The Encouraging Conversation

Introduction

Just as a reminder, we are looking at how we can grow in our through having better conversations. The conversation is a unit of measurement for how well our are. So if we’re having better conversations, we can work to having better relationship relationships.

And having healthy and God centered relationships are part of the unity that Jesus talked about in the way that the church operates.

Do you want to be a church that is having good conversations with each other in a God honoring direction for the sake of the kingdom of God and his glory.

That means we learn what a good conversation is. We’ve looked at our primary conversation God, we looked at our forgiving conversation with one another, we looked last week at a challenging conversation. this we are looking at the encouraging conversation.

What does it mean for us to speak life to each other? In what ways are our words

life giving in the first place?

Proverbs 16:24 ESV

Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body.

The Scripture writes that we can speak in a way that is life giving. That adds to who

we are as a person, that encourages us.

The word encourage means to add courage to each other. So when we encour-

age one another we add courage to each other.

When was the last time you added courage to each other?

Last year, as a Christmas gift from Shot Club, our men’s ministry, I was given a box

full of cards. The instruction was to read them in case of emergency. That it was a

break glass kind of moment.

And I held onto them for just about year and finally, while I have had some ups

and downs in the past year, I didn’t have anything that would be considered “break

glass.”

So I finally a month or so ago, took some time to open them up and read them,

one by one.

1I read them and read words that encouraged me. They spoke of commitment and

connection and gratitude.

Those letters put courage in me.

What we speak to each other can be encouraging or discouraging. We can place

courage into each other or try to steal it.

The call for you and I, who have given our lives in service to Christ is to speak

words that offer life.

TO encourage is to speak truth. But as we talk about encouragement we want to talk

about how we speak courage to one another

Romans 12:10 ESV

Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor.

That means we speak life into each other, we speak courage into each other.

Because don’t we need courage?

Isn’t there a gap of courage in our lives?

There is a lot of things in our lives that want to take courage.

Lots of things that take courage

There is an enemy of our own soul that wants to still and kill and destroy. He wants

your courage.

Your job wants your courage

This culture wants your courage

Your bank account wants your courage

Your schedule wants your courage

Courage taking is economic. We pay with courage to get through our days. It

takes payment to work through our days.

And it is easy to pay the toll for courage and never fill the account back up.

And that is why we need each other. Thats why we need the church.

The church is the witness to the fact that God is active in our lives and that God

has spoken in a way that offers life.

That is the witness of the church.

And it is from that position that we communicate to each other.

1God is active

2God is speaking.

And we make that real in our conversations.

When our courage is low, the church is the place where we find it again.

And it is found in the way we live our lives with each other, as we represent what

God is like in the world.

I’m gonna be using some quotes from Dietrich ‘s book life together he makes the claim that the call in Christianity is not to do life alone. Christianity is not just my life with God, but it is about our life with God together

From Life Together

Christian community means community through Jesus Christ and in Jesus Christ. There is no Christian community that is more than this, and none that is less than this. Whether it be a brief, single encounter or the daily community of many years, Christian community is solely this. We belong to one another only through and in Jesus Christ. What does that mean? It means, first, that a Christian needs others for the sake of Jesus Christ. It means, second, that a Christian comes to others only through Jesus Christ. It means, third, that from eternity we have been chosen in Jesus Christ, accepted in time, and united for eternity.”

Encouragement means that we gather, recognize and speak life. We are called to thrive through conversations that offer life to one another.

Encouragement in the church is meeting people at the intersection of their lives and the life of Christ

Gathering

Recognizing

Speaking life

Gathering to recognize

The first is obvious to a degree but we need to talk about it.

If we want to have good conversations, life giving conversations, we have to gath-

er. We have to be with each other.

And that takes being with each other. It takes gathering.

Hebrews 10:24–25 ESV

And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

That is why I think the writer of Hebrews crashes the idea of meeting together with

the idea of spurring one another on toward love and good deeds. Because you need

one for the other.

Because when we are together we are able to see what good deeds look like. We

can see the celebrations and the pitfalls. We can see where people are at and where

they want to be. We get a sense of the how people are growing and developing.

When we are not a gathered people. When we are not collected and connected,

we cannot really spur one another on.

We can hope that is happening. We can say things like, I sure hope that person is

doing well. I really hope that person is still pursuing faith. But if we are not gathered

then we don’t really know one way or another.

Gathering allows us to turn a “I hope” into a “you

are.”

That is why we gather in person each Sunday.

That is why we have faith communities. Join one

That is why we meet to serve and pray.

That is why we show up.

Because gathering matters.

