Encouragement, by Pastor William Noel

It is sad to say, but some Christians leave the reputation of killing their own wounded. When a Christian begins to fall away from the Lord, their brethren often choose to use them as an illustration of the prodigal. If that person remains in a downward spiral surely they were not saved in the first place. Of course, in order to remain pure and holy, that remnant of brethren who are stedfast, unmoveable, and always abounding in the work of the Lord must publish articles, prepare sermons and perhaps even write a book as to this fallen servant of the Lord. It is a sad commentary that a brother or sister in Christ has to regress to such a point of carnality. However, I believe that much of this spiritual erosion could be avoided if more of us would simply encourage one another.

Lamentations 3:22-23 reads, "It is of the Lord's mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning, great is thy faithfulness." I believe that if the body of Christ would make concentrated efforts to encourage someone else (even on a daily basis), we could be that breath of fresh air that revives our brethren each morning.

In the business world, an owner will not wait until his machinery fails him before he will have it serviced. "Preventive maintenance" is performed on a daily schedule so as to avoid the second laws of thermodynamics (increasing entrophy) to prematurely destroying his investment. We, too, must perform preventative maintenance on our brethren. Fellowship meetings are too far apart and sometimes too far away. Often the brothers that need the most encouragement are the ones who cannot go to these fellowships due to location, finances, or a host of other things.

You might say that you have never felt led to call a brother. My response would be, Why not? Time and time again the Holy Spirit impressed upon the hearts of His men to leave what they were doing and to go to a person In need. Remember the great revival of Acts 8 and how the evangelist was led away from it? What if Philip had said, "I don't feel led to leave at this time"? What about the conversion of Saul of Tarsus in Acts 9? If Ananias had been as busy as most modern day preachers Saul would still be sitting in Damascus.

There was a preacher (we'll call him Rev. Jones), who lived in a small southern city. He had a pastor friend who we'll call Rev. Smith. Due to the slothfulness of his deacons Rev. Jones spent much of his time at the church 'serving tables' (cutting the grass cleaning the church, etc.). Rev. Smith noticed his friend's car at the church on several occasions, but he was often too busy to stop and fellowship. Time went on and Rev. Smith began to notice another car parked next to that of Rev. Jones. "He is probably counseling a couple in his church," was the thought of Rev. Smith. Days turned to weeks and the same two cars were seen at the church, but Rev. Smith never once stopped at the church.

Time revealed that Rev. Jones was not counseling a couple in his church, but that he was having an affair with the pianist of the church! Yes, there at the church only one mile from his home where his pregnant wife and two year old son were. The man of God fell into sin! Rev Jones is out of the ministry and is now selling shoes in the Midwest. Though there were complications, she gave birth to a healthy baby a few months later. Rev. Smith is still in the ministry, however he is much wiser and much more involved in the lives of his preacher friends, for you see, Rev Smith is me!!!!

Please take time to encourage the preacher friends in your life. Be aggressive. Take the first step in making a new friend. If you are concerned about the cost involved (telephone bills, stamps, gasoline), perhaps you should visit the Midwest and talk to Rev Jones' wife. I'm sure she could give you a dollar for such a cause as this.