Be Refreshing: The Ministry of Encouragement

All right. Turn your Bibles to Second Timothy chapter 1. Second Timothy chapter 1. We're going to continue our study through second Timothy and uh it's my turn tonight to preach. I'm kind of taking the second half. Pastor Inst was originally had the whole section here and uh he just he felt like it couldn't do justice to it and and so we divided up into two sections. I took the second session here. So if you look at 2 Timothy chapter 1 and look at verses number 15 through verse 18. It says, "This thou knowest that all they which are in Asia be turned away from us from me of whom are uh two guys I can never pronounce their names right.

And the Lord give mercy on the houses of Anessarus." That's one I can get down. And for he offer refreshed me, was not ashamed to my chain. But when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently and found me. The Lord grant unto him that he might find mercy of the Lord in that day. And how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well. And and so as we look at this passage, there's a couple things we want to look at. If you look at verse number 15, first of all, this now knowest that all they which are in Asia be turned away from me. And that's the first thing I want to challenge us with is is is sometimes we as Christians can turn away from those that are in need.

And and we really got to be careful of that. Uh Paul was at a point in his life, and if you read through second Timothy, you'll see this. We'll look at a couple of verses there and you'll see that he was of course in jail uh in prison on trial for his faith and was going to soon be put to death. And and at this time you could very clearly tell that he was lonely that that he missed a lot of people. And uh if you look at 2 Timothy chapter 4 and:es 9-15, it says, "Do thy diligence to come shortly unto me, for Deeus hath forsaken me, having loved this present world and has departed un Thessalonica, Christians to Galatia, Titus unto Dalatia.

Only Luke is with me. Take Mark and bring him with thee, for he has profited me for the ministry, and Titicus have I left have I sent to Ephesus. The cloak that I left at Trrowaz with carpets when thou comest, bring with thee, and the books, but especially the parchments the word of God. Alexander the coppermith did me much evil. The Lord reward him according to his works. Of whom be thou where also, for he hath greatly withstood our words. As you read through this passage, one of the things you can see is that a lot of people had left Paul. Some for good reasons. Um uh it says that uh in in verse number uh 10 there that uh that uh Cus was went to Galatia and Titus to Dalatia and then later on Titicus went to Ephesus by Paul's you know and and so they went on into different ministries in different directions.

We see that a lot here at Ohana where we have military families that are constantly moving on to a new place and and and you have that aspect of it, but you also have there Deeus hath forsaken me having loved this present world. And then later on you have Alexander the coppermith that did me much evil. And and we need to be careful. Uh sometimes we as Christians can forsake somebody. We we can leave them. In Psalms chapter 55, uh David is talking about in verses 13-4 says, "But it it was thou, oh man, my equal, my guide and my acquaintance. We took sweet counsel together and walked in the house of God in company."

Here was a man that he was it was his mentor, his friend. Uh he went to church with him and and served the Lord with him and and then all of a sudden he just kind of disappeared on David. He he he left him. And and sometimes I don't know if you ever had that happen where somebody as a Christian you had made friends with maybe invested your life in uh been a blessing to you and you were a blessing to them and all of a sudden they just kind of cut you off and and and and that's hard and and that was hard on Paul. Here's here is Deeus who he had invested his life in. He forsook went back to the world.

you have people like Alexander and others that turned their back on him because he was in prison or uh even turned against him. And and we as Christians need to be careful because sometimes we can be the kind of people that uh turn away from those who need us and especially in their time of need. I know as a pastor there's been many times there's been people that uh I've invested my life in and and and felt like we're good friends in the Lord and and uh had mentored them or they mentored me and all of a sudden they didn't want anything to do with me anymore. And that's challenging and that's discouraging and as Christians we ought not to do that and uh and we ought not to give up on others.

Look at 2 Timothy chapter 2 look at verses 25 and 26. in meekness instructing those that oppose themselves and God pervententure will give them repentance acknowledging the truth and that they may recover themselves out of the snare of the devil who are taken captive by his will. And a lot of times as Christians we kind of give up on people too quick. Well, they stopped coming to church so forget them, you know, and and we give up on them instead of really realizing that maybe they're just struggling right now. and if they just had somebody that would show attention and would would show concern and would look them up and and go after them that we would not lose them.

