Stimulate One Another

Heinz Fluetsch: European Bible Training Center | Germany

A Christian’s life is marvelous because of what God has done through Jesus Christ. He has freed us from our sins and set us in perfect relationship with Himself, God Almighty. There is a new purity of conscience (Heb. 10:22), which also initiates a new perspective, one which is widely unknown to the unredeemed selfish person. We are called to no longer live for ourselves, but for God and the family of God—the church. This transfer from self-focus to corporate focus is what God has decided for us! We are continually called, in practice, to “consider how to stimulate one another to love and good deeds” (Heb. 10:24). Is your focus on self or your church family? The phrase “consider how to stimulate” means to play an active role and to think, constantly, how to exhort and encourage brothers and sisters to live according to God’s intentions. At times this proves to be a real challenge because it puts ourselves at risk of being misunderstood and expelled. Or worse, we can think like Cain in Genesis 4:9—“Am I my brother’s keeper?”—and withdraw from our responsibility. Most local churches in Switzerland are quite small. In small communities with about 20–150 members, you cannot escape continual assessment from your fellow-Christians. This means you better decide to open up and sacrifice most of your privacy before you enter the fellowship. But once you have decided this and are part of God’s church, you soon will discover that the benefits of mutual encouragement far exceed your expectation. Is your focus on self or your church family? Consider how to stimulate believers in your church to love and good deeds.