Encourage One Another in Christ

(1 Thessalonians 5:11)

Encourage one another in Christ. Never has the call for encouragement and the need for it been so great as it is today.

This scripture today exhorts the people of God to encourage one another in Christ and to build one another up. The need is great. The time is short and the return of the Lord is soon.

And we are warned in prophecy and scripture that as the time draws near, so too the increase in animosity and downright hatred of Christians will increase.

Encourage one another in Christ

Here is what this verse says today.

Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing. (1 Thessalonians 5:11)

The stresses that are coming upon the Christian world are increasing. We are being attacked on all sides, both spiritually and physically.

It has already been noted by many that Christians are the most persecuted people on the planet. Even Prince Charles of England has spoken about the plight of Christians being persecuted in some regions of the middle eastern world.

But it is not limited to those regions. The persecution is growing everywhere.

The people of the world are increasingly being led to believe that Christians and Christianity are the problem rather than the solution. They consider Christians to be some kind of right wing extremists trying to destroy the lives of others. And nothing could be further from the truth.

Jesus Himself said:

It is to fulfil the word that is written in their law, ‘They hated me without a cause. (John 15:25)

And if they hate the master, they will also hate His followers.

This is why it is so important today that we encourage one another in Christ Jesus. If we are to receive the rewards of the faith and to stand with Christ in His kingdom, we must remain strong and not allow the opposition of Satan and those who are his to affect or overcome us.

Who is the enemy?

This brings us to an important point. Who is the real enemy in all of this?

It is not the person who is deriding you. It is not the person who may even hate, fight, take legal action against you, or even physically and verbally abuse you for being a Christian.

The real enemy here is the devil himself. Satan is the one behind all of this hate and the attacks that are happening more and more frequently. And these attacks will get worse and more violent.

But remember at all times, it is not the people attacking who are the enemy. It is Satan.

Recall the time after Pentecost when Peter stood up and told the people that they had killed the Christ (see Acts chapter 2). The people were horrified when they realised what they had done.

All of those people had ridiculed, hated, opposed, and agreed that Christ should die. They were the enemies of Christ during that time until by the words of Peter they realised how wrong they were, and were terrified and horrified at their own actions.

What did Peter tell them to do? Repent and be baptised in the name of Jesus Christ. And three thousand people came to Christ that day.

Think about that for a moment. Three thousand “enemies” of Christ turned around in a single day to honour, love, and follow the one whom they had assented and clamoured to be put to death just fifty days or so earlier.

These people were not the enemies of Christ, nor the enemies of the people of Christ.

Satan is the enemy. Remember that and don’t be concerned at the attacks that may come from those around you. Who knows, your attacker today may be your brother in Christ tomorrow.

So encourage one another in Christ Jesus with these words and this understanding.

He is Coming Soon

Also encourage one another in Christ in the knowledge that He is coming soon. He is at the very gate and is about to return to claim His rightful place as the king of kings and lord of lords on this earth. His kingdom will reign and will put down every other rule and authority when He returns.

Encourage one another in Christ with this knowledge that it won’t be long.

How soon will it be before He returns?

We have had prophecies in our church over a number of years, and also confirmation from sources outside the church indicating that His return will be in 2025. So from the time of writing this, that makes it some time between 3.5 and 4.5 years give or take.

Using that as the possible year I have investigated the prophecies of Daniel, in particular those that show a timeline for His return, and the events all match up pointing to that year.

Scripture tells us that no-one will know the day or hour of His return, but it does not say we will not know the year, month, or maybe even the week as events continue to unfold.

So, it is important that we encourage one another in Christ Jesus and focus our hearts and minds on Him at ALL times. He is not far away and we will all need the strength to stand in Christ as the current world crises worsen in the lead up to His return.

And it WILL get worse. Don’t bother praying for these events to cease…they won’t. They HAVE to happen to fulfil the prophecies in scripture.

Instead, pray for the strength to stand in the face of the opposition that is coming. Pray for the endurance to face the challenges that are on their way. And pray that the Lord will protect His people, building them up, and lifting them to be able to face the tribulations when they happen and to see His face as He returns.

Encourage one another in Christ. We will need it.

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