Christians are called to “encourage one another daily”. Seems simple enough, but how do we actually
carry it out? What does that look like
logistically? I would love to hear
comments on how that looks for you, and will give an example of how it can be a
part of our Christian outreach.
I was on Chicago’s lakefront looking to initiate a Gospel
conversation, and a young father named Tony agreed to talk with me.
In response to my initial question about what happens after
we die, Tony indicated a belief in God and a final judgement, and that he
believed if he is good enough he will go to heaven. He has been busy trying to start and run a
small business, and has neglected reading the Bible and attending church. I could tell he has drifted away from the
faith he once had, and wanted to encourage him to get back to God and church,
so I spent some time trying to give some friendly advice on his responsibility
as a father and, hopefully, as a husband (he still hasn’t married his girlfriend). I talked about the benefits of daily Bible
reading and regular church attendance, and Tony received it all well, as the
friendly reminder it was intended to be.
And then I talked about something a little more
serious. Our admonition toward daily
encouragement comes in the context of warning against falling away from God
completely. Hebrews 3 says “See to it,
brothers and sisters, that none of you has a sinful, unbelieving heart that
turns away from the living God. But encourage one another daily, as long as it
is called “Today,” so that none of you may be hardened by sin’s deceitfulness.
We have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original conviction
firmly to the very end.”
Tony wasn’t just being neglectful of his faith, he was in
danger of losing it completely. Already
he had forgotten his first love, the source of his salvation, Jesus. He stated right away that he thought his
salvation depended on his good works and how he treats others, and seemed to
forget all about Jesus.
Tony was not just drifting away from his faith, he was in
danger of spiritual shipwreck. I gave him more than friendly advice – I was
throwing him a lifeline. The author of
Hebrews knew that left on our own we all have a “sinful, unbelieving heart that
turns away from the living God.” We need
to encourage our brothers and sisters in the Lord, and unfortunately those who
need the most encouragement are the ones who should be occupying those empty
seats in our churches on Sunday mornings.
PS – Tony graciously allowed me to record our conversation, which
can be seen in its entirety HERE
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