Encourage | Pastor Garrett Richards

I remember the very first night in the hospital.

I was laying in the bed and Mark was in the chair beside me.

And I remember him praying.

I could just heard him saying, Jesus, Jesus.

Jesus, help us, Jesus, Jesus.

When I was in high school, one of my favorite verses that I loved, that I chose to be my life first was Proverbs 3, 5, and 6.

Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and lay not on your own understanding.

In all your ways, acknowledge him, and he will direct your paths.

And he truly directed our paths with Mark retiring early.

There's no way we could have uh only God knew what was ahead with uh cancer, and there's no way that I could uh uh been on this journey.

She was diagnosed with cancer in April of 2025.

Um she started feeling bad, but took her to the ER, and they did a CAT scan, and we heard the C word, weren't really I don't think anybody ex expects to hear that word.

Once it set in for a little bit, then it became scary.

But one thing we both try to tell each other is God is a good God, and it's okay to question uh grapple with why is something happening, try to make sense of it, but at the end when it doesn't make any sense, what doesn't change is God's a good God, he can work all things together for good to those who love him and call it according to his purpose.

Each day there were some hard days, several times on this journey where we had to go through um certain procedures, and Mark wasn't able to be in the room with me, and I just kept saying to myself, You are with me, Lord.

You are the great I am is holding my hand because that's what he has said, and that's what we clung to.

We went through times where we trust you, Lord, we believe you, Lord, but help our unbelief.

We know that you you're with us, we know that you're a good God, we know that you have a plan, but help us when we struggle.

It's a conscious effort to try to say, I'm gonna trust you, you know it doesn't make any sense.

And I mean that's how it felt.

Mark and Lisa aren't strangers to this church.

Lisa has been on our staff serving at our CLC for over 20 years.

Over two decades worth of loving our kids and loving our families.

But just a little while ago, they heard the words that no one ever wants to hear.

That you have cancer.

Has there been a moment in your life when all that you can think to yourself is Jesus, Jesus, Jesus, help me.

Has there been a moment in your life that flipped your entire world upside down that the person you love the most has cancer?

You have a miscarriage with a baby that you were already praying over.

A friend or a family member passes away unexpectedly.

You were fired from your job.

There's no warning and no explanation.

Your son or your daughter, no matter how hard you try, they want nothing to do with Jesus.

All of us have gone through moments of hardship and suffering, but listen to me carefully.

That God's word always leaves us with hope.

As Mark and Lisa were walking through the hardest moment in their lives, they pointed their suffering to Scripture.

They knew that God had a good plan, even though it didn't make sense.

And even though you may be walking through these doors not knowing why or what God has in your life, you don't understand.

It's not good.

I can promise you that the God who is walking with you in your suffering, he's good.

In the hardest moments, Mark and Lisa had people show up.

And that's a question I want us to sit with this morning.

Who's showing up for you?

And even more importantly, who are you showing up for?

If you have your Bibles, turn with me to Hebrews chapter 10, verse 24.

Hebrews 10:24

Hebrews chapter 10, verse 24.

Hebrews 10:24

And as you turn there, I want to take some time just to introduce myself.

My name is Garrett, and I have the privilege of serving as a young adults pastor.

I've been to this church for, I've been on staff for about six months, but I've been at this church since I was nine months old.

So I've been here forever.

But I've been here since I've been nine months.

I was baptized just behind before there was an LED screen when I was nine years old.

This is the place where I first heard the gospel, understood the gospel, and responded to the gospel.

Out in the parking lot on a Wednesday night, my junior year of high school, is when God called me to the ministry.

This is the same place where I met my amazing wife, Halle.

There's a picture up on the screen.

Uh, this was taken after high school camp.

Man, this picture.

I was debating whether to use this or not, but we're going for it.

So uh this is uh Halley, all the way on the right, and then me, of course, and then my brother, and then not to get confused with her identical twin sister, Haley.

So Halley and I have been dating the day after this picture for six years.

We got married, we've been married for about a year and a half.

There's another picture up on the screen where we look maybe just a little bit better.

I don't want to give myself too much credit, but we look a little bit better than what we did from before.

Uh but being back here at this church, to be up here on this platform to preach God's word, not just to you, but to preach it to myself as well as a dream come true.

The most full circle moment I could even think about.

For the past three weeks, we've talked through the one another passages, what it means to love one another, what it means to serve one another, what it means to forgive one another, and today we're gonna close it out with one last one another passage.

