THE MINISTRY OF ENCOURAGEMENT
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Wherever you were across the Roman Empire at the time of Paul’s ministry, it took courage to be a follower of Jesus. Throughout the history of the Christian faith, it has taken courage to follow Jesus, just as it does today. But such courage does not come by locking ourselves away to muster moments of courage from our own limited emotional and spiritual resources. Rather, one of the key reasons for participating in a community of faith is to create and share a collective courage, acknowledging our many fears and uncertainties while borrowing from the faith, hope, experience, and wisdom of fellow believers.
As the body of Christ, the church should be a community of courage. Paul regularly urged the early Christians to encourage—literally, “to inspire with courage”—one another. Encouragement was a recurring theme of his ministry and his many letters.
Perhaps it would be more accurate to say that, second only to the proclamation of the story of Jesus, encouragement was the reason for his ministry and letters.
But courage is not based merely on a collective resource of courage. Our true courage is built on God and His goodness. This was the core message that Paul wanted to share with the believers he was concerned about. In relationship with and knowledge of this God, we find courage to live with our fears and doubts, to confront the wrong around us, and to live with thoughtfulness and love, whatever our circumstances. After all, He is the God who is almost always cued onto the stage of history, our lives, and our world with a “Don’t be afraid” directed to His people. This was the same God that Paul preached, who had now become part of our human history in the person and presence of Jesus.
