that it is not good that man be alone. Everything else God made he said it was good. But God said that it is not good for Adam to be alone.

We are wired not to be alone. We have a desire to have fellowship. If you look at technology like Facebook we are all wanting to be connected. But sometimes I see how these technology failed to make us connected because I have seen families eating but everyone is on their own device. Some even WhatsApp another at the same table instead of talking to one another.

It is impossible for us to stay alone. It is good to sometimes get away but it is not for a long time. Often in life we get disappointed. That's why we need fellowship. The Bible says "A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones." Especially the KJV version.

Fellowship is important in the context of the church because it brings encouragement.

There was this man name Wilbur Wilberforce. He tried to abolish slavery. Wilberforce, a Member of Parliament, was active at the time in an unsuccessful attempt to pass abolition. Debate continued for several years and in 1807 the abolition of slavery was effected thoughout the British Empire. He received a letter from John Wesley. John Wesley wrote this letter just before he passed away.

Dear Sir:

Unless the divine power has raised you up to be as “Athanasius against the world,” I see not how you can go through your glorious enterprise in opposing that execrable villainy, which is the scandal of religion, of England, and of human nature. Unless God has raised you up for this very thing, you will be worn out by the opposition of men and devils. But if God be for you, who can be against you? Are all of them stronger than God? O be not weary of well-doing! Go on, in the name of God and in the power of His might, till even American slavery (the vilest that ever saw the sun) shall vanish away before it.

Reading this morning a tract wrote by a poor African, I was particularly struck by the circumstance, that a man who has a black skin being wronged or outraged by a white man, can have no redress; it being a LAW in all of our Colonies that the OATH of a black man against a white goes for nothing. What villainy is this!

That He who has guided you from youth up may continue to strengthen you in this and all things is the prayer of, dear sir,

Your affectionate servant,

John Wesley

It encouraged him to go on without giving up. We all need enforcement and what better place to find it than in the church.

Why do we need encouragement?

John 13:35

By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another.”

We should love or encourage one another. That others will know we are his disciples. This is the characteristics of a Christian or the church. When we encourage and love one another.

What happens when we get discouraged? We complain. What happens once we start complaining? We start to feel sorry for ourselves. Pity party. Then it leads us to a place where we isolate ourselves.

How many of you have seen those Korean drama where a boy and girl breaks up. The boy will drive like crazy and go drown his sorrow in a pub. The girl will cry alone on the road. And then they isolate themselves and don't want to see their friends.

But for us when we are discouraged, we need fellowship with the right kind of people. Sadly the church is sometimes not the most encouraging place. It can be the most critical place. The characteristics of the church is we are supposed to encourage one another. He first loved us so we need to do it to others.

Hebrews 10:25

Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another–and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

The church is more than just about the sermon and worship. It's a family. It is when we come together something happens. When you are sick who's the person you call? Cell leader. When you need prayer who do you call? When we come together something happens. When we pray for one another we are encouraged.

What you're going through becomes lighter. It's a fellowship you cannot get when you stay alone at home. At your most discouraged you should be in church. We should have a good word for one another.

There was this church choir that was really lousy. Day in day out they’ll be singing and cannot really carry a tune. And there was this old lady who is determined in her heart to encourage them. She was trying really hard because this choir was really bad. So she shook the choir leader's hand and said you guys came in early to practice and that they put in the time and made the effort. She was trying to find ways to encourage the choir. We can all do that but sadly all of us are PhD holders in finding fault.

I'm not saying we deny what is happening but we can release encouragement. We need to up our game in this area. Be an encourager.

You may say I don't have the gift of encouragement. As a child of God we should all encourage. As we see the day approaching. God is coming back soon. It is the most critical time.

When we see Jesus coming what do we do? We encourage one another to be in church.

How do we encourage one another effectively. The word encourage in the Greek root word means irritate or to incite. So it means let us irritate or incite one another. I know it sounds negative but when you apply this it becomes positive. Like irritate the person until he comes to church. Have we irritated one another until we do more? Or a person who is not going to cell we irritate or incite the person until he comes. How many of you were irritated by someone until you come to church?

How many of you like to receive a card? A handwritten card by mail. Not the e-card that you have to go to a website to view. It can be an encouragement. It will feel good to receive an encouraging card. I received a handwritten card some time back by someone who just wanted me to know he is praying for me. It's a huge encouragement and made me feel like I can do anything. Or sometimes to get an sms that someone is praying for you.

Coming to an end. Everyone say amen.

We should encourage people daily, all the time.

Hebrews 3:13

But encourage one another daily, as long as it is called Today, so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.

Be sincere in your encouragement, build up the person but not puff up. How many of you gets my daily devotional? It's because I want to encourage you. The word of God will not return to him void so I want to encourage you.

My first sermon, I prepared myself like crazy. It could last me 45 minutes but I finished it in 15 minutes. I rushed through the sermon. Was that it? My leader was looking at me. Then I gave my first altar call. Guess what happened? Nobody came out. These are my youth. Didn't even gave me face. At least if one person came out, it would have been something. I was standing there like a stupid fella. I was so discouraged. I told God I think he made a mistake. He should have called someone else. I was complaining and in self pity. In the midst of all these, God spoke to me. You want to know what God spoke to me about? Come next week (laughs).

God spoke to me "Gideon, it's not about you. It's about me." At that moment I had to say yes, it's not about me but it's about him.

Our words can build up or kill. But if we learn to encourage one another there's nothing that can stop us for moving on for God. You encourage me every time you come to church. Amen.