And and then in Luke chapter 15, you remember the story of where uh the one having 100 sheep and one is lost and he leaves the 99 to go after. And I just want to challenge you when when people are missing, find out why. take some time to look them up, to to let them know you're thinking about them, to let them know you haven't forgotten them and to reach out to them. And that's something that we as Christians are are not good at. You know, you we can't shoot our own soldiers. We can't, you know, we got we got to reach out to them. And and Paul, you can tell here as he writes in 2 Timothy chapter 1 verse1 15 just you get the feeling and as you go on through the book that he was somewhat

discouraged because all these people had left and some of them for good reason and you know we have a family here was here at ohana for many years and and good to have him back visiting with the shepherds and and uh they left because that was their time to move on and that's great that's that's fine but we need to maintain that connection. We need to maintain that contact and and when people are missing and when people are away from the Lord, don't just give up on them. And as a Christian with with people like Paul who are going through difficult times, they need you to be there for them as well.

And many people forsook Paul because he was in prison and I I I don't want to have anything to do with that. I don't want to get in trouble, too. And others forsook him because they disagreed with what he said or whatever reason. But we as Christians can do that so easily. Now, as you go on this passage though, there were those that were a blessing. And if you look at verse number 16, it says, 'The Lord give mercy unto the house of Anesopherus, for he offer refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain. And that's one of my favorite verses in the Bible that Anessus off refreshed me. And I wonder are you refreshing?

Are are you the kind of person that's refreshing? If you look at Phileiman uh just a couple of books later very short book only one chapter right before uh Hebrews and and right after the Timothy and Titus and all the rest of the TE's there if you look at Phileman look at verse number seven it says for we had great joy and consolation I love because the bowels of the saints are often re oft refreshed by thee brother and then go down to verse number 20 Phileiman chapter 1 and verse number 20 it says yay brothers uh Let me have the joy of thee in the Lord. Refresh my bowels in the Lord. Now, what he meant by that, the bowels were the seat of the emotions in that day.

But he just said, "You were refreshing to be around." And I wonder, can people say that about you? You know, you've heard me say this before, but some people are a blessing when they come into the room and some people are a blessing when they leave the room. And and which one are you? Are you the kind of person that's just refreshing to be around? You you're uplifting in the Lord. You're you're like a cup of cold water on a hot day. Like a cup of cold water on a hot day. Uh go over to the book of Proverbs chapter 25. Proverbs chapter 25 and look at verse number 11. Proverbs chapter 25 and beginning with verse number 11 through verse 13.

A word fitly spoken is like a apples of gold and pictures of silver. As an earring of gold and ornament of fine gold, so is a wise reprover onto the obedient ear. as the cold of snow and the time of harvest. So is a faithful messenger to them that send him for he refreshes the soul of his masters. To have just an encouraging word sometimes even to have a rebuke but to do it in such a way that that it's refreshing that that person genuinely knows you care to to be that cold refreshing person on that when somebody's going through a discouraging time. Look down at verse number 25. Says, "As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country."

And so I wonder, are you a cup of cold water on a hot day? Are you somebody that when you show up, it it just brightens up somebody's day? It encourages them. You have the right word to say, you know, the right thing to do. Or are you a bucket of cold water? Are you the one that walks in and you're the Eeyore in the room? you know, uh, that won't work, can't happen here. No way. We've always, we've always done it this way, we can't do it that way. You know, some people are just that that Eeyore in the room. You know, Habach chapter 3 and verses 17 to 18 says, "Although the fig tree shall not blossom, neither shall fruit be in the vines, the labor of the olive shall fail, and the fields shall yield no meat, the flock shall be cut off from the fold, and there shall be no herd in the salts."

I mean, everything's going wrong. And what's it say here? Yet, I will rejoice in the Lord. I will joy in the God of my salvation. We need more Christians that are rejoicing the Lord no matter what the circumstances of life. We need more Christians that are just refreshing to be around, that are like a cup of cold water in a hot day, not a bucket of water dumped on your head. And which kind are you? You see, you know, you got to resolve to rejoice. Go over to Philippians chapter 4. Philippians chapter 4 and look at verses 2 through 4. Philippians chapter 4 and beginning with verse number two. Philippians chapter 4 and verses 2-4.

Philippians 4 and verse we we all I think most of us know verse number four. Rejoice in the Lord always and again I say rejoice. But look at the context of the verse. Therefore my brethren dearly beloved long for my joy and my crown. So stand fast in the Lord my dearly beloved. I beseech yodius and I beseech nect that they be of the same mind in the Lord. And I treat thee also true yoke fellow. Help those women which labored with me in the gospel with Clement also with other my fellow laborers whose names are in the book of life. Rejoice in the Lord always. And again I say rejoice. You see there was two of these ladies that were having a a difference of opinion.

