The Ministry Of Encouragement Series

The Ministry of Encouragement

Introduction:

So here we are in week 6 of our series “Truth or Trash”

So far we covered:

1. The Power of Words

2. Taming the Tongue

3. Speaking the Truth in Love

4. Words of Gratitude

5. Guarding Against Gossip and this week

6. “The Ministry of Encouragement”

Your words have the power to build up or tear down.

Encouragement is more than just kind words—it’s a ministry God has given to every believer.

In the New Testament, the word most often translated “encouragement” is the word paraklesis.

It comes from two Greek words: para, “alongside of,” and kaleo, “to call.”

So the word encourager means “someone who is called to come alongside of you to help renew and comfort you.”

All Christians need encouragement… especially new Christians!

Encouragement instills courage, builds confidence, and fosters a sense of belonging in a faith community.

It helps individuals navigate their spiritual journey, reminding them they are not alone in their struggles.

By lifting one another up, we create an environment where faith can flourish, and believers can thrive as they grow in godliness.

However, we live in a world where people are quick to criticize, quick to tear down, quick to point out what’s wrong.

While encouragement builds up and instills courage… discouragement steals it away, tears down our spirits, and fosters an environment of division and disunity.

In such a culture, it becomes even more crucial for us as believers to consciously choose to uplift one another.

By actively offering words of affirmation and support, we can counteract the negativity that permeates our surroundings.

Instead of contributing to the cycle of criticism, we can create a community where love, grace, and encouragement thrive

Which in turn will allow each member to grow stronger in their faith and be more deeply connected to one another.

See, when you encourage, you do the work of Jesus, but when you discourage, you echo the enemy's lies.

Let me ask you a question: When people think about you, do they think of someone who builds them up or someone who tears them down?

I want to show you something incredible in Scripture.

In Acts 4, there’s this man named Joseph. But no one calls him that, instead, the apostles gave him a nickname: Barnabas.

Acts 4:36 NLT

36 For instance, there was Joseph, the one the apostles nicknamed Barnabas (which means “Son of Encouragement”). He was from the tribe of Levi and came from the island of Cyprus.

I love that the apostles gave Joseph a new name...

Think about that! The way he lived his life was so encouraging, so uplifting, so life-giving that the apostles literally changed his name!

You know what that tells me? Encouragement isn’t just something you do; it becomes your identity!

Barnabas had a ministry. He encouraged Paul when no one else believed in him.

And let me tell you something—without Barnabas, we might not have half of the New Testament!

We know that Paul wrote nearly 2/3 of the N.T. but someone had to encourage him into his calling first.

Imagine if Barnabas had stayed silent.

Imagine if Paul had never been encouraged into his calling—where would we be?

God is looking for some encouragers!

He’s looking for some Barnabases—some “Sons and Daughters of Encouragement” who walk into a room and shift the atmosphere!

That means your encouragement matters.

You may think it’s just a nice text message, just a small compliment, just a quick word—but you have no idea what it’s doing in someone’s spirit.

Think about it—how many of you have ever had someone say something encouraging to you, and years later, you still remember it?

That’s because words don’t disappear. They stay in people’s hearts.

Encouragement doesn’t just bless someone in the moment—it blesses them for a lifetime!

Let me tell you a story about a man named Edward Kimball.

Most people don’t know his name, but I guarantee you know his impact.

He was just a Sunday school teacher—nothing fancy, nothing famous.

But one day, he felt the Holy Spirit nudge him to go visit a young man in his class, a teenager working in a shoe store.

Nervous but obedient, he walked into the store and found a young man that some of you may have heard of, named Dwight L Moody.

He was in the stockroom of the shoe store arranging shoes.

Kimball hesitated outside at first, debating whether to go in.

But then he finally mustered the courage, stepped in, put his hand on Moody’s shoulder, and spoke to him about how much Jesus loved him and how God had a plan for his life.

At that moment, there wasn’t a dramatic conversion on the spot—Moody simply listened.

But that small, heartfelt encouragement planted a seed that took root.