The Ministry of Giving Comfort

Part 1 By Samuel E. Ward February 10, 2012 To view PowerPoint slides click on http://www.slideshare.net/samward1/the-ministry-of-giving-comfort  Introduction It is a natural response of true friends to want to comfort one of their own when troubles  or tragedy strikes them.  This was the case with Eliphaz, Bildad, and Zophar toward their friend, Job.  (Job 2:11-13 NIV)  When Job's three friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad the Shuhite and Zophar the Naamathite, heard about all the troubles that had come upon him, they set out from their homes and met together by agreement to go and sympathize with him and comfort him. {12} When they saw him from a distance, they could hardly recognize him; they began to weep aloud, and they tore their robes and sprinkled dust on their heads. {13} Then they sat on the ground with him for seven days and seven nights. No one said a word to him, because they saw how great his suffering was. Though we may find fault with the tone these three friends took in their comfort later, we cannot fault their desire to console. It is a part of our Heavenly Father's divine character to desire to bring comfort to His children who are suffering.  Nor does He ignore the cries of those who have never come to Him for help in the past but suddenly find themselves with nowhere else to turn.  This becomes His opportunity to reveal His loving, caring, and compassionate nature and to draw unbelievers to Himself.  God's desire to offer comfort to those who need it is evident in several ways: 1. God's characterization in Scripture (2 Cor 1:3 NIV)  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort. 2. God's counsel in Scripture (Psa 119:49-50 NIV)  Remember your word to your servant, for you have given me hope. {50} My comfort in my suffering is this: Your promise preserves my life. 3. God's construction of the church (1 Cor 12:24b-26a NIV)  God has combined the members of the body and has given greater honor to the parts that lacked it, {25} so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other. {26} If one part suffers, every part suffers with it. 4. God's communication through others (2 Cor 7:6-7 NIV)  But God, who comforts the downcast, comforted us by the coming of Titus, {7} and not only by his coming but also by the comfort you had given him. He told us about your longing for me, your deep sorrow, your ardent concern for me, so that my joy was greater than ever. I. The "Words" of Comfort Reveals Ways to Comfort. A. Old Testament Words for Comfort 1. To cause to smile (Hebrew, "balag"). 2. To show compassion and consolation (Hebrew, "naham"). 3. To support or strengthen (Hebrew, "ca'ad"). B. New Testament words on comfort. paragoric 1. To come to one's side to help (Greek, " parakaleo"). 2. To soothe or console (Greek, "paramutheomai"). 3. To use soothing words like a soothing medicine to relieve pain (Greek, "paregoria"). 4. To cheer up or to make a soul well (Greek "eupsucheo"). 5. To encourage someone to take heart, help is near (Greek, "tharreo"). 6. To correct wrong thinking that has been causing pain to one's self or others (Greek, "noutheteo").  This might be the equivalent of pulling out a spiritual or emotional "thorn." II. How We Learn to Comfort Others God is building a resume of victories we have in Him so that we can share with others who need comfort.  We learn how to comfort others . . . A. From Our Own Experiences (2 Cor 1:3-4 NIV)  Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, {4} who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. The translators of the NIV felt the need to use a number of different English words to convey the various nuances of the meaning of the Greek word "thlipis," which is translated here 2 Corinthians 1:4 as "troubles."  The same word in other places is translated variously as distress, tribulation, persecution, suffering, hardship, affliction, trial, and pressure.  It is also used to describe the Great Tribulation of the last days.  The world needs to see how Christians bear up under troubles and why. B. From Our Victories Won by Faith. (1 Th 3:7-8 NIV)  Therefore, brothers, in all our distress and persecution we were encouraged about you because of your faith. {8} For now we really live, since you are standing firm in the Lord. Paul was encouraged to continue to endure his distress and persecutions when he heard about how the Thessalonian church was able to stand firm in the Lord in the midst of their trials. The victories we have in our trials can be a great encouragement for others to do the same.  Let us remember the lessons we learn from our suffering in order to share with others how God ministered to us. When I lived in Chicago one of columnists I enjoyed reading in the Chicago Tribune was Bob Greene.  