Welcome back to Cultivating Growth. I want to thank everyone for joining us again this week. The topic of our discussion is going to be growing as an encourager. What the Bible has to say about the responsibility that we each have to encourage one another and to help each other in our walk as followers of Christ.

I'm looking forward to the discussion. So with that, let's get to it. 

Well, it's good to be with you guys. We have John here as usual. We also have a young fella, Malachi Bard is with us as well. It's going to join this discussion as we talk about. You know, the importance of growing as an encourager, you know, it's interesting as I started to think about, you know, this idea and certainly this topic in a lot of ways is something that God has kind of looked for his people to be all about really from the very beginning.

You know, it's. Even though the word isn't used there specifically, but you go back to Genesis chapter four and the story of Cain and Abel and, uh, you know, where it is that Cain has killed his brother. And, and you know, God comes to him and he asks him, you know, where, where is Abel? Where, where is he at?

And and Cain kind of throws out the, you know what, you know, am I responsible for him? Am am I, my brother's keeper? And I think the point that's made very early on is, is that God is saying. Yes, you are. You are your brother's keeper. You are, uh, responsible for them, you know, in a lot of ways that we don't answer for them, but certainly we are responsible for them.

And I think that's where encouragement, you know, comes, you know, you think about just  You know, the simplest of definitions of just using the word encourage is to give courage, to lift up, to exhort, to edify in a lot of ways. Those are kind of synonyms that we have, you know, given to us throughout scripture.

When you think about just the structure of the Lord's church and the responsibility that we have to one another as brothers and sisters, it only makes sense that one of those responsibilities then would be to build each other up. We all understand that we have a difficult Walk ahead of us and one that is constantly going to be met with temptation and challenges.

And there's going to be times where we're going to be discouraged and we're going to get down and we need one another to build each other up in those moments. And so it shouldn't come as a surprise to us at all that God gives us examples and direction as to how we're to encourage one another. One of my favorite examples.

is Barnabas, whose name obviously means son of encouragement. But one of the things that I think is really interesting about that is in Acts chapter four,  as we're kind of introduced to him a little bit, we're actually told there that his given name is not Barnabas. His given name there is Joses in Acts chapter four and verse 36, he's called Barnabas by the apostles.

It almost seems as if the apostles have witnessed something in this man that has led them to call him son of encouragement. He's known for that. And I think that's really the picture of what God wants us to be for one another. He wants us to be known for the encouragement that we offer to each other and to do so to such great people.

Extents that others take notice of that. You know, I think it's just, it's an interesting side note to think that the apostles in whatever way they had interacted with Barnabas, they began calling him that at some point they began calling him that because they just constantly saw the different ways that he was encouraging and building one another up.

And I think that really is a great example of what all of us are called to do. 

Well, you see that even playing out. Right, I mean, not just the encouragement that he was providing to Paul, you know, as he's traveling about, certainly on that first missionary journey, but, you know, as kind of that second journey begins, you see him reaching down and trying to lift up and to pull up a disciple, John Mark, who, you know, for whatever reason specifically kind of left and and went back and it's certainly Paul and Barnabas had, uh, they saw that a little bit differently but Barnabas, he was interested in, in helping them out and he was interested in pulling him up, and so you see that, you know, play out.

You know, he,  he's missed almost in the, he kinda gets quite Missed in the Ananias and Sapphira story in a lot of ways, you know, of where, you know, Ananias and Sapphira kind of they take over that context a little bit with that story of lying to, you know, the Holy Spirit. But I mean, in that same context, it's mentioned that Barnabas is, I mean, he's selling things and he's helping, you know, the young, that young church out as much as anybody was.

Malachi, I'm interested in your perspective on this as, as a, as Jeremy pointed out at the beginning, a young person in this conversation, you know, I, I look at myself at the stage of life that I'm in, and I know that different people have encouraged me in different ways in my walk as a follower of Christ, and I'm getting to the age where I see myself more as the encourager, Oftentimes, but, but even as I get older, I still recognize the need to be encouraged.

And so I think we each have opportunities where we can both be encouraged and be the encourager. But as a young person, obviously a lot of times you're on the receiving end of encouragement as you're growing and you're maturing in your development as a follower of Christ. But I'm curious your thoughts on how even though The younger generation can be an encouragement to those of us that are starting to get a little bit older.

Yeah, I think you're spot on when, when you talk about and think about how encouragement normally can flow from the older generation to the younger generation. You know, thinking about like Paul, you know, talking to Timothy and the way he would interact with Timothy and constantly giving him, you know, encouragement and, and, You know, spurring him on to boldness and other things like that.

