Encourage Others: The Encouragement Checklist

Speak It – Part 11

Review: The Pattern of Speaking

We Must Speak What We Believe - 2 Corinthians 4:13 (AMP)

Yet we have the same spirit of faith as he had, who wrote in Scripture, "I believed, therefore I spoke." We also believe, therefore we also speak.

Proverbs 17:17 (AMP)

A friend loves at all times, And a brother is born for adversity.

Proverbs 17:17 (NLT)

A friend is always loyal, and a brother is born to help in time of need.

When we encourage, we are infusing strength, repairing, and holding up our fellow Christ followers.

The Reality of Trials

John 16:33 (AMP)

I have told you these things, so that in Me you may have [perfect] peace. In the world you have tribulation and distress and suffering, but be courageous [be confident, be undaunted, be filled with joy]; I have overcome the world." [My conquest is accomplished, My victory abiding.]

1 Peter 4:12 (AMP)

Beloved, do not be surprised at the fiery ordeal which is taking place to test you [that is, to test the quality of your faith], as though something strange or unusual were happening to you.

Main Text: 1 Thessalonians 5:11-23

1 Thessalonians 5:11 (AMP)

Therefore encourage and comfort one another and build up one another, just as you are doing.

The Encouragement Checklist:

• Build each other up
• Honor leaders
• Show leaders great respect
• Live in peace
• Warn the lazy
• Encourage the timid
• Help the weak
• Be patient
• Resist revenge

Be Joyful Always

1 Thessalonians 5:16 (AMP)

Rejoice always and delight in your faith.

Be joyful. It's your choice to rejoice.

James 1:2-4 (AMP)

Consider it nothing but joy, my brothers and sisters, whenever you fall into various trials. Be assured that the testing of your faith [through experience] produces endurance [leading to spiritual maturity, and inner peace]. And let endurance have its perfect result and do a thorough work, so that you may be perfect and completely developed [in your faith], lacking in nothing.

Every day of life is a day to have joy:

• Every car accident that God spared me from
• Every club that I got out of that God covered me in
• Every bed that I shouldn't have been in
• Every disease that God saved me from
• Every situation and circumstance that could have been but wasn't

Remember that even in the midst of turmoil, God is in control. The Christian who remains in sadness and depression really breaks a commandment—in some direction or other, he mistrusts God: His power, providence, or forgiveness.

Pray Continually

1 Thessalonians 5:17 (AMP)

be unceasing and persistent in prayer.

Pray continually—never stop talking to and allowing God to talk to you. God is always with you; talk to Him. Have a devotional frame of mind. It is impossible to be always on our bended knees, but we may be in the spirit of prayer when engaged in the duties of our earthly calling.

Give Thanks in Every Situation

1 Thessalonians 5:18 (AMP)

in every situation [no matter what the circumstances] be thankful and continually give thanks to God; for this is the will of God for you in Christ Jesus.

To be thankful, we must be grateful. Make a list of all the gifts God has given you, giving thanks to God for each one.

Psalm 34:1 (NLT)

I will bless the LORD at all times; His praise will always be on my lips.

Our whole lives ought to be one continued thank-offering for all the blessings of redemption.

Powerful quotes on gratitude:

• "We would worry less if we praised more. Thanksgiving is the enemy of discontent and dissatisfaction." —Harry A. Ironside
• "Thankfulness is the beginning of gratitude. Gratitude is the completion of thankfulness. Thankfulness may consist merely of words. Gratitude is shown in acts." —Henri Frederic Amiel
• "When I started counting my blessings, my whole life turned around." —Willie Nelson
• "Got no checkbooks, got no banks, still I'd like to express my thanks. I got the sun in the morning and the moon at night." —Irving Berlin

Do Not Quench the Holy Spirit

1 Thessalonians 5:19 (AMP)

Do not quench [subdue, or be unresponsive to the working and guidance of] the [Holy] Spirit.

He can never be extinguished, but we can be unresponsive. Cooperate with the Spirit the next time He prompts you to participate. The Holy Spirit's personal working is upon our spirits. We grieve the Spirit when we take the Spirit to places it doesn't want to go—sleeping with someone, misuses of your body.

What quenches the Spirit:

• Gloom (1 Thessalonians 5:16)
• Neglect of prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:17)
• Discontentment with the answer which God chooses to give to prayer (1 Thessalonians 5:18)
• In the end, it will reduce us to the condition in which we were before we were confirmed (Romans 8:9)

Do Not Scoff at Prophecies

1 Thessalonians 5:20 (AMP)

Do not scorn or reject gifts of prophecy or prophecies [spoken revelations—words of instruction or exhortation or warning].

Do not scoff at prophecies. Receive God's word from those who speak for Him. The term "prophesying" means the gift of interpreting Scripture, so that a prophet is an interpreter of the will of God.

Test Everything

1 Thessalonians 5:21 (AMP)

But test all things carefully [so you can recognize what is good]. Hold firmly to that which is good.

Put everything to the test. "Prove" here means to test, as metals are tested in the fire; and hence the word frequently denotes the favorable result of the testing, or approval. We should not rest our faith on the authority of others. We ought thoroughly to examine all doctrines by the test of Scripture, and then, discerning their reasons, we shall be able to take a firmer hold of them.

1 John 4:1-2 (AMP)

Beloved, do not believe every spirit [speaking through a self-proclaimed prophet]; instead test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets and teachers have gone out into the world. By this you know and recognize the Spirit of God: every spirit that acknowledges and confesses [the fact] that Jesus Christ has [actually] come in the flesh [as a man] is from God [God is its source].

Abstain from Every Form of Evil

1 Thessalonians 5:22 (AMP)

Abstain from every form of evil [withdraw and keep away from it].

Avoid every kind of evil. Avoid situations where you will be drawn into temptation. Abstain from all appearance of evil—like driving in the car alone with another woman when you're married.

Count on God's Constant Help

1 Thessalonians 5:23 (AMP)

Now may the God of peace Himself sanctify you through and through [that is, separate you from profane and vulgar things, make you pure and whole and undamaged—consecrated to Him—set apart for His purpose]; and may your spirit and soul and body be kept complete and [be found] blameless at the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ.

Count on God's constant help. Realize that the Christian life is to be lived not in our own strength but through God's power.

Discussion Questions

1. Choosing joy: The message emphasizes that being joyful is a choice. What situations in your life are currently challenging your ability to rejoice? How can you intentionally choose joy even when circumstances are difficult?
2. Gratitude practice: Make a list of specific things God has spared you from or brought you through. How does reflecting on God's past faithfulness change your perspective on your current challenges? What would change if you started each day by counting your blessings?
3. Prayer as a lifestyle: What does it mean to pray continually—to maintain a "devotional frame of mind" throughout your day? How can you develop the habit of staying in constant conversation with God while going about your daily responsibilities?
4. Testing everything: The passage commands us to test all things carefully and hold firmly to what is good. How do you currently evaluate whether something is from God? What role does Scripture play in your discernment process?
5. Not quenching the Spirit: The message lists several ways we quench the Holy Spirit: gloom, neglect of prayer, discontentment, and grieving the Spirit by where we take Him. Which of these do you struggle with most? What practical steps will you take this week to cooperate with the Holy Spirit instead of resisting His work in your life?