Gathering does things that cannot be reproduced in any other way. There are

things that happen when we gather that cannot happen otherwise. It happens be-

cause we gather.

gathering helps us to be specific with each other. We know each other and

then can encourage with direction.

When we gather. When we show up week to week, either in our small group or

sunday morning, we are saying something with our presence that we couldn’t other-

wise say.

This is telling people, I am with you

Until we can really say that can we say much more. Our words are always connected

with our actions.

Recognize to speak life

Once we are with people. Once we are committed to a community.

You know this if you have friends, family, etc,

That once you say I am with you, things can get dangerous. Because up until that

point there is a sense of options.

You may want to say, I’m with you until something better comes along.

I’m with you unless I find someone or something more fun

I’ll be a part of this church unless I find something more exciting.

Our commitment to one another is part of our encouragement to one another.

And to encourage is to commit. To be with. To stay with.

To persevere.

Because commitment states something incredibly important to another person.

Gathering allows us to say to one another “I see you.”

Gathering allows us to recognize one another.

To pick each other out as distinct from a crowd.

Often times all we are looking for is to be recognized. The role of the church, as

we get to where we find life, is to be able to, in unity and love, recognize one another.

That may sound simple but it is at the basement, the foundation of spiritual needs

Colossians 3:16 ESV

Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Our gathering, our commitment allows us to see one another.

Christ came to the earth so we would recognize God. So we would see Him. But

His act in coming to the earth tells us that He sees us.

As the church, we are called to see one another.

So when we gather, recognize each other.

If you met someone new this morning, you have recognized them

If you said hi to someone for the 1000th time in your life, you have recognized

them.

Recognizing someone, seeing them for who they are, looking them in the eyes and recognizing them as someone who is someone for is fundamental to every conversation we have. In recognizing someone who is distinctly loved by God through the person of is our way to understanding encouragement.

Notice how I haven’t even gotten to words yet. All of this, gathering and recognizing backs up the words we say.

If you want to speak encouragement to someone. Gather and recognize. Then you

will know what it is you need to say.

This is telling people, I see you

And when we see people, we speak to them

We are called to speak life. But that life comes from somewhere. It has to come

from somewhere. But we get exhausted, tired, angry. We don’t always have in us the

ability to speak life.

But Christ does.

And the church is called to point to Christ who overflows with living water. With life.

This is where we speak from. Encouragement is offering from the life and work of Christ

to one another.

That is why we are called to let the Word of Christ dwell in us. So as we speak we give of ourselves to another.

Again from Bonhoeffer

Help must come from the outside; and it has come and comes daily and anew in the Word of Jesus Christ, bringing us redemption, righteousness, innocence, and blessedness. But God put this Word into the mouth of human beings so that it may be passed on to others. When people are deeply affected by the Word, they tell it to other people. God has willed that we should seek and find God’s living Word in the testimony of other Christians, in the mouths of human beings. Therefore, Christians need other Christians who speak God’s Word to them. They need them again and again when they become uncertain and disheartened because, living by their own resources, they cannot help themselves without cheating themselves out of the truth. They need other Christians as bearers and proclaimers of the divine word of salvation. They need them solely for the sake of Jesus Christ.”

When you get the chance to,

Speak life specifically to one another.

Encourage people in their lives, in something you see. In something you are praying

for them about.

Every time you encourage someone, you call out something that belongs to God

that they are holding,

To encourage someone is to point them toward Christ.

Encouragement in the church is meeting people at the intersection of their lives and the life of Christ

You are telling them that they bear something that is worthwhile and is life giving.

And that it looks like their Creator. That you turn them toward the true source of life itself.

This is telling people, Christ is the I AM who is with you and sees you and offers

real life to you.

There is not enough courage in our lives. Not enough courage in the world.

But there is enough of Christ. He offers life and courage and grace. And in some divine offer of grace Christ has invited us to be a part of His work in the world.

Again from Life Together

The Christ in one’s own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of another Christian. The heart in one’s heart is uncertain; the Word is sure.”

Speak words over people. Sing songs, lift people up to God in prayer.

Christ offers the river of living water. Christ is the bread of life. Philippians says if we have experienced that we are called to look to the interests of others. To lift them up.

Philippians 2:1–4 ESV

So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

If you have said yes to Christ this morning, you have something to pass on. You have something to offer.

Take some time to pray this morning about who it is God would have you encourage. Send a note, a text, go up to them after service and speak life to them in the Name of Jesus.

This is how we go from glory to glory in Christ. We are given life in Christ and Christ invites us to offer it to another.