I recently
attended a youth camp at which the primary focus was outreach. It was a great
encouragement to me especially hearing testimonies of how God was working with
and in us. I went looking in the Bible for some verses about encouraging one
another. I found a verse in first Thessalonians chapter four and verse
eighteen, “Wherefore comfort one another with
these words.” This verse is straight after the verses that
talk about Jesus’ second coming. If we are to comfort one another with thoughts
of Christ’s soon coming, wouldn’t it also be of great comfort to encourage one
another with testimonies of more souls come to the light of Christ’s soon
returning?
I also
looked at Ellen White’s writings to see what she had to say on the topic. In
Manuscript Releases I found this quote, “The Lord wants living
members in His church, men and women who will encourage one another in faithful
service.” I also found another great quote in Steps
to Christ, “We sustain a loss when we
neglect the privilege of associating together to strengthen and encourage one
another in the service of God. The truths of His Word lose their vividness and
importance in our minds. Our hearts cease to be enlightened and aroused by
their sanctifying influence, and we decline in spirituality. In our association
as Christians we lose much by lack of sympathy with one another. He who shuts
himself up to himself is not filling the position that God designed he should.
The proper cultivation of the social elements in our nature brings us into
sympathy with others and is a means of development and strength to us in the
service of God.”
We may not be able to associate and
encourage each other in person all the time, but we can share our testimony and
experiences to encourage one another in faith and service.
If you have any testimonies or experiences
of the working of our Almighty Savior in your life, we’d love to hear them and
be able share them with others.
God bless and go bless,
