A Sunday School Lesson On Encouragement

Here is a Sunday school lesson or Bible study on encouragement.

Encourage One Another

First Thessalonians 5:11 “Therefore encourage one another and build one another up, just as you are doing.”

In 1st Thessalonians Paul writes a lot about encouragement and in particular, he exhorts the church to encourage others which means we should “encourage the fainthearted, help the weak [and] be patient with them all” (1st Thess 5:14) just as God has been patient with us. Paul apparently knew that they were already doing that so he encouraged them to continue to build one another up by encouragement but also “encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls you into his own kingdom and glory” (1st Thess 2:12).

What does our walk with God have to do with our building up or encouraging others (Eph 4:1-3)?

Were the Thessalonians already doing that?

How could you encourage someone today?

What’s it feel like to have someone encourage you?

God Encourages Us

Deuteronomy 3:28 “But charge Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he shall go over at the head of this people, and he shall put them in possession of the land that you shall see.”

Listen how encouraging God is to Joshua as it is written, “And I commanded Joshua at that time, ‘Your eyes have seen all that the Lord your God has done to these two kings. So will the Lord do to all the kingdoms into which you are crossing. You shall not fear them, for it is the Lord your God who fights for you’’ (Duet 3:21-22). How encouraging is that! God is fighting for them. God was not on Joshua’s side, Joshua was on God’s side and by this knowledge, Joshua was encouraged and strengthened in his resolve because God told him specifically, “for it is the Lord your God who fights for you’’ (Duet 3:22).

Do you feel like God is fighting for you?

Could Joshua have crossed over into the Promised Land without God’s encouragement?

How are you encouraged?

Choosing Encouragement

Acts 4:36-37 “Thus Joseph, who was also called by the apostles Barnabas (which means son of encouragement), a Levite, a native of Cyprus, sold a field that belonged to him and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.”

Encouraging someone is not a feeling but a choice “So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy” (Phil 2:1). Barnabas was one of the first to believe in Saul’s conversion, who later became the Apostle Paul. He gave Paul the benefit of the doubt and that no doubt encouraged Paul. When we give others the benefit the doubt and assume the best, we are an encouragement to them.

Have you ever been wrong about someone?

Have you ever assumed the worst about someone and found out you was wrong?

How would you feel if someone didn’t give you the benefit of the doubt and assumed the worst about you?

Encouragement in the Word

Romans 15:4 “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope.”

How can we find encouragement in the Word of God? It is “by two unchangeable things, in which it is impossible for God to lie, we who have fled for refuge might have strong encouragement to hold fast to the hope set before us” (Heb 6:18) and since God cannot lie and promises eternal life for all who believe in Christ (John 3:16), we can be encouraged that nothing can separate us from God (Rom 8:31-29). Finding encouragement is as easy as finding your Bible, “For whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope” (1st Thess 4:18).

What is the most encouraging chapter or verse in the Bible for you?

Do you believe you can gain encouragement from reading the Bible?

Does reading the Word strengthen and build you up?

Encouraging Evil

Ezekiel 13:22-23 “Because you have disheartened the righteous falsely, although I have not grieved him, and you have encouraged the wicked, that he should not turn from his evil way to save his life, therefore you shall no more see false visions nor practice divination. I will deliver my people out of your hand. And you shall know that I am the Lord.”

This chapter was a stinging indictment against the false prophets of Israel who typically outnumbered the genuine prophets of God more than a thousand to one. They never brought up the need to “turn from his evil way to save his life” but instead, they encouraged evil or wickedness and to them, Isaiah writes, “Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter” (Isaiah 5:20) and “Woe to those who are wise in their own eyes, and shrewd in their own sight” (Isaiah 5:21) and that’s just what these false prophets were. They considered themselves wise but were deceived into encouraging the wicked.

Do you know someone who encourages others to sin?

Has anyone tried to encourage you into sinning?

Is good now evil in this world and evil good?

Conclusion

I urge you in your study to look at all of the Bible verses and read them aloud in the class so that you can get the most out of these lessons because Christians need more encouragement from one another in the church today, because in the world, they actually encourage the wickedness. If you can encourage at least one person today do it because it may encourage them to do the very same thing and that’s a good outcome.

Has anyone encouraged you lately? Or Ever?

Have you seen the wicked encouraged to sin on TV, the Internet or in movies?

Why not try encouraging others today?

Article by Jack Wellman

Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren Church in Mulvane Kansas. Jack is also the Senior Writer at What Christians Want To Know whose mission is to equip, encourage, and energize Christians and to address questions about the believer’s daily walk with God and the Bible. You can follow Jack on Google Plus or check out his book Teaching Children the Gospel available on Amazon.