Build Each Other Up
Notes
Transcript
Scripture
Scripture
Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.
Introduction
Introduction
“MANY churches are in need of what every football team has: cheerleaders. The job of a cheerleader is to tell everybody “we’re going to make it.” No matter how bad things look on the scoreboard, there is still hope. Cheerleaders cheer all the way to the end of the game and will act like the team is winning by a big score even when there may be no way that a victory is possible. Their job is to be a cheerleader.
When folks come into today’s sanctuary with broken lives, they need to run into some cheerleaders, folks who are willing to cheer them on and tell them that they are going to make it.”
Excerpt From: Evans, Tony. “Tony Evans' Book of Illustrations: Stories, Quotes, and Anecdotes from More Than 30 Years of Preaching and Public Speaking.” iBooks.
Look at the world today and what is happening and we see that Men lacking hope in the future
We are living in perilous times
I never thought the day would come when I will be having service via zoom
I never thought we would have to wear masks every where we go
I never thought that a day would come where it would actually be a law now to wear a mask
I never thought they would even allow you to go to a bank wearing on a mask and if you dont have a mask they wont allow you to enter
When I look at the state of the world and even the church - it can cause us to be alarmed. It can cause anxiety to step in
I remember seeing this virus in china and saying - nah- that not gonna affect us here
The virus has reached trinidad . The virus has entered the church as well.
Even Christians are getting the virus .
Men’s heart are failing .
People are being affected. The world is being affected .
The world needs people who will build them up and not tear them down.
This is a time for the church to show that they are the church
Today many people do not have a job because of this virus.
Today many people who do have a job ; not making much money
Many people there companies asking them to rotate which means less money than normal
Many people have sick ones who not sure how they will pay medical expenses
People are crying in despearation for help these days.
Grown men and grown women are literally crying cause they have no food and they need help.
It’s hard times
Some have lost their loved ones to COVID 19....
Our own brothers and sisters are affected
last couple of weeks we had some deaths that are affiliated with our church people
Sister Elizaebth was affected
Bro Alvin, Sister Tina , Sunil and family
A family attached to Harewood trace outpost was affected
To have a funeral at this time with lack of jobs and lack of finances and even lack of face to face support is difficult because of the restrictions on gathering
But this is a time for the church to be the church
It’s easy to come to church and sing and clap and preach and do all these church things.......
The hard part is when you see a brother struggling financlially and you have to dig into your pocket and give them a little something
The hard part is when you have to give up your time and go and visit and encourage a struggling sister in the Lord .....
This is a time for us to build each other up
I need you during this time and you need me during this time
I remember last year i wasn’t standing on my 2 feet and needed help to stand back up
Now that I am standing I see more than ever the need to help someone who may not be standing during this time.......
A little thing that you do for someone could have lasting impact......
Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.
“ ‘For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink; I was a stranger and you took me in;
I was naked and you clothed me; I was sick and you took care of me; I was in prison and you visited me.’
Background
Background
Now Paul had founded the church in Thessalonica when he and Silas was there
Acts 17
He got many greeks and Jewish people to believe in Jesus but it caused an uproar
By belieivng in Jesus they were claiming that there was another King that is even greater than Caesar and this caused persecution
Paul and Silas had to do like a mat and dust it
Paul sent Timothy to see how the church was doing and he got good news about them that they were flourishing and doing well in spite of the persecution
They had friends and even families turning on them for their new faith
1 Thessalonians is Paul Letter encouraging them to continue what they believe in and to hold in spite of the sufferings they are enduring right now....
When people are suffering they need people to encourage them
That is why Paul said Build Each Other Up As You are already doing
They were buidling up each other and he admonished them to continue doing it
So in the same way , we have people in our church and even outside the church that is suffering
We need to encourage and build them up just like the Thessalonians were doing
We cannot stop the pain someone might be feeling who is ill but we can ease it a bit by being there for them
So with that Knoweldge in this Scripture Paul gives 6 ways we can Build Up One Another As Believers
And we urge you, brothers and sisters, warn those who are idle and disruptive, encourage the disheartened, help the weak, be patient with everyone. Make sure that nobody pays back wrong for wrong, but always strive to do what is good for each other and for everyone else.
Warn The Idle and Disruptive
Warn The Idle and Disruptive
This might sound like a strange way to Build Someone Up.
