Nougat 13

Please receive today’s Holy Nougat

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

Sometimes it’s as though the ‘super-Christians’ are the only ones who’ve got a handle on salvation. They know what to say when and how to say what, leaving many others looking (or at least feeling) ‘heathenish’. Those ones sometimes have a Pharisaic approach. That is, they exude a vibe that often insists ‘you are weighed in the balance (by the super-Christian) and found wanting.’ And this attitude may incline others on the receiving end to forget that the ‘Law’ originated with God, and not the super-Christians.

There is, of course, the added challenge – we all have super-Christian tendencies. That inclination to compare ourselves with others and feeling a bit smug about our salvation in one or more areas of our lives. Also, there’s the fact that in guarding against super-Christianity, we might go to the other extreme, saying nothing to others for fear of being over judgmental or causing offense. And, that extreme is also dangerous.

However the epistle patterns another approach to relationships within faith-spaces. That of encouragement. Paul and the team share the ‘why’ of the call for particular actions and attitudes before strongly suggesting a shift in behavior. This reduces the temptation to judge or ignore others, and invites us to be the point of support for each other. And, in turn we bear each other’s burdens.

I raise the ministry of encouragement in this manner, as we often see it as only about helping others ‘feel good’ in seasons of grief or pain. Paul’s approach suggests that encouragement is also about helping each other to live with, for and in Christ as a community of faith. We live in the hope of all being physically with Jesus on the Great Restoration day (ie when Christ returns).

It’s worth noting that Paul not only says we ought to encourage each other, but he also considers it a lifestyle (‘just as you are doing’). Thanks to each of us for choosing to be agents of reconciling love for Christ by encouraging others in this faith journey.

God bless you.

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May all we seek be found in Christ