God's tool belt for unity
God's tool belt for unity
What needs to be fixed? Lack of encouragement.
Why do you go to worship on Sunday? My first response? “I go to listen to God’s Word, receive his sacraments, to pray, and to praise.” But another reason God wants us to attend church is to encourage each other. God wants to see us helping each other spiritually when we gather together.
Do you go to church to encourage other Christians? Or are you a slinking saint? You know what I mean. Do you try to slink into church unnoticed, check your mailbox, then slip into the sanctuary and find a seat where you can slink toward the door and the safe privacy of your car as soon as you hear the last “Amen”? Those others at worship are God’s people, and he wants you to encourage them and be encouraged by them. If you avoid getting to know them, you are a slinking saint—a sinning saint too. Listen to how the author of Hebrews puts it:
24And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:24,25).
In that passage, I don’t see any room for friendship dodging at church. I remember going to visit a fallen away member. He told me, “Pastor, you don’t have to go to church to be a Christian. I still have my faith!” I praised him for keeping his faith in Jesus, but then I asked him, “How are you going to spur your brothers and sisters in Christ toward love and good deeds if you never come?” Blank stare. He had not thought about encouraging others in a very long time.
Neither have slinking saints. Our church unity grows when we genuinely and lovingly get involved in each others’ lives. Being in the same room with me is not being involved. But engaging me in conversations and finding ways to help me grow and serve Jesus is. Let’s dig into that passage from Hebrews and see how it can help us encourage one another.
Familiarize yourself with the tool
- The letter to the Hebrews was addressed to Jews who wondered about Christianity. What makes the encouragement of fellow Christians so critical for them?
- Why do you think the author did not specify exactly how they were to meet together?
- What does it mean to encourage one another in the spiritual sense?
- When we consider that judgment day is approaching, how does that make us more interested in encouraging one another?
Use the tool
