Jump Start # 918

1 Corinthians 16:17-18 “I rejoice over the coming of Stephanas and Fortunatus and Achaicus, because they have supplied what was lacking on your part. For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men.”

There are two common things about the end of most of Paul’s letters. First, he list names of brethren who have helped him. These grand servants of Christ risked their necks in service of the kingdom. Most have long names that are hard to pronounce and many are found just a few times here and there in the New Testament. They were worthy of the honor and thanks that Paul bestowed upon them. They brought financial support to Paul and were trusted messengers between Paul and the churches. They carried news, money and reports to Paul. These men played a valuable role in the interworking of the New Testament churches.

The other common aspect about these names at the end of Paul’s letters is that you and I often fly over them in our reading, thinking that the important part of the book is finished. We don’t connect to the value of these names, what they did, and how important they were.

Today, I want to notice the expression, “they have refreshed my spirit.” That is a great thing to do. This is vital to our keeping on with the Lord. The journey can seem long, and we can get weary and tired. Often, things happen that wears upon our spirits. Discouragement, disappointments can nearly break us. We need refreshing. We need encouragement.

A discouraged person walks through life with his feet dragging. He does things because he has to, not because he wants to. He often feels stuck—in a marriage, a job, or in a church. Leaving doesn’t bring him much hope, so he stays. You can tell when someone is discouraged. It shows in their eyes. They often are hoping and even looking for something better, when what they really need is some refreshing.

We do that at home. A fresh coat of paint…moving the furniture around can make the old place seem bright and new again. We need that on the insides, in our spirits. Too often, we miss it when it comes to us. It may not come in a big name like Paul, but rather in an unknown name like Stephanas.

Refreshed spirits have a new energy about them. Worship seems more alive, the singing better, the prayers richer and deeper when there is a fresh spirit about us. Refreshed spirits take on more, do more because they are motivated. They are again, “fresh.” In basketball, the coach will sit his best player on the bench for a few minutes to rest him. He then returns to the game, “refreshed,” strong and at the top of his game. A tired player will slow the team down.

We refresh each other by our presence. This is the valuable point of fellowship. It is the “fellows” that make it. It is being together. The smiles, the hugs, the handshakes, the conversations, the love, the energy that refreshes our spirit. We are loved at church. We are welcome at church. We are accepted at church. There is a goodness about that. Those that come in late and bail out as quick as they can, miss this aspect of church. They miss refreshing others and they miss being refreshed. It’s important. It’s needed. Your presence does that.

Thoughtful gifts refresh the spirits of others. That’s what these three did in our passage. They carried money to Paul so he could continue preaching. Things costs and when money is low, the discouragement grows. Without money, Paul would have to make and sell tents. He did that before. He was not too good to do that, but tent making takes away the time he could  use in teaching and preaching. Make tents or preach? Paul wanted to preach. These three made that possible by bringing a gift to Paul. That refreshed his spirit. I saw something like that recently where I preach. A dear older brother had some books that he wanted to give as a gift. He wasn’t sure who would appreciate them. He asked me. I gave him the name of someone who would be thrilled to have them. I watched as the books were given. Smiles were  abounding. The one who received the books was nearly in tears at such an unexpected offer. Spirits were refreshed. I was refreshed to witness all of this. You can do that. It doesn’t have to be anything huge. Sometimes it’s just a personal note that you mail someone. It lifts their spirits, makes their day and refreshes them.

I tend to think that God wants us in the refreshing business. The more refreshing we did and the less judging or complaining we did, the better things would be all the way around. When was the last time you thought about doing something for someone just because? You probably don’t need help with us, but let me list a few to think about:

• The elders in the church. They deal with a lot of stuff and often it’s not the good stuff. They hear about problems, complaints and failures on a regular basis. They try this and that to get us all closer and stronger in the Lord. Some of us are just plain stubborn and won’t be moved. These men love us, care for us and want us to go to Heaven. Have you thought about refreshing them?

• The college student away from home. He expects things from mom and dad, but from you? A gift card, a short note, a thinking of you idea can just make his day. It will refresh him and remind him of good spiritual people who love him and want to see him succeed.
• How about the single parent or the widow? Don’t get hung up why the single parent is a single parent, they are trying. It’s hard. Kids take a ton of time, attention, and effort. Most single parents have to do it all—working a job, working at home. Exhausted and stressed are the common companions to most single parents. They could use some refreshing. Offer to take the kids for an afternoon. Offer to cook some food. Offer… The widow is alone. Sure she has kids, but they are busy. Knowing that someone wants to take them out for lunch, go shopping with them, is thinking of them, includes them—is amazing. It is refreshing.

You can do it. You can be a Stephanas to someone. What you do can help someone keep going. Refreshing. I have found something special about refreshing. When you try to refresh someone it tends to refresh you as well. It works both ways. That’s amazing.

I hope this Jump Start helped refresh you.

Roger