Tag: hospitality

Encouragement

Travis Harrison

It’s not hard in today’s world to find things that discourage us. There are plenty of things that can bring us down. At times it really does feel like wherever we go, whatever we do, or say, there is something ready to discourage us. Unfortunately, people can be those roadblocks as well. That’s far from what we as Christians are called to do.

It was important in the days of the early church to encourage one another. So important that God commands it. It was important to God then – its important now.  Thankfully we have blessings such as the church and our church family to help us through those discouraging times. How do we go about finding ways to encourage each other? Is it the way we speak or how we live, or is it in our faith? Is it all the above? The fellowship we have with our friends, our family, along with worshipping and singing praises, and studying God’s Word are just a few. These are blessings that we receive when we meet together no doubt, but let’s not contain our encouragements just to the assembly. Our everyday lives are just as important and those around us everywhere need to feel encouraged regularly.  I just want to share briefly a few examples of what the Bible says about encouraging others and ways we can do just that.

Encouraging others is important, it’s necessary, it’s a command. Paul was one, if not the, most influential apostles of the first century church. He was a great teacher, preacher, mentor, and guess what? He was great at encouraging people. At the beginning of most of his letters he would begin with words of praise and thanks. (1 Thess. 1:2-3,) (Phil. 1:3-8,) (1 Cor. 1:4-5) are a few examples. In (Romans 1:12) Paul writes that he longs to be with them so that they can encourage one another in the faith. These types of encouragements were part of his everyday life.

We can’t discuss encouragement without mentioning Barnabas, the “son of encouragement.” He is mentioned several times in the New Testament, but he wasn’t a main character like Paul – he played a smaller, but still very important role.  Paul spent his early life persecuting Christians. The people of the first churches, as well as the disciples feared this man, and rightfully so. After he became a Christian, the disciples didn’t believe he was one of them, so what did Barnabas do? He encouraged Paul by standing up for him in Jerusalem (Acts 9:26-31). He was a fellow missionary with Paul, Mark, Titus, and others. He encouraged those in Antioch to remain faithful in the Lord with steadfast purpose, (Acts 11:23.) Paul and Barnabas visited these churches, they taught, and they lived out their teachings. They encouraged them in their works and through their faith. They instilled hope, strengthening the church’s faith. (1Thessalonians 5:11) – Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. We can all benefit from their examples. 

Let’s face it, life is hard at times. Certain situations bring us discouragement and can distort and change our thinking. Who wouldn’t want to be encouraged and uplifted in these hard times?  It might not seem like a big deal to some, but kind words of encouragement and praise could make all the difference in the world. (Proverbs 16:24) – Gracious words are like a honeycomb, sweetness to the soul and health to the body. (Proverbs 12:25) -Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad. We shouldn’t be surprised that little things like sending a card or giving a compliment, sending a text message, phone call or email, could make a big difference. How underrated but so appreciated those things can be!  It’s hard not to smile and be filled with some kind of encouragement if someone messages you to say they’ve missed you, and been thinking about you, been praying for you.  Check in on those you haven’t seen recently – Invite someone new to dinner – someone not typically in your crowd or someone new to the church. Practice hospitality as it says in (Romans 12:13.) Love one another with brotherly affection. Outdo one another in showing honor, (Romans 12:10.) 

When we encourage people we show our love, compassion, understanding, and we give them hope. It helps reset our minds, builds our confidence in each other, and allows us to see God more clearly. More than anything we are showing others how we live our faith just as Paul and Barnabas did. We show we want to be like Christ and people can see God through our actions towards them. Encouragement is powerful! Just remember that sometimes the smallest things can have the biggest impacts. 

The End Of All Things

Gary Pollard

In I Pt 4.1-6, we’re reminded that “new life” means adopting a new lifestyle. Jesus was willing to suffer, so we should be too. For those who converted recently, their friends might think it’s rude that they don’t do the same things they used to. They might even be painted in a bad light around their old friends. It’s hard for anyone to lose their friends! 

But we’re reminded in 4.7 that the end is near. In the context of I Peter, that was the end of their lives. For them, it was the end of all things. Its double meaning is that the end of the world is near. But this was written 2000 years ago, so how was the end near? God doesn’t experience time the same way we do. But in light of world history, 2000 years isn’t that much time. The Patriarchal Age lasted 2500 years. The Old Law was in effect for 1500 years. Until about 500 years ago, the Bible was not accessible to most of the world. It’s not too much of a stretch to assume that God assigned a dual meaning to this passage. We have no idea when the end will be, so we need to “keep our minds clear and control ourselves.”

