Encouragement

While Paul suffered greatly for the name of Christ, and often found himself pursued, imprisoned, abandoned, beaten or left for dead, he was also continually supported by faithful friends and fellow ministry workers. Throughout Paul's letters, he at times detours from his writing to mention those friends who have been helping him. He will list all sorts of names like Timothy, Luke, Justus, Clement, Epaphroditus....and all kinds of other names I can't even pronounce. Sometimes I feel kind of like I do with the genealogies of the Old Testemant. The "I'm tired of reading all these names; let's get back to the good stuff" feeling...

But recently I've realized that these names of Paul's friends and co-laborers ARE the good stuff. These are the people who visited him in jail, sometimes even finding themselves imprisoned alongside him. They would bring him food and clothing. They would house him. They would travel with him, experiencing hardship, hunger, and persecution. They would painstakingly pen his letters for him (remember they didn't have computers or even ballpoint pens). They would carry his letters to churches abroad, often taking long and dangerous journeys to bring the word of God to various cities throughout Asia Minor. They would pray with Paul, weep with Paul, enourage Paul, and eagerly soak up his teaching and live by his example.

So when Paul praises "Timothy's proven worth, how as a son with a father, he has served me" (Phil. 2:22) or when he rejoices over Epaphroditus who "nearly died for the work of Christ, risking his life" (Phil. 2:30) to help Paul, I am learning to realize how essential this encouragement was. When Paul says that Aristarchus, Mark, and Justus "are the only men of the circumcision among my fellow workers...and they have been a great comfort to me" (Col.4:11), I can only imagine how nice it must have been to have just a few Jewish friends in the midst of being imprisoned in the foreign culture of Rome.

So I ask myself, how can I encourage those around me who have devoted their life to ministering to God's people? How can I support and encourage my pastor and his family, especially as we go through this time of uncertainty with our chuch location and finances, as they await the birth of their fourth child and wonder how in the world they will get a vehicle big enough to hold their whole family (so excited to see what God provides!)? How can I serve my friends who serve abroad as full-time missionaries in some of the most remote or poorest places in the world? How can I labor alongside them as Paul's fellow workers did, even though I am halfway across the world? Can I suport them financially? Can I send a care package? Go visit them? Send them a letter or e-mail of encouragment? Pray for them often? Pray for the culture in which they live and the people to whom they minister? Instead of finding myself bored with Paul's thank you lists in his letters, I am finding myself inspired to encourage my own pastor and missionary friends in new ways. Praising God for His constant transforming of my mind.