Encourage one another.

See Hebrews 10, verse 24 reads this and let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as in the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the day drawing near.

Hebrews 10:24

Here's the question I believe that Hebrews 10 is asking, and the question that I want us to answer today how do we bring out the best in one another?

Not just show up for one another, not just sit next to each other on a Sunday morning alone, but how do we bring out the best in one another?

The author gives us three ways to do it.

The first way is to look up.

The author of Hebrews uses this word consider way different than the way that we use this word today.

Today, we use this consider as just thinking of something halfway, batting an eye, looking at something like it's not a big deal, or oh, I'm just gonna think about this later.

But instead, the author here is pointing to the fact of no, like don't just spend half of your thought on this.

Instead, this is where your full attention and devotion should rest.

Your mind being completely fixed on something.

So don't just think about it, but pay close and careful attention to it.

A couple of summers ago, I was traveling with two friends, Ethan and Landon.

We were traveling up in Oregon.

I've never been before, but I've heard it's beautiful.

So we camped out in all these different places.

But we stopped at Tillamook State Forest, which I think was my favorite stop out of any other place that we went.

And we drove around backroads for what felt like hours, just because we wanted to get away from all the people that we could.

So we finally found a spot.

We were camping out, all the different things.

It was super fun, loved it.

Uh but what was interesting was the next morning.

And I slept great, as good as you can, I guess, in a tent.

And I woke up and I was like, my entire body was drenched.

I didn't know why.

I mean, the friends that I hang out with sometimes are kind of goofy, so I'm like, maybe they just like poured water on me or something like this.

Like, I don't really know what's happening.

But I woke up and I walked outside and I realized exactly what happened.

When I walked outside of the tent, there was fog everywhere.

I could not see anything past five feet from where I was standing.

See, the fog didn't change reality.

The trees, the tent, the campfire, the road, the car, all of the things were still there.

But what it did hinder me from was the ability to see clearly.

And this is exactly what pride does to us.

Pride does not change reality, but pride does hinder our ability to see clearly.

Just how I couldn't see anything past five feet from where I was standing.

Pride keeps us from seeing five feet past ourselves.

Pride says, I know best, I know what's right, I don't need others, I'm the most important person in the room.

But pride doesn't always look like arrogance, it can self-disguise itself and self-pity.

That I'm worthless, I don't matter, no one loves me, I'm the victim.

Pride can also take the form of apathy.

It doesn't matter, this doesn't apply to me.

It's not that big of a deal.

Pride hinders our ability to see what God has created.

Instead of seeing people through the lens of the cross, we see them through the lens of our convenience.

Instead of seeing people as valuable, created in the image of God, we instead see them as obstacles.

Instead of seeing people to be loved, we see them as people to be used.

So, how do you expect to consider others when all that you think about is yourself?

How do you expect to consider others when all that your eyes are focused on are the things below and not the things above?

If we want to fulfill the command and considering one another, then we have to get out of this fantasy that everything revolves around us.

If we want to consider one another, we have to take our eyes off of ourselves and look to the people around us.

So do you love people as God loves them?

I'm not talking about just loving them in theory, just out of words, but do you love them in your action?

Do you love them in application?

Do you pray for them?

Do you meet their needs?

Do you step away from your own schedule for the one who is struggling?

Here's where I go wrong in this.

That I can let my schedule become my excuse.

There's a thing that I have to be at, a meeting that I have to go to, a place where I need to be, and instead of me dictating the things that are on my schedule, my schedule dictates where I need to be.

My schedule, in a sense, has become my God.

Now, of course, I'm not saying that order is bad or scheduling is bad.

But if our schedule becomes our priority, then everything else outside of it is just an interruption.

So don't sacrifice compassion for convenience.

Slow down and look up to the people around you.

So once we pick up our eyes to the people around us, we can't just stand there.

We have to close the gap.

We have to lean in.

And this leads us into our second point that if we want to bring out the best in one another, then we need to show up.

Here's some things that God has been doing in his young adult ministry.

There's been 33 young adults baptized since the first week of January.

Man, I don't know about y'all.

Let's give a hand for the Lord.

33 people's lives that have been changed by the gospel.

Averages out to about one young adult every single week, the entire year.

Another crazy thing.

Our life group have been, there have been so many people coming to these things.

We've had a group revamp, we've had two start up for the first time, and another two multiply.

