8-4-2015

        Good Morning All!!

        Acts 15:31; “And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its encouragement.”

                              You just call out my name  And you know wherever I am
                                I'll come runnin' to see you again Winter, spring, summer or fall
                              All you have to do is call And I'll be there…You've got a friend

At least that is the promise that Carole King makes in her song “You’ve got a Friend.”  There is someone to always rely on someone you can always fall back to.  There is always someone to help you pick up the pieces when needed. 

    Within the Church, this someone would be the one who offers you encouragement.  Someone who stands beside you and offers you word s of hope.  “You can do it.”  “You can make it.”  The early Christians did this often.  An early Roman official wrote to his superiors wondering what to do about these “Christians.”  “They meet early in the morning, often in the cemetery, sing songs, read from a manuscript and encourage one another in moral behavior.”  You may wonder about a government official who is worried about a group that encourages moral behavior but this was first century Roman Empire.  Yet after they would praise God, listen to his Word and pray; they would encourage one another to “don’t steal”; “don’t cheat your customers”; “don’t lie”; don’t abuse your slaves” (Remember it is 1^st century Roman Empire).  The interesting thing to me is that this encouragement was for today.  

    They didn’t say, “never again.” They only said today.  It is sort of like encouraging someone who is trying to quit smoking or to give up sweets or some other activity; we encourage them to just make it today.  This is kind of a twist on the “daily bread” idea; we only do battle today for tomorrow will have its own troubles (Matthew 6:34).  Don’t worry about how you will behave next week, just get through today.  It almost sounds like a junkie or an addict’s pledge.  “Just let me make it through today.”

    That isn’t far off.  We are sinful creatures by nature so doing good according to God’s will is very difficult and we would be wise to remember that; both for ourselves and for our fellow Christians.  It is easy to fall and when we do we will need help.  That helps comes in the person of Jesus who died for us.  It often takes the form of a brother or sister in Christ who is there to help pick up the pieces and to start over again.

    So encourage one another.  Encourage to be faithful in life and Christ-like in deed.  Encourage one another to stand firm today.  Encourage one another to remain in the faith today.  When you see someone who slips into sin, encourage them to get back up, grab hold of God’s forgiving hand and move forward again for the rest of today.  Life is a constant struggle for a Christian; encourage one another to stand firm.

Father, today we lift before you our brothers and sisters who need encouragement today.  Send your Spirit to enable them to live their lives in a manner pleasing to you.  Free us from the guilt and shame of sin.  Guard us for Jesus’ sake in whose precious name we pray, amen.

God’s Peace,

Pastor Bret