Ever was heard an Encouraging Word

Thoughts on the Sabbath School Lesson for 7.28.12

Author, Mike Howerton remembers the two vastly different ways two of his high school coaches approached encouraging the team. During one game, Howertown remembers that on one occasion, his team was losing. During halftime; the two coaches would give two very different pep talks.

“Coach Crow [came] in growling, spitting disdain in his words at us: ‘What a bunch of losers. Whaddya say let's get your girlfriends suited up; they'd do a better job. Your flimsy arm-tackles make me wanna puke. I'm gonna go look for some diapers for you babies to wear in the second half; maybe then you won't embarrass yourselves so bad.’ He'd leave, and absolute silence would descend, virtually no sound except for the muffled sobs of Monty, our kicker, in the corner. Then our defensive head coach, Coach Rush, would come in. He'd look each of us in the eyes with his steely glint. When he began to speak, you could feel strength flow into your limbs. He would begin with something like this, measured, masculine, and building in intensity: ‘I don't see high school students. I see lions. This locker room is filled with lions. A bunch of lions is called a pride. A pride of lions hunts together. A pride of lions kills together …. Lions are majestic to behold …. Lions are the kings of the land, and this is your land. You are the pride here. But there's one thing I haven't heard you lions do tonight. I haven't heard you roar. Now we're gonna go out there … and everyone in this two-bit town is gonna hear you roar because you are LIONS and LIONS ROAR!’ And we'd erupt in an ear-splitting roar (even Monty) because we weren't seniors or juniors; we were LIONS and LIONS ROAR, and we'd go out to inevitable victory. When Coach Rush died unexpectedly a few years later, he was so beloved that there was a motion to name the stadium after him.”[1]

Which coach would you work harder for? Not much of a decision is it? It’s hard to keep doing your best job when all you ever get is negative feedback, isn’t it?

In the early scenes of the movie, Full Metal Jacket, the drill instructor seems to single out one particular recruit, then takes every opportunity to verbally abuse and denigrate this recruit until finally we see that the recruit has committed suicide. Clearly, whoever made up “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words can never hurt me” did not understand the power of words. The marks made by sticks and stones heal, while the wounds left by words sometimes never do.

All the more reason, as we interact with our brothers and sisters in Christ that we take extra care about what we say. Paul seems to have understood how important encourage was to the Thessalonians:

“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,” I Thessalonians 2-3

Can you imagine how differently things might have gone if Paul had started his letter with a laundry list of all the things the Thessalonians were doing that needed help? Do you think that their church would have been very successful if all they ever heard was what they were doing wrong? I’m pretty sure they would have gotten discouraged and given up.

How are we doing in our own churches? Check this out:

“There are many who, with proper encouragement, would begin in out-of-the-way places to make efforts to seek and to save that which is lost. The Lord blesses those self-sacrificing ones, who have such a hunger for souls that they are willing to go anywhere to work. But, in the past, how much encouragement has been given to such workers by their brethren? Many of them have waited for something to do, but no attention has been given to them.          
“If the ministers had given help and encouragement to these men and women, they would have been doing the work appointed them by the Lord. They have been the spiritual poverty of unworked fields, and have longed to do something to help. But it has taken so long for encouragement to come to them that many have gone into other lines of work.”(E.G. White, Spalding and Magan Collection, p 176)  

We need to be kind to our church families. It is so easy to gossip and back-bite. We get so close to each other that we can become hyper-critical, but that’s not what’s going to help us become effective Christians or a vibrant church. That’s not what’s going to help us show others how much Jesus loved us and how He died so that we could spend eternity with Him.

Stop and think. What’s something we can do right now that will show our church friends how much we appreciate them? How can we show them that our church family would be diminished if they were not with us? Is encouragement as simple as a quick hug in the foyer on Sabbath morning? a phone call? an email, note, or a text? It doesn’t have to be anything elaborate. It doesn’t even have to cost any money. It’s as simple as saying to someone, “I appreciate you.”

This week’s assignment: Think of at least one person in your church family who you can encourage.

“We give thanks to God always for you all, making mention of you in our prayers, remembering without ceasing your work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ in the sight of our God and Father,” I Thessalonians 2-3        

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[1] Mike Howerton, Glorious Mess (Thomas Nelson, 2012), pp. 144-145

The Snowball Effect

Thoughts on the Sabbath School lesson for 6.16.12

Does anybody remember the old Sabbath School attendance records? Seems to me that they had spaces, not just for recording who actually attended that class, but also spaces to record how many pieces of literature were handed out, how many contacts were made, and, in the children’s departments, who brought a visitor to Sabbath School. I wonder why we don’t talk about this kind of thing much anymore. Maybe it was a little too much like keeping score. What do you think?

