The definitions of the word encourage are explained in three ways which mean to give support, confidence, or hope to (someone), or persuade (someone) to do or continue to do something by giving support and advice or stimulate the development of (an activity, state, or belief).1 Developing the attitude of encouraging others is vital for every Christian. It is one way of sustaining the growth and formation of the Christian community. An analysis of the definitions unfolds how words and deeds are used. Being careful about how you speak and act towards others must be taken with a lot of care. It can result in someone being encouraged or discouraged.
Many things go wrong, even to the point of being destructive just because of not encouraging one another. For instance, you are in a scenario where you think you are making this fantastic decision, and someone puts you off or working hard. Still, instead, people you work with are out to frustrate you, or you are confused on the verge of giving up, and someone tells you you are finished; I don’t know how you would feel. Many times, in life, we find ourselves in such scenarios. We find ourselves at crossroads, not knowing what to do. Discouragements come in many forms that can even make one give up in life.
Discouragements are bound to come in life, and we will not miss those who discourage us. There are numerous examples in Scripture to learn from that attest to experiences of discouragement. One is that Nehemiah’s vision of building the walls of Jerusalem encountered discouragement through Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah as recorded in Nehemiah 2:17-20,
Then I said to them, “You see the trouble we are in, how Jerusalem lies in ruins with its gates burned. Come, let us rebuild the wall of Jerusalem, so that we may no longer suffer disgrace.” I told them that the hand of my God had been gracious upon me, and also the words that the king had spoken to me. Then they said, “Let us start building!” So they committed themselves to the common good. But when Sanballat the Horonite and Tobiah the Ammonite official, and Geshem the Arab heard of it, they mocked and ridiculed us, saying, “What is this that you are doing? Are you rebelling against the king?” Then I replied to them, “The God of heaven is the one who will give us success, and we his servants are going to start building; but you have no share or claim or historic right in Jerusalem.”2
People may not react positively to that exciting vision that God has put in your heart. Nehemiah was sure that what he wanted to do was from God (2:12). Nehemiah’s move in this act as he moves forth with executing the plan that God had laid in his heart is quite inspiring. In all that was to happen, the fulfillment of Nehemiah’s vision needed God’s intervention and the faithful’s collective response to God’s work in their life. Being part of this community was crucial to Nehemiah succeeding or failing in what he wanted to do. Nehemiah wanted to do what was in God’s plan, but it depended on how the community would react.
It is no secret that there are those amongst the faithful who can discourage others. It is a behavior caused by evil, unbelieving heart that turns people away from God. The writer of the letter of Hebrews notes, “Take care, brothers and sisters, a that none of you may have an evil, unbelieving heart that turns away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin. For we have become partners of Christ, if only we hold our first confidence firm to the end (3:13-14).
It is no wonder that it is recorded in the gospel of Matthew that, “Beware of false prophets, who come to you in sheep’s clothing but inwardly are ravenous wolves. You will know them by their fruits. Are grapes gathered from thorns, or figs from thistles? In the same way, every good tree bears good fruit, but the bad tree bears bad fruit” (7:15-18). In this sense, one way of bearing fruits springs from encouraging one another.
It becomes an act that can bring people to Christ. Because the fruits translate to the actions within the Christian community, if Christians discourage one another, then those who do not believe in Christ will have nothing to learn about Christ. It is essential to know that encouraging one another can be a way of preaching the Gospel of Christ. For instance, when Christians come together to help the needy, that can be an act of encouragement.
Always be prepared because some will stand against what God has put in your heart. We need to rebuke those who try to discourage us in such circumstances. Nehemiah went ahead and rebuked those who were discouraging him (verse 20). Those who discourage us have no part in what God is doing in our lives. All good that God plans in our life will be accomplished as recorded in Phillipian.1:6, “I am confident of this, that the one who began a good work among you will bring it to completion by the day of Jesus Christ.”
It took twelve years for my vision to come to study in the United States of America to be fulfilled. Why it took that long is because there were discouragements along the way. Mostly some stood openly to tell me that I would not make it. For instance, some would say you think you will travel on foot. Either way, it took the hand of God to bring people along the way who encouraged me to stand firm. It was not easy, but I soldiered on and overcame the discouragements with the help of God.
