Teach One Another 5

1 Thessalonians 5:9-11

The other day my wife and I were recommending a course of action with our teenage son, but he seemed reluctant to listen to our advice. I finally stopped the conversation and explained that what we were advising was not meant to frustrate and torment him, but the advice was intended to make things as good as they could be with our son because we loved him and wanted the best.

The same type of situation can occur when dealing with issues of faith, especially those new to the faith. The path of salvation, the changes needed, the new attitude can be confusing or difficult to accept.

In his letter to the church in Thessalonica Paul offers some encouragement. What does God want for us? What has Christ done? What are we to do?

As believers in the faith, as Christian brothers and sisters, we are meant to uplift and encourage one another. Part of our teaching is to be the message of salvation for those new to the faith and those who may have lost sight of the purpose of Jesus.

Even those who have been faithful for many years need to be encouraged and lifted up from time to time. But in our teaching and instruction, in our encouragement, we need to be certain that our purpose is clear.

As we have seen before, we must be certain that the word of Christ dwells richly within us. We must be certain that what we do, we do in the name of Jesus and for the purpose of strengthening faith and securing salvation.

We all must remember that God’s intention for us is that we do not suffer, but that we are saved, even when we are not completely aware of the salvation offered. We should continue to build up the family of faith but with the awareness that we may need to explain our purposes to those who are learning.

DAILY CHALLENGE: How can you encourage another in the name of Christ?