Encouraging People to Carry On

Guest (Male): Today on Telling the Truth, Stuart Briscoe’s message digs into the book of 1 Thessalonians. As followers of Christ, we are called to encourage others, and today, Stuart Briscoe shows you how you can be an encourager to someone who is struggling, and how you might also find encouragement yourself. He'll begin in just a moment. Everyone experiences disappointments in life, and when those thoughts are left unattended, they can lead you to despair and cause you to miss out on the abundant life Jesus promises. That’s why we want to help you win the battle against feelings of discouragement by sending you Stuart and Jill Briscoe’s five-message series, Hope for the Disheartened. The Hope for the Disheartened series is our thanks for your gift to help more people experience life through the teaching and resources of Telling the Truth. So request your copy when you give today. 1-800-889-5388. That’s 1-800-889-5388. Or you can give online at tellingthetruth.org. Now, here’s Stuart Briscoe with his message, Encouraging People to Carry On.
Stuart Briscoe: Thessalonica is a beautiful city. Thessaloniki is a beautiful city on the northeast coast of Greece, situated on a wide, sweeping bay and the beautiful blue ocean. It’s one of the loveliest cities in Greece that I’ve had the opportunity of visiting. And of course, it was the site of Paul’s ministry. You notice that it’s a little unusual in that this epistle is written by three people rather than just one: Paul, Silas, and Timothy. We won’t refer to them all the time. Probably I’ll find myself referring to Paul more than the other two, but probably it would be best to talk about the missionaries. When I talk about the missionaries, that’s who I’ll be referring to. So let me read this first chapter to you. Paul, Silas, and Timothy, to the church of the Thessalonians in God the Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. Grace and peace to you. We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith, your labor prompted by love, and your endurance inspired by hope in our Lord Jesus Christ. Brothers loved by God, we know that he has chosen you because our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and with deep conviction. You know how we lived among you for your sake. You became imitators of us and of the Lord. In spite of severe suffering, you welcomed the message with the joy given by the Holy Spirit. And so you became a model to all the believers in Macedonia and Achaia. The Lord’s message rang out from you not only in Macedonia and Achaia. Your faith in God has become known everywhere. Therefore, we do not need to say anything about it, for they themselves report what kind of reception you gave us. They tell how you turned to God from idols to serve the living and true God, and to wait for his son from heaven, whom he raised from the dead, Jesus, who rescues us from the coming wrath. Notice one of the conclusions at which he arrived, at the end of the epistle recorded in the 11th verse of the 5th chapter, is: "Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing." And so, clearly, he is concerned about there being a clear ministry of encouragement. Now let's face it. In our world today, there are plenty of reasons for people to be discouraged, and it is not uncommon to find deeply discouraged people. However, one of the clear ministries of the church of Jesus Christ is that it should be a place where people are enabled to deal with discouragement and be thoroughly encouraged so that they may live as God wants them to live. And so it is appropriate that we spend time looking into this subject of encouragement. Paul had been going through a lot of discouragement through a variety of things. In addition to that, we glean from the letter that he writes here that he is very much concerned about the Thessalonians. He’s had a very brief ministry there. There are some new believers. They clearly need leadership and teaching, but he’s had to leave them. And he is worried that they might not be doing very well because he himself has tasted the sharp edge of the hostility in that city. So when you look at the uncertainty, the hostility, the anxiety that they had experienced, you can see why they were discouraged. I think it would be appropriate also to say that we today know what it is to suffer from anxiety. Some of us know a considerable degree of uncertainty, and some of us perhaps are even facing some measure of hostility. And the best person in the world is going to get eroded in this. They’re going to become discouraged. They’re the people who can legitimately expect to find in the fellowship of believers a source of encouragement. What about the Thessalonians? Why would they be discouraged? Well, we’ve already seen that they were subjected to physical danger. After Paul had been in Thessalonica just for about three weeks, some of the Jewish people got very upset with him, and they did a very mean thing really. They went into the marketplace and they hired some of the thugs who were hanging around there, and they got them to incite a riot. They got a mob and made things very difficult and extremely dangerous. Paul was also concerned that in addition to the physical danger that they were subjected to, they would also be subjected to some real spiritual battles as well that might result in very real spiritual doubt for these new believers. So Paul was aware that they were possibly subjected to this as well. And of course, they had gone through major social disruption. When these men who turn the world upside down came into their city, they quickly turned Thessalonica upside down. These new Christians had identified with these people. As a result of that, they lost some of their friends. Some of their family had turned against them. They, of course, had identified with the missionaries, but now the missionaries had left. And so there was tremendous upheaval in their lives. Let’s look now at the sources of encouragement that we can glean from the scriptures here. Where did Paul, Silas, and Timothy derive their encouragement? In verse nine, he talks very warmly about the kind of reception that the Thessalonians had given them. And he goes on to explain exactly what he means. In verse five, he said, "Our gospel came to you not simply with words, but also with power, with the Holy Spirit and deep conviction." And in verse six, he said, "You welcomed the message in spite of severe suffering." Now, this was a cause for real encouragement for the apostle. While there was no gainsaying the very real discouraging experiences that he was going