The Grace Gift of Encouragement

Introduction  – Coming out into the Light of community

All excessive control emanates from undealt-with fear.  Release from fear moves us along the pathway of relinquishing excessive control.  Recognising the point of origin of the fear is a great help. 

In the early 1980’s, we shared much fellowship with a young pastor (Phil), who had a controlling spirit.  He changed quite noticeably; he told me he went to hear Don ?, a well-known American Christian gynaecologist who worked with YWAM, went out for prayer (most out of character for his suspicious nature!).  Don ? had a word of knowledge on his childhood, which triggered a vivid recall of his parents separating when he was about six.  He remembered standing in the middle of a room between his parents, with each demanding he come with them, forsaking the other, or else he would never see them again.  He told me he was overpowered by the distress this demand put on him, and cried and cried.  Great confusion, distress, and fear (>> control) remained with him into adulthood.  When Don prayed for him, he was thrown down on the floor, and with this vivid recall, a demonic power left him.

Church is the environment God wants us to belong to while He works through our healing / restoration (to His standard!), wholeness, completeness (KJV “perfection”).  This is a lifelong journey, but there are times of significant encounter along the way (it’s a bumpy rather than smooth way!).

Eph 4: 7-16

v12.  katartismos Mat 12:20 Exo 30:7ff Mark 1:19 from katartiso -

(WSD note) the fundamental meaning is to put a thing in its appropriate condition;

1] to refit, repair, mend something broken (nets, limbs).  Metaphorically, of a person in error, to restore, set right Gal 6:1.  So, to make a perfect fit, deficient in no part.  Of persons - Luke 6:40 1 Cor 1:10 2 Cor 13:11 Heb 13:21 1 Pet 5:10;  of things, 1 Thess 3:10

2] to prepare, set in order, Mat 21:16 Heb 10:5 Heb 11:3

So, = to make fully ready, thoroughly equip, repair or adjust, to set, mend a broken bone;  used as a medical term.  as per the Eze 37 motif of the broken body restored.  In  Gal 6:1  it is used of restoration.

As this healing process unfolds, we are freed to enter the (public) arena of service.  That’s the context of Eph 4:7-16 – God is making His people whole so that they can be effective priests to others who are even more broken than they are!  And learn to be (corporately) active!  Free from fear!

[Eph 4:16] From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work [from 2041.  ergon, from ergo (to work);  work, performance, toil (as an effort or occupation) labour, business, employment, something to be done;  >>> 1756.  energes, referring to energy, ie.  engaged in work, capable of doing, active, powerful, effective >>> 1753.  energeia, efficiency ("energy"):--operative, at work, efficiency, active power].

Eph 1:18-23

How easy it is to become detached from what Paul is saying here – it’s too other-world to be relevant to the world we live in day-by-day… Or is it??  The same word is used in Eph 1:19 as in Eph 4:16 – relating to the empowering of the HS, and Christ’s subsequent empowering of the church (Pentecost).  So, this energy equally applies to the supernatural (as in, mighty works of God – or Satan) and to the activity of the saints as they serve with divine inspiration, will, training, and strength.

Note the integration of supernatural, charismatic, and natural spheres of energeia in 1 Cor 12:12-28 (apostles, teachers, helps, administration, with miracle-working, etc).

Liz Maxwell is commonly recognised in our own church as someone with a wonderful grace charisma of “encouragement”….  So does her husband, Andrew.  Last week, two young teenagers visited with their parents; they stood alone after the meeting closed, and our own young people headed for their own networks of relationship.  Our church’s reputation was “saved” by Liz (and myself).

If you don’t think this is significant, or is not relevant to you, go visit another church where you are not known and see what happens…  Then think about how you can apply it to your own home church.  Church kids don’t usually know what this is like – standing “outside” the network of prior-formed relationships.  Be aware.  God does judge us on this. [1]

This is included in what it means to be a Spirit-led church!  It is the divine energeia that takes us beyond the limits imposed by our fears, and own social inadequacies.   I am encouraged when I hear Jeremy say he has 20 people on the boundaries of our church life ready for one-on-one discipling; that’s where understanding of God and His Word develop in an environment of relationships!  Strong long-haul Christians emerge from such beginnings.

The harvest is NOW, and as Robin Mark sings, we are the labourers in His harvest.  So, be aware.  Where’s the need?  Ask God, how can I help?  Bridging like a Barnabas - one-off, or for a period of time?  Whatever way, we are all called to glorify Christ through our Holy Spirit-energised charisma!