They were having a conflict going on. And Paul said listen you need to resolve to rejoice. you you you know you can go around and be upset with everybody and and mad at everybody or you can decide you know what I'm going to rejoice in the Lord always and and he was challenging them in their relationships one with another in James chapter 1 verse two it says my brethren count it all joy when you fall in diverse temptations you know what the word count uh in the Hebrew in the Greek means it means to lead it's like somebody in front of a of a military unit and the person that's leading them and and and not to let your circumstances lead.

You know, when when when everything's going wrong, like I said in the back we just read, and when everything's not going well in your life, you decide, you know what? I'm not going to let my circumstances lead and control how I feel, but I'm going to let God, I'm going to rejoice in the Lord because this is the day that the Lord hath made. And it's just good to be around people that are oft refreshing, people that just just have a word of encouragement. They have that just have a way of making you feel better. And even when they have to rebuke you, it's in a positive way. In Romans 12:15, it says, "Rejoice with them that do rejoice and weep with them that weep."

And I'm not saying you have to always be laughing and always have a, you know, everything's going great. There's times to weep with people. And I wonder, have you taken time this week to rejoice with those who rejoices and weep with them that weep? We've got people in the church that are struggling, going through health issues, going through uh situations at work, dealing with other problems in life. We you you know about them because we've shared prayer requests at different points. But have you taken time to rejoice with them? Maybe to give them a call on the phone, maybe to write them a note, maybe just take time to talk to them in the hallway.

Listen, I'm praying for you. To rejoice with those rejoice and to weep with them, we it's showing empathy. And that's the kind of person that Anessphus was. He was a person that, you know, Paul's in prison. He's on trial for his life and and he just wanted to go and just be a blessing. And and you know, sometimes we struggle with that because, well, what do I say? I mean, what do you say to somebody's in prison? You know, what what do you do? But it was just his presence. Just the fact that he didn't desert Paul. He didn't stay away, but he went and said, "What can I do? How can I be a blessing?"

In Proverbs 25:25, it says, "As cold waters to a thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." And part of the blessing that we can bring be is to bring joy, the joy of bringing someone to Christ. What a blessing to see uh someone saved this morning that that you you you know you can have a part in that. In 1 Corinthians chap 1 Thessalonians chapter 2 19 and 20 says, "For what is our hope, our joy, our crown of re rejoicing? are not even ye in the presence of our Lord Jesus Christ at his coming. For ye are our glory and joy. Have you had the joy of leading somebody to Christ? Have you had the joy of being a part of that?

Maybe you haven't led them to Christ, but you know those that were out signwaving a few weeks ago, we had family come to church because of that. Uh and and those that were out on Saturday for the Halloween outreach activity, you have a part in that. And whenever we're a part of these things, we have that joy of knowing that someone is going to heaven and someone has found Christ or someone has come to church because we brought that to them. We help bring that. It's one of the reasons we're doing the uh uh outreach on November 11th because we want to reach out to our community and and to let them know that Christ cares.

In Romans 1:16, it says, "For I'm not ashamed of the gospel, the good news of Christ, for it is the power of God under salvation. Everyone believe it, the Jew first and also the Greek. And Proverbs 25:25 says, "Cold waters to thirsty soul, so is good news from a far country." And we have the privilege of bringing the good news of the gospel to those that are lost. And we can do that in so many ways. And what we need to do is we need to make it real. You know, anybody, any onsave person can do a random act of love. It it you don't have to be saved to do that. And I know a lot of on say people are very good at doing random acts of love.

But it takes a Christian to make it real. A random evangelistic act of love to do it in the name of Christ. The Bible says in Mark chapter 9 verse 41, for whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name because you belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward. And I believe that that's one of the greatest means of giving out the good news. I believe one of the greatest opportunities we have is just to do something nice for somebody in the name of Christ, just to be helpful to them. I I was at Home Depot a while back and a lady was uh trying to load a big bag into her trunk and I just stopped and help her load it in there and got to talk to her a little bit and then uh and she was just so thankful and afterwards I just pulled a track out of my pocket and gave it to her.

