Encourage!

Encourage each other and build each other up, just as you are already doing. - 1 Thessalonians 5:11

Encourage each other in what?  In the fact that "Christ died for us" (v 10) and "we can live with Him forever."  Many times the Bible reference of encourage means "to be strengthened in faith or belief" but also there is a sense of excitement in the reference as "to shout praise".  In Matthew 9:2 Jesus said as He healed the paralyzed man, "Be encouraged, my child!  Your sins are forgiven."  In Matthew 9:22 Jesus said to the woman who was healed touching the fringe of his clothing, "Daughter, be encouraged!  Your faith has made you well."  "Shout praise and be strengthened in your faith!  Your sins are forgiven!  Your faith in Me has made you well!"

Philippians 2 asks in verse 1, "Is there any encouragement from belonging to Christ?  Any comfort from His love?  Any fellowship together in the Spirit?  Are your hearts tender and compassionate?"  Where is your praise Paul and Timothy are asking them.  Where is your encouragement in Christ, Christian?  Where is your faith?  Where is the fellowship of body?  Where is the depth of your hearts? ... The underlying questions are: Why are you not encouraged?  Why are you not encouraging one another?

This is what we are to reinforce in each other.  We are to shout praise that "Christ died for us" and that "we can live with Him forever" and be strengthened in our faith together!  Paul said in Romans 1 "When we get together, I want to encourage you in your faith, but I also want to be encouraged by yours."  In Romans 15:32 he said "by the will of God, I will be able to come to you with a joyful heart, and we will be an encouragement to each other."   Sounds like worship to me.  We should worship together speaking of the greatness of God to one another, discuss when our faith was tested in failures (as my Emmaus card reads), discuss how God answered our prayers and praise Him for it, and in so doing all of our faiths will be strengthened.  We will be encouraged and our hearts moved for one another!  We will be in fellowship and comforted by His presence among us!

I pray that there will be someone I can be an encouragement to today ... and who will encourage me.

Updated Edit: I remember back in college there where times when I could "feel" my Aunt Jean's prayers for me.  They were there encouraging me as I was trying to pass and graduate without goofing everything up too badly.  I miss my Aunt Jean and her prayers.  Maybe I can be that kind of silent encourager for someone.  Maybe they will know through the Spirit that they are supported and loved and be encouraged too.