We've seen an increase of 85%, and this isn't just the same people going to every single group.

Because guess what?

Young adults can do that.

Not everybody.

But this isn't the same people showing up to every single group and said, this is 85% growth growth of unique members.

Man, God is doing a good work and it's incredible to be a part of.

It's beautiful.

But people aren't just showing up.

They're showing up in order to grow in their relationship with one another and in their relationship with the Lord.

One of the first weeks I was here, we had what we called family dinner.

We all gathered together, worshiped all the different things, and we talked about the importance of community.

Everyone brought in their food, potluck style.

And I remember walking outside these doors, once I was done, everyone got their food.

I walked outside of these doors and I was looking at the table and the food on it, and I was like, man, it is only a young adult event.

If you have Popeyes, dominoes, and grilled salmon right next to each other.

Praise God.

That no one had food poisoning, at least that I know of.

That's a miracle from God for sure.

But it was a great night, it was a lot of fun.

But we did this for a specific purpose.

We planned it for a specific purpose, saying when you show up to church, don't show up with nothing to give.

Instead of show up with something to give to others.

And I think this is exactly what we do in the church sometimes.

Myself as well.

That we often view church as a pantry rather than a potluck.

I mean, in a pantry, I'm walking to my pantry.

I'm gonna pick the greatest cereal of all time, Lucky Charms, number one.

I'm also gonna take those red salsa sun chips.

Those are so good.

I love those things.

I kind of sound old saying some of the stuff.

I think Lucky Charms kind of brings down my age a little bit.

The red salsa sun chips and then the Dodds pretzels.

That brought my age back down one more time.

Those things are so good.

I don't know what they put in them, but they're great.

But I only go into the I only go into the shelf and I just pick the things that I like.

I pick the things that I'm gonna consume that are gonna make my appetite better.

Like I'm gonna fulfill my appetite.

And we can treat church the same way.

We show up into church, we show up in the doors, and we see everything on the shelf, and we say, I love this and I like that.

Oh, but when it comes to that, I don't want anything to do with it.

But for a potluck, what do you do?

You go to the store, you get all the ingredients, you prepare it in the correct way, and you show up.

But here's the key difference.

Instead of showing up, just to consume, you show it up to give it out to other people.

So when we gather, we do so to give our energy, our time, and our devotion to consider one another.

But for what?

Hebrews tells us, verse 10, to spur one another towards love and good works.

Showing up for one another isn't just one thing.

It's been the heartbeat of this entire series.

In the first week, Pastor Montega came up here and he talked about John 13 and how Jesus gave this command to his disciples to love one another.

So Montega told us that we are to know of Jesus' love, that we are to reflect of his love, and that we are also, and most importantly, to receive his love.

The next week, Pastor Jason preached about the importance of showing up by serving one another.

That if we want to serve at our best, then we need to look to the one who served best.

He pointed us towards Philippians 2, that even though Jesus was seated on an eternal throne of glory, he became fully man while also remaining fully God.

And he was obedient to death, even death on a cross.

So if Jesus sets the prime example for the way that we are to serve one another, then we are to also follow in his footsteps by serving each other.

Last week, church planner, IO, communicated the best message that we all love to hear: forgiving one another.

How forgiven people, forgive people.

And because Jesus has forgiven us of our sins, then we are also to forgive those around us.

The author continues in verse 25 that we should not neglect meeting together as in the habit of some.

The author here is proving a point beyond church attendance.

He's not saying that the problem is necessarily with missing a Sunday morning.

But instead, the problem is getting in a habit of isolating yourself away from the body.

Our culture values self-sufficiency over everything else.

If you can accomplish things on your own, if you can do this thing on your own, I mean, that's great.

People are going to praise you for your independence.

But let me be blunt and let me remind you what God's Word says it teaches the complete opposite.

Living the Christian life on your own is not impressive.

It's dangerous.

One of our core values at United City is that we are better together.

You can look all the way back at the first few chapters of the Bible in Genesis and see how when God created us, He created us for a relationship with each other and a relationship with Him.

Ecclesiastes 4, 9 and 10 say this Two are better than one, because they have a good reward for their toil.

For if they fall, one will lift up his fellow.

But woe to the Him who is alone when he falls and has not another to lift him up.

It's challenging to get to know others if we don't take any effort to get to know them.

