Our Need For Accountability and Encouragement

And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching. – Hebrews 10:24-25

The word “Ekklesia” is the Koine Greek word for church. It is a compound word, “ek” (the preposition, which means “out of”) and “kaleo” (to call). The word “ekklesia” literally means “called out of ones.” In other words, as God’s children, we have been called out of the world to live for Christ. What’s more, 90% of the time that the word “ekklesia” is used in the New Testament, it refers to the local church. Only 10% of the time, it refers to the body of Christ worldwide, the spiritual body of Christ.

Over the next couple of days, I want us to take a look at this word more closely so that we can understand the importance of fellowship and community in the local church. As we do, we’ll answer the question “Why do we need brotherhood in the church?” Today, we’re going to look at two reasons why we need the brotherhood, and then we’ll look at three other reasons tomorrow.

First, we need the brotherhood to hold us accountable. God intended for us to be in relationship with one another. He did not want us to walk through life alone because when you isolate yourself, you are closing yourself off from the encouragement and accountability that fellow believers can bring to your life. All of us need people in our lives who are holding us accountable. And we need to allow them to speak into our lives about the decisions we are making, the directions we are heading in, and what we are doing.

Second, we need the brotherhood to encourage us. I don't know about you, but I need encouragement. We all need it, and we all long for it. And some of us really need to hear those words right now because this has been a difficult season and a difficult year. We need encouragement from people who love Jesus. We need them to tell us, “Keep on keeping on. Take the next step. Don't worry about the end game. Just do the next right thing and keep moving.”

If you have people in your life holding you accountable and encouraging you, take the time to thank God for those people today. However, if you don’t have any of those people in your life, pray and ask your Heavenly Father to bring them into your life so you can experience the accountability and encouragement the Lord wants you to receive.