Church of the Vine Articles

Encourage One Another

  • 03/18/09

ENCOURAGE ONE ANOTHER

The following are three renderings of 1 Thessalonians 5:11:’

Therefore encourage one another and build each other up, just as in fact you are doing. (NIV)

Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing. (NKJV)

So encourage each other and give each other strength, just as you are doing now. (New Century Version0

There is no more important gift that we can give to one another than encouragement.  While there are many reasons why encouraging one another is so important, one obvious reason is that if brothers and sisters do not encourage one another, who will?  And the answer for most us is no one.  There are several very important words in this verse, including, encourage, build up, and even the word, therefore.  For the purposes of this study let’s concentrate on the word, ‘encourage’, or ‘comfort’ (NKJV).

This word is one of the most beautiful in all the New Testament.  It is the verb, para-kale’o . 

Para simply means ‘near’, or ‘beside’.  Matthew 4:18 tells us that Jesus was walking by(para) the Sea of Galilee.

Kaleo means ‘to call’, ‘to call aloud’, and even ‘to invite’.  In Matthew 1:21, they called (kaleo) His name Jesus.

So to encourage someone is to call someone near, with the same closeness that one would use in calling a person by name.  It is like saying, ‘Bruce, come near; you’re invited; come close’.

There are many uses of this word in the New Testament.  Indeed, the Holy Spirit is called the Comforter in many translations because the word used there is very close to parakaleo.   Encouragement is more powerful than we thought, and is treasure to receive!

·        Think of as many ways as you can that a person could be encouraged.

·        What encourages you?

·        If you are lacking in encouragement, how could you begin to encourage others first?

May the grace of the Lord Jesus be with us!