soon, so they decided not to help in the community. They broke from the expected pattern of community involvement and disengaged. Paul uses a strong word: admonish. This conveys sitting someone down face-to-face and saying,“ Let’ s get some things straight.” This is firm instruction. This is not dialogue, but authoritative input that one’ s behavior is destructive and harms the community. Many of us shy away from admonishing someone who is wayward. It’ s not easy to sit down with someone and say,“ I care about you, but the way you’ re living is out of step with what God expects from you.” If anyone has loved you enough to have this kind of conversation, you know it stings, but it also produces the fruit of righteousness.
Encourage the fainthearted. For whatever reason, this person is discouraged. They are losing hope. They are seeing the negative side of life. They may be ready to give up. Encouragement for this person means that we are sympathetic and caring. The fainthearted don’ t need a pep talk. They don’ t need to be scolded. They need someone to get close to them, to speak tenderly, and to provide comfort. Encouragement for this person means to infuse heart, strength, and a will to continue. In the Thessalonian church, there were some people who needed comfort over friends who had died( 1 Thess. 4:13) and what would happen in the future( 1 Thess. 5:1 – 11). This person needed to be refreshed and needed hope in Christ.
Help the weak. This means that we give aid. We provide assistance that helps someone to do something. The literal translation is“ hold fast to the weak.” We won’ t let them fall. This type of encouragement refers to those who will crumble under life’ s pressure. This person has grown weary. Their resources in life do not allow them to make the next step. The idea is that with our help, they are able to move forward in life. This person needs someone to put their arm around them and say,“ Together we can do this.” We can take the next step together. What did this look like for the Thessalonians? Paul was fearful that they would crumble under the pressure of temptation( 1 Thess. 3:5). So, what does Paul do to encourage them? He sends Timothy( 1 Thess. 3:2). When life gets rough, we all need a Timothy!
Be patient with everyone. This sums up the three modes of encouragement in one. It reminds us that we are all still growing and that no one is perfect. Thankfully, God is not finished with us yet. Paul’ s encouragement is that we bear with others and put up with them for a long journey. We are in a relational marathon. It requires a commitment on our end to admonish people when they step out of line, comfort others when they are faint of heart, and support one another when we are weak. We need to hang in there with people, no matter where they’ re at on the spectrum. Dealing with the unruly, the fainthearted, and the weak is not a quick fix. One conversation isn’ t going to solve the issue. We are reminded to be patient in our counseling.
ULTIMATELY,
IT IS JESUS CHRIST AND THE BIBLE
THAT PROVIDE THE HOPE AND HELP TO CARE FOR HURTING FAMILIES.
We have marriages, parents, and grandparents affected in each of these categories. Use them to diagnose what each person needs and the steps you will take to help them. Paul tells us the source of encouragement is our relationship with Christ,“ May our Lord Jesus Christ himself and God our Father, who loved us and by his grace gave us eternal encouragement and good hope, encourage your hearts and strengthen you in every good deed and word”( 2 Thess. 2:16-17 NIV). Ultimately, it is Jesus Christ and the Bible that provide the hope and help to care for hurting families.
Your plan to minister to families should include a care and counseling strategy. Who will provide the counseling? What kind of counseling will they provide? How do families communicate a need for help? How will you train individuals to provide counseling? Which families are currently struggling in your church or school? What are their problems? Answers to these types of questions will help you begin the planning process for a counseling strategy. There are parents and grandparents in your church or school who are struggling to disciple their children or grandchildren because of problems in their home. God has given you the wonderful opportunity to provide hope and help to hurting families through care and counseling.
The article is an excerpt from the book Family Ministry: How Your Church Can Shepherd Parents and Grandparents to Make Disciples by Josh Mulvihill and is available at renewanation. org.
Dr. Josh Mulvihill is the Executive Director of Church and Family Ministry at RenewaNation. He served as a pastor for nearly twenty years and serves on the board of Awana. He holds a Ph. D. from the Southern Baptist Theological Seminary. He is the author of Biblical Grandparenting, Preparing Children for Marriage, Biblical Worldview, and 50 Things Every Child Needs to Know Before Leaving Home. Josh is married to Jen, and they have five children. Josh blogs at GospelShapedFamily. com.
46 THE RENEWANATION REVIEW