Much of our Christian music is directed towards Jesus Christ as it should be. Yet there is another aspect of Christian music that draws the body of Christ together as one mind. When we encourage and strengthen one another, we bring joy to the heart of our heavenly Father. As there’s great joy when parents witness their children enjoying one another—so it is with the Lord when we bear one another’s burdens and therefore build up the body of Christ. Check out the seven fantastic Christian songs about encouraging one another:
“Praise be to the Lord, the God of Israel, from everlasting to everlasting. Let all the people say, ‘Amen!’ Praise the Lord” (Psalm 106:48).
When the body of Christ responds in a unified “Amen!” there is power in those words. Amen is an agreement that God can do above and beyond what we ask in His perfect will. We establish unity in our spirits to do the will of God together. As a united front against Satan, we are empowered to crush his influence and power in our community.
“For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do” (Ephesians 2:10).
As a church, we often look for God to reach down from heaven and change our situations with His massive, mighty hand. However, He has called His church to do something about sin sickness in our world. We are to spread the gospel of Jesus Christ and do good works for each other and the lost. We must refuse to sit idly by and watch the world enter into everlasting darkness. We must do something.
“Who is it that overcomes the world? Only the one who believes that Jesus is the Son of God” (1 John 5:5).
As believers in Jesus Christ, we often find ourselves perplexing situations where we don’t know what to say. However, we can encourage and strengthen each other just by saying the name of Jesus. Using His name in prayer for the sick, poor, or lost can work more faith in our hearts than the most eloquent of speeches. We say the name of Jesus in faith, believing that He is moving on our behalf.
“You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts” (2 Corinthians 3:3).
Each of us who knows the Lord has a story—a testimony of being changed from walking in darkness to walking in the light. We are often ashamed to tell our story because we like being held in high esteem among our brothers and sisters in Christ. While we should use discretion and wisdom on what specifics to share, the ramifications of God touching other people’s hearts because of our testimony are enormous.
“Speaking to one another with psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit. Sing and make music from your heart to the Lord, always giving thanks to God the Father for everything, in the name of our Lord Jesus Christ” (Ephesians 5:19-20).
We hear many words from rude, discouraging, or deceitful people. As members of the body of Christ, we must speak life and encouragement to one another. Every week the assembly of believers should be a time of healthy dialog to spur one another towards fulfilling our purpose in Christ. We are equipped to counter the enemy’s lies spoken through other people through our healthy conversations and words of life.
“Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our ‘God is a consuming fire’” (Hebrews 12:28-29).
The body of Christ is made up of every culture, age, and gender across the world. We can sit within a church where no one speaks our language and be encouraged by the presence of God. In our united front, we can’t be shaken from our faith in God. As a result, our prayers become more potent in intercession for other people within and outside of the church.
“If your brother or sister is distressed because of what you eat, you are no longer acting in love. Do not by your eating destroy someone for whom Christ died. Therefore do not let what you know is good be spoken of as evil” (Romans 14:15-17).
Every time we act in love towards each other, we are building up the body of Christ. If every person in the church responded to each other with love—our churches would be filled to the brim with people wanting to experience that unconditional love. Our love is demonstrated in our actions towards one another, and love never fails above all things.
When we encourage others—we are also encouraged. It’s part of the spiritual DNA of the church. As we encourage each other, we must bear in mind that forgiveness will be a key in our relationships. May we step out in faith and take the time to encourage one another faithfully.
Crystal McDowell is a writer, speaker, and teacher passionate about encouraging believers to know and grow in their relationship with Jesus Christ through the practical application of God’s word.
Crystal and her husband, Marshall, raise their five children in Bloomington, IL. As a freelance writer and editor for over 13 years, Crystal has published numerous Christian curriculums for Sunday School and VBS and many articles dealing with marriage, motherhood, and relationships. She’s a weekly staff writer for www.whatchristianswanttoknow.com and writing her blog at http://crystalmcdowellspeaks.blogspot.com.