Helping Each Other

Scripture 1 Thessalonians 5:11-15

1 Thessalonians 5:11–15 KJV 1900

11 Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do. 12 And we beseech you, brethren, to know them which labour among you, and are over you in the Lord, and admonish you; 13 And to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. And be at peace among yourselves. 14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn them that are unruly, comfort the feebleminded, support the weak, be patient toward all men. 15 See that none render evil for evil unto any man; but ever follow that which is good, both among yourselves, and to all men.

Intro

Paul used his letter to lovingly urge believers in Jesus to help one another live together in the Spirit of Christ who died for them.

1 Thessalonians 5:10

1 Thessalonians 5:10 KJV 1900

10 Who died for us, that, whether we wake or sleep, we should live together with him.

But Paul gave them more than words; he also showed how much he cared for them. He honored them by letting them know how much they’d encouraged him (1:2–10). Then he gently reminded them how, like a little child, he’d humbled himself among them (2:6–7); how he’d cared for them like a nursing mother (vv. 7–10), and how he’d looked after them like a father who comforts and encourages his own children (vv. 11–12).

God intends His people to team up to help each other as well. The apostle Paul urged the Thessalonians to “encourage one another and build each other up” (1 Thessalonians 5:11). God has put us into the family of His people for support in our lives. We need each other to keep walking the path of life in Christ. Sometimes that may mean listening to someone who’s struggling, providing for a practical need, or speaking a few words of encouragement. We can celebrate successes, offer a prayer for strength in a difficulty, or challenge each other to grow in faith. And in everything, we can “always strive to do what is good for each other” (v. 15).

The devil, according to an old story, once advertised his tools for sale. On the date of the sale, the tools were placed for public inspection; each marked with a price. It was a treacherous lot of implements…hatred, envy, jealousy, deceit, lying, pride, and so on.

Laid apart from the rest was a harmless looking tool, well worn and rusted, yet it was priced very high. One curious customer asked, “What is this tool?” “That is discouragement,” replied the devil. “Why have you priced it so high?”

“Because it is more useful to me than the others. I can pry open and get inside a person’s heart with that when I cannot get near them with my other tools. Once I get inside, I can make them do what I choose. It is badly worn because I use it on almost everyone.”

Imagine a church were everyone there is your greatest cheerleader. They all believe you can do it. They’re all ready to help you make it happen. They’re all there to help you back up when you stumble. And they’re all thrilled when you do succeed. That’s the kind of church we are called to be. I think that’s the kind of church we are becoming. We’re not there yet, but that’s the direction we’re going. You heard the testimonies last week. Many of you have experienced the encouragement of this body. I’m just here to cheer you on, to encourage you, to keep going.

Now when the Bible calls us to encourage one another, what exactly does that mean? The New Testament word for encourage is such a beautiful picture in itself. The Greek word the Bible uses means to “come alongside of, to stand with.” You encourage someone when you come alongside someone and help carry the load, you help them keep going. You guide them in which way to go.

ESPN calls it one of the 100 greatest moments in sports history. I call it the perfect picture of encouragement. IT was Derek Redmond’s dream to win an Olympic medal in the 400 meter race. In the semifinals of the 1992 Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, the stadium was filled 65,000 fans including Derek’s father, Jim Redmond. During the race, Derek broke out to an early lead and pulled away. 175 meters from the finish line, the race looked to be all his.

Suddenly, Derek hears a pop. It’s his right hamstring. Derek pulls up as if he had been shot. After hopping on one leg a few steps, he collapsed to the ground. At the top of the stadium, Derek’s dad, Jim, feels as though he’s just been sucker punched in the gut. Seeing his son writhing on the ground, Jim scrambles down the stands as fast as he could. Jim had no credentials to be on the field, but pushing by people as fast as he could, he yelled, “That’s my son out there, and I’m going to help him.”

