First Thessalonians 5:11
Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.
Encourage Means
Did you know that the word encourage means to come alongside, to admonish, or to call to one’s side? That means when you are encouraging someone, you are to come alongside that person. When we are encouraging someone, we are coming alongside them to build them up and not what the world tends to do: tear them down. It’s a brutal enough world out there already without having someone come alongside you to tear you down even further. I see a cause and effect in this sentence where Paul says we are to encourage one another, and in doing so we can build them up! Will you encourage someone today? If so, to whom and how? Words have a lot of power to either build up or tear down, so use words in a way that encourages others.
Building Others Up Fortifies the Church
The church is said to be one body but many members (Rom 12:4; 1 Cor 12:12), so when you build even one person up, you are strengthening the church’s foundation, one brick at a time. You probably can’t imagine how far one little word of encouragement can go in a person’s day or life. If the church were truly encouraging one another, which would result in a building up of the Body of Christ, then the church could be stronger and do more for Christ since the church is to be the Body of Christ, being His hands, His feet, His eyes, His ears, and His heart.
Encouragement in Action
Paul goes on to show in 1 Thessalonians Chapter 5 what encouraging and building up might look like. It’s esteeming others highly in love (v 13), admonishing the fainthearted, helping the weak (v 14), being patient with everyone (v 15), outdoing others in love, always rejoicing (v 16), giving thanks for every circumstance, and praying continuously (v 17). If you were surrounded by people like that, wouldn’t you be encouraged? Wouldn’t you be built up? Wouldn’t you be inspired to encourage others, building them up in the faith? I would think so. Imagine Jesus were still here on earth and He asked you this rhetorical question: “Who will you encourage today and give a good word from Me?” What would you do? What would you say?
A Closing Prayer
Oh Creator God, Who reigns supreme from Your throne in heaven, look down on me and help me to be a strong building block that fortifies, encourages, and builds up the body of Christ, which is Jesus Christ’s church, and to do it in both action and words. I pray for Your help in this in the Name above all names, Jesus Christ.
Amen
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