A Ministry of Encouragement

Philippians 2

 

“You can do anything you set your mind to, Rob”

          Those were words I grew up with and

                   Those are still words I live by.

                             They are words of encouragement.

 

They are not words that say the path will always be easy.

          They are not words that say that I will always be successful.

                   They are not words that diminish the need to work hard.

                             But they are words that encourage

                                      And that is Paul’s purpose in his words

                                                To the church at Philippi in Chapter 2.

          “If then there is any encouragement in Christ,

                   any consolation in the Spirit,

                             any compassion and sympathy,

                                      make my joy complete:

          be of the same mind, having the same love,

                   being in full accord and of one mind.

                        Do nothing  from selfish ambition or conceit,

                             But in humility regard others as better then yourself.”

 

This is a powerful statement from the apostle who many regard

          As one of the most confident and forceful in the early church.

                   He had to be confident to go one-on-one with Peter

                             In order that the Gospel might be preached

Not just to the Jews but to the Gentiles.

 

Paul had a lot of ego strength but he also

          Was willing to use it to pump up others in ministry.

The word translated as “encouragement” is paraklesis

          It’s the same root that Jesus used to describe the Holy Spirit

                   In John 14: 26 which is translated as

comforter, advocate, helper. counselor.

So as Paul invokes this word in his letter to the Philippians

          He is drawing on a wealth of meanings from:

                   Calling, to beseeching, to exhorting, to comforting.

And this is one of the few times

when the English word “encouragement”

actually captures the breadth of those meanings.

 

Encouragement is not doing something for someone-

          It is letting them know that you believe in them

                    And believe that can accomplish the task themselves.

Encouragement is not letting people off the hook-

          But rather challenging them in the task at hand.

Sometimes encouragement works in loud shouts and

          Sometimes it is in a small whisper

                   But it is always a positive word that builds up.

          I remember once at a Scout Jamboree our oldest son was

                   Climbing an obstacle wall and he paused and his eyes

                             Had the look of giving up and I started shouting

                                      “You can do it” “You can climb the next step”

                                                “I know you can”, “I believe in you.”

          He made it up that wall and he has been climbing over barriers

                   For the rest of his life.

                             So encouragement is sometimes cheerleading.

 

That’s what Paul is doing with the Church at Philippi

          He is cheering them on with the words:

                   Encouragement, consolation, compassion, sympathy & joy

Of course as parents we know that we can’t be with our children

          To encourage them through all the struggles of life

                   And likewise Paul is aware that he cannot be with

                             His church at Philippi to encourage them

So instead of tying this encouraging word to his own word,

          He attaches it to God’s word in Jesus Christ.

                   If there is any encouragement in Christ…

          And he goes on to share the Christological hymn:

“Let the same mind be in you that was in Christ Jesus,

who though he was in the form of God,

did not regard equality with God a thing to be grasped

 but emptied himself

taking the form of a slave,

being born in human likeness.”

 

This is an incredible description of the incarnation.

          In many ways we have made the incarnation

 a nice children’s story with animals wooing,

          a nice manger to lay Jesus in,

                   and the stars of Bethlehem overhead.

               And yet this Christological hymn introduces the idea

                   That the incarnation itself was an incredible sacrifice.

          At that moment that Jesus was conceived as a human

                   And was born into human existence,

                             He is taking on the reality of death.

                   He was emptying himself of the attributes of Divinity

and taking on the weaknesses of human life.

          When Jesus was born he was entering already

                   Into the sadness and despair of death

                             Which he would conquer in the resurrection.

 

So even though no one who knew Paul would believe him

          When he tried to speak about humility

                   (he just didn’t come across as very humble)

                             Paul could and did point to Jesus who lived

                                      The epitome of the humble life.

                                                “Who emptied himself” and became man.

 

And that is part of our calling to humility today.

          We are called to point past ourselves to God

Revealed in Jesus Christ.

          And when we exalt we are exalting not ourselves

                   But God who has created us.

And finally Paul actually demonstrates the encouragement in Christ

          By encouraging Timothy and Epaproditus.

                   This is important because we recall that Paul

                             Split with Barnabas (the Son of Encouragement)

                                      Over the issue of whether to take John Mark

                                                After John Mark had disappointed them

                                                          In his performance on the mission field.

          Paul was not very encouraging in that encounter

                   But apparently Paul has grown.

                             He has nothing to say but encouraging words

for Timothy who he promises to send

          at a later trip.

                   He is returning Epaphroditus to Philippi.

                             The church had send him to Paul when they learned

                                      That Paul was in jail. 

Apparently this was not uncommon.

                   If someone was in jail, he needed someone on the outside

                             To watch over them so Philippi has send Epaphroditus.

                                      The problem was that Epaphroditus got sick.

                                                He nearly died.

                             Paul was aware that some might feel that Epaphroditus

                                       Had failed his mission by getting sick.

                                           Paul could have complained to Philippi for

                                                 Sending such a sickly one to care for him.

But that’s not what Paul said at all.

          He calls Epaphroditus “my brother, coworker and fellow soldier”.

                   He really builds up the nature of the sickness and

                             The fact that Epaphroditus nearly died in duty.

          And he encourages the Philippians

to welcome Epaphroditus with open arms.

          This is the encouraging Paul.

Encouraging and building up Epaphroditus for ministry

          And encouraging the Philippians to do the right thing.

                   Two sides of encouragement in one affirming act.

 

Paul’s word to us this week is also encouragement in Christ.

          It seems like such a simple word but it is so powerful.

                   One word of criticism or condemnation can tear down

what many words of encouragement have built up.

                   We seem to be better at the criticism than the encouragement

                             So probably need to practice a lot.

          Practice on your dog, your children, your neighbor, your spouse.

I guarantee you they will wonder what has happened to you

          When instead of giving each other a hard time about things

                   We offer an encouraging word.

But I also guarantee that it works.

          When you tell a VBS helper that he has done well

                   Then you build that helper into a teacher.

          When you tell a choir member she sang well

                   You may build a singer into a director or a soloist

                             Or perhaps the best member of the choir they can be.

          When you tell a preacher he or she preached well and what you

                   Heard in a sermon then you guarantee a better sermon next

                             week because they know you are listening.

 

So today I want us to practice encouragement in Christ

          I want to turn to the person next to you

and offer an encouraging word,

          hear an encouraging word

                   and know that that word is from God.

                                                                             Amen