Encourage One Another in Christ

Have you ever been too encouraged in Christ? Me either! Many of us consider encouragement to be a nice, but comparatively unimportant thing, but I don’t believe that’s right. Encouragement is massive.

Consider this: Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians to establish what I call “Redwood Christians.” If you’ve ever traveled to California and seen Redwood trees, they’re truly stunning. Coastal Redwoods can exceed 380 feet in height. Giant Sequoias can reach a diameter of 30 feet. Some Redwoods can live 2,000 years. They’re nearly indestructible as long as they have a steady supply of water. Paul wrote his letter to the Colossians to establish Redwood Christians; Christians who do not remain infants in the faith, but grow strong and can endure in Christ through trials, temptations, and false-teaching. Redwood trees require a steady stream of of water; Redwood Christians require a steady stream of encouragement.

I love the way Marshall Segal, the president and CEO of Desiring God, puts it, “To encourage is to give courage — not simply to console or compliment someone (and certainly not to flatter), but to strengthen a heart for risk or adversity. Every Christian needs a steady stream of courage to endure suffering, to reject temptation, to sacrifice in love, to embrace discipline, to persevere in ministry, to trust and obey God. And we will not survive long on the light and superficial inspiration that sells by the millions. We do not need hearts more filled with self; we need hearts regularly inflamed with God. We need soul-anchoring, heart-stirring, love-unleashing encouragement.” Colossians was written to establish Redwood Christians. Redwood Christians live on a steady stream of encouragement. Therefore, Paul concludes his letter to the Colossians by focusing on encouragement. The key verse in our passage is Colossians 4:8 – I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts… And that brings us to the big idea of our passage: Encourage one another in Christ. Encourage one another in Christ. How do we do that? The closing passage in Colossians provides three specific ways: 1. Know one another’s endurance 2. Be concerned and pray for one another 3. Give away God’s word together.

KNOW ONE ANOTHER’S ENDURANCE (vv. 7-9, 18)

In Colossians 4:7-9, Paul tells the Colossians that he plans to send a trusted Christian leader to Colossae to tell them all about his imprisonment. We know from the very last verse of Colossians that Paul is intent for the Colossians to remember his imprisonment. Colossians 4:18 – I, Paul, write this greeting with my own hand. Remember my chains. Grace be with you. Why is the Apostle Paul so intent that the Colossians receive an update about his imprisonment and remember what Paul is doing while he’s in chains? Because Paul knows that his endurance will encourage them. Colossians 4:8 – I have sent him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are and that he may encourage your hearts… Paul wants the Colossians to know his endurance in prison so that their hearts will be encouraged to faithfully endure their own trials. When you know another person’s endurance in Christ, it encourages you in Christ.

How does that work? How does it encourage my heart to hear about another person’s endurance in Christ? We get some insight into the answer when Paul describes his imprisonment in Philippians 1:12-14 – I want you to know, brothers, that what has happened to me has really served to advance the gospel, [13] so that it has become known throughout the whole imperial guard and to all the rest that my imprisonment is for Christ. [14] And most of the brothers, having become confident in the Lord by my imprisonment, are much more bold to speak the word without fear. Did you see that? When other Christians learned that Paul didn’t give into sinking discouragement or deny the faith in prison, but stood firm in the one true gospel, continued to rejoice in the Lord while in prison, and utilized his time in prison for fruitful ministry, the result was that other Christians were encouraged to be all the more bold themselves. Have you ever experienced that? When you hear about another Christian’s faithful endurance, it encourages you to endure, remain joyful, and be bold. Here is the point: One great way to encourage one another in Christ is to know one another’s endurance.

One way to know one another’s endurance so that you can receive encouragement in Christ is by asking one another intentional questions when you’re having conversation, and be willing to answer intentional questions when they’re asked of you. Specifically, in your conversations, ask one another, “what trials are you facing right now?” or “what temptations are particularly strong in your life right now?” or “where are you experiencing particular discouragement from faith and obedience?” I know that can sound mechanical, but make those questions your own. And then ask, “how is Christ strengthening you to endure through that?” or “How has Christ already enabled you to keep trusting and obeying him in the midst of that trial, temptation, false-teaching?” And when someone asks you those kinds of questions, go with it. Self-centeredness and self-protection war against these kinds of conversations, but the gospel helps us through. The gospel of Jesus Christ is the wonderful news that Jesus Christ lived a sinless life in your place, died on the cross in your place for your sins, and rose again to secure for you eternal life. That wonderful news frees us from self-protection (not being willing to go deep in our answers) and self-centeredness (not being willing to put the attention on the other through good questions) so that we can ask intentional questions and give honest answers. When we do this, we’ll hear how each other are enduring as Christian Redwoods, and that is deeply encouraging to our own faith and endurance. By the way, if you’d like to receive updates from missionaries that Citylight has sent out so that you can know how they are and be encouraged by their endurance, just write missions updates on your connect card and we’ll get those to you so that you can be encouraged. To encourage one another in Christ, know one another’s endurance.

BE CONCERNED & PRAY FOR ONE ANOTHER (vv. 10-14)

In verses 10-14, the Apostle Paul shifts from telling the Colossians that he’s sending Tychicus to update them about his imprisonment to relaying greetings from his fellow workers in ministry to the Colossians. Colossians 4:10 – “Aristarchus my fellow prisoner greets you…” Now, Paul is probably doing more in these verses than simply letting the Colossians know that his fellow Christian workers say “hi.” Paul is communicating that to the Colossians that other Christians are thinking about them and are deeply concerned for their well-being. It’s incredibly encouraging to know when another Christian is thinking specifically about you and cares about your well-being. For example, a few weeks ago a dear friend of mine in this church sent me this text completely unprompted: “I wanted to encourage you that God put this word, ‘bold’ on my heart for your message today. Be bold, for the Words that go out as you proclaim Christ are life to those who find them, and healing to all their flesh. (Prov 4:22). Be bold. Do not heed any accusation of the enemy. Be strong and courageous. 💪” That’s so encouraging because it communicates, “I’m thinking about you, I’m concerned for you, and I want to build you up.” Why not regularly send texts, emails, and written notes that communicate your concern for them?

