Centennial Park Baptist Church – Sunday August 9th, 2009

Centennial Park Baptist Church – Sunday August 9^th, 2009 – 10:30 am

BEARING ONE ANOTHER’S BURDENS VIA ENCOURAGEMENT

Acts 9: 23-30

²³When many days had elapsed, the Jews plotted together to do away with him, ²⁴but their plot became known to Saul They were also watching the gates day and night so that they might put him to death; ²⁵but his disciples took him by night and let him down through an opening in the wall, lowering him in a large basket. ²⁶When he came to Jerusalem, he was trying to associate with the disciples; but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he was a disciple. ²⁷But Barnabas took hold of him and brought him to the apostles and described to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that He had talked to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken out boldly in the name of Jesus.²⁸And he was with them, moving about freely in Jerusalem, speaking out boldly in the name of the Lord. ²⁹And he was talking and arguing with the Hellenistic Jews; but they were attempting to put him to death. ³⁰But when the brethren learned of it, they brought him down to Caesarea and sent him away to Tarsus.

Here are 3 ways, from Acts 9, that we can be encouragers!

1. Sometimes, to be an encourager, you must be a:

R_______________________________ H_________________________ - vs. 22-25

Qualities – To encourage: A________________________________

To be encouraged: H____________________________

2. Sometimes to be an encourager, you need to be a :

R_____________T_____________________________ - vs. 26-28

Qualities: To encourage: B___________________________________

To be encouraged: H________________________________

3. Sometimes to be an encourager, you need to be a :

R_______________________________

Qualities: To encourage: S_______________________ in Christ

To be encouraged: H______________________

The secret to the blessing and the health of any church is the Pre-Eminence of Almighty God, Colossians 1:18, the Prominence of the Word of God, II Timothy 3:16, the Proclamation of the Gospel of Jesus Christ, Romans 1: 16-17, and the Practice of encouraging fellow believers and bearing their burdens, Hebrews 10:25 and Galatians 6:2.

Why do we need to bear one another’s burdens?

A. Because life can be T______________________ - see II Corinthians 4: 8-11

Life is about becoming the person God wants you to be. Life is not all about us. It’s about God.

B. Because living together is a M______________________

God’s plan is to build His church, Matthew 16:18, no matter how relentless the opposition or how clever the enemy.

God does this as we learn the value of dependence ( on God and on one another ), as we pray for one another, as we serve one another, and as we encourage one another.

NOTES:

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