Outburst

All dramatic presentations have a unique characteristic that defines the type of drama being performed. The mystery will have a group of people that appear to be suspects, but in the dramatic closing, the real culprit is unmasked. The comedy will generally have one character that cannot seem to get anything right, but ends up being the hero of the play. The musical is undoubtedly the most recognizable of the dramatic forms. The characters seem to burst forth in song at the drop of a hat, and, most of the time, they bring the hat.

Hebrews 10 (NIV)
²³Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. ²⁴And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. ²⁵Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

The writer of Hebrews gives us the “Manual of Interpersonal Relationships for Christians” in three short verses. It is a three-step process –

Think about each other

Spend time with each other

Encourage each other

The objective of this process is to keep the coals of love and service alive. It is interesting to note that we are encouraged to think about each other before we spend time with each other. In other words, we need to be intentional in the consideration of our ministry to each other.

The New Living Testament translates verse 24 like this:

²⁴Think of ways to encourage one another to outbursts of love and good deeds.

Like the songs in the musicals, our acts of love and good deeds should just burst out of a heart that has been encouraged by a brother or sister in Christ. That encouragement comes from someone who has thought about us and fellowshipped with us in order to provide the boost we needed. It is a victorious circle that just keeps getting bigger as we follow the manual.

Try out the process. It seemed to work quite well for Jesus. Time after time, He considered those who were His inner circle of followers and built them up for the work they had in front of them. Think about a fellow Christian and allow God to guide you to the area of encouragement they need. If you do, He will provide the opportunity for you to “stir” and "spur." We may buck a little when the spur is used, but the end result is a closer walk with God. When that happens, step back and watch the outburst of love and good deeds that follows. It won’t be long before the circle comes back around to you.

We serve an awesome God!!!!!