Encourage: The Power Of Gathering Series

Introduction

Video Ill.: Iron — FreeBridge Media

We need each other. We were not made to walk through this life alone. I believe that is one of the reasons that the early church gathered so frequently and so often. I believe that is why they were devoted together.

In Acts 2:42, we read:

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. (Acts 2, NIV1984)

Luke goes on to say a couple of verses down in verse 46:

46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts…. (Acts 2, NIV1984)

Being together with other Christians is extremely important to our faith.

This morning, we are continuing our study Devoted Together, where we are discovering why church is more than a building—it's a family, a support system, and a vital part of our spiritual journey.

We began by seeing how corporate worship prepares us to live lives of daily worship. Worship has an impact not only on us, but on those around us when we gather together to worship together.

Last week, we saw the importance of gathering together to celebrate the Lord’s Supper, and the witness that we share when we partake each Sunday. We are proclaiming a message of hope and love when we come together to remember Jesus’ death in our place.

This morning, we find encouragement when we gather together. We all have a need for encouragement. The writer of the book of Hebrews told us:

24 …[L]et us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. 25 Let 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, NIV1984)

We all need encouragement:

Encouragement Changed the Life of 'Maestro of Lighting’

Source: Adapted from Margalit Fox, "Imero Fiorentino, Lighting Designer Who Mastered Television, Dies at 85,' The New York Times (10-13-13)

https://www.preachingtoday.com/illustrations/2013/november/7111113.html

Copied from Preaching Today

"He made drinks sparkle, desserts shimmer, and Richard M. Nixon look less shadowy—all with meticulous tricks of lights." So begins an obituary for Imero (or "Immie") Fiorentino, the man who was called "the maestro of lighting" and "The Picasso of lights and strobes."

Because he usually worked quietly behind the scenes, most Americans have never heard of him. But when Fiorentino died at the age of 85 on October 1, 2013, he had served as an adviser to every president from Dwight D. Eisenhower to Bill Clinton. His work had illuminated some of the biggest entertainers of his day, including Frank Sinatra, Bill Cosby, Neil Diamond, Barbara Streisand, and Muhammad Ali. He orchestrated the lighting behind everything from Walt Disney's Epcot Center to TV commercials for Jell-O and ginger ale.

But if it wasn't for the encouraging words from one of his high school teachers, Mr. Fiorentino's career may have ended before it started. The New York Times records what happened:

Several months before graduating from high school, he found what he thought was an empty shell casing in the street. Wanting to make it into a key chain, he took a soldering iron to it. It was a live round. Shrapnel from the explosion pierced his right eye, blinding it. He despaired of being able to work in lighting. Then one of his teachers, visiting him in the hospital, told him, "You're going to be the best one-eyed lighting designer ever." "I can do that," Immie replied.

Due to those words of encouragement, Mr. Fiorentino went on to earn a bachelor's degree in theater from Carnegie Tech in 1950. On graduating, he was hired to teach theatrical lighting at Indiana University, and from there his career took off.

We all face challenges in life. God designed the church as a place where we, people of like faith, can find encouragement.

### **1. As we begin, we can find encouragement through fellowship when we gather together as a church.**

In Ecclesiastes, Solomon is searching for the meaning of life, as well as trying to answer many of life’s other big questions.

As he goes along, he shares many nuggets of wisdom, like the words found in Ecclesiastes 4. It’s a very familiar passage, which is often used during wedding ceremonies. He writes:

9 Two are better than one,

because they have a good return for their

work:

10 If one falls down,

his friend can help him up.

But pity the man who falls

and has no one to help him up! (Ecclesiastes 4, NIV1984)

In the family of God, none of us are ever truly alone. We always have someone to help us get back ups on our feet. We are all here to share each other’s burdens, sorrows, and joy.