Discouragements do not only come from people but also situations that we encounter in life. For instance, when someone loses a loved one, loses a job, or even becomes sick. It is during those low moments that encouragement is needed from the faithful. Encouraging one another in such circumstances leads to the realization of an embodiment of the value of community. Unfortunately, this can be a challenge, especially in a context where individualism as a way of life is encouraged.
We live in a world slowly drifting into individualism, a habit or principle of being independent and self-reliant or a self-centered feeling or conduct, egoism—a social theory favoring freedom of action for individuals over collective or state control.3 Africa where communal living was highly embraced has also been impacted by individualism. In one of the familiar connotations of the embodiment of African communal living, it is expressed in the words I am because we are. Meaning an individual cannot live in isolation without the community. It correlates with Paul’s view of the metaphor of the body of Christ in the sense that there is solidarity in times of need (1Corinthians 12;12-27).
Nowadays during the time of need or discouragement, it may not be so easy to get help or get encouragement from the community that one comes from as an African. It goes hand in with the familiar saying that everyone for themselves and God for us all. Deconstructing such philosophies is necessary for sustaining the value of communal living. Teaching and sensitizing the need for the value of communal living among Christians is required ever than before.
The story of Nehemiah is an encouraging one; despite Sanballat and Tobiah standing in the way, eventually, they were dismayed (6: 15 -17). It is noted, “So the wall was finished on the twenty fifth day of the month Elul, in fifty-two days. And when all our enemies heard of it, all the nations around us were afraid and fell greatly in their own esteem; for they perceived that this work had been accomplished with the help of our God.”
A lesson to learn is that those who stand as Sanballat and Tobiah waste their time, energy, and even their resources as we see them moving up and down, discouraging others. Sometimes we meet such people. How would you feel if you were the one discouraging others, and then you hear that the one you were discouraging succeeded? It is certain that eventually, those who fall into the enemy’s trap become dismayed. The better part of it is that they also come to their senses in recognizing that it is God they were fighting but not the faithful. It is important to pray for those who discourage others that they too come to their senses in the end to glorify God.
It takes the divine and human agency to find encouragement in discouraging moments. Nehemiah, as the leader, did a significant part as a human being with the Divine intervention that came along the way. When crossing the Red sea, the Israelites were discouraged on the verge of giving up. Moses had to encourage the Israelites to stand firm as recorded in the book of Exodus,
As Pharaoh drew near, the Israelites looked back, and there were the Egyptians advancing on them. In great fear the Israelites cried out to the Lord. They said to Moses, “Was it because there were no graves in Egypt that you have taken us away to die in the wilderness? What have you done to us, bringing us out of Egypt? Is this not the very thing we told you in Egypt, ‘Let us alone and let us serve the Egyptians’? For it would have been better for us to serve the Egyptians than to die in the wilderness.” But Moses said to the people, “Do not be afraid, stand firm, and see the deliverance that the Lord will accomplish for you today; for the Egyptians whom you see today you shall never see again. (14:10- 13)
Moses stood his ground as Nehemiah did as the leader to seek the face of God. His words to the Israelites were encouraging and gave them strength. They then successfully overcame Pharaoh and the Egyptian army who were pursuing them. Leadership is crucial in embodying the act of encouraging one another. Leadership roles are diverse in society and come with the enormous responsibility of encouraging others. If, in any case, Moses and Nehemiah did not stand as leaders to encourage those they were leading, it would have been disastrous. Christian leaders should always seek the face of God in leading well those given to them to lead.
It is saddening to hear the cries worldwide calling for a change in living. We wake up every day to consequences that emanate from poor leadership. It is characterized mainly by people living in an oppressive system of life who are so discouraged. Different institutions and organizations easily fall into the trap of perpetuating oppression through leadership. When many people get into leadership, it becomes their chance to use their position with their power for exploitation.
Someone said power corrupts. It seems to be a recurring theme addressed in the Bible, especially as we see prophets denouncing the consequences of the misuse of power. Bungishabaku Katho notes: “The prophet Jeremiah lived during the last and most difficult days of his nation, Judah. His tasks consisted, among many others, of addressing the leaders of Judah by showing them that the cause of her decay as a nation was the abuse of power by those in leadership.”4 With the misuse of power, some leaders do whatever they want to do, not even caring how it impacts life.