Barnabas, the Encourager

Romans 12:8  the word here is paraklesis, from G3870; imploration, (ex)hortation, solace:--comfort, consolation, exhortation, intreaty.  The Greek word is the same one used for (the Hebrew word) Bar-nabas.  [Acts 4:36-37] Joseph, a Levite from Cyprus, whom the apostles called Barnabas (which means Son of Encouragement), sold a field he owned and brought the money and put it at the apostles' feet.

What a beginning for this “outsider – he was from the Diaspora community of Jews, and gave his surplus wealth for the welfare of the poorer believers.  His Hebrew name, Joseph = let him add, or, adding - an encourager adds to the church one-on-one!

Note the connection between his given name and the person and work of the Holy Spirit….  John 14:16, 26.  It is the energeia of the Holy Spirit that causes us to become encouragers in the biblical sense. 

Encouragers have healing ministry particularly to those coming into the circle of faith from rejection backgrounds (they must become convinced they are loved on unconditional grounds.  It’s slow journey out into the koinonia of the Body.

Acts 9:26-27 he acted as an introduction point for Paul (another Diaspora Jew – from Tarsus in modern Turkey) to the Apostolic company.  He was a bridge between the outsiders coming to Christ and the establishment church (Acts 11:20-26);  he found Paul and was the catalyst for this “outsider” becoming the most effective missionary Christian / theologian ever!  We see him in Acts 15 taking encouragement back to the Gentile churches after the Jerusalem Council (although he compromised himself earlier at Antioch (Gal 2:13), falling out with Paul over his cousin (John Mark’s [temporary] abandonment of ministry 15:37-38). [2]

My own early days – need for Encouragers

As a searching 20 year-old scruffy university student, I wandered through two other denominations, where not a soul spoke to me.  Then I was invited to the Baptist church by a Maori at a combined churches service – it turned out they were the only Maori family in the church - the Hekes.  I was born again the first week I visited!  And in the months following, went to the Heke’s home often; there wasn’t much Bible study there, but the food and warm, embracing fellowship!  Just what someone coming from a rejection spirit background was starving for!  They had little money, lived in a small, old house, but they drew me in as one of their family.  We never thought about “cross-cultural” elements at the time…  We were one family in Christ. 

We all remember kindness shown…  Especially by people who did not know us well.  As a new attender, you learn where an open network exists and where it doesn’t; who is very committed to their own, but has no room in their network of relationships for someone new who is hungry to grow (even if they are still rough around the edges!).  God Himself looks upon the heart and not the outward appearance  (1 Sam 16:7, and you soon learn who does make space for one more...  And who doesn’t…

I was very socially awkward, not a relationship initiator, needing healing in this area, and was really dependant on the church having a Barnabas or two functioning in the energeia of the Spirit.  And praise God, there were some around!  Don was the son of a deacon, and came my way on non-sinful things, like snooker playing [3]).  Don is still my friend.  His parents were very conservative and were not sure about this dirty unwashed duffle-coated uni student who was showing signs of interest in fellowshipping with one of their daughters as well as their son!!

On Sundays,  the power of Romans 12:13 [4] went home…  Being invited back to a house was very important.  But few did.  I often invited myself to learn about God and His Word (after lunch of course, being single and male!).  But most people were ill at ease about this and I soon realised which homes the practice of hospitality was not functioning in - and where it was.  These people didn’t seem to want to talk about God much outside of the church meeting times.  And sadly, no one offered to disciple me in the Word – there was no consciousness of this in that church.

But, the O’Gormans did!  Some people commented on their weirdness… He was a train guard; they were simple folks, and the word, “Charismatics” was whispered to me!  I didn’t have a clue what that meant!  But their door was always open to “strangers”.  You didn’t need to make an appointment first (and 20 year olds rarely do!)….  And they did freely talk about God and His Word, His purposes.

Finally, who judges if a church is “open”, or “friendly”?  Certainly not the members; they can’t.  But the minority who are not yet embedded in the network of relationships – they can.  The ones who can’t stand up and automatically head for the networks of prior-established relationships at the close of a meeting.  They usually sit nearer the rear, and may even have an angel with them to judge us! [5] 

Encouragers are critical for connecting such (seeking, open, hungry) people….  May all our churches have an adequate supply of operational Barnabas-type grace-gifted people!  The “edge” people will be so glad!