Um, but I like that's a responsibility for the younger generation as well. Uh, an example that I can think of, you know, that, you know, would speak to this was I had an opportunity, um, a couple of summers ago to go out west and visit a congregation in Oregon and actually lead and participate in leading, um, a worship service out.

Um, out there. Um, and I was talking with a couple of friends, there was five of us, young, young Christians, you know, participating in leading worship out there. And after the service, so many people were coming up to us and just saying how encouraging it is to see young people participating, um, in worship, but also in leading worship.

And having, you know, a fire for the Lord, um, that they want to participate in doing that, um, as well. So that's kind of just like an example that I can think of from my life where, you know, cause I, I definitely fall prey to the You know, how am I supposed to encourage, you know, anyone, right? I mean, I can offer some words of encouragement, but like, you know, really, you know, building a fire, you know, under someone or for someone.

And don't you think, you know, when Paul writes to Timothy, that that's kind of some of the, the words of encouragement, if you will, that Paul offers to Timothy is, you know, don't let anyone look down on your youth. You have a lot to offer. And I do think sometimes. That the younger generation sometimes lose a sight of just how much of an encouragement they can be to the older generation, regardless of their age.

For someone to be able to see a young person trying to follow Christ and to be the kind of person that God wants him or her to be. I mean, that's a huge encouragement for those of us that are past that stage of life, because we see that next generation coming up and we see, as you said, they're fire for the Lord.

And that's a huge encouragement for us. 

You know, sometimes we lose sight of. And just the power of example in a lot of ways. I mean, sometimes we understand it and we see it certainly in in situations like this with encouragement. A lot of times we, you know, we'll think about the elderly. I mean, they're really elderly where you know that they're physically struggling, you know, they're not feeling well, they don't move very well, but yet you see them at services and we'll often make mention of, you know, that what an incredible encouragement that is to see brother or sister.

So and so I know it's difficult. difficult for them to get out. And that's an easy, you know, kind of transition for us to make, an easy illustration to make. But that same thing works throughout life. I mean, you know, even to the point that Malachi just made mention of, the good example that a young person can have is also in a position to lift up, to give courage to everybody, to see them, to know that, you know, in their difficulties and the things that they have to deal with, you know, here they are, they're serving God, you know, with, with vigor and Diligence and that can be encouraging the same thing with, you know, young families, you know, sometimes, you know You see a young mother or young father and they've got young children But you know, they've they've got them dressed and they they've got them there and you know, they wouldn't you know they're there all the time and They have their own struggles and things that they're dealing with, but yet, you know, here is another just by their example and diligence in their service that that, you know, no words even being spoken yet, but just by their diligent example throughout our life, young, middle aged, older can all be an encouragement.

I think, you know, one thing you just said that's really important,  a lot of times the ones who are the most encouraging to us are not necessarily the ones in front of everyone. Sometimes that encouragement is being done largely behind the scenes. Or in relatively kind of quote unquote small ways. I think we even see that with someone like Barnabas Paul is front and center throughout the book of, of Acts.

Paul is the one writing a lot of the letters to the churches that we have recorded for us in the New Testament. Timothy gets a lot of mentions and a lot of FaceTime there. Uh, Barnabas is mentioned certainly in his. This story is somewhat followed, but he's not necessarily at the forefront of our minds when we think about the work being done, uh, during the times of Axe and following, but yet here he is, the one that's being called the son of encouragement.

And I think we have to remember that sometimes encouraging one another can be done from behind the scenes. We don't have to be in front of everyone. Now, Malachi gave an example earlier. of encouraging from a very public perspective, and certainly that can be done too. But like you just mentioned, sometimes it's the parents who are getting their children up in the morning and bringing them to a Bible class, and sometimes it's the elderly who are just demonstrating their faith by their willingness to get out even when it's not difficult.

Those things are incredibly encouraging. They're not the ones standing up in front of everyone. They're not the ones leading all of the time. But yet they are encouraging everyone greatly by their acts of faith. And I think that's really a good lesson for us that whether we're the ones that are kind of front and center or whether we're the ones that are more behind the scenes, both offer an opportunity to encourage.

Yeah, what other thing I want to add before we kind of maybe get to some Yeah, what Practical ways that we can grow in being a better encourager is the realization that everybody needs encouragement. Everybody does. You know, sometimes we think about the really, the struggling. I mean, the struggling. And they do.

