Last week, we took a doctrinal standpoint on what I call the architecture of Grace; edification, exhortation and comfort. Edification is what increases our capacity while exhortation increases our expectations. Comfort is what increases our capacity to endure. Today, we will spend more time on encouragement.
The Greek word for encouragement is paraklesis, which can be translated as edification, exhortation or comfort, depending on the context. Encouragement is therefore at the core of these three. We know about the finished works of Christ but we tend to forget that there’s the work of the Holy Spirit. The finished work of Christ is the foundation that makes the coming and the work of the Holy Spirit possible. God has many names, and His Name in any given context informs us about His work. The Holy Spirit is called the Comforter. That speaks volumes, doesn’t it? He is Allos Parakletos, another Comforter.
If we have won the victory through Christ, why do we need a comforter? Think about it. Of all the things you think you will need, the Promise of the Father was to send another Comforter. That tells a lot. I want you to ask the Holy Spirit why you need a comforter. Kindly write three reasons. A time will come when you’ll forget what you wrote down; you will see it one day in the future, and you will be so glad you were sent a Comforter. What makes God God is that He gives us something we don’t realise we need. We think we know what we need so urgently but His thoughts are higher than our thoughts.
Evincing Edification & Exhortation
Edification is the spiritual process of eating food. Just as there is physical food, there is spiritual food. That food is the Word of God. Just as you physically eat everyday, you ought to eat spiritually everyday. Sit down to study the Word and also have a time where you casually read Scriptures. Listen to Spirit-filled sermons. Apart from eating the Word, praying is another way of edifying your spirit man. “…building yourselves in your most holy faith; pray in the Spirit..”. Edification, as we discussed last week, is to build up. All spirit forms connect to God, the source of Life, for life. Thus, any activity you do to interact with God edifies you.
Exhortation is how to get rich spiritually. Physically, having money gives you access to many possibilities. Spiritually, the currency is faith. Being stirred up in faith is exhortation. It happens when you share stories; that’s why the Bible is intentionally full of stories. That’s also why many old men of God share a lot of stories. They aren’t just stories, they are testimonies. Testimonies are prophecies of possibilities. They are exhorting you to increase your level of expectations. Exhortation is another form of comfort. It’s an assurance that your case is not special. He is the same God who came through them all, and He will come through for you.
I met Pastor Adeboye in a dream this year and I could see our levels of expectation. He had far more expectations than I had, although he has about 10 years left to live. I was surprised. I even woke up to my phone playing his sermon titled “Glory Ahead”. How can someone who has seen it all still believe that there is more? Even worse, how can someone who hasn’t seen anything yet think that’s it? On account of this, what do I need? Exhortation! How do I get exhorted? Testimonies. Read church history. Study the lives of those who have gone ahead of you. You can know that God can do it and not believe that He can do it for you. Exhortation personalizes God to your circumstances and gives you the currency to access all possibilities.
Ministration & Administration of Comfort
Eventually, we will get tired. Yes! You will be right in the middle of God’s Will and still see nothing change. The promises of God will keep looking out of touch with present realities. Do you think Abraham didn’t get tired? 25 years? Try waiting in the wilderness to see whether John the Baptist too got tired. God will let whoever comes to Him wait. That’s why Lamentations 3:27 says It is good for a man to bear the yoke in his youth. The earlier you start waiting, the better. It is normal to get tired. In fact, God knows you’re tired. That’s why the first thing He does when you wait on Him is to renew your strength.
Comfort increases your threshold to endure. The great cloud of witnesses around you ran this same race of endurance. They didn’t receive the promise but were able to endure until the end. So the question isn’t “why am I going through so much?”. If God is going to increase your threshold to endure, then He expects you to be able to encourage others while you still feel discomfort. Just as there are intercessors, there are encouragers. There are people who have been given the ministry of encouragement, I believe. One of such in Scriptures was called Barnabas, the Son of Encouragement. They minister and administer comfort. David was also one of such.
When you are discouraged, encourage yourself in the LORD. Draw comfort from the Comforter. What does that practically look like? Encouraging yourself in the LORD is about telling God who He is and telling yourself who God is. We see this all over the Psalms. It is not wrong to tell God about your problems but after that, tell yourself who God is and tell God who He is. “But thou, o LORD, art a shield for me; my glory, the lifter of mine head”. David said that when the situation was still as it is. After you have allowed the Comforter to minister comfort to you, you can now administer comfort to others. It’s only those who know that God is with them that do not fear the giants in the land.
Angelic & Friendship Help
God is very big. Just as He is the Good Shepherd, he chose shepherds over your soul and gave you guardian angels. Every ministry men have, angels also have. Just as there are encouragers and exhorters in men, there are angels that come to minister to you when you’re tired. “When”, because God already anticipated that you’ll be tired at this time. That’s why He allowed me to write this. That’s why you’re reading this at this time. When Jesus was at His lowest point in the garden of Eden, what did He have? Angels of comfort and friends! Angels came to minister to Him after the temptation when He was very weary too. So, don’t think God is blind to what you’re going through.
How do you receive angelic help? Ask the Father in the name of Jesus. They will minister to your soul from the spiritual realm. Your soul can also be ministered to from the physical realm by your friends. Isolation is the worst thing you can do when you’re tired. Jesus was desperate to have His disciples pray with Him in the garden, not because He wasn’t sure God will answer Him, but because of the comfort that comes from the cooperate group. Are you tired? Talk to a listening friend. Have a family of friends who have each other. The encouragement from Heaven will definitely be on one of their lips.
There is comfort knowing you’re not alone. One of the practices of the early church was to report their victories so as to encourage the Body. That’s why we share testimonies. Don’t be silent! Stop suffering alone. You have a friend in me ❤️. Stop staying all alone thinking you can pray and grow by yourself. Haven’t you heard that two are better than one? Don’t confuse solitude with isolation. Once you isolate yourself, you will fall and fail. This journey is about making it until the end. It’s not easy. We need each other. Encourage one another with these things.
When the Holy Spirit brings someone to mind, quickly check up on the person. We live in a world of false connections where people feel so distant even though we are so close. Don’t assume they are fine because of what they post. If you’re the one always checking up on someone, make sure you create a system that makes others check up on you too. Don’t allow yourself to give up. Surround yourself with help. You were not meant to carry everything on your shoulders. Jesus had men; it is, in fact, extremely necessary to have a team, a family, a company.
Encouragement is a mystery. Anyone who lacks it will not make it to the end. Anyone who finds it in times of need will remain unshakeable.
