Jump Start # 1590 

1 Corinthians 16:18 “For they have refreshed my spirit and yours. Therefore acknowledge such men.”

  Our verse highlights the work of Stephanas and Fortunatus. Great names. Great people. Can’t wait to meet them someday in Heaven. They are not the first tier of names that we connect with the early church. We know Paul, Peter, Apollos, Timothy and Titus. There is very little said about Stephanas and Fortunatus. But we find two powerful thoughts here.

First, they refreshed the spirit of Paul and the Corinthians. Not everyone does this. Some instead of refreshing, they sour the spirit of others. Some step on those who are down and out. Some want problem people to go away. Some only think about themselves. There would be some who would say, “No one refreshed my spirit.” And, in saying that, they missed the whole point of this passage.

Refreshing is such a pleasant thought. A cool breeze. A glass of ice tea (sweet, of course). A day off of work. Time spent with a dear friend. Our spirits need to be refreshed. The spirit can get tired. We get weary. We battle Satan. We are busy doing good deeds. There is so much to do. There are so many people to help. The prayer list is long. The load we carry can tire us. Our spirits need refreshing.

Sometimes our spirits get discouraged. A couple divorces. Someone drops out. Someone made the wrong choices. A church mistreats someone. Bad news. Our spirits can just drag along somedays. We can feel like Elijah. We wonder if there are any others who are doing well. Our spirits need refreshing.

The spirits of preachers need refreshing. They are always energized. They are always pumped up. But behind the scenes, they need encouraging. They need their spirits refreshed. Paul did.

The spirits of elders need refreshing. They work with so many problems. Their work is too often thankless. Their eyes look weary. They need refreshing.

So, just how do we refresh? How does one encourage? Kind words. A nice note. A personal visit. A gift. A pat on the back. A compliment. A lunch bought. Friendship shared. Refreshing the spirit is nothing more than good old fashioned encouragement. Everyone needs some. It’s like oxygen to the soul.

Some folks are great at encouraging. They just have a knack for knowing what to say and how to say it. They are kind and generous. They have a way of spotting a guy when he is having a tough day. They are easy to talk with. They are good at what they do.

Our passage not only reminds us that these two refreshed the spirits of Paul but in return Paul wanted the Corinthians to “acknowledge them.” That’s the part that we don’t do so well. We have a hard time acknowledging the good that others are doing. We say things like, “I don’t want him to get the big head.” Or, “I don’t want to hurt the feelings of others that we do not call out.” Paul didn’t seem to have a problem telling the Corinthians and us about Stephanas and Fortunatus. He named them. He pointed them out. What about the others? I guess they didn’t refresh Paul’s spirit like these two did. We are so afraid of hurting someone’s feeling that we don’t do anything. Maybe it’s time we did a bit more acknowledging of others. Maybe it’s time we did a “that’a boy” to some who are stepping it up and going out of their way. Schools have students of the month. Some companies have employees of the month. But in the greatest work of all, the kingdom work, we don’t acknowledge those who are the encouragers.

A shout out from the pulpit. A job well done, from the shepherds. A face to face compliment. These are ways to recognize the good that others are doing. Have you ever done this? Have you thought about those who refreshed  your spirit and have you acknowledged such people? Have you made such people heroes in your book? Do your kids know about the people who have helped your spiritually?

There is great value in acknowledging those who have refreshed us. It shows our appreciation and thankfulness for what  they have done. It encourages others to do the same. It shows the value of our fellowship and our connections with each other.

Refreshing and acknowledging—those two need to be in our spiritual DNA.

Roger