Later on, she sent a note to the church. She didn't know I was the pastor and just said, "I wanted to tell you how this person was so kind and so helpful to me in the parking lot and and how much it meant to me." And folks, we have opportunities like that every day. Every day to make it real. Just to take an opportunity to to help somebody, to encourage somebody, to do the name of the Lord, uh to to give them a track when you do it, but just to just to really to do it in the name of the Lord, to let them know that we care. That's one of the reasons we do the things like the Halloween outreach and the and the Veterans Day hot dog cookout and the snow day we'll have in December is these are all we want to say to our community that we care about you because Jesus cares about you.

It's that random act of love that makes it real when you do it in the name of Christ. So we need to be refreshing and we also need to be refreshed. In Acts 27:3 it says, "The next day we touched his Siden and Julius courteously intreated Paul and gave him liberty to go on to his friends to refresh himself." This is when Paul was being sent to Rome as a prisoner. He was on a ship and he was basically supposed to be a prisoner on that ship and they pulled into port and the captain of that ship said, "Listen, you've been a good prisoner and and the guy in charge decided that we're going to let you go and see your friends and we're going to trust you and not send guards with you and the rest of it like that."

And and but it's interesting what he said. He said he gave him liberty go to his friends to refresh himself. And sometimes we need to be refreshing and sometimes we need to refresh ourselves. In Mark chapter 6:31 it says, "And he said unto them to his disciples, come ye yourselves apart unto uh a desert place and rest a while. For there were many coming and going. They had no leisure so much to eat." And I believe that as Christians, we need to take opportunity to go and also refresh ourselves. We want to be refreshing to others. But I found sometimes in my spiritual life, I got so busy refreshing other people that I was ne neglecting my own relationship with the Lord.

And sometimes we need to stop and take some time to pray and to seek the Lord. And sometimes we need to get together with other Christians. And some of you here, it's been weeks or months since you've ever gotten together with your friends just to be refreshing, just to enjoy some time of fellowship. We'd like to have people over our house and we have a lot of visitors over, but every once while we just say, you know what, we just need to have somebody over for us because we need to be refreshed. And I want to challenge you. If you haven't taken time recently to get together with your spiritual friends and to be refreshed by them, then you need to you need to do that.

In Hebrews chap 10 and verses 23-2, if you want to turn over to there, uh Hebrews chapter 10, we we often quote verse 25, but I want to put all these verses together in Hebrews chapter 10 and beginning with verse number 23. Hebrews 10:23. He says, "Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering, for he is faithful to promise, and let us consider one another provoke unto love and good works, not forsaking the assembly of ourselves together, as the manner of some is, but exhorting one another in so much the more as you see day approaching." If you want to hold fast to your faith without wavering, you need people.

You need to get together with other Christians. You need to spend time in fellowship to refresh yourself because if you don't refresh yourself, you can't be refreshing. And that's so important and something we miss out on so often. And then back in sec in first second Timothy chapter 1, it says, "The Lord give mercy on the house of Esther for he offer refreshed me and was not ashamed of my chain." He wasn't ashamed of Paul and where he stood. And and then it says in verse 17, "But when he was in Rome, he sought me out very diligently and found me." And that's something else that we need to learn to do is we need to learn to not wait for someone to come to us, but we need to seek out the opportunity to be a blessing.

I'm so glad that God sought me. Aren't you? In Luke 19:10, it says, "For the son of man has come to seek and to save that which was lost." I'm glad he didn't wait for me to find him because I never would have. He had to come find me. and and and we need to seek the Lord in Jeremiah chapter 29 13-4. You shall seek me and find me when you shall search me with all your heart and I will be found of you, sayaith the Lord. And we need to seek out God because God wants to be found of us. He's seeking for us. Turn over to Philippians chapter 2. Philippians chapter 2 and look at verses number 1-5. If there be any consolation in Christ, if any comfort of love, if any fellowship of spirit, if any bowels and mercies, fulfill you my joy, that you be like-minded, having the same love, being of one accord, of one mind, let nothing be done through strife or vain glory, but in loneliness of mind, let each esteem other better than themselves.

Look, not every man his own things, but every man also on the things of others. Let this mind be in you, which was also in Christ Jesus. The best way I can learn to be a blessing to others is before I seek them out, I've got to seek out Christ. Because when I have that mind of Christ, then I'm going to have a mind for others. And so, we start by seeking the Lord in our life. But as we seek the Lord, then what does he say? Then we're going to we're going to seek out one another as well to be that blessing to be that encouragement. In Romans 12:13 it says distributing to the cesus a saints given to hospitality.