Meanwhile, in incredible pain and tears, Derek realized his Olympic dreams were lost, but he was determined to finish the race. In great anguish, he pulled himself to his feet, and slowly hobbled down the track. With tears streaming down his cheeks he refused to surrender as he limped his way around the track. In the final turn with about 120 meters remaining Jim finally reached his son.

In an unforgettable moment, Jim tells Derek, “I’m here, Son,” as he took Derek in his arms. Between sobs he said, “We’ll finish together.” Arm and arm, father and son continued down the track. 65,000 fans were all on their feet cheering and clapping and crying. A couple feet from the finish line, with the crowd in an absolute frenzy, Jim let go of his son, so Derek could cross the finish line by himself. That’s what means to encourage- to come alongside of.

Jesus uses this very same word in the gospel of John to describe the Holy Spirit. When Jesus called the Spirit the Comforter, He is saying that the Holy Spirit is the one who comes alongside us, and stands with us, and helps us to move on. That’s what encouragement does.

So how can we as a church, how can we as Christians better come alongside each other? Stand with each other? Well, I’d like you to meet Joe. Actually, his name is Joseph, but really no one calls him Joe or Joseph. He’s known by a nickname that the apostles gave him, Barnabas. That’s right, Barnabas is a nickname, which means son of encouragement. If there was every anyone who had the gift of encouragement, it was this guy. Throughout the book of Acts we see him bringing encouragement time and time again.

Let’s look at some of these passages and see what made everyone call him the son of encouragement. By looking at Barnabas we can see how we can come alongside of others and stand with them.

I. We Can be Generous With Our Resources_to Meet the Needs of Others

We first see Barnabas in the Jerusalem church in those earliest days following Pentecost. In Acts 4 we see a beautiful picture of what the church can be, when she is all that she should be.

Acts 4:32–37 KJV 1900

32 And the multitude of them that believed were of one heart and of one soul: neither said any of them that ought of the things which he possessed was his own; but they had all things common. 33 And with great power gave the apostles witness of the resurrection of the Lord Jesus: and great grace was upon them all. 34 Neither was there any among them that lacked: for as many as were possessors of lands or houses sold them, and brought the prices of the things that were sold, 35 And laid them down at the apostles’ feet: and distribution was made unto every man according as he had need. 36 And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation,) a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, 37 Having land, sold it, and brought the money, and laid it at the apostles’ feet.

Encouragers are God’s jumper cables for the church. We’ve all had the experience of being out some place and the car won’t start. The battery is dead? Aside from the more serious reasons a battery goes dead, the short term solution is usually for another car to come alongside (there’s that encouragement word picture there) and hook up a set of jumper cables from their car to yours. That’s what encouragement does in the church. It jumps starts others, it gives them energy and power. It gets them going.

We need to be generous with our resources as well. This doesn’t mean we all need to go out tomorrow and sell a house or a piece of property. But would we, if we needed to? Many times it’s the small things, preparing a meal, loaning a car, giving a few dollars, or buying a couple bags of groceries. Sometimes though, God calls us to the bigger things. Buying a weeks worth of groceries, giving away a car, making a big donation. The world tells us that we succeed by acquiring, owning, possessing, getting more and more, compounding our wealth. God says that we succeed, as Christians and as a church by giving and sharing. As Jesus himself said, “It is more blessed to give than to receive.”

II. We Can See in People What God_Sees in People

A second way that Barnabas came alongside people and stood with them is that he saw in them what God saw in them. We tend to look at people on the outside. We look at them according to their past, according to what they’ve done to us and for us. God looks at people on the inside. He looks at their future, what they can become through Him, what He can do in them and through them.

Encouragers see people the same way. They try to see in people what God sees in them. They look for the promise and the potential. They look beyond what is to what could be. Barnabas does this several times in the book of Acts. He was among the first to accept Gentile Christians into the church. He welcomed them. He lived with them, worked with them. He equipped them for ministry. This is something most Jews would never do, but Barnabas did.

