Gather for Encouragement

Gather for Encouragement

Hebrews 10:24-25

Series Slide

Good morning and welcome to worship today! What a joy it is to gather in this place and celebrate together! We had an awesome Sunday last week as we confirmed 2 of our students. And, this month we already have 4 Baptisms on the books between the Sanctuary and Common Ground, with additional reaffirmations and Baptisms being planned. Ladies and Gentlemen, it is a great time to be a part of the Brownwood Methodist Church!

This Month, we are starting a churchwide series called Gather. In all three of our services we are looking at what it means to be gathered as the Body of Christ. We are looking at the after effects of the isolation from COVID and where we go from here. Now, I must say, if you are here today, then you are on the right track. And for those of you joining online, I am so glad we are able to worship together. As you listen, I pray that you will continue to reach out into community around you and that though you may not be comfortable gathering in large groups yet, that you would begin gathering in smaller groups.

As we begin, I want to start with a Question. Do you know what Solitary Confinement is? The term used in the prison systems is “Administrative Segregation” but really, it is how they discipline dangerous inmates in prison. In a study on the effects of Solitary Confinement, a 2012 APA report stated that:

Deprived of normal human interaction, many segregated prisoners reportedly suffer from mental health problems including anxiety, panic, insomnia, paranoia, aggression, and depression.” The report goes on to say “these effects come as no surprise… So much of what we do and who we are is rooted in a social context.” (https://www.apa.org/monitor.2012/05/solitary)

That last quote is what got me, “So much of what we do and who we are is rooted in a social context.” It is amazing that the very causes of “Administrative Segregation” are exacerbated by the isolation.

I am going to hit you with some more data. Now, keep in mind the effects of Solitary Confinement, or Administrative Segregation while I share this data that has come out as a result of post COVID-19 studies:

The Journal of Psychiatry and Clinical Neurosciences reported that “the experience of quarantine is associated with higher prevalence of stress-related mental disturbances, such as anxiety, depression, and especially avoidance behaviors.”

They further found that after only 4 months of isolation, “COVID-19-related family violence and homicides” increased.

A November 2020 research study by Roanoke College Psychology Department reported that both daily stress and depression increased during the Pandemic.

I know, none of this is new news to any of us, is it?

But, here’s more… A Tulane University study reports that mental and physical health are connected and the adverse effects of social isolation and loneliness have led to increases in anxiety, depression and suicide rates. The study also corelates isolation to poor cardiovascular health and cognitive function.

The Post-Lockdown anxiety that is reported matches much of the clinical description of Agoraphobia – the unnatural fear of places that you think might not be safe.

We can debate the pandemic… we can debate the shutdowns… we can debate the quarantines effectiveness, but personally I don’t care about your personal opinion on those debates… I concede… whatever your opinion, you are right. Now, we can move to this question.

What mental, physical, emotional, and spiritual benefits have we missed out on because of the isolation we have felt over the past 2 years? That is the question we want to address.

Over the next four weeks, we as a church are going to be looking at some of these questions. Gathering together is powerful, it is biblical. And, one of the important reasons we gather together is to encourage one another. That is today’s topic. We gather for encouragement.

Sermon Slide

Some of us are in desperate need of encouragement. We are in desperate need to gather in community with others to grown and be who and what God has called us to be.

The writer of Hebrews puts it this way:

Hebrews 10:24-25

Let us think of ways to motivate one another to acts of love and good works. And let us not neglect our meeting together, as some people do, but encourage one another, especially now that the day of his return is drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25 (New Living Translation)

I usually like the New Living or the New Revised Standard translations. But I really like the way the NIV translates the first part of this verse. It says, “And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 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.” (Hebrews 10:24-25 NIV)

You may have noticed from the passage that the way we encourage each other and spur one another on towards love and good deeds is by gathering together.

Sermon Slide

I know, we can talk ourselves up and read a good self-help book to encourage ourselves; but, there is something deeply transformative and powerful about being with someone or a part of a group committed to encouraging one another towards a common goal.

Some of you remember the story of our Philmont crew taking the wrong trail and carrying our full gear up a steep mountain… and some of you know I have a little Acrophobia… which means that climbing straight up a mountain, where you look down and see 100s of feet strait down, it can get a bit hairy. It was one of those things where it didn’t seem too bad when we started, but as we climbed and it got harder and harder, we were committed. There was no turning around.

