Traits of a Bond-Servant of Christ-Seeking to Encourage, Comfort and Strengthen Others

Following on the heals of the last bond-servant trait of having a deep and genuine concern for the welfare of others is this next trait-a bond-servant of Christ seeks to encourage, comfort, and strengthen others.

The trait mentioned in an earlier post describes the heart of a bond-servant, i.e. a deep and genuine concern for the welfare of others. This trait focuses on three things a bond-servant does: encourage, comfort, and strengthen others. Paul’s friend and ministry colleague serving at the Colossian church was Tychicus. Paul describes him as a “beloved brother and faithful servant and fellow bond-servant in the Lord”. Paul sent him to the Colossian believers and informs them that he is sending Tychicus so that he [Thycicus] “may encourage your hearts“ [Col 4:8]. Thus, one of the action steps of a bond-servant is to encourage others. The Greek word used here for encourage is the word “parakaleo” meaning to come alongside to strengthen another person. This is what a coach does to/for his athlete that he coaching to help run a race or participate in some athletic contest. He comes alongside the athlete to help encourage him, perhaps comfort him/her if the athlete fell short, but in all events to strengthen the athlete to persevere, endure hardness, and perhaps adopt a different or better strategy to overcome the opposition or challenge. This is also precisely what the Holy Spirit does for us and He is call the “paraclete” [Gk.=paracletos] in John 14:16 where Jesus says: “I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper [Paracletos- sometimes translated comforter, advocate, intercessor] that He may be with you forever’.

In Paul’s letter to the church at Thessalonica, after writing and informing them about the plan of God for them, including the Lord’s return and the believers’ being “caught up together with them [already deceased believers] he then says: “ therefore, comfort one another with these words“. [4: 18]. A few verses later in chapter five he says: “For God has not destined us for wrath, but for obtaining salvation through our Lord Jesus Christ.. he then makes the conclusionary statement: “therefore, encourage one another and build up one another ..”

One of the primary purposes of the church gathered, at least regarding human relationships is that of mutual encouragement. The context of the use of this word [encourage] in several passages in the letter to the Hebrews clearly shows that the word encourage does not primarily mean to “cheer up” as we might commonly think of those words, but more in line with strengthen a person’s resolve to persevere. “Take care brethren, that there not be in any one of you an evil unbelieving heart that falls away from the living God, but encourage one another day after day so that none of you will be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” [Heb 3:12-14]. Again, in chapter ten: …”not forsaking our own assembling together as is the habit of some but encouraging one another and all the more as you see the day drawing near” [Heb 3:12-14]. The Christian life is not a cake walk, a casual, easy journey to the celestial city but a race, against opposition and danger [read the story of Pilgrim’s Progress] and that being the case we need all of the encouragement we can gather to persevere. The writer to Hebrews reminds the reader of the need for endurance: “For you have need of endurance, so that when you have done the will of God [i.e. completed your life journey], you may receive what was promised” [Heb 10:35-36]

One simple way of encouraging others is to become a good listener. Being more ready to listen than speak can help us become more of a “safe” person for others to feel free to unburden themselves or at least open their heart just a crack to let us gently enter and comfort or encourage them. Many of us are far too eager to speak before we have fully heard our friend or another share their thoughts or circumstances. Proverbs says: “He who gives an answer before he hears, it is folly and shame to him” [18:13]. Sometimes I start answering my wife before she has finished her story and I discover that she was going in a different direction that I anticipated. If I had just waited until she finished I could have given a much better response.

The passages cited above in Colossian and Thessalonian letters show that using the scriptures themselves is one very effective and important way of encouraging, comforting and strengthening others, and thus, becoming steeped in “encouraging truths” of the Word of God will help equip us to come alongside others. But we must be careful that we don’t beat them up with the scriptures, but we also learn to “weep with those who weep, and rejoice with those who rejoice’ [Romans 12: 15], in other words we are careful to sense the emotional state of mind of the other person so we can respond in a way that shows we are actually “in touch” with their inner person and thus are more attune to what words or actions will help, in fact, encourage, comfort, or strengthen them.

As you ponder this bond-servant trait, would others say that you are an encouraging person? Would they say you are a good listener? Do you seek to build others up or do your words or even facial expressions “tear them down”? Do you think your job is to “fix” other peoples’ problems, [or their person] even when they have not asked you to do so? What steps can you take that will result in your becoming more of an “uplifting” person that others desire to be around?