LEADERSHIP CAPSULE
... equipping leaders with tools, skills, and weapons to provide effective leadership for nations to ultimately fulfill the Great Commission

Friday, March 17, 2017

TITLE : The Awesome Power Of Encouragement

Leaders are called to be encouragers

1 Thessalonians 5:11 “Encourage one another and build each other up.."

Hebrews. 3:13 “Encourage one another daily…”

We all experience times and situations when
we need an encourager—someone who lifts us
up if we’re down, motivates us to keep going
when we want to give up, and stands with us
through every challenging circumstance. What’s more, each of us needs to be an encourager
to someone else. There are people all around us who are discouraged and could use a word of comfort or an act of kindness. Whether friends, family members, acquaintances, or strangers, we could make a tremendous difference in someone’s life.

Leaders are to be encouragers and not discouragers. God has called leaders especially Christians to be encouragers. In our churches today, we need to be encouragers--building one another up, inspiring one another, and strengthening one another in our faith. Although God has commanded us to encourage one another, sometimes, we do just the opposite. Since we are human beings, at times, we…
a. Discourage one another instead of encourage one another.
b. Concentrate on people’s weaknesses and faults instead of their strengths and abilities.
c. Criticize others instead of complimenting them on their good qualities.
d. Tear down instead of building up.

When Paul wrote to the church in Thessalonica,
he encouraged them with assurances of Christ’s
return and information about what to expect.
Then he said, “Therefore encourage one another and build up one another just as you also are doing (1 Thess. 5:11). The Greek word for an encourager here is “parakletos,” which means “one who is called alongside to help.” Encourager also mean to comfort, exhort, build up, help, bear burden. And that’s exactly what we are to do for one another—come alongside to help. The night before His crucifixion, Jesus told the disciples that although He was leaving, He would send them another Helper (John 14:16-18). This is the same Greek word, “parakletos.

TODAY WE WILL EXPLORE TWO POINTS REGARDING ENCOURAGEMENT THAT I HOPE WILL INSPIRE US TO BE ENCOURAGERS AND NOT DISCOURAGERS.

FIRST, WHY SHOULD WE BE AN ENCOURAGER?

We should encourage people because God's Word commands it and also BY BEING AN ENCOURAGER, WE CAN CHANGE OR INFLUENCE SOMEONE’S LIFE. To often we can diagnose people unfairly and label them a failure. Moreover, we treat them as failures. However, in reality, we should believe in and encourage them and when we do, we can possibly change the course of their lives.

SECOND, HOW CAN WE ENCOURAGE OTHERS?

WE NEED TO LOOK FOR THE BEST IN PEOPLE AND NOT THE WORST. That is how we can change the course of their lives. I already defined encouragement as believing and expecting the best in people. We all have weaknesses. No one is perfect. And since we are all frail human beings, we could pick each other to death with destructive criticism. But if we look at people’s strengths and good qualities, we will enjoy each other and build each other up. We cannot dwell on people's weaknesses, but instead we should focus on their good qualities!

Brethren, we need to be a people of encouragement! The Bible commands us to do this. It is so easy to get caught up in tearing others down. There is nothing good that can come out of discouraging others. So if you are constantly tearing people down, it is time to stop it and start building them up with kind words of encouragement. Be an encourager, the world already has plenty of critics already.

When you leave this earth, do you want to be remembered as an encourager or discourager?