Every Christian needs spiritual encouragement. As a matter of fact I agree with Tim Keller, who has said, “There is no way you will be able to grow spiritually apart from a deep involvement in a community of other believers.” Community is central to the spiritual encouragement of every Christian.
Well, Christian pastors are not exempt from this need. We also need spiritual encouragement. Fortunately for me, I have the privilege of really enjoying fellowship with the believers in my own local body. I love hanging out with the folks of Redeemer Church (as is evidenced by how much time my family and I spend with them every week!). And I am really thankful for the different men and women and children God has put in my life to encourage me.
In addition to the encouragement I receive at Redeemer, God has chosen to bless me by giving me a small group of men in pastoral ministry whom I meet with monthly. This group is called Iron-on-Iron (Proverbs 27:17). We often meet the first Tuesday of every month for fellowship, singing, prayer, and a study of some sort.
Yesterday we met and had a great time together. We sang two hymns – Come, Thou Fount of Every Blessing & Rise Up O Church of God. We meditated on the Biblical truths those songs contained. We shared the burdens of our heart and prayed for a while. Then we analyzed a Bible study method called discourse analysis. This method breaks down a large text into smaller units (i.e. paragraphs). Those units are then broken down into clauses (i.e. complete thoughts). It was a technical study, but very encouraging. “As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another.” I was definitely sharpened yesterday.
Yesterday God spoke to me through His written Word and greatly encouraged me through men of the Word. I look forward to the next time we gather together. And I praise God for His unwillingness to let me remain in a dull state by not only providing me a church body who loves me and encourages me, but also a group of pastors who do the same.
by Ryan Limbaugh