One specific person who was concerned for the Colossians was a man named Epaphras. Epaphras may very well have been converted under Paul’s ministry and then traveled home to Colossae to plant the church. At the time of writing, Epaphras is back with Paul, but he’s still working hard on behalf of his church. How? Through prayer. Colossians 4:12-13 – Epaphras, who is one of you, a servant of Christ Jesus, greets you, always struggling on your behalf in his prayers, that you may stand mature and fully assured in all the will of God. [13] For I bear him witness that he has worked hard for you and for those in Laodicea and in Hierapolis. One of the best ways to encourage one another in Christ is by struggling in your prayers for one another. Specifically, Epaphras struggled for the Colossians by always praying that they would stand mature and fully assured of God’s will, which is the gospel. Explain gospel = will. I would love it if every member of this church could honestly say about the others, “I am struggling for you in my prayers, that you may stand mature in Jesus.” “Struggling” in prayer for others simply means that you’re staying at it and refusing to give up. Friends, Jesus Christ is risen and seated at the right hand of the Father. The Bible says that he always lives to intercede and pray for us. Therefore, we can draw near to God’s throne, join with the Son, and struggle in prayer for each other. Let it be said of you that you struggle for Citylight Church in prayer. Encourage one another in Christ by knowing one another’s endurance, by being concerned for one another and struggling for one another in prayer as Christ is concerned for us and prays for us. Finally…

GIVE AWAY GOD’S WORD TOGETHER (vv. 15-17)

As Paul closes his letter, he asks that the encouraged become encouragers themselves. Colossians 4:15-17 – Give my greetings to the brothers at Laodicea, and to Nympha and the church in her house. [16] And when this letter has been read among you, have it also read in the church of the Laodiceans; and see that you also read the letter from Laodicea. [17] And say to Archippus, “See that you fulfill the ministry that you have received in the Lord.” I want to focus on one specific request that Paul made of the Colossians. He requested that after the Colossian church read the letter together, presumably in their weekly worship service, that they have the letter read in the church of the Laodiceans, which was a church about eight miles away. Now, you have to understand, this was no ordinary letter. Paul’s letter to the Colossians is Holy Scripture. As is the case with the entire Bible, the letter to the Colossians was breathed out by God, it’s God’s word, it’s truth without mixture of error, and profitable for producing Christian Redwoods. Paul knew that, therefore, he wasn’t merely asking the Colossians to pass on a letter, but to have God’s word read in the church of the Laodiceans.

The timeless principle is this: one wonderful way Christians encourage one another in Christ is by giving each other God’s word. Practically, that means that at Citylight Church we want to be a “Kingdom Church” that isn’t just intent to grow a healthy church here, but goes out of its way to see God’s word and God’s church bear fruit in other places. Citylight Church – we are doing this and I want you to know about it. For example, we lead something we currently call the Citylight Network. Currently, the network consists of our church, the four other churches we’ve planted, and another one that we’re currently working on in York, PA. Through the Network we hope to establish ten churches by 2030. All the churches in the Network are independent from one another, but the pastors from each Citylight Network church meet every Monday to help one another prepare sermons as we work through the same book of the Bible together. I meet about monthly with the lead pastors of each of those churches individually to build them up and help them lead their churches. We support one another with financial needs as well. Citylight Center City just gave us $10k toward our building. The Citylight Network isn’t something I do, it’s something we do to give God’s word away to establish and build up other churches. Additionally, this coming fiscal year that begins on July 1, Citylight Church will give away over a quarter million dollars to help establish and strengthen churches here and around the world, as well as care for the poor and marginalized. That’s not something the pastors do to give away God’s word, we do that. But that’s not all. To give away God’s word, you generously allow me to use some of my pastoral time to train men to preach as professor and Dean of the preaching department at Grimke Seminary, as well as free up Pastor Mark to teach on the seminary level. That’s not something I do or Mark does, we do that because it’s all part of giving God’s word away as a kingdom church. I want you to know these things are happening because we are doing them all together as a kingdom church. When I travel to Richmond to teach at Grimke, you’re traveling with me and doing that because we do it as a church. And it’s all part of our kingdom-effort to be a net exporter of God’s word, and so encourage other Christians in other places. Why do we do all this? Is encouraging to do together and it reflects the gospel we believe. God so loved the world that he gave His only Son so that whoever believes in him will not perish but have eternal life. We have received that wonderful gospel and we want to give it away!

CONCLUSION

The gospel of Jesus Christ is the wonderful news that God is saving, forgiving, and adopting sinners like us as his sons and daughters by grace alone through faith alone in the crucified and risen Savior alone, to the glory of God alone. Encouragement is what it feels like when that gospel flows from one follower of Jesus Christ to another.

I love the way Old Testament scholar Ray Ortlund puts it, “Encouragement is what the gospel feels like as it moves from one believer to another. The ministry of encouragement, therefore, isn’t optional or just for people with a knack for it. Real encouragement has authority over us all. It deserves nothing less than to set the predominant tone of our churches, our homes, our ministries…The New Testament verb translated encourage can also mean ‘to comfort, cheer up, console, speak in a friendly manner.’” Encourage one another in Christ.