When we think of encouragement and building up people we may think of only saying and doing nice things but Paul begins by saying
WARN
Warning people is actually a way of building them up
If you see a child playing with matches you will warn them so they not be hurt
In Paul’s case here he had to warn them about wanting to be freeloaders
Some of these Thessalonians were idle and didnt want to work at all
to seek to lead a quiet life, to mind your own business, and to work with your own hands, as we commanded you, so that you may behave properly in the presence of outsiders and not be dependent on anyone.
Even though things were genereally goood there were some Thessalonians who were making things bad for other people
Now this is an issue every church will have
There will be people whom you may need to warn about their current way of living
The purpose is actually to help them and to heal them
Now in this time of Covid we can see similar issues if we are not careful
While there are some genuine people nowadays who cannot afford anything , there are some who may try to use this to take advantage of others
My experience with Dad church dropping of hampers
This Pastor who was asked to give money otherwise her landlord will kick her out ....
Paul even told the Thessalonians that when he and Silas was there they worked for their own stuff
They didn’t demand anything from anyone although it may have people nowadays who would do that.....
False Teachers especially.....
But the main general principle here is that there are times when we need to give people a little warning as a way of building them up.....
NEILON WARNING
Comfort the Discouraged
Comfort the Discouraged
Now i dont know about you but this time of Covid have a lot of discouraged people
People are fearful, anxious, perplexed with all that is happening
People are losing their lost ones to COVID and they need encouragement
I’m hearing that COVID is in Lower Barrackpore right now and has even taken the life of someone here
Who do we go to or who do we turn too when we are discouraged
The church should be someone we can turn to at this time
I don’t know what your present situation is like but if you need encouragement, reach out to someone
Sometimes people just need someone who will listen to them
KEVIN AND HIS MOM STORY
People in the Body of Christ are suffering
If someone tells you their hurting story, be an encourager and not a gossiper of them
Pray for them
Look for ways to help them
These Thessalonians were losing their friends and loved ones due to persecution and some even may have been martys
Paul encouraged them by telling them about the Hope they have in the Ressurection of Jesus
We need to give people Hope at this time
Napoleone said leaders are dealers in hope
Everyone has a smart phone now and you can video call people and encourage them even if you have to distance yourself
COVID cannot be caught on video calls
Life Application Bible Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians Be Prepared: No One Knows When the Lord Will Return / 5:1–11
As you near the end of a long race, your legs ache, your throat burns, and your whole body cries out for you to stop. This is when friends and fans are most valuable. Their encouragement helps you push through the pain to the finish line. In the same way, Christians are to encourage one another. A word of encouragement offered at the right moment can mean the difference between finishing well and collapsing along the way. Look around you. Be sensitive to others’ need for encouragement, and offer supportive words or actions.
Let us be people who will encourage others and also not be afraid to call up someone and say I NEED HELP
This is what the church need to do as a church
“WHEN A woman is in labor, she’s hurting. In this situation, no one ever really knows exactly how long the pain is going to last. The husband is there, holding her hand, wiping her forehead, and patting her back. That’s all he can do. He’s limited. Holding her hand doesn’t change the pain. He’s just there to comfort her.
God is birthing something in the life of every believer, and He wants believers to comfort one another, while we go through the birthing process.”
Excerpt From: Evans, Tony. “Tony Evans' Book of Illustrations: Stories, Quotes, and Anecdotes from More Than 30 Years of Preaching and Public Speaking.” iBooks.
Help The Weak
Help The Weak
Not everyone is at the same level in church when it comes to spiritual matters
When Paul formed this church , some would have grown more than other people
Same way in the church , some are more spirtually mature than others
Those who are strong ought to help the weak and help them become strong like them
There are some believers who love the fact that they are stronger than others and this keeps them from mentoring others for fear
that they may even become stronger than them
That is not the attitude of a Christian
We need to help the spiritually weak to become strong
Of course all Christians are weak and need the strength that comes from Christian fellowship, but the spiritually weak need it more than most
All of us goes through times when we are weak and this year of 2020 is showing it
It doesnt only apply to spiritually weak but for people struggling with various issues that can render them weak
E.g I remember sister susan last year and what she had to go through
When the Bible says help the weak it is saying that we need as believers to hold on to these people, wrap arms around them and cling to them.
They need the arms of strong believers to guide them, support and let them know they are not alone
“I lost my religious belief when my sister got lupus,” Turner said candidly. “She was 12 and she died at 17. I was 15 when she got it. She was ill. It ruined her mind. She became insane. She used to go around the apartment and run into the padded walls and say, ‘God, I’m in such pain. Please let me die.'”
