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Each Other

Sermonette by David C. Grabbe

If we stick together, allowing ourselves the benefit of exhortation, consolation, and encouragement, we will less likely commit willful sin.

Each Other (Part Three)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

We should assemble with the rest of the Body where possible, and the reason the apostle gives is for exhorting others. We cannot exhort if we have withdrawn.

Each Other (Part Two)

CGG Weekly by David C. Grabbe

An individual can teach and admonish only if he is in fellowship with others. God's intention that we be connected to the rest of the Body is seen everywhere.

Encouragement

Sermon by Ted E. Bowling

Exhorting one another forms a central practice in the Christian life, as believers are commanded to comfort and edify each other in the same manner already occurring among them. This exhortation derives from the Greek term that encompasses admonishing, consoling, strengthening, and encouraging, underscoring its role in sustaining faith amid trials and discouragement. Such encouragement arises from empathy gained through shared difficulties, enabling one to lift spirits with simple words or gestures that foster forward movement. God serves as the ultimate source, described as the Father of mercies and all comfort, who provides consolation in every tribulation so that recipients may extend the same comfort to others. Jesus Christ likewise supplies this strength, having experienced human suffering and offering it to enable perseverance. This divine gift develops through relationship with Him, study of Scripture, and daily practice modeled after a physician's routine, becoming a defining trait of Christian character that promotes humility and selflessness. Barnabas exemplifies this quality, earning the title Son of Encouragement through his positive outlook, willingness to mentor the overlooked, and readiness to step aside for others' growth. He recognized potential in Saul when others feared him, presenting the former persecutor to the apostles and thereby launching his ministry. Later, Barnabas retrieved Saul for extended teaching and similarly invested in John Mark after his withdrawal, refusing to abandon him despite disagreement. These actions demonstrate how encouragement shifts focus from faults to God-given potential, yielding lasting fruit such as the Gospel of Mark and the epistles of Paul. Within the assembly, exhortation functions as the support system where believers both give and receive nurture through interaction, sermons, and shared presence, stirring up love and good works as the day approaches. This practice fulfills the expectation to treat others as more important than oneself and to steward the manifold grace of God by ministering gifts for mutual benefit.

Reciprocity (Part Two)

CGG Weekly by John Reiss

What can we give God despite His owning everything? It is not possible to repay what God has done for us, but there are ways we can seek to reciprocate.