And I've I've said this before the word given there in in the Greek language could also be translated as persecute hospitality. This is something that we need to go after. not wait for it to come to us, but we need to almost like we're persecuting others to to to reach out to them, to not give up on them. In Psalms 122, two of my other favorite verses in the Bible, uh, I was glad when they said unto me, "Let us go into the house of the Lord our God." And I hope you're always glad to be in church. I hope you look forward to being in church as a place to seek God and to seek others and fellowship and all the rest of it.

But then in verse nine, it says, "Because of the house of the Lord our God, I will seek thy good." And and when we come to church, we come to be blessed. And because we're blessed, then we can be a blessing. And God wants us not only to be blessed, but to be a blessing. And and I want to challenge you again. Whenever you come to church, whenever you walk on this campus, I hope you come here saying, "God, bless me. Bless me with the worship service. Bless me with the preaching. Bless me with fellowship. But also pray, God, help me to be a blessing. As you walk down those hallways, look into people's eyes.

As you walk in this auditorium, don't just look for the empty seat, but look at people and be a blessing to them. And I know it's one of those cyclical things that the more you're a blessing, the more God will bless you. And the more God blesses you, the more you can be a blessing. We want to seek their good. The word seek is to seek, to find, to require, to demand. In other words, it's not something we're doing uh it it just kind of happens. It's a it's a deliberate I'm looking for somebody. I'm seeking somebody to find somebody. I'm not going to go home until I can be a blessing. It's that attitude.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:es 9 and 10, it says, "But as touching brother love, you need not that I write unto you, for you yourselves are taught of God to love one another, and indeed you do it toward all the brethren which are Macedonia, but we beseech you, brethren, that you increase more and more." You know, this is a church that loves people. It's a testimony that we have, and I'm thankful for that. I I'm thankful for visitors over and over again says, "This is one of the friendliest churches I've ever come to." I I'm thankful that when I go out in the community, people will talk about how our church is involved in the community and doing things for the community.

But you know what? We can do more. We can do better. And and I don't want us to limit ourselves, but I want us to always look for opportunities to reach out and be a blessing to others. This is one of the reasons we do these outreach programs and and one of the reasons we every week we talk to you about greeting the visitors because it's important. And if you go back to 1 Timothy chapter 1, Paul also says here in verse number 18, that Lord grant unto him that he may find mercy of the Lord in that day, and how many things he ministered unto me at Ephesus, thou knowest very well. You need to be a minister to ministers.

In Hebrews chapter 6 and verse 10 says, "For God is not unrighteous to forget your work and labor of love which you showed towards his name and that you have ministered to the saints and do minister." We need to minister to others as well. I I'm thankful for those of you that minister here at Ohana Baptist Church, that work in the nursery, that work in the children's classes, that help out with the greeters and all the other things you do because we we we are called to be ministers. is not just the pastor who's the minister of the church. Every member needs to do that as well. And and hereus was a a member of the church at Ephesus before and and uh and and when he got to Rome, maybe he was there on business.

I'm not sure exactly why he went to Rome, but he said, "You know what? I'm going to look for Paul because maybe he needs ministering, too." And you need to remember that your pastors, your spiritual leaders, your Sunday school teachers, they need to be ministered to as well. You know, people like the Nordstrom's down there in two and three class, they work hard. Our four and fives class, they work hard. The gradies and the twos and threes, uh, Brother Plesky and the others in the junior church, these people are, they need you to minister to them because they're ministering to your children. Our pastoral staff, Pastor Inster and Pastor Andy and Pastor John and and Pastor Peter, and these men are are serving the Lord and their wives.

And you need to minister to them. I don't know if you know, but October's uh supposed to be pastor appreciation month. And I've appreciate those that have taken time to show appreciation because the pastors need to be appreciated as well. And there's times your pastors are are busy ministering to others and your Sunday school teachers are busy ministering to others and sometimes they just need to be ministered to. I'm thankful for somebody like Onesophus that did that. In Titus chapter 3 13-4 14 it says bring Zenus the lawyer and Apollos on their journey. By the way, that's what gives me hope about my son Caleb being a lawyer because God says they they could be good people too.