At times the quest for leadership is filled with self-ambition. There is that aspect of wanting to be in leadership to get employment or being called so and so. Or, in other cases, to earn money. In some words that I heard from a discouraging leader was that you can lie to be hired. It can be ridiculous to do what you know is not coming out of the heart. It is easy to fail in leadership with search perception and fail the people.
All these forms of deficiencies in leadership can have dire consequences for humanity and all creation. Many times, under such leadership, people live discouraged lives. It is not God’s intent for people to live that way within a Christian community. As a community of Christians, we are called to encourage one another. So, as Christians, each of us is responsible for participating in this ministry of encouraging one another.
Sometimes there is nowhere to find encouragement other than from Christ. George Fox, the founder of Quakerism, once encountered discouragement, and he had nowhere to run to other than Christ. In some instances, Fox had nowhere to get answers to why the behavior of those who professed to be Christians and the clergy was contrary to the Christian faith and practice. For instance, Russel notes, “the frivolous, mercenary and persecuting spirit of the clergy troubled him…”5 Finally, in that desperation, Russel recounts Fox would not find answers even from the priests.6 Eventually, Christ spoke to Fox’s condition.
George Fox’s situation may not be any different from what is happening today among Christians. At times the is nowhere to run to other than Christ. It is recorded in George Fox Journal that “And when all my hopes in them and in all men were gone, so that I had nothing outwardly to help me, nor could tell what to do; then, Oh! then I heard a voice which said, ‘There is one, even Christ Jesus, that can speak to thy condition.’”7
Christ is the true shepherd who is always ready to hear our cries when we are discouraged, to discern and to know the voice of Christ protects us from those who discourage us and even from discouragements that we encounter. In any case, the source of all this is the devil whose intention is to steal, destroy and kill but, Christ came that we may have life and have it abundantly. (John 10:10) As part of Christ’s flock, we should not lose hope in a time of discouragement. It is recorded,
“Very truly, I tell you, anyone who does not enter the sheepfold by the gate but climbs in by another way is a thief and a bandit. The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep hear his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. When he has brought out all his own, he goes ahead of them, and the sheep follow him because they know his voice. (John 10: 1-4)
At times on the verge of almost giving up in serving in ministry, it is the still small voice from Christ that has always come to my rescue. When I was beginning my training for ministry many people told me that I had made a wrong decision in life. Most of them claimed that I will be depending on handouts in all my life serving as a pastor. It was so discouraging to me. In that situation, I almost gave up, but after pleading with God in prayer, I certainly heard a song being sung by a host of heavenly beings encouraging me not to give up. I know the still, small voice is speaking to someone in the discouraging moments through this sermon. I want to assure you that even Christ can speak to thy condition. Don’t give up.
Amen.
Oscar Lugusa Malande is a member of the Religious Society of Friends (Quakers) Vihiga Yearly Meeting in Kenya and holds a Master of Arts in Religion and Certificate in Entrepreneurial Ministry from Earlham School of Religion. He is a doctoral student at the University of Birmingham, Woodbrooke Quaker Study Centre. Oscar currently teaches at Friends Theological College Kaimosi in Kenya. Oscar is married to Zipporah Adema Mileha and they are blessed with four children, two girls, Axtel Imali and Georgia Muhonja, and two boys, Samuel Malande and Jay Riggs Mulindi.
- Encourage (2008). In Soanes C., Stevenson A.(Eds.), (11th ed., rev. ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/encyclopedias-reference-works/encourage/docview/2138006511/se-2?accountid=8630.
- All Biblical citations are from Coogan, Michael D.; Brettler, Marc Z.; Perkins, Pheme; Newsom, Carol A.. The New Oxford Annotated Bible with Apocrypha: New Revised Standard Version. Oxford University Press. Kindle Edition.
- Individualism (2008). In Soanes C., Stevenson A.(Eds.), (11th ed., rev. ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. Retrieved from https://www.proquest.com/encyclopedias-reference-works/individualism/docview/2138036199/se-2?accountid=8630.
- Bungishabaku Katho, “Jeremiah 22: Implications for the Exercise of Political Power in Africa” in Interpreting the Old Testament in Africa, ed. Mary Getui, et al., (New York: Peter Lang Publishing Inc., 2012), 153. ProQuest ebrary.
- Elbert Russe.l, The History of Quakerism (New York: Macmillan Company, 1942), 21.
- Ibid, 22.
- Ibid 21.