through, equally, he never forgot the tremendous reception that he had received from many of the Thessalonians. And more importantly, the tremendous reception that his message had received. As he looked back on his brief stay there, he was able to reminisce and say to himself, "You know, when we preached the gospel to those people, it was really incredible what happened. We brought them a message that was totally new to them." They had no idea what we were talking about. The gospel of God was something that they had never even dreamed of. And yet, incredibly, they came under deep conviction. That was clearly the work of the Holy Spirit. And he said that was greatly encouraging. But while there were many forces arrayed against us, when we preached the gospel, when we witnessed to people and the Holy Spirit took it home to these people, we knew that God was at work. Not only that, the way that they warmly welcomed the message and then the conviction that the Holy Spirit brought to them changed to deep joy. We could see evidence of God at work. And in this, he derives his encouragement. Let’s face it, when you get yourself in all kinds of discouraging circumstances, one of the most encouraging things to remember is this: that if you’re serving, as they were, the living and true God, and there’s evidence of God at work in you and through you, that helps you cope with the discouragement. You can be greatly encouraged by the way that the message of the gospel is really addressing issues and lives are being touched and enriched as a result. And I believe that this is one thing that all Christians should realistically expect to see, even in the midst of discouraging circumstances. But it wasn’t just the reception that they had received. It was also the reports that they had heard of what was going on. Now remember that Paul had sent Timothy up to Thessalonica to find out what was happening. And he just arrived back, and he had brought good news about their faith and love, as he tells us. And as a result of this, because of these reports, Paul was greatly encouraged. Let's face it, it was a deep concern for him that he had left these new believers and he was wondering what had happened to them, whether they were going on in the faith. And to be told that they were, after some time, was deeply encouraging.
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Stuart Briscoe: I believe that all believers should be rejoicing in evidence of God at work and people going on with him. But it wasn’t just the reports from Timothy. You see, Paul goes on to say that this very, very young church with very inadequate leadership had done a most remarkable thing. Not only had they warmly received the message, but he goes on to say in verse eight, "The Lord’s message rang out from you." In other words, this was a church that wasn’t just intent on being a nice little holy huddle. This was a church that had developed in an incredibly short time a keen sense of mission. And they were becoming so effective that from them, the message had spread to Macedonia and Achaia, and even to other regions of Greece. Now remember that while Paul had gone into Thessalonica initially to the synagogue and had addressed the Jews there and a number had come to faith in Jesus as Messiah, basically, most of the people he ministered to were not Jewish at all. They were pagans. They were engaged in all kinds of idolatrous religious experience. They had no idea of what Paul calls the gospel of God. It was all brand new to them. So powerful, however, was this message presented in the power of the Holy Spirit, that pagans hearing it for the first time believed. And they didn't just believe academically. They believed in such a way that they turned their back on their idols and they turned to God. And out of deep devotion to him, they devoted themselves to serving the living and real God, all the time with their eye on the return of Jesus Christ. I believe with all my heart that while we're not dealing with pagans like Paul was in Thessalonica today, we’re dealing with people who really need to turn from whatever their idols are, to serve the living and true God and to begin to live in the light of his son, who alone can deliver them from the wrath to come, and who will return and establish his eternal kingdom. There need to be U-turns in people’s lives today. There need to be thoroughgoing conversions. When we hear of this sort of thing happening in the most discouraging circumstances, we realize that the things of real importance are going on, and therein we derive our encouragement. God is at work, lives are being touched, conversions are being experienced, the power of the gospel is manifested on every hand. This is where Paul and Silas and Timothy derived their encouragement. Now notice what Paul says in verse three. He says that he continually remembers their work produced by faith, their labor prompted by love, their endurance inspired by hope. There are the familiar three Christian graces. People who do the U-turn, people who are converted to Christ, are people in whose lives there will be evidence of faith. Instead of just living by sight, they begin to live by faith. There will be evidence of a new quality of love. The Spirit of God will be producing the fruit of love in their lives in a new fashion. Not only that, they will have a kind of hope. They look to the future. They know the last chapter of the book. They know it's all going to end. They anticipate the ultimate triumph of God in Christ. And so now that they have been converted to Christ, they are beginning to demonstrate faith, hope, and love. When you begin to see this developing in people’s lives, that’s encouraging. I firmly believe that all believers in discouraging circumstances who are involved, as they should be, in the communication of the truth of God in people’s lives, should have grounds for encouragement as we find here. That is how the missionaries were being encouraged. But what about the Thessalonians? How were they being encouraged? Notice particularly verses two and three of the first chapter. Paul says, "We always thank God for all of you, mentioning you in our prayers. We continually remember before our God and Father your work produced by faith," etc. I want you to notice what is happening here. Paul is giving these Thessalonians some very strong affirmation. They get this letter. They sit down and read it, and they’re only into the very, very first little part of it and they look up at each other and say, "Can you believe this? Here’s Paul the Great Apostle with all the concerns that he’s got, with all the problems that