Introduction

Church family, have you noticed how a simple sentence at the right time can steady your soul? A text that says, “I’m praying for you.” A hand on the shoulder with a whisper, “You’re not alone.” Those small syllables become like shelter in a storm. They warm a cold day. They remind your heart that God has placed you in a people who see you, who speak life over you, who lift your chin when your courage feels thin.

We live in a world that can bruise. Mondays can sting, midnight can stretch, and newsfeeds can weigh heavy. Yet into that ordinary ache, God gives an extraordinary gift: His church. A place of steady shoulders and sincere words. A place where faith is shared, hope is spoken, and love is shown. Dietrich Bonhoeffer once wrote, “The Christ in his own heart is weaker than the Christ in the word of his brother; his own heart is uncertain, his brother’s is sure.” (Dietrich Bonhoeffer, Life Together) Isn’t that a picture of grace? When my knees wobble, your words help me stand. When your strength wanes, a hymn from my lips can carry you a few more steps. We borrow courage from one another, and that is holy.

Paul knew this. He writes to a young church still finding its footing, teaching them the sacred rhythm of encouragement, the cadence of care, the ministry of building one another up. That’s where we’re headed today: to remember the call to encourage, to stand with one another in trials, and to strengthen the church through hopeful words and tangible care. What if your sentence could be a lifeline? What if your card, your call, your kitchen table, your five-minute prayer, became heaven’s kindness wrapped in everyday cloth?

Before we go further, let’s set our eyes on the Word that sets our course.

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (ESV) “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

Simple. Strong. Specific. Encourage one another. Build one another up. Not someday. Today. Not once. As a way of life. The Thessalonians were already doing it, and Paul applauded it. He nudged them to keep going, to keep speaking life, to keep carrying each other’s cares with Christlike compassion.

So take a breath. Think of a face—someone God has placed in your path. Maybe it’s a college student far from home. A widower with a quiet house. A mom piecing together courage between dishes and deadlines. A teenager waiting on a word that says, “You matter.” Could your words be the wind in their sail? Could your listening ear be a bridge over their worry? Encouragement is not complicated; it is costly only in the way love is—time, attention, tenderness. And the return is rich: hearts made strong, faith made resilient, a church family made beautiful by the grace it gives and receives.

Today, let’s warm our hearts by the fire of God’s instruction. Let’s remember the call to encourage. Let’s stand with one another in trials. Let’s strengthen this church through hopeful words and tangible care. With God’s help, our sentences will become scaffolding for weary souls, our prayers will become pathways for heaven’s help, and our presence will become proof that Christ has not forgotten His people.

Let’s pray.

Father, thank you for your kindness that finds us and for your church that holds us. Thank you for Jesus, our living hope, and for the Holy Spirit, our Helper and Comforter. We ask for hearts that notice and voices that nourish. Teach us to encourage with sincerity, to stand beside the hurting with patience, to build one another up with words that heal and acts that help. Guard us from careless speech. Give us wisdom to speak at the right time and silence to listen well. Make our church a haven for the heavy-hearted and a lighthouse for the lonely. As we open your Word, open our eyes. As we hear your call, make us ready to obey. In the strong name of Jesus we pray, amen.

Remember the Call to Encourage

God gives a clear task to His people. Use your mouth and your life to give courage. That is what encouragement means. To put courage into another. To steady a heart with truth. To lift a chin with care. This is not a hobby for a few. This belongs to the whole church. It is part of how we live as a family in Christ.

Paul points to a shared practice. Each person speaks life to the others. This is mutual. It is regular. It is warm. It is strong. It happens in the hallway, in the living room, in the car after work, in the text sent at lunch, in the prayer whispered before bed. It is a way of seeing people through the eyes of grace. It is a way of talking that matches the mercy we have received.

Encouragement does not float on vague praise. It holds to what is true. It names the work of God that we can see. “I see your patience with your kids.” “I thank God for the way you serve.” “Jesus will hold you through this week.” These words carry weight because they rest on Scripture and real life. Empty words fall to the ground. Honest words sink into the heart and bear fruit.

Think about the impact over time. A church grows by truth given again and again. Strong houses stand on steady bricks. This is how souls are built up. A sentence here. A prayer there. A visit after the hard appointment. A shared meal when money feels tight. Encouragement as a habit shapes a culture. People stop bracing for blame. People start leaning into grace. People learn to notice and speak up when they see faith at work.

There is also a way to listen that gives courage. Some of the best help you can give comes through your ears. Sit down. Put the phone away. Let the story come out. Ask a kind question. Wait before you speak. Then answer with hope that fits the moment. You do not need many words. You need the right ones. The Spirit will help you speak at the right time.

Guard your tongue. Careless talk drains the room. Harsh jokes cut people. Critique without care wears people down. Before you speak, pause. Is this true? Is this kind? Is this needed? That small pause can change a day. That small pause can keep the peace of a home group. That small pause can bless a tired heart.

Do not forget the quiet servants. The nursery worker who rocks fussy babies. The member who arrives early and turns on lights. The deacon who fills out forms no one else wants to touch. They need to hear that their labor matters. Say it to their face. Write it on a note. Bring it up in prayer with them present. Honor where honor is due. It strengthens the whole body.

Receive encouragement when it comes. Some of us shrug it off. We wave a hand and change the subject. Let the good word land. Say thank you. Give praise to God. When you receive well, you teach others to give well. You also remind your own heart that God really is at work in you.

Paul’s line sits inside a bigger picture. He has just talked about salvation in Jesus, the hope of His coming, and the light we carry in dark days. His call to encourage flows from that hope. We do not fuel each other with shallow cheer. We point each other to a living Savior who died for us and will return. We speak about forgiveness that is real right now. We speak about a future that is sure. When fear rises, we remind each other of who we are in Christ. Children of light. Loved people. Kept people. That kind of hope talk does more than lift a mood. It resets the heart on the firm ground of the gospel.

Paul uses a word that means to come alongside and call someone to rise. Picture a friend who leans in during a long climb and says, “I’m with you. Keep going.” This is the shape of Christian encouragement. It is shared. It works both ways. It belongs to every member, not just to leaders. A teen can build up a grandparent. A new believer can bless an elder saint. A tired dad can strengthen a small group with two honest sentences. We do this face to face when we can. We also do it from far away with messages and phone calls. We can bless with Scripture sent at the start of a shift. We can bless with a prayer left on a voicemail. The church becomes a chorus rather than a solo. Many voices. One hope.

Paul also uses the image of building. Think bricks and beams. Think plans and patient work. Words and acts fit together like lumber and nails. Truth forms the frame. Love wraps around it. Faith holds the weight. To build up means we help each other become steady in doctrine, steady in character, steady in service. We praise what reflects Christ. We correct with gentleness when things tilt. We give tools. A Bible reading plan. A helpful book. An offer to meet and pray each week. We give time. A ride to counseling. An extra hour to watch kids so a couple can talk. We give presence. A chair pulled up by a hospital bed. Building takes time, and that is fine. The Spirit is patient. So we keep showing up.

Paul adds a tender line. You are already doing this. Keep at it. That is a kind way to lead a church. It honors what is there and calls for more. We can do the same. Notice the good. Say it out loud. Then ask God for fresh strength to continue. That keeps us from coasting. That keeps us from losing heart when needs pile up. We measure progress with small wins. A person who shows up to group for the first time. A couple who prays together twice this week. A child who memorizes a verse and shares it. Celebrate these. Then press on. Encouragement grows by use. The more we practice it, the more natural it becomes, and the more life flows through the body.

Stand with One Another in Trials

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