Why Me

Why Me?
Romans 1:1-7, 13-17
“No man is an island entire of itself …” John Donne
We owe much to many, and most to the creator and giver of all things
We build on a foundation laid by others
Others have encouraged us
The Greek word for "encourage" may be translated as comfort, console, inquire, beg,
plead, counsel, urge or challenge. It involves the replacing or replenishment of courage
that has somehow been lost.
Romans 12:8 indicates that some people have a special gift or Holy Sprint-given ability
to encourage.
God directed Moses to encourage Joshua (Deut. 1:37-38)
When Paul & Barnabas prepared to go on their 2nd missionary journey, Barnabas wanted
to take John Mark but Paul refused (Acts 15:36-39). What was the result of Barnabas'
encouragement of John Mark?
1. He went on to write the Gospel of Mark.

2. Even Paul later recognized his usefulness (2 Tim. 4:11).
Who needs encouragement?
Those who have experienced some form of failure (i.e. everyone!)
Behind most successful people there is a person or people who encouraged them
Are you an encourager or a discourager? (Do you build others up or tear others down?)
You may never know what a word of encouragement from you may mean to another
person (God does! So follow the prompting of the Holy Spirit to encourage others!)
Encouraging others costs you nothing but it can prove invaluable to others.
An important part of process of encouraging others is seeing them not for who they are
or for what they have done but for what they are capable of doing by the grace of God.
Can you think of a person or persons in your life that have encouraged you?
How has their encouragement affected your life (that you know of)?
Others have prayed for us
We are encouraged to pray for others specifically (Job 16:21)
“I commend intercessory prayer, because it opens man's soul, gives a healthy play to his
sympathies, constrains him to feel that he is not everybody, and that this wide world and
this great universe were not after all made that he might be its petty lord, that everything
might bend to his will, and all creatures crouch at his feet." (Charles Spurgeon)
"If we truly love people, we will desire for them far more than it is within our power to
give them, and this lead us to prayer. Intercession is a way of loving others.” (Richard
Foster, Prayer)
Our prayers can be a source of strength and protection for other Christians (Eph. 3:14-
21, Luke 22:31-32, John 17:15, Acts 12:5; Eph. 3:14-21, 2 Thess. 3:1-2)
Intercessory prayer for others, benefits us (Job 42:10)
We have been shown grace, been made heirs of the “promise” and called to be holy (set
apart) (Rom. 1:1-2)
We should show gratitude and offer service in response
We ought have an attitude of gratitude.
Expressing gratitude draws us closer to God.
Jesus is worthy of our reverence and service (John 1:27)
Paul considered himself a “slave” of Jesus (Rom. 1:1)
Wholehearted service is the only response worthy of the call. (Deut.

11:13)
Those who serve God will be honored by God (John 12:26)
We have been called (Rom. 1:6) to share the “good news”, with all (Rom.1:14), to
help bring about obedience to God based on faith (Rom. 1:5; Matt. 28:19-20)
We should be bold (Acts 9:29; 14:3; 18:26; 19:8; Eph. 6:19-20 in doing this and
not ashamed (Rom. 1:16; Jer.1:7-8; Ps. 107:2; 1 Cor. 2:1-5)
Because it is “the power of God unto salvation to every one that

believes” (Rom. 1:16)
Why are people sometimes ashamed?
Lack of knowledge, own sinfulness/poor witness, etc.

Fear of making a mistake
“Profiting from failure.” Illustrations Unlimited. P. 185. “A young

man of 32 had been appointed president of the bank. He’d never
dreamed he’d be president, much less at such a young age. So he
approached the venerable chairman of the board and said, “You
know, I’ve just been appointed president. I was wondering if you
could give me some advice.” The old man came back, “Make
right decisions!” The young man had hoped for a bit more than
this, so he said, “That’s helpful, and I appreciate it, but can you
be more specific? How do I make right decisions?” The wise old
mans simply responded, “Experience.” The young man said,
“Well that’s just the point of my being here. I don’t have the kind
of experience I need. How do I get it?” Came the terse reply,
“Wrong decisions.”
What can help overcome this?
Reliance on the help of God’s Holy Spirit (Luke 12:11-12;

Acts 4:1-20)

Why Me

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Why Me?

Romans 1:1-7, 13-17

“No man is an island entire of itself …” John Donne

We build on a foundation laid by others

Others have encouraged us

God directed Moses to encourage Joshua (Deut. 1:37-38)

1. He went on to write the Gospel of Mark.

Who needs encouragement?

Those who have experienced some form of failure (i.e. everyone!)

We are encouraged to pray for others specifically (Job 16:21)

Intercessory prayer for others, benefits us (Job 42:10)

We should show gratitude and offer service in response

We ought have an attitude of gratitude.

Expressing gratitude draws us closer to God.

Jesus is worthy of our reverence and service (John 1:27)

Paul considered himself a “slave” of Jesus (Rom. 1:1)

Wholehearted service is the only response worthy of the call. (Deut.

Those who serve God will be honored by God (John 12:26)

Because it is “the power of God unto salvation to every one that

Why are people sometimes ashamed?

Lack of knowledge, own sinfulness/poor witness, etc.

“Profiting from failure.” Illustrations Unlimited. P. 185. “A young

What can help overcome this?

Reliance on the help of God’s Holy Spirit (Luke 12:11-12;

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