What does "encouraging them to continue in the faith" look like practically? The Original Example: Acts 14:22 “strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and telling them, ‘We must endure many hardships to enter the kingdom of God.’ ” Encouragement Defined: Three Core Elements • Strengthening hearts—building spiritual resilience • Urging perseverance—calling believers to keep trusting Christ • Preparing for hardship—setting realistic expectations about trials Practical Ways to Strengthen Souls • Open Scripture together; truth fuels endurance (Romans 15:4; Hebrews 3:13) • Speak God’s promises over one another (Colossians 2:6-7) • Share testimonies of God’s faithfulness; stories ignite hope (1 Thessalonians 3:2-3) • Pray with and for believers, naming specific needs (Jude 1:20-21) • Identify God-given gifts and affirm their usefulness in the body (1 Corinthians 12) Practical Ways to Urge Persistence • Remind each other of the gospel’s unchanging foundation (Colossians 1:23) • Highlight future reward—“in due time we will reap” (Galatians 6:9) • Encourage regular fellowship; isolation breeds doubt (Hebrews 10:24-25) • Model consistency: show up, serve, worship, study; example is contagious (Philippians 3:17) Preparing Believers for Hardship • Teach a biblical theology of suffering (1 Peter 4:12-13) • Share how God used past trials for growth (James 1:2-4) • Help plan for spiritual “storms” (Ephesians 6:10-18) • Maintain honest conversation—no sugar-coating the cost of discipleship (Luke 14:27-33) Daily Habits That Keep Encouragement Flowing • Send a timely verse or voice message (Proverbs 25:11) • Meet over coffee for Scripture reading and accountability • Celebrate small steps of obedience; visible progress motivates • Serve together—shared mission forges perseverance (Acts 20:24) Encouragement in Gathered Worship • Scripture-saturated preaching that both convicts and comforts (2 Timothy 4:2) • Congregational singing that rehearses doctrine (Colossians 3:16) • Public testimonies of God’s work to build corporate faith One-on-One Encouragement • Mentoring relationships: older believers guiding younger (Titus 2:3-5) • Gentle correction when someone drifts (James 5:19-20) • Regular check-ins about spiritual disciplines, family, work, and witness Guardrails Against Discouragement • Counter lies with truth immediately (John 8:32) • Keep short accounts—confess sin quickly (1 John 1:9) • Limit voices that feed doubt; maximize voices that feed faith (Psalm 1:1-2) The Expected Fruit • Mature, rooted disciples “established in the faith” (Colossians 2:7) • A unified, loving church family (Ephesians 4:16) • Steadfast witness to a watching world, even in hardship (Philippians 1:27-30) |
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