Jump Start # 3612

Hebrews 10:24-25 “Let us consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds, not forsaking our own assembling together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another; and all the more, as you see the day drawing near.”

Here in our passage, the Holy Spirit leads the thought with two positive actions: stimulate and encourage. Stimulate one another and encourage one another. Our assembling ought to be a haven of peace and rest from a world that makes us weary. We ought to leave worship feeling energized, lifted up and faithful. Something is terribly wrong when we leave worship feeling worse than when we came in.

There are two immediate implications built into these verses.

First, I got to be there. I can’t stimulate and encourage when I’m at home by myself. This is yet another reason why staying home and watching worship on livestream doesn’t work well. Sure you can hear a sermon, but there isn’t much stimulation and encouraging that you are doing for others. To both words, stimulate and encouraging, are attached, “one another. “ It’s the one another that makes fellowship. It’s the one another that makes this work. Without the “one another” stimulation fails and encouraging falls flat on its face. You got to be around one another to help one another.

Second, the emphasis is upon others. Much too often, people are only thinking about themselves. “I didn’t get anything out of church today,” some sad soul says. Really? How much encouraging did you do? Or, where you there just as a consumer? Serve me. Take care of me. It’s all about me. And, when me isn’t happy, me won’t be back. Such a spirit misses the thrust of these passages and the heart of the N.T. A servant doesn’t ask about self. A servant is about helping others.

Come with the intention of stimulating. Come with the purpose of encouraging. These actions are not based upon the size of the crowd, what hymns were sung or how well the preacher did. Those things do not matter. One can still encourage and that’s what we ought to do.

Now, how best can I do that? Here’s a few ideas:

First, get there early and stay late. Last in and first out and you won’t do much encouraging. There are times when that happens. But when that is your norm, and your pattern, you are missing what these verses teach. To do the one another you must be with the one another.

Second, move around. Don’t talk to the same people all the time, nor sit in the same place all the time. The larger the congregation, the more important this becomes. We are creatures of habit and like to sit in the same spot every time. And, because of that, we generally talk to the same people all the time. Look for a different generation—one up or one down from yours. Go talk to the teens. Better yet, ask if you can sit with them during worship. Invite some of them out to eat afterwards (and, pay for their meal).

Third, put a smile on your face. Some walk into the church building with a look as if they were headed off to war. Gloom and doom fill their expression. The world is a mess, but our God is not. Things are depressing, but I don’t have to be. Our culture is upside down and inside out, but God’s not. Hope smiles. God’s got promises awaiting us. God’s already in tomorrow. It’s hard to encourage when you have a painful look on your face. Don’t drill someone with a thousand questions. Don’t load guilt on them by saying, “I haven’t seen you here in a long time. Where have you been?” That person might be thinking, “And why haven’t you checked on me if you are so concerned?”

Another word for encouraging is to build up. It takes some know how to build and to build properly. It doesn’t take much to tear down. It’s a lot easier to tear down a wall than it is to build a wall. It’s a lot easier to tear a person down than it is to build them up. Your facial expression, your choice of words, your tone of voice—either are building up or tearing down.

Our passage opens with the idea, “consider how.” Give some thought to just how you are going to encourage. How are you going to stimulate? Consider. Put some thought behind it.

Sundays coming. Its more than just you and Jesus. It’s you, Jesus and “one another.” Give that some thought. Consider how…

What a blessing, a joy and a help our fellowship with each other is.

Roger