The Four E’s of Discipleship: Encouragement

By Dale Weckbacher

1 Thessalonians 5:11

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing.

(CSB)

There is no lack of discouraging news in the information age.  Even the church which should be a place of encouragement can become discouraging.  Fortunately, for the church in Thessalonica, it was a place of encouragement (1 Thessalonians 5:11).  The world identifies disciples of Christ by their love for one another (John 13:35).  Therefore, to fulfill the mission of making disciples (Matthew 28:19-20), the church must become a loving place of encouragement. 

God commanded Moses to encourage his successor, Joshua, to strengthen and empower him to lead the people of Israel into the Promised Land (Deuteronomy 1:38, 3:28).  After Moses’ death God continued the encouragement (Joshua 1:1-9).  This encouragement contributed to Joshua’s strong commitment to follow the Lord (Joshua 24:15).  For encouragement and strength in a post-Christian culture, the church must.

1)      Be disciplined in prayer, the Word, and meditation on the Word – The members of the early church met daily in the Temple (Acts 2:46).  However, this does not mean we are to physically meet daily in a church building but instead a call to spend time daily in prayer, Bible study, and meditation on what we read in the Word of God.  I can personally attest to my day going much better after spending time in the morning with God in prayer and Bible study.  I have also begun journaling about what I read in scripture, so I can meditate on what I read throughout the day.  The encouragement from time with God is our connection to encouragement from God that is unlike any encouragement we could receive from the world. 

2)      Connect regularly with other believers in Christ (Hebrews 10:25) – When facing persecution for our Christian faith or some struggle in life, the enemy attempts to isolate us.  This isolation brings discouragement as we begin believing nobody else has ever experienced what we are experiencing.  The biblical truth, however, is that others have experienced similar situations (1 Corinthians 10:13) and can provide guidance but if we isolate ourselves, we will not be able to receive this guidance.  We therefore need regular connection with other believers to either receive or give encouragement. 

3)      Disconnect from discouraging news and people – Romans 12:2 teaches us to be transformed by the renewing of our minds.  What we feed into our minds goes into our heart.  If we feed our minds with biblical truth through regular Bible study and meditation on scripture, we are feeding our mind a nourishing, encouraging, and transforming diet.  However, feeding our minds with the negativity of what is in the media, represents an empty diet that can defile the mind (Matthew 15:19-20).  However, this does not mean total disconnection to the point of not staying informed but disciplining ourselves to balance this information with even more time spent in the Word of God and prayer.  When I hear discouraging news, I try to take it to the Lord in prayer and leave it with Him. 

A discouraged world seeks encouragement and should receive it from believers in Christ and the church.  In a post-Christian world, the church must discipline itself in prayer, Bible study, and meditation on the world to receive encouragement.  Believers in Christ must also meet regularly to encourage one another while limiting their exposure to discouraging media.  Following this advice will not only make believers better disciples for Christ but empower them to encourage others so they too will want to become disciples for Christ.