he’s got. He actually took the trouble to write us a letter. Can you believe that?" Wouldn’t that be encouraging to this little group of Christians? There is absolutely no way of gauging the encouragement that can come from a note, from a card, from a letter, from a kind word, from a smile, from a handshake, from simply taking time out to affirm people. Anybody, absolutely anybody can do it. And yet, I’m afraid that if we look at ourselves, probably we have to say that sometimes we’re more gifted at tearing down than we are at building up. We’re more adept at criticizing than we are at affirming. There is no limit to the encouragement that comes from people taking the trouble to affirm. That was what was happening here. Paul and Silas and Timothy are affirming the Thessalonians. Not only that, they’re also confirming the things that they believe. It’s very interesting if you look in this passage here in the first chapter to see how rich in theology it is. We don't have time to get into it now, but you could literally spend weeks studying just this first chapter. Let me just run down the things that are confirmed in the thinking of these Thessalonians. Verse one, he says you’re in God. Verse four, he says you’re loved by God. Same verse, he says you’re chosen by God. Verse nine, he reminds them this is the living and the real God. Not only that, this God has manifested himself in his son, Jesus, who died and was raised from the dead. Not only that, this risen Jesus will rescue us from the coming judgment. And not only that, he will return from heaven to establish his kingdom. And not only that, the Holy Spirit is the one who, bringing conviction in our lives when he brings us to the point of repentance, fills our lives with joy. Nothing new there. It’s basic Christian doctrine. It is the thing that he’d already taught these people. What's he doing? He’s encouraging them by confirming them in their faith. When we talk about the ministry of encouragement, what we’re really saying is there are a lot of discouraged people around, and the reason they’re discouraged usually is that the negatives of life have pushed out the positives. And a ministry of encouragement is helping to redress that balance, to help them to focus on the positives alongside the negatives. They need a sharpened focus. They need a solid base under them. They need to have a balanced view of life. They need to project into the future, and in so doing, you give them hope, you give them confidence, you give them comfort. All these things are wrapped up in the word encouragement. And anybody can do that. What we’re looking at then is two questions. How do I personally handle discouragement? And number two, how do I personally offer encouragement to other people? The word is encouragement. I trust the Spirit of God will take it home to our hearts.
Guest (Male): Stuart, what would you say today to someone who feels discouraged?
Stuart Briscoe: There’s no shortage of discouraged people in this world, so we shouldn't have any difficulty at all finding discouraged people to help. The question you ask is what would I say to somebody who's discouraged? And my answer would be: very little at first. I would spend more time listening to them and asking them questions and probing ever so gently in order to try to discover what it is that is really bothering them. Sometimes they are discouraged by something relatively unimportant, relatively insignificant, but the timing of this relatively unimportant thing has been most inappropriate because they’ve got an underlying problem. And what they’re really discouraged by is not the thing that they’re going to tell you; it’s the underlying problem that they may not even have begun to address. It may be long-standing. And so the important thing in trying to assist discouraged people is to make sure that we do plenty of listening, ask the right questions, and then we can speak to the situation.
Guest (Male): Stuart, how do we live by faith and not by sight? I mean, what does that look like in your own life?
Stuart Briscoe: How do we live by faith and not by sight? Well, we do that all the time. We trust people who have said something that they will do, but we’ve never met this particular person. We board a train to go somewhere, and we have absolutely no idea who is running this train. We drive our cars and we come to a green light, and we assume that because it’s green for us, it's red for the other person and they’re going to stop. We live by faith in very simple, common ways. When we come into our relationship with the Lord, what he asks of us is exactly that: that we take him at his word. He said, "I am the way, the truth, and the life." And we take him at his word and follow him. He said, "I will never leave you nor forsake you." And in our times of deepest darkness, we hold on to that word because he said it. Faith is simply taking God at his word and acting on it as if it were so because it is so.
Guest (Male): Stuart, you mentioned how affirmation helps encourage people. Why do you think that's such an effective tool?
Stuart Briscoe: Because we’re social creatures. We aren't designed to live in isolation. We are created in the image of God. God himself lives in community: Father, Son, and Holy Spirit. And because we’re social creatures, we relate with each other. If I realize that I am special enough for you to stop and talk with me, and I realize that what I’ve been going through is something you understand and you stop to speak a word that indicates that, then immediately I feel that I am not alone, that somebody cares, and that what is happening is not unique to me. And we derive great strength from each other in that regard.
Guest (Male): Stuart Briscoe’s message, Encouraging People to Carry On, is from his five-message series, Hope for the Disheartened. If you’re feeling discouraged today, this special collection of messages will encourage you and give you the biblical tools you need to overcome these difficult feelings. We’ll send you the complete series as thanks for your gift of support to help more people experience life in Christ through this ministry. So give today by calling 1-800-889-5388. That’s 1-800-889-5388. Or go to tellingthetruth.org and request the Hope for the Disheartened series when you give. Whether it’s an encouraging word, a financial gift, or a commitment to pray for this ministry, we are always grateful for you. Thank you for listening, and for your partnership as we share the truth of God’s word around the world. We look forward to being with you again next time for more powerful teaching with Stuart and Jill Briscoe.