They need encouragement. Anybody that's struggling in any capacity. But everybody, everybody is in need of encouragement. I mean, that's the reality. Listen, that's the entirety of Joshua chapter one. I mean, you think of Joshua chapter one after Moses, you know, had died and now Joshua is going to be the leader of God's people.

Everybody knows who Joshua is. If everybody was making a list of the strongest, most faithful, God fearing people, you know, that there was in all of Israel,  Joshua was, he's, he's on everybody's list, but yet the entirety of Joshua chapter one is God. Encouraging Joshua, giving courage. I mean, he says over and over and over, Be strong and of good courage.

He knows that Joshua has a difficult task in front of him.  And God knows that here is someone who you may not think needs encouragement, but God certainly knows that he does. And I think sometimes we miss that. You know, whether it be the elders of the Lord's church, you know, we would think, well, if, I mean, They're not struggling.

They don't need, you know, encouragement. You and I as preachers, you know, it would be easy to, you know, to look at various folks and to think that, you know, they don't need everybody. Everybody is in need, you know, of encouragement. 

I will say, bringing in another younger perspective, not saying you guys are super old or  anything like that, but I remember a couple times, you know, here at Trader's Point, a few members coming up and, you know, It's telling telling me how encouraging it is just to see me at church, you know, it's like I didn't do anything really to do that came with my family, you know, and I was excited to be here and everything, but that's just a small, you know, thing, but that encouragement then goes both ways.

Um, and that shows the importance of, you know, how encouragement, um, in how important that is. Support system of a congregation would be because then I was encouraged because they were encouraged At seeing me there, which is a small, you know thing I wasn't deeply struggling in some way and needing of encouragement, but it still had an impact 

You know you mentioned just a moment ago.

It's just some practical ways In which this is demonstrated, I mean, you and I walked into our offices this morning to, uh, notes that were left to us from some of the young kids in the congregation and a basket full of snacks for the day. And that was, it put a smile on my face and it lifted me up at the beginning of the day.

And you know, what's interesting about that kind of going back to the point I made earlier is, is the names of the kids were on the. Signs or cards that they left for us. But I know there were parents behind all of that. Those kids didn't go to Costco and buy snacks for us. Uh, but those parents didn't leave any indication as to who it was, who was responsible for that.

And they did so I'm sure very intentionally. Um, because it wasn't a situation where they wanted to call attention to their involvement in that. They just wanted to do something for you and I. And that's incredibly encouraging to, to me. And I know it was to you too. And, and sometimes those small acts that, you know, I'm sure, listen, that didn't take a whole lot.

Um, for them to do something like that, but it put a smile on our face and lifted us up when we came into the office today. And so never underestimate, uh, small acts of kindness and the, uh, the encouragement that they can provide to other people. When you have an opportunity to do something like that, take advantage of it, small or big, whatever it may be, because everyone, as you pointed out earlier, everyone needs that encouragement and everyone has benefited when we're all engaging in that.

Especially when there's thought behind 

it, right? I mean, and sometimes, like you said, just a little thought. I mean, just the smallest amount of thought can, you know, make a big difference. I mean, even, you know, you made mention of the, you know, the basket of snacks, you know, that, you know, was in our offices.

Listen, it could have been easy, you know, for them to get whatever and just do it. Divvy it up between you and I, but we had very different things in our baskets, right? I mean, that, that took, even that, even that very small kind of thing, you know, even that took some thought and you know, it's, we're not talking crazy high level, you know, of, of thoughts, but even just a little bit of thought can make really, really big difference.

And you're right. We come into the office and there's a great smile on your face and you're feeling good about things and you know, you're lifted up. You know, in every way. And that is something that each and every one of us can do on some level. And so a little bit of thought, certainly listening to the needs and being sensitive to the needs of the people around us, really can make a big, big difference when it comes to encouragement.

Malachi, you got any last words before we wrap this thing up? 

Uh, nope. 

Okay. Yeah, 

alright. Easy enough. Alright. As we, as we've, uh, uh, been apt to do, we'll close with a passage and we'll do so with Hebrews, uh, Hebrews chapter three, and in Hebrews chapter three, you know, you have, uh, a, a pretty simple, uh, admonition that is given to us in Hebrews chapter three in verse 13.

But encourage one another. Daily while it is called today lest any of you be heartened through the deceitfulness of sin 

Thank you for listening this week If you haven't already done so we'd appreciate it If you would take just a second to subscribe to the podcast on whatever platform you're listening And rate and review the show so we can continue to spread the good news of jesus as widely and effectively as possible Thanks again for joining us this week, and we'll talk to you again next week