Is there anything wrong with keeping track of and reporting on what we’re doing to spread the word of Jesus to our neighbors and what the Lord is doing for us? It seems like it was something the apostles did whenever they came back from a mission trip. They’d go to their home church and report on what they taught and how people responded to the teaching. The practice started when Jesus was still with them. They’d come and kind of debrief with Jesus.

“Then the apostles gathered to Jesus and told Him all things, both what they had done and what they had taught.” Mark 6:30

Why do you think they did that? Is it something we should be doing today? What purpose do you think it served? Is it about keeping score? Who has visited the most shut-ins, handed out the most leaflets or signed the most people up for Bible studies? Maybe for some people, but I don’t believe that’s the outcome we’re looking for.

I believe there are some other much more important benefits of reporting on the progress of our evangelistic or missionary projects to the church. I believe it holds us accountable to our church family to keep the project going.

Even though we don’t work for congratulations or accolades, it helps to get encouragement from our friends. 

“Let those who gain such an experience in working for the Lord write an account of it for our papers, that others may be encouraged.”( E.G. White, Colporteur Evangelism, p.85)

It always helps to know that there are friends praying for you. Remember what happened in Acts 4? Peter and John were taken to jail because they wouldn’t quit preaching about Jesus, but then Peter preached to the Sanhedrin and Peter and John were released. What was the first thing they did when they were released?

“And being let go, they went to their own companions and reported all that the chief priests and elders had said to them. So when they heard that, they raised their voice to God with one accord and said: ‘Lord, You are God, who made heaven and earth and the sea, and all that is in them, who by the mouth of Your servant David have said: “Why did the nations rage, And the people plot vain things? The kings of the earth took their stand, And the rulers were gathered together Against the Lord and against His Christ.”“‘For truly against Your holy Servant Jesus, whom You anointed, both Herod and Pontius Pilate, with the Gentiles and the people of Israel, were gathered together to do whatever Your hand and Your purpose determined before to be done. Now, Lord, look on their threats, and grant to Your servants that with all boldness they may speak Your word, by stretching out Your hand to heal, and that signs and wonders may be done through the name of Your holy Servant Jesus.’“And when they had prayed, the place where they were assembled together was shaken; and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit, and they spoke the word of God with boldness.” Acts 4:23-31

Now that’s exciting! And I believe that’s why reporting to each other is so important. Yes, as individuals we’re encouraged to carry on, but when we see the boldness of others for Jesus, we pray for that same boldness to do what Jesus asks us to do.

What happens, though, when not everyone agrees with what’s going on? What if one group thinks we ought to do one thing and another group thinks we ought to do something else? Remember the twelve spies that Moses sent out?

“Then Moses sent them to spy out the land of Canaan, and said to them, ‘Go up this way into the South, and go up to the mountains, and see what the land is like: whether the people who dwell in it are strong or weak, few or many; whether the land they dwell in is good or bad; whether the cities they inhabit are like camps or strongholds; whether the land is rich or poor; and whether there are forests there or not. Be of good courage. And bring some of the fruit of the land.’ …“So they went up and spied out the land … Then they came to the Valley of Eshcol, and there cut down a branch with one cluster of grapes; they carried it between two of them on a pole. They also brought some of the pomegranates and figs. … And they returned from spying out the land after forty days.“Now … came back to Moses and Aaron and all the congregation of the children of Israel … and showed them the fruit of the land. Then they told him, and said: ‘We went to the land where you sent us. It truly flows with milk and honey, and this is its fruit. Nevertheless the people who dwell in the land are strong; the cities are fortified and very large; moreover we saw the descendants of Anak there.  …’“Then Caleb quieted the people before Moses, and said, ‘Let us go up at once and take possession, for we are well able to overcome it.’“But the men who had gone up with him said, ‘We are not able to go up against the people, for they are stronger than we.’ And they gave the children of Israel a bad report of the land which they had spied out, saying, ‘The land through which we have gone as spies is a land that devours its inhabitants, and all the people whom we saw in it are men of great stature. There we saw the giants …; and we were like grasshoppers in our own sight, and so we were in their sight.’” Numbers 13:17-33

Wow, outvoted ten to two, but Caleb and Joshua were right and they knew it. But did you notice that they never quit being team players. When God sent all the rest into the wilderness, Caleb and Joshua didn’t say “Told ya so! We’ll be right here when you find your way back.”

They never stopped working for God, even as they spent the next forty years in the wilderness. Being right is often less important that loving our fellow travelers. Sometimes compromise is the best answer as long as we don’t let go of the truth. If we’re fighting amongst ourselves, we won’t have time to spread the Good News.

As we share our successes and failures with each other, encourage each other, and pray for each other, we all become stronger for our task.

 “As iron sharpens iron, so a man sharpens the countenance of his friend.” Proverbs 27:17

Remember, we’re not keeping score of bits and pieces, we trying to start an avalanche of people on fire for Jesus, filled with the Holy Spirit and spreading the Good News – people who love to talk about their Best Friend, Jesus!