So when we could stand it no longer, we thought it best to be left by ourselves in Athens. We sent Timothy, who is our brother and co-worker in God’s service in spreading the gospel of Christ, to strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials. For you know quite well that we are destined for them. In fact, when we were with you, we kept telling you that we would be persecuted. And it turned out that way, as you well know. For this reason, when I could stand it no longer, I sent to find out about your faith. I was afraid that in some way the tempter had tempted you and that our labors might have been in vain. (New International Version)

If life were always a bowl of cherries, we would not continually need to be encouraged. But, as you well know, we all need encouragement in order to keep going, be patient, and persevere through the hard slogs of this life.

The Apostle Paul, although sometimes coming across as a driven Type A sort of personality in Scripture, was nonetheless sensitive and attentive to the spiritual and emotional needs of the churches in his care. And because of that concern, he sent his young protégé, Timothy, to encourage the believers in Thessalonica and support them in their efforts to live a faithful life.

Encouragement is a vital practice for all people; it isn’t optional. To need encouragement is not a sign of weakness, any more than needing food is. Ideally, encouragement happens daily, just as much as we need three square meals a day. (Hebrews 3:12-14)

The church is to be a community of mutual support for one another. The world can be a tough, unfriendly, and lonely place. It’s easy to get hurt.

The word “encourage” is a beautiful word (Greek: παρακαλέω and English transliteration: parakaleo). It is actually two words smashed together (compound word) to communicate a wonderful truth. “Para” means to come alongside. It’s a word found in many of our English words (i.e., parachute, paramedic, etc.). The other half of the word, kaleo, means “to call out,” that is, to exhort someone to do something. 

When we put those two words together, parakaleo means to exhort someone to do something by coming alongside them and helping them to do it. Therefore, we do the dual work of saying helpful words and backing it up with helpful actions.

We are to do the patient work of building up and strengthening the faith of each other. Not everything goes according to plan in life; there are unforeseen delays and issues and problems which causes us to find creative work arounds. At other times, we just have to submit to the wait and not become upset or discouraged about it.

When it comes to faith, we are not to give up when things don’t go as we think they should, or as planned. In stressful situations, we must avoid tearing down one another. And we are not to look at other people as objects to be “fixed” when they don’t perform, or do, or say, what we want them to. 

Everyone needs a continual stream of encouragement to keep going so that we do not lose heart or lose hope. If we are in the habit of only pointing out things to others we don’t like, or consistently feel the need to correct people, then we really must say at least five encouraging things for every single complaint. 

“Do you see how everywhere Paul puts the health of the community into the hands of each individual?  Encourage one another and build each other up. Do not then cast all of the burden on your teachers, and do not cast everything on those who have authority over you. You are able to edify one another…. If you are willing, you will have more success with one another than we (pastors) can have. You have been with one another a longer time and know more about one another’s affairs. You are not ignorant of one another’s failings and have more freedom of speech, love, and intimacy. You have more ability than we do to reprove and exhort. I am only one person. You are many. You will be able to be teachers to one another.”

Saint John Chrysostom, 4th century Bishop of Constantinople

We encourage and edify one another with Christ – who is both our example and our substitute. Jesus is our example of leaving the comfort of heaven and coming alongside us in our human condition; he lived the holy life we could not live, and so, is our substitute. 

Jesus came alongside us and taught us how to live by showing the way of love and taking care of the sin issue once for all. After rising from the dead and ascending to heaven, we now have the hope that Christ will return.  Then we will no longer have to deal with the world, the flesh, and the devil dogging us at every turn, seeking to discourage us. 

The three indispensable elements of the Christian life are faith, hope, and love. We need all three in order to be encouraged and strengthened in faith.

For faith to be strong, it needs exercise through continual repetitions of handling hard and challenging circumstances.   

For hope to flourish, we need the confident expectation that God will make good on all divine promises.

For love to abound, it needs to become the very air we breathe. Love is to be so common and routine for us that we put it on every day just as we put on our clothes. We love one another by encouraging each other through meeting needs. We love each other enough to say what needs to be said, and back it up with help so that they will not become discouraged but will persevere and keep going.

The Holy Spirit of God is referred to by Jesus as the Paraclete – the noun form of the word for encouragement.  The Spirit is the one who comes alongside us and teaches us all things by helping us. The Spirit’s work is to sanctify us and make us holy. 

God does not shout commands from heaven; the Lord comes alongside us by means of the Spirit to help us live the Christian life. And that is how believers are to function – pointing one another to Christ, exhorting and helping and edifying each other until the Lord Jesus comes again. 

Almighty God, by your Word you laid the foundations of the earth, set the boundaries of the sea, and still the wind and waves. Surround us with your grace and peace, and preserve us through all the vicissitudes of this life. By your Spirit, lift up those who have fallen, strengthen those who work to rescue or rebuild, and fill us with the hope of your new creation; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.