Called to Encourage – Bible Study

CALLED TO ENCOURAGE

We live in a world hungry for encouragement but starving for people who actually give it. Most of us know what it feels like to be torn down, overlooked, or spoken to carelessly. Far fewer know the power of being intentionally built up. Scripture shows that encouragement is never meant to be an occasional gesture. It is a calling. It is a way of life for those who follow Christ.

This study invites you to step into that calling. You will see believers who strengthened others when no one else would. You will confront the weight of destructive words and the harm they cause. You will discover the depth of God’s comfort and how He equips His people to pass that comfort on. You will be challenged to become someone who consistently lifts others toward hope, obedience, and spiritual growth.

Encouragement is not about flattery or nice comments. It is about speaking life into weary hearts, pointing people back to Christ, and choosing to build rather than tear down. As you walk through these passages, ask the Spirit to shape you into an encourager. The church needs encouragers. The world needs encouragers. And God has called you to be one.

ENCOURAGERS IN ACTION

From the beginning, the church thrived through intentional encouragement. These snapshots reveal how believers supported, affirmed, and strengthened each other in practical, Spirit-led ways.

Acts 9:26–27
And when he had come to Jerusalem, he attempted to join the disciples. And they were all afraid of him, for they did not believe that he was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles and declared to them how he had seen the Lord on the road, and that he had spoken to him, and how at Damascus he had spoken boldly in the name of Jesus.

Note: Barnabas was known as the son of encouragement (Acts 4:36)

Acts 11:22–24
News of this came to the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch.  And when he came and saw the grace of God, he was glad, and he exhorted them all to remain faithful to the Lord with steadfast purpose, for he was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and of faith. And a great many people were added to the Lord.

Acts 14:21–22
They preached the gospel in that city and won a large number of disciples. And after they had appointed elders for them in every church, with prayer and fasting they committed them to the Lord in whom they had believed.  And when they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and to Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying that through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.

Romans 16:3–4
Greet Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, who risked their necks for my life, to whom not only I give thanks but all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks as well.

Which of the verses spoke to you or stirred something inside you?

THE DESTRUCTIVE POWER OF CRITICAL WORDS

Proverbs 15:1
A soft answer turns away wrath, but a harsh word stirs up anger.

Proverbs 12:18
There is one whose rash words are like sword thrusts, but the tongue of the wise brings healing.

James 3:5–6
So also the tongue is a small member, yet it boasts of great things. How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire! And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life, and set on fire by hell.

Matthew 12:36–37
I tell you, on the day of judgment people will give account for every careless word they speak, for by your words you will be justified, and by your words you will be condemned.

Ephesians 4:29
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.

Romans 14:13
Therefore let us not pass judgment on one another any longer, but rather decide never to put a stumbling block or hindrance in the way of a brother.

When have harsh or careless words wounded you? How does that memory shape how you should speak to others?

In what situations do you most easily slip into judgment or criticism rather than grace?

What would change in your life if you evaluated your speech through the lens of “building up” rather than “being right”?

HOW GOD ENCOURAGES US

2 Corinthians 1:3–4
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies and God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our affliction, so that we may be able to comfort those who are in any affliction, with the comfort with which we ourselves are comforted by God.

Isaiah 41:10
Fear not, for I am with you; be not dismayed, for I am your God; I will strengthen you, I will help you, I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

Hebrews 13:5–6
Keep your life free from love of money, and be content with what you have, for he has said, “‘I will never leave you nor forsake you.’” So we can confidently say, “The Lord is my helper; I will not fear; what can man do to me?”

Psalm 23:4
Even though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I will fear no evil, for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me.

Romans 8:31
What then shall we say to these things? If God is for us, who can be against us?

Psalm 119:50
This is my comfort in my affliction, that your promise gives me life.

How has God used Scripture to bring comfort or strength to you in a difficult season?

If encouragement begins with receiving from God, what does that reveal about the areas you resist His comfort?

In what ways does God’s encouragement equip you to become an encourager rather than remain a consumer of comfort?

LIVING AS PEOPLE WHO ENCOURAGE

Hebrews 3:13
But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today,” that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.

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

Galatians 6:1–2

Brothers, if anyone is caught in any transgression, you who are spiritual should restore him in a spirit of gentleness. Keep watch on yourself, lest you too be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ.

Hebrews 10:24–25
And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near.

Ephesians 4:29–32
Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up, as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear. And do not grieve the Holy Spirit of God, by whom you were sealed for the day of redemption. Let all bitterness and wrath and anger and clamor and slander be put away from you, along with all malice. Be kind to one another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, as God in Christ forgave you.

Ephesians 4:15-16
Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.

Colossians 3:16
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

Romans 15:1-7
We who are strong have an obligation to bear with the failings of the weak and not to please ourselves. Each of us must please our neighbor for their good, to build them up. For Christ did not please Himself, but as it is written, “The reproaches of those who reproached you have fallen on me”. Whatever was written in former days was written for our instruction, so that through endurance and through the encouragement of the Scriptures we might have hope. May the God of endurance and encouragement grant you to live in such harmony with one another, in accordance with Christ Jesus, so that together you may with one voice glorify the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ. Therefore welcome one another, just as Christ has welcomed you, for the glory of God.

Philippians 2:1-4
So if there is any encouragement in Christ, any comfort from love, any participation in the Spirit, any affection and sympathy, complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind. Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests, but also to the interests of others.

Which barrier most often stops you from encouraging others: fear, indifference, busyness, or self-focus?

Philippians 2 ties encouragement to humility. What does that teach you about the heart posture required to be an encourager?

Who is one specific person God is calling you to build up this week and how can you apply the verses in this section to them?

Scripture quotations are from the ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible, English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.