I’m the next to the last climber on this trail. It just so happens that Dr. Rance Boren is the last one so he was stuck hearing me moan and whimper like an infant as we climbed. At one point after we had climbed several hundred feet of elevation, my arms were quivering, I was sweating, my heart was racing and I said, “Doc, I don’t think I can keep going.” And he replied, “Well, we ain’t going down.” He kept encouraging me until we got to a place that was about to level off. At that point, some of the Scouts came back to check on us and help us the rest of the way.

Without their encouragement, with out their spurring me on, I would likely have curled up in the fetal position and had to be hauled off by a helicopter or something. But, together, we made it, not only up the face of the tooth, but over the entire trek, working together.

Spur One Another On.

So, what exactly does it mean to spur one another on towards love and good deeds?

First of all, we need to deal with the word spur. The only other time you see this word used in the New Testament is in Acts 15:39 when Paul and Barnabas have such a sharp disagreement that they separate from each other in their missional work. Strong’s concordance defines the word as; incitement (to good), or dispute (in anger), contention. The point here being that spurring someone towards love and good deeds is not a passive action but a very intentional, passionate, and purposeful action.

These are spurs. Yes, I own a pair of spurs that have never touched a horse. I think we know what the ol’ cowboys used these for… they “encourage” the horse to met moving, right.

Sometimes we need a good spurring to get us moving. We need to spur one another on to Christ-centered love and good works. We need to help one another grow in our faith. These days, with all the distractions and chaos that we live in, we can too easily grow complacent in our faith when we try to do it alone… but together, we can encourage one another along.

It is too easy to get discouraged and too dangerous to journey alone.

Don’t Give Up

Life is a marathon, not a 100 yard dash. Yes, there are times we seem to be running along, no problems, then we hit Thrill Hill… going up and down… then suddenly our shins hurt, our lungs burn, our heart is racing. That’s the way life is. And this race is long enough that the cycle repeats itself over and over again. Some of us in this room are living through an easy time after the last couple of years. Some of us are facing some of the most challenging times we have ever faced.

To you I would say, “Don’t give up, you’re not alone...Thank you for being here today.”

King David, who knew a thing or two about adversity, reminds us in Psalm 30:5, “Weeping may remain for a night, but rejoicing comes in the morning.” One of the reasons we gather together is to encourage those who are hurting to keep pressing on. Together we remember that there is a light at the end of the tunnel.

Our passage from Hebrews says that there are some who’ve made a habit of not meeting together. I know that many of you understand the idea of a habit - what they are - how many days it takes to make and break them, etc...

Let’s take it a step further today. The word translated as habit here is the word ethos in the original language. It also means custom or rite and it sounds an awful lot like our English word ethos, which is obviously, not a coincidence.

The english definition of ethos is; the distinguishing character, sentiment, moral nature or guiding principles of a person, group, or institution. (Webster’s) What Hebrews is saying is that some have made it their custom, it is who they are, to neglect gathering together. As believers, one of our defining characteristics is that we regularly meet together.

But if we need some encouragement to gather, over the next few weeks we will be exploring some of the reasons we do this, but I want to be clear about something here. For all the benefits we receive in fellowship it’s deeper than that.

We gather together to encourage because that’s who we are.

When adversity comes to our doorstep.

When things don’t go our way.

When we are confused, frustrated, and angry.

We join with others in fellowship and we spur each other on towards love and good deeds because It’s who we are.

It’s what we do.

In Matthew 24:10-13 we read:

“[M]any will turn away from me and betray and hate each other. 11 And many false prophets will appear and will deceive many people. 12 Sin will be rampant everywhere, and the love of many will grow cold. 13 But the one who endures to the end will be saved..”

With each passing day, this passage seems to be more and more true. We are seeing less love in the world and more hate. We are seeing less peace and more war. We are hearing more and more who profess a Jesus and a faith other than what we read in Scripture.

Sermon Slide

Friends, we need one another. We need to be in fellowship… in communion with one another. And this isn’t just about FUMC… This is about being the body of Christ with the other churches in this community. It is about being in connection with churches that we don’t agree with. It’s about being in partnership with believers across the world.

it is so unbelievably important that we commit to meeting together. It’s not a stretch to say that for many of us it is a matter of living or dying. We simply cannot stand on our own - we need encouragement, we need to be spurred onto love and good deeds. We will not survive in isolation. We need each other.

It’s one thing to talk about the theory of gathering and why we gather…. But, what difference will it make for you? How are you going to be in community with others? How are you going to be in fellowship with believers in this community and beyond? How are you going to welcome the least, the last, and the lost into fellowship with other believers? This isn’t just theory!

I believe that one of the most important reasons we gather together is to encourage one another.

Let’s pray together.