But perhaps the best example of this comes in Acts 9. Saul has just become a Christian. After a long history of persecuting Christians, throwing them into jail, of overseeing their executions, no one in the church wanted to get close to him. No one trusted him. No one thought of him yet as the great Apostle Paul called to be evangelist to the Gentiles. Look what Barnabas does.

Acts 9:26–28 KJV 1900

26 And when Saul was come to Jerusalem, he assayed to join himself to the disciples: but they were all afraid of him, and believed not that he was a disciple. 27 But Barnabas took him, and brought him to the apostles, and declared unto them how he had seen the Lord in the way, and that he had spoken to him, and how he had preached boldly at Damascus in the name of Jesus. 28 And he was with them coming in and going out at Jerusalem.

Actually, this is just the beginning of what Barnabas does with Paul. Barnabas takes Paul with him to Antioch. He trains him as a minister of the gospel. He became the great Apostle Paul because Barnabas was willing to see in Him what God saw in him.

We need to come alongside people in the same way.Do you know someone who has:

A song waiting to be sung?

Some art waiting to be hung?

A piece waiting to be played?

A scene waiting to be staged?

A tale waiting to be told?

A book waiting to be sold?

A rhyme waiting to be read?

A speech waiting to be said?

III. We Can Give people Second Chances.

There is one more time in Acts that I want to draw you attention to where Barnabas really comes alongside someone and stands with them. This event shows us something very important about encouragement. It gives second chances. It doesn’t hold peoples failures against them. It is willing to extend a hand, help you back up, and give you a second chance.

When Paul and Barnabas went on their first missionary journey they took a young man with them named John Mark. John Mark was training for the ministry, but part way through the trip, John Mark quit and went back home. Now Acts doesn’t tell us why John Mark left, but when Paul and Barnabas were getting ready to go on another mission’s trip, Paul definitely didn’t want to take John Mark again because he felt he had deserted their cause. But Barnabas was willing to give him another chance.

This is a serious disagreement that Paul and Barnabas have. Interestingly, Luke does not take sides or say who was right or wrong. Paul took Silas, and they had a very successful missionary journey. Barnabas, staying true to his nature as a son of encouragement, took John Mark. Luke doesn’t follow this storyline in Acts, but we know his encouragement of John Mark and his willingness to give him a 2nd chance paid huge dividends.

For one thing, John Mark went on to write the Gospel of Mark. This was the first of the gospels written, and it blazed an important trail. John Mark also proved his usefulness as a minister of the gospel. Listen to what Paul himself would request of Timothy many years later, “Get Mark and bring him with you, because he is helpful to me in my ministry (2 Tim. 4:11).” What would have happened had Barnabas never given John Mark that 2nd chance? Think of the missed opportunity. Think of all that would have been lost.

Remember when you were a kid and you’d be playing a game with other kids and something accidental would happen, or someone would make a mistake, and so everyone wouldn’t have a big fight, everyone would agree to a what? A do over. They would give a 2nd chance. The church should be the home of 2nd chances. Restoration Community Christian Church must be a place where people with broken hearts, shattered dreams, failed attempts, and wrong turns can find a group of people who in the grace of God are willing to say “Do over.”

This is what Barnabas did for people. This is what we can do for people. As each goose flaps its wings it creates an "uplift" for the birds that follow. By flying in a "V" formation, the whole flock adds 71% greater flying range than if each bird flew alone. We all need to be sons and daughters of encouragement.

Closing

Since as a Christian I am in the Army of Jesus Christ:

- I am in a battle in which Christ already won!

- I will therefore be allegiant to my commander Jesus Christ!

- I will yield to God the Holy Spirit who empowers me to be a good soldier!

the Full Armor of God gives us specifics on how to yield.

And since many of us like movies, remember that movies are fantasy but we live in the reality of life with sins abound. As Christians we are in a battle against evil which our Commander in Chief, the Lord Jesus Christ has already won! And so, the next time you hear a battle cry in the movies, use it for real life as a Christian by adding “in Jesus Christ!