How does God expect us to live while we’re waiting for the end of all things? 4.8 tells us to love each other deeply. How? By opening our homes to each other and sharing the food we have without complaining (9). By remembering that God gives us so much grace, and we should use our talents to help each other (10). If we’re good at encouraging, we should pursue that with all our strength. The same goes for serving others (11). This section tells us that time is too unpredictable and limited for us to be messing around. Humanity is diving headfirst into chaos, but that isn’t our concern. Even if this is the end, God wants us to use our time to help each other. 

Cultivating Your Spiritual Garden 

Friday’s Column: Supplemental Strength

brent 2020

Brent Pollard

Wisteria is beautiful. Despite its beauty, though, wisteria can be an invasive vine if it is not carefully cultivated, becoming genteel kudzu. As I had to go to a doctor’s appointment in Gainesville, Georgia, yesterday, I noted how much wisteria grows around that city. For the most part, it was not managed well. Thus, you would see azalea bushes or maple trees with purple flowers choking them out. However, if you take the time to train the vine, you can make a stunning addition to your garden with wisteria. One popular way of taming wisteria is having it run along an arbor creating a tunneled walkway through the blooms.

 We have other things around us that act a lot like wisteria. These are things having the potential to be something helpful or enjoyable, but which end up being deleterious to our spiritual health because we do not manage them well.

Becoming distracted by doing good is one such type of spiritual wisteria. When Jesus was with his dear friends in Bethany, Martha wearied herself seeking to be an excellent hostess. She asked Jesus to rebuke her sister, Mary, for not helping her prepare. Since Mary was listening to Jesus teach, He said she was doing what was necessary (Luke 10.39-42). It is a good thing to be hospitable. We note that the need to be hospitable is one of the qualifications for an elder (1 Timothy 3.2; Titus 1.8). However, one’s priority is the kingdom of God (Matthew 6.33). Thus, even in having a desire to do a good thing, one may be overwhelmed and end up missing out on opportunities for spiritual growth.

Social media is another type of spiritual wisteria. During this period of social distancing, I’ve noted how many more brothers in Christ are utilizing Facebook and YouTube to put out encouraging and convicting lessons from God’s Word. Congregations are streaming “virtual worship services” for homebound people to participate in. It excites me that we might be seeing the beginnings of the “Third Great Awakening” in the United States as people realize they have ways of expressing their faith which has nothing to do with a building. Even so, I note that with people using social media even more now (if such a thing is possible) it likewise gives rise to a lot of things that ultimately detract from spiritual growth. People are also posting depressing or rancorous things. You still see lewd jokes and double entendres. We need to ensure that our use of social media at this tend helps us to serve as salt and light in this world so God can be glorified (Matthew 5.13-16).

 You may have noted other types of spiritual wisteria I have not included. We want to emphasize that this “wisteria” in and of itself is not a bad thing. It is, rather, that a failure to discipline ourselves allows for this good thing to lessen its value.  You must put forward the effort to properly utilize and enjoy physical and spiritual wisteria. You must do the same thing when it comes to cultivating a beautiful, spiritual garden pleasing to God (cf. 1 Corinthians 9.24-27).

wisteriatunnel

“As We Go Our Separate Ways…”

Neal Pollard

I’ve heard this prayed my whole life: “Be with us as we go our separate ways.”  I fully appreciate what is meant, but I lament a trend I’ve seen for many years.  Too often, we go our separate ways until the “next appointed time.”  We have no contact with one another. Instead, the bulk or totality of our contact is with worldly people with ungodly philosophies.  While we need to be among the world to exert salt and light, perhaps we have neglected something else that first century Christians took full advantage of.  Luke describes it this way, saying, “Day by day continuing with one mind in the temple, and breaking bread from house to house, they were taking their meals together with gladness and sincerity of heart” (Acts 2:46).  As he had observed in verse 42, they were continually devoting themselves to fellowship.  This created a close knit community that could not only weather some huge storms of opposition, but it helped them produce an attractive environment that thousands of people wanted to be a part of. Perhaps we discount or even overlook what a vital part of church growth that fellowship and time together had on the early church.

Today, we have our civic activities, our kids’ full slate of responsibilities, our work and overtime, our personal entertainment regimen, and similar time-consuming matters that are not inherently wrong but that can help create a dramatic separation from our spiritual family during the week.  Where is the time allotment for getting together with other Christians during the week?  Have we relegated or resigned ourselves to Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday night?  Are we losing the art of hospitality, of having spiritual family over to deepen Christian relationships?

Wouldn’t it be wonderful to be able to speak of each other and say that our hearts have “been knit together in love” (Col. 2:2)?  In that same context of the church’s beginning mentioned earlier, Luke adds, “All those who had believed were together and had all things in common” (2:44).  What will happen to the local church that becomes very intentional about this, not just with an exclusive few but in a way that includes new Christians, potential Christians, the otherwise disconnected, and those of different as well as similar demographics? Certainly, it requires time, effort, and even some expense, but what will it yield?  A feeling of connection in the place of separation.