On the other hand, it's challenging to get to know Putin new people when we don't get out of our circles on a Sunday morning and talk to them.

When you walk through the doors, you're not simply walking into a building or structure.

You're walking into a place that you can belong, a family.

So if we want to stay in the habit of meeting together, we need to do a couple of different things, some easy practical steps.

Number one, get involved in a life group.

Did y'all know that 70% of people that attend United City aren't involved in a life group?

This has major implications, but to keep this short, a few things.

Number one, if you aren't part of a group, then you need to join one.

We want to walk alongside of all the suffering and the hardships and all the different things, even celebrating when times go great.

We want you there so we can know you.

It's really difficult to love someone if you're not present and if you're not showing up.

So join a life group.

But for the ones who have been in a group for 10 plus years, even, this doesn't mean that this doesn't apply to us as well.

Start saving a seat to the person next to you.

Start inviting them.

Always have an open seat, always be ready to welcome.

Life groups is how a big church gets small.

It's how you sift from becoming a face in the crowd to a person that's known by name.

We want to help walk alongside of you, but you need to get involved in a group.

Another thing as well, get to know people who are more mature in faith.

Lifeway came out with this research about a month ago showing how Gen Z, 18 to 28-year-olds, are showing up to church more than any other generation.

They're showing up 6.2 times per month.

This is life groups, this is worship service.

6.2 times per month.

But they also voice some concerns that even though they're showing up more than anyone else, they're also the ones who release disciples.

They score high in building relationships and sharing Christ with others, but score lowest in living unashamed and exercising faith.

So for the next generation, attendance is not the problem.

They're already showing up.

Discipleship and formation is the problem.

For the older generations, young adult, youth, and kids.

They have a lot of zeal, they have a lot of passion, but not a lot of knowledge of God's Word.

So for the younger generation, meet people who are more mature than you and your faith.

Get to know them, get to know their story, ask them all the insight that they have on marriage, on finances, on parenting, all the different things.

Get involved.

Another thing text someone who hasn't been here in a while.

When you receive a text message from Someone showing that you've been missed, that you feel cared for, and you feel valued, that means more than anything else.

So something as small as a text or a phrase or a word can make the biggest difference.

So text someone who hasn't been here in a while.

A fun one.

Host people at your house.

Have them over.

Maybe they're new to your group, get to know them.

You can get to know people a whole lot better in your home than you can on a Sunday morning, Wednesday night, Tuesday, whatever it looks like.

So have them over to your house.

Get to know them, get to know their kids, all the different things.

Every one of us, including myself, we're all prone to drift.

So we fight for each other's best by looking up, by showing up, and lastly, to build up.

Hebrews 10 and 25.

Not neglecting to meet together as in the habit of some, but encouraging one another.

And all the more as you see the day drawing near.

The word encouraged, pericoleo, is a combination of para, which translates to alongside or beside, and caleo, which translates to call.

So literally the word means to call alongside.

Here's why this is so important.

Pericoleo was used for summoning someone to court or urging soldiers before battle or speaking to someone with authority.

Encouraging one another is more than the light pat on the back saying that you've got this.

But there's an urgency to it.

It's not passive comfort, but instead, this is an urging towards faithfulness, encouragement, and encouraging one another.

It's the same route as pericolite, which is the Greek word for the Holy Spirit.

So this is the Holy Spirit's role is to be our helper, so is the Holy Spirit's role to also be our convictor.

So if encouragement means both comfort and challenge, this means that we can't just be someone's greatest cheerleader or their biggest cheerleader, but instead, we need to also be their biggest challenger.

Don't just celebrate when things go great, but confront when things go south.

When you see a brother or a sister walking off of a cliff, don't watch them walk off of it.

Instead, grab them by the shirt, pull them back and say, come back to the truth.

Come back to God's word.

James 5, 19 tells us best.

My brothers, if anyone among you wanders from the truth and someone brings him back, let him know that whoever brings back a sinner from his wandering will save his soul from death and will cover a multitude of sins.

We can't read this passage lightly.

This is what true encouragement looks like.

It's a comfort and it's a challenge.

So don't just encourage people by saying, You're doing great.

Keep going.

Listen to me, those things are great.

But in the same sense, we need to be bold enough to tell people stop living in sin.

Repent.

Turn from it.

Stop wandering from the truth.

Instead, come back to where the body is at.

Wake up.

Get serious.

Man up.

Be bold and courageous.

Remember that you have been