17. A Gift Meant to Be Shared
All of the original apostles (apart from Judas Iscariot, of course) seem to have experienced hardships and persecution during the establishment of the early Church. The apostle Paul was no exception, and 2 Corinthians 11:23-28 indicates he may have experienced more hardships than any other. Yet Paul not only remained optimistic, he was also a continual source of encouragement for others. In fact, although we need only read the book of Acts to see that many of the early Christians – Barnabas, Judas, Silas, and others – are noted for encouraging others, it is Paul who stands out as the "Apostle of Encouragement."
Almost two-thirds of the New Testament's use of the words encourage and encouragement are to be found in Paul's letters. Paul wrote more than most of the other New Testament writers, of course, but his focus on encouragement is still proportionately greater than we find in the writings of the other apostles. So it is hardly surprising that we can we learn a great deal from Paul's epistles about being encouraged and encouraging others. We have mentioned several of the apostle's comments on encouragement in this book, and there is at least one more that is especially relevant to the subject of encouragement in serving.
In his letter to the Philippians – one of Paul's most encouraging epistles, although it was written while he was imprisoned and in great danger – he speaks specifically about what the result should be of our being encouraged:
Therefore if you have any encouragement from being united with Christ, if any comfort from his love, if any common sharing in the Spirit, if any tenderness and compassion, then make my joy complete by being like-minded, having the same love, being one in spirit and of one mind. Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit. Rather, in humility value others above yourselves, not looking to your own interests but each of you to the interests of the others (Philippians 2:14).
It is easy to miss the connection between our being encouraged and what should result from it in this relatively long passage, but the lesson is there. Paul tells us that if we "have any encouragement" in Christ – if we are encouraged by the relationship we have been given with the Son of God – then we should "value others above" ourselves and be focusing on the needs or "interests" of others – on serving them. What Paul is essentially saying is that just as in our Christian lives we are often blessed to be a blessing to others, so we are often encouraged to be an encouragement to others. Paul himself explains the principle of being blessed to be a blessing in his second letter to the Corinthian church:
And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work … You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion… (2 Corinthians 9:8,11). And he also explains that this same principle applies to encouragement, that God encourages us to help us serve others:
May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word (2 Thessalonians 2:16-17). Clearly, for Paul – the New Testament writer we can most fittingly call the "Apostle of Encouragement" – encouragement is a gift we are given to share. This sharing of the encouragement we ourselves receive is not simply passing on encouragement (though it certainly includes that, of course), but also passing the gift on through our service to others – in having their interests at heart, and in "every good deed and word." Not only are we encouraged to serve by numerous verses in God's word, but also we are encouraged in order to serve!