Ted Turner
Be Patient with Everyone
Be Patient with Everyone
This goes along with Helping the weak
This is one area that I am sure most believers struggle with
Having Patience with People
MR CENTIPEDE ILLUSTRATION
People can get you vex, they can get your angry, they could send up your blood pressure at times
Sometimes you might find you preaching the same thing over and over and the people just not taking you on
This is where patience comes in
People grow in different stages and some grow faster than others
Our job as believers is to patiently love them and correct them at times
Life Application Bible Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians Paul’s Final Instructions / 5:12–28
In any group where a variety of people come together, godly patience will be required of everyone. Believers cannot write off the lazy, timid, or weak even if they do require a lot of time and energy. On the contrary, great patience must be exercised.
When you losing your patience count to 10 or maybe ask Diandra for some professional advice in this area
Just how a parent is loving and patient with their children so we ought to be with our brothers and sisters
Jesus knows our faults and he doesnt write us off...
Jesus doesnt lose his patience with you, so you should not lose all patience with people and give up on them
Life Application Bible Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians Paul’s Final Instructions / 5:12–28
God is patient with people, and so Christians should be. In addition, God has given his Spirit to help his people be patient with one another.
This is a frruit of the spirit
Don’t Pay Back Wrong For Wrong
Don’t Pay Back Wrong For Wrong
For the Thessalonians they were being mistreated and persecuted by their enemies even though they were innocent people
They would have been tempted to retaliate against their oppressors
I know right now it have many Pastors who against this shutting down of churches and they want to gather
They say we are giving in to Caesar and the church is in a sad state and even bashing pastors who are choosing to go along with what the government wants
They may want to retaliate.......
If your landlord throw you out your home, you could be tempted to burn down his building
Life Application Bible Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians Paul’s Final Instructions / 5:12–28
Personal revenge and retaliation are clearly forbidden to those who call themselves followers of Christ. Jesus said, “But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also…. But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you”
Life Application Bible Commentary, 1 & 2 Thessalonians Paul’s Final Instructions / 5:12–28
To many Jews of Jesus’ day, these statements were offensive. Any Messiah who would turn the other cheek was not the military leader they wanted to lead a revolt against Rome. Because they were under Roman oppression, they wanted retaliation against their hated enemies. Instead, Jesus suggested a new, radical response to injustice. Instead of demanding rights, give them up freely! According to Jesus, it is more important to give justice and mercy than to receive it.
Do what is good for everyone
Do what is good for everyone
As a christian you no longer live for yourself but you live for everyone
This mask example - some dont want to wear it at all.....
As a believer we dont use people in the church to make a name for ourself
It have many shepherds and false teachers just concerned with using the sheep
It have people in it for themselves
We make decisions that will not just benefit a chosen few but everyone
Jesus did not die for just a few people , he died to make a way for everyone
As believers when it comes to building up people, you have to build up everyone
Not just your friends or your pally wals
If you running a department and you only helping one set of people and not the other people you are being biased and showing favoritism
no room for favoritism in the Kingdom of God
We need to look for everyone - not just those who paying the big tithes and giving huge love offerings like in some churches
We do good for all - the fat and thin, the short and the tall, the black and the white
Recap
Recap
We are to Warn people
Comfort The Discouraged
Help The WEak
Be Patient With Everyone
Don’t Pay Back Wrong For Wrong
Do What Is Good for Everyone
Those are 6 ways you can build up people. Choose 1 of those ways to build up soemone this week
Leave with a Word of Encouragement
One of the best-loved hymns of the faith, “It Is Well with My Soul,” was written by Horatio Spafford. Mr. Spafford, a wealthy businessman in Chicago, lost much of his real estate holdings in the Great Chicago Fire. After the fire, he sent his wife and four daughters on a ship to Europe, intending to join them later, for a time of rest as well as to assist Moody and Sankey with a revival in Great Britain. But the voyage was struck by disaster, and Spafford received a cable from his wife with the painful message, “Saved alone.”
Spafford quickly made arrangements to join his wife. When they reached the spot where his daughters had drowned, Spafford marked that sad event with words of hope: “When peace like a river attendeth my way; when sorrows like sea billows roll; whatever my lot, Thou hast taught me to say, ‘It is well, it is well with my soul.’”
These powerful words written in the midst of such pain are a reminder to us today that, even though we may be enduring great suffering and hardship, it is not the end of God’s plan for us. Sometimes God’s children get discouraged because it appears that life is going better for those who are doing wrong. Yet the end result of both paths is already settled. Those who fear God will be able to say, “It is well.” Those who oppose God will quickly find that the end of their path is death and destruction. Keeping the end result in mind helps us keep doing right.