Encouragement as Spiritual Warfare

"So you're moving back to Central Asia just to pray for folks?" The well-meaning western friend asked me.  He didn't understand what pastoral ministry on the front-lines - where missionaries working among unreached-people groups - entails.  While prayer is crucial, the Bible has strong words when we don't encourage the Body.   

Ezekiel 13:5 states, "You have not gone up into the breaches, or built up a wall for the house of Israel, that it might stand in battle in the day of the Lord."  

There were tasks the leaders were to do that were not being done, and God was communicating his divine displeasure. Let us take a fresh look at 4 reasons we are to become people of encouragement so we do not also incur his displeasure.

1. To Encourage is to be like God.  He is the “God of encouragement” (Rom. 15:5, RSV) and we are commanded to imitate Him (Eph.5:1-2, I Thess 5:11). Part of being like Him includes being men and women of encouragement.  It is not just for those spiritually gifted in encouragement.  It is a learned skill.  Encouragement, when Biblically rooted, re-frames and gives perspective – in light of God’s character demonstrated in his Son. The more we study to understand God’s ways, the more we will become like him and help point others to be like him.

By paying attention to how he works, we learn his ways.  In Genesis 13:17-18 “When Pharaoh let the people go, God did not lead them by way of the land of the Philistines, although that was near. For God said, “Lest the people change their minds when they see war and return to Egypt. But God led the people around by the way of the wilderness toward the Red Sea. And the people of Israel went up out of the land of Egypt equipped for battle."  He is not an "efficient God" by human standards but a God who knows our weaknesses and that often we need the long way. 

“Therefore, encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”   In the context of this verse, it is the promise of the coming of Christ which is to serve as the reason to encourage acceptable behavior among his followers, keeping this promise constantly in mind. Let us be passionate second-advent Followers of the Way. He is coming back soon!

2. Encouragement is for All in the Body, “Romans 1:11 – 12 For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you – that is, that we may be mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine. He wanted them to be mutually encouraged for service, for warfare, for holiness, for steadfastness, for all times and in all walks and at all ages, for all people. Encouragement is NOT just for those in professional ministry.

BUT, we can only give out of what we are and have received

Psalm 106:7 – Psalm 106:7 “Our fathers, when they were in Egypt, did not consider your wondrous works; they did not remember the abundance of your steadfast love, but rebelled by the sea, at the Red Sea.”  

They did not consider, they did not have understanding and they did not remember.  The Israelites were blunted by cruel slavery which had grounded them down to mental sluggishness.  The lack of understanding was one of the main indictment’s against Israel. The sin of not  considering and understanding leads  to the sin of forgetfulness.  

What is not understood will soon be forgotten.  

How good are we at helping our children, spouse, and others comprehend and remember God’s faithfulness in the past and present so they are better prepared to face future adversity? 

3. Encouragement is protection from sin.  Hebrews 3:13 – “But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.”  What sin is the author referring to here?  The sin of not remembering God's faithfulness, of not reviewing His power, rule, sovereignty, patience, mercy, forgiveness, of not trusting His goodness. This leads us to very dangerous ground quite quickly - the lie that we are all alone, no one understands. We become isolated sheep, and the enemy attacks ferociously once we "buy" the lie we are alone.  The battle is in our minds. 

4. Encouragement is Standing in the Gap. In battle, if the enemy made a hole in the city wall, defenders would stand in the gap. They would take the place of the wall and the enemy would not get in until the defenders retreated or were killed. Likewise in spiritual warfare, God looks for believers who will stand in the gap and defend against Satan’s snares. 

In Ezekiel 13:5, we see two distinct images. There were breaches in the walls of Jerusalem, literally and spiritually, and the leaders of Israel, the false prophets, had not been as “repairers of the breach” (Isa. 58:12; Ps. 106:23). The hedge of the vineyard of Israel had been broken through (Isa. 5:5), and they had done nothing to restore it. Ezek. 22:30 And I sought for a man among them who should build up the wall and stand in the breach before me for the land, that I should not destroy it, but I found none.  They had no crisis ministry (v. 5). They could not strengthen the breaks in the walls or fortify broken lives.

Nahum 2:1 commands us:  "The scatterer has come up against you. Man the ramparts; watch the road; dress for battle; collect all your strength."    There is a battle raging around the world for the hearts and minds of  men, women, and children.  Standing in the gap means we are placing ourselves in the firing line, too.  We must stand alert, firm, and always ready.  So what gaps do you have?  What gaps do you need to be listening for, asking about in your own life as well as friends, colleagues, and those for whom you are responsible? 

