Building a Culture of Encouragement
It is important to be intentional about encouraging and strengthening other believers to live missionally. This is vital in enabling one another to become fully devoted disciples of Christ.
To build a culture of Biblical encouragement:
1. Put the interests of others ahead of your own (vs. 1-6)
- An intentional shift in focus from “me” to “we” is required of everyone (cf. Heb. 10:24)
- Encouragement can be received and given in many different ways
- Building a culture of encouragement requires a genuine concern for how others are doing (cf. Rom. 1:11-12)
In what ways are you encouraging and strengthening others at Calvary to stay true to the faith? Are you becoming more attentive to and invested in others’ walk with Christ? How are you doing in contributing to building a culture of encouragement at Calvary in the areas of sacrificial giving, spending time with others, and serving?
2. Do not give up meeting together for worship (vs. 7-12)
There is great encouragement when:
- we remember and celebrate that we serve a risen Saviour (1 Cor. 15:3-4; 1 Pt. 1:3-5)
- we remember and celebrate Jesus’ substitutionary death through the Lord’s Supper (cf. Isa. 53:5-6; 2 Cor. 5:21; 1 Pt. 2:24)
- we are fed from God’s Word (cf. Mt. 4:4; 1 Pt. 2:2)
How intentional are you in preparing your heart and mind for corporate worship? We should be consistently preparing ourselves, as we do for other important events. Keep prioritizing: 1-1-1.
3. Serve the Lord with great humility, testifying to God’s grace (vs. 13-24)
- “Do not merely listen to God’s word… Do what it says” (cf. Jas. 1:22)
- “Serve wholeheartedly, as if you were serving the Lord, not people” (cf. Eph. 6:7; Gal. 5:13)
- Experiencing God’s grace should encourage us to share His Gospel of grace (cf. Mt. 10:8)
Would others say that your life is consistent with what you confess? Would there be any doubt in their minds as to who you serve? To what degree are people encouraged and uplifted by being around you?
As we live missionally, we will seek to put others’ interests ahead of our own, commit to meeting together for worship, and serve the Lord with great humility, while testifying to His grace. As Paul did wherever he went, we will build a culture of Christ-exalting, Spirit-empowered encouragement at Calvary.
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