An Ecosystem of Encouragement
I’ve got a friend who’s building a house near wetlands. He received the unwelcome news recently that he must build a costly retaining wall on his property so as to protect and promote the wetlands around him. With this wall, the ecosystem is enabled to continue flourishing.
It’s not much different with a church community. The church is a people - not an assortment of programs. If we forget that, then we become defined by busyness and noise. And yet, certain programs and structures are vital to promote and protect the health of our community.
The apostle Paul wrote to the Thessalonians Church that Jesus died for us so that “we may live together with Him.” The Christian faith is not a solitary thing between “me & Jesus.” It’s “we & Jesus.” On that basis, Paul writes, “Therefore encourage one another and build each other up as you are already doing” (1 Thess. 5:11).
We grow and flourish through the encouragement of others. Throughout the New Testament, we read that the church grows through the encouragement of the Holy Spirit (Acts 9:31); that encouragement increases our joy (Acts 15:31); that we are encouraged by one another’s faith (Rom. 1:12), one another’s words (1 Cor. 14:31), and the words of Scripture (Rom. 15:4) causing us to live in harmony with one another (Rom. 15:5). Should we think that encouragement can be maxed out, we should think again. There’s a lot of encouragement to give and receive! It’s an eternal resource flowing with love from the Father and the Son, filling our hearts and strengthening us for good works and words (2 Thess. 2:16-17). We are told to encourage one another daily (Heb. 3:13) and that encouragement helps us seize the hope set before us (Heb. 6:18). How? By gathering together for the sake of encouragement (Heb. 10:24-25).
At Mount Hope Church, we want to promote an ecosystem of encouragement. That we would be a people who encourage one another, and that we’d continue to build each other up.
Community Groups are one of the structures that help promote and protect our ecosystem of encouragement. We hope you’ll join in to promote an environment where growth is nurtured and we build one another up in love - for the glory of God and our joy together in Him.