Where are you or others being snared with lies and oppression? How equipped are you with the knowledge of how to put on your spiritual armor and the skills needed to fight off oppression and direct attack by the enemy?

Is 58:12  says, "And your ancient ruins shall be rebuilt: you shall raise up the foundations of many generations; you shall be called the repairer of the breach, the restorer of streets to dwell in."  

Let us be remembered as men and women who were “Repairers of the Breach,”who by our encouragement and example others to stand firm to bring the light of His kingdom to the dark places of the world.  

Life: A Bowl of Maynnaise or Pudding

"I dipped my spoon into the large bowl of vanilla pudding on my tray. As I lifted it to my mouth, I noticed that many students in the cafeteria appeared to be staring at me. Too late, my mouth closed around the spoon, and instantly my brain registered the vinegar taste of mayonnaise not the sweet dessert I had anticipated. The students broke out laughing."

When I reflect on our feelings of adapting to life in Central Asia, my husband's freshman college cafeteria experience of accidentally eating mayonnaise is somewhat of an accurate word picture of our experience.  What we looked forward to in sweet anticipation had often been a bitter reality. 

One friend said it particularly well when he said all aspects of life here are abrasive. The terrain, the weather, the culture as a whole, and daily living is abrasive. It is very easy to focus on the negatives and stressors of our lives in this corner of Central Asia.

We learned that in the local culture, it is considerably honorable to have a lot to complain about it. This “spirit of complaining” impacts a lot of us foreigners as well, robbing us of joy and a godly perspective. Instead, we need to be daily putting on the helmet of salvation (Eph. 6) and disciplining our minds to have the mind of Christ.

When you consider yourself and your teammates, do you see them flourishing or are there subtle signs of disease of the soul, like complaining, spiritual dryness, or compassion fatigue?

Psalm 104:16 says, "The trees of the Lord are watered abundantly, the cedars of Lebanon that he planted. In them the birds build their nests, the stork has her home in the fir trees."   

Let's take a minute to consider Cedar trees:

• Cedar trees are the most cold-hardy species of cedar. 
• They prefer well-drained, fertile soil, but tolerate infertile, dry, or alkaline soil. 
• They are slow-growing (less than 1 ft per year). These trees can grow as high as 50-80 feet and spread their branches at the base as much as 20-30 feet in diamter. 
• They live a long time.  
• Their shade provides relief from the hot sun. 
• Cedar trees have a pleasant smell which comes from the natural oils which only develop in mature trees. This natural oil is toxic to insects and fungus. When wood dust falls from the tree, it carries the natural oil which repels poisonous snakes.   
• Cedar trees do not bear cones until the 40-50 year mark, but then produce cones in abundance.
• Cedar tree wood serves many important purposes for humans, and are also beautiful to enjoy.

 How about you? Ministry to others comes out of the kind of people we are. Are we a safe refuge for others? What spiritual "fruit" are visibly evident in our lives?  

Our prayer for front line workers is that you will be strengthened to comprehend the internal reality of God's heart through the eyes and ears of your heart and that you may be filled with all the fullness of God (Ephesians 3:19, my paraphrase).  

....We don't pray this lightly, as often the most direct route to having God's heart is through pain and death-to-self. But the narrow path which leads to becoming His image is a path of being, not of doing.  

His image in us comes out of the internal reality of the type of person we are.   

Let us be a living demonstration of the Good News to expats and nationals (John 13:35) because the people in Central Asia who are dying by the millions without hope.

Forehead Like Flint

"What does firm faith which will stand against all hardship and persecution look like? (Ez.3:8)

• …It is the minute-by-minute walking in the knowledge that He is well-pleased with me before I do anything; (Mark 1:11) He simply enjoys me;

•  When I choose to make decisions with the perspective that God is my only option…there is no plan B…without His intervention I cannot succeed;  

• When I am not surprised at His greatness;
• When I am unwavering when I feel His absence;
• When I thirst only for Him when He gives me periods of dryness;
• When I receive His correction in thankful humility;

• When I don't automatically assume that "success" is His blessing and Divine favor or "difficulties" are a sign of divine displeasure or of judgment, but All are purely gracious gifts from his Hand and another opportunity to be more like Him; 

• When I will not be swayed, turned back, or dismayed by the unjust criticism or sophisticated rejection of friends, colleagues, family members;

• When I live each moment with all my resources as an "Advent Christian" praying fervently for his soon return, knowing the time is running short.

…Perhaps, in His unlimited mercy and lavish grace, He will use even me to bring Him glory and desire to call me His friend."