Um bring Zenus the lawyer and Apollos on their journey diligently that nothing be wanting unto them and let ours also learn to maintain good works for necessary uses that they be not unfruitful. You see, he said, "Listen, these folks that are ministering, you need to bring them forth on their journey. What can I do to encourage them? What can I do to help them? What can I do to minister to the ministers? What can I do to be a blessing?" Third John, there's only one chapter verse 6 says, "Which have borne witness of thy charity before the church, whom thou bring forward on their journey after a godly sword, thou shalt do well."

I want to challenge you. Whenever you have an opportunity, and I'm not trying to I'm not saying this selfishly, but whenever you have an opportunity to be a blessing to a pastor, to one of the assistant pastors, to one of the ministers in the church, to the Sunday school teachers, to a missionary, to an evangelist. That's what God calls us to do, to minister to those who are ministering, to bring them forward on their journey and be an encouragement to them. And so many of you in this room have have been my encouragement in times of need. minister to me when I needed that ministry. I'm so thankful for that.

One of the ways you could minister, turn over to Ephesians chapter 6. Ephesians chapter 6, and look at verses 19- 21, [clears throat] Paul just finished talking about the armor of God. And the last thing he says, praying always with all prayer and supplication, the spirit. Then verse 19, "And for me that utterance may be given unto me, that I may open my mouth boldly to make known the mystery of the gospel, which I am an ambassador in bonds, that therein I may speak boldly as I ought to speak, but he also may know my affairs and how I do. Titicus, a beloved brother and faithful minister of the Lord, shall make known to you all things whom I've sent to you for the same purpose, that you might know our affairs, and that he might comfort your hearts."

Paul coveted their prayers. He needed their prayers. And one of the ways you can minister is to pray for those that are ministering to you and your family, to pray for your Sunday school teachers, to pray for your pastors, to pray for missionaries and evangelists. They need your prayers. And what's interesting here is in 2 Timothy 1:1 16, it says, "The Lord give mercy on the house of Anesiferus, for he offered me." Notice when he said the house of Anespherus, he's talking about his family. This wasn't something just Anespherus did. This was something his family did. And and you know, your family ought to be involved in ministry.

You as parents ought to teach your children to respect and to to be a blessing to their Sunday school teachers and their pastors and other spiritual leaders. years ago, we had a family here at the church with some uh they'd raise their teenagers very well. And those young people, they would always be coming to me offering, "What can I do for you, pastor?" They'd come down to wash my car. They they'd offer to mow my lawn, and I couldn't pay them. They wouldn't allow me to pay them because they wanted to minister. And what a blessing that was. And by the way, my car needs washing now. But anyway, um [clears throat] I've had little kids come up to me and bring me a cookie for their pastor.

Boy, that touches my heart. I I've had little kids draw me pictures of me as their pastor. And I really appreciate because I look better in their drawings than I do in real life. So that tells you something. But what a blessing is when they bring it up and said, "This is for you, pastor. teach your family to be a blessing, not only to the pastors and the study school teachers and others. And if you haven't given your Sunday school teacher a a thank you note in a while, if you haven't given them a plate of cookies and tell them how much you appreciate them, you you ought to be doing that. And not just you, but do it together with your children and be a blessing.

And not only there, but to others as well. just to take a a plate of cookies, just to take something to say, "I appreciate you. I'm thinking about you. I haven't forgotten you." Like so many others have. You know, when somebody's missing from church, the best thing you can do is go by their house and just drop off a plate of cookies and say, "We've missed you." Sometimes just takes a phone call. People gone for six weeks and nobody cares. Nobody notices. You can't let them be forgotten. We have a responsibility. And so I want to challenge you to be an anesiferous, to be a blessing, to be refreshing.

So as we close out our time, we'll break up in our discussion groups. And I've got three questions for you. The first one is give specific ways that you can be refreshing to others. How can you what are some specific things you can do to refresh others? And then secondly, how can you be better aware of the needs of others and seek out who to be a blessing to? What what do you what do you need to do to be aware? Because we we miss that. How so? How can you be aware? And then number three is how can you minister to those who minister to you? What can you do for those that minister in your life? And again, it can be for the choir, the the the choir director.

It can be for uh the any any ministry. Somebody has ministered in your life. And then there's a bonus question. What are some ways you can teach your children to be a blessing to their spiritual leaders? So, if you have time to hit that, you can go to that as well. All right. Let's have the discussion leaders stand up here and go to your areas where you're going to be breaking up in your groups so we can get