Encouraging your church

Encouragement

Recent ministry trips away have been used by the Lord to demonstrate to me how He encourages His people. Strive as we might, and with the best will in the world, our encouragement sometimes only serves to deepen the discouragement because our testimonies only serve to prove that God is certainly moving – but in other people’s lives. When we are in the privileged position of serving other churches, we are so honoured to be trusted with their pulpits. Yet with all our efforts, sometimes they just go plain wrong.

So these last couple of years, I have had to learn to step back a bit and allow the Lord to show me how He wants me to work. To many of you, all that I am going to say may be so obvious that it’s as plain as the nose on your face. The Lord has always given me that vital ‘word in season’ with which to start to build a congregations faith. But that is all it does – it starts to build faith but it doesn’t do any more than that. Only the Lord can consolidate that faith building by actions that we cannot hope to do.

I can only explain further by example. At our latest meetings, we had a brilliant introductory talk which served to start building faith. Then we had some testimonies from the team about miracles that we have seen - and faith rose further. Then we had testimony from one or two of the members of the church – people who were known by the congregation – this started to make it personal and faith rose further still. Finally – the Lord gave us words of knowledge of conditions and sicknesses in the congregation. This was where He really took over because we watched people saying, “That’s me!” and preparing to almost run forward to claim their healings. That too was when miracles started to happen.

It may seem very obvious to many of you, and in hindsight, this is how we have always tried to operate. Yet it is only on these past two or three years that the Lord has opened my eyes to see what was really happening. So why does this only happen occasionally, or worse still, when visiting ministers are present? Why is this not the status quo for too many churches? Perhaps it is only the presence of visiting ministers that allows a freedom, otherwise carefully controlled, into their meetings. The Pastor, unable to lift his own congregation for whatever reason, allows the use of outsiders to encourage himself and his congregation. He uses those who have more experience or more freedom to operate the gifts and work of the Holy Spirit. God does everything else.

So pastors, do by all means protect your pulpit, but do not be afraid to make room for outsiders who can encourage both you and your people. Let the Lord show you who to use - through others you know and trust or through your own discernment. Help yourself to help your people to raise their faith and their expectations of God. Give them new experiences of the Lord – there is always something new, something more to receive from Him. It is this that is so encouraging to all of us, whether leaders or followers.