One he wrote in August, 1987 illustrates the value of sharing your victories with others. Douglas Maurer, 15, of Creve Coeur, Missouri, had been feeling bad for several days. His temperature was ranging between 103 and 105 degrees, and he was suffering from severe flu-like symptoms. Finally, his mother took him to the hospital in St. Louis. Douglas Maurer was diagnosed as having leukemia. The doctors told him in frank terms about his disease. They said that for the next three years, he would have to undergo chemotherapy. They didn't sugarcoat the side effects. They told Douglas he would go bald and that his body would most likely bloat. Upon learning this, he went into a deep depression. His aunt called a floral shop to send Douglas an arrangement of flowers. She told the clerk that it was for her teenage nephew who has leukemia. When the flowers arrived at the hospital, they were beautiful. Douglas read the card from his aunt. Then he saw a second card. It said: "Douglas--I took your order. I work at Brix florist. I had leukemia when I was 7 years old. I'm 22 years old now. Good luck. My heart goes out to you. Sincerely, Laura Bradley." His face lit up. He said, "Oh!"  It's funny: Douglas Maurer was in a hospital filled with millions of dollars of the most sophisticated medical equipment. He was being treated by expert doctors and nurses with medical training totaling in the hundreds of years. But it was a salesclerk in a flower shop, a woman making $170 a week, who--by taking the time to care, and by being willing to go with what her heart told her to do--gave Douglas hope and the will to carry on.[1]  C. From Taking Advantage of Our Opportunities to Provide Comfort 1. As we provide comfort to others, we become more skilled in ministering comfort. Remember . . . (2 Cor 1:4 NIV)  [The God of all comfort] comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves have received from God. 2. As we watch others who are gifted at giving comfort, we learn how to offer it ourselves. This may have been how Tychicus became so adept at giving comfort to others. He was with Paul and others when Paul was on a mission of encouragement to the churches he had established on his first missionary journey.  Tychicus probably learned from Paul's ministration of comfort to the churches and was used to aid Paul to that end. a.  Paul sent Tychicus to Ephesus to encourage them. (Eph 6:21-22 NIV)  Tychicus, the dear brother and faithful servant in the Lord, will tell you everything, so that you also may know how I am and what I am doing. {22} I am sending him to you for this very purpose, that you may know how we are, and that he may encourage you. b. Paul sent Tychicus to Colossae to encourage them. (Col 4:7-8 NIV)  Tychicus will tell you all the news about me. He is a dear brother, a faithful minister and fellow servant in the Lord. {8} I am sending him to you for the express purpose that you may know about our circumstances and that he may encourage your hearts. c. Paul was to send either Artemus or Tychicus to replace Titus in Crete for the purpose of encouraging Cretan Christians who were prone to lying, wicked acts, and laziness. How one gains the skills necessary to correct such a situation as those in Crete is hard to imagine.  Evidently, Paul felt that either Artemus or Tychicus would be able to minister to those needs.  We know that Paul certainly had to deal with problems that existed in churches throughout his ministry (Corinth comes to mind) and so there was opportunity for either Artemus or Tychicus to learn from him. At any rate, the Cretans' reputation was so bad that Cretans had come to be characterized in the manner Paul writes in Titus. (Titus 1:12-13 NIV)  Even one of their own prophets has said, "Cretans are always liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons." {13} This testimony is true. Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so that they will be sound in the faith Conclusion In the next study on "The Ministry of Comfort," we will search the Scriptures to understand  "How Comfort Can Be Obstructed" and "How to Offer Comfort to Others."  Until then, here's something to think seriously about after you've had your chuckle. The bulletin board out in a shop carried this notice: IN CASE OF ACCIDENT OR INJURY, NOTIFY YOUR SUPERVISOR IMMEDIATELY. At the bottom of the notice someone scribbled, "He'll kiss it and make it better."[2] Now, go find someone who needs comfort and then do all you can to find a way to "kiss and make it better." [1] Bob Greene, "From One Sufferer To Another", Chicago Tribune, August, 1987. [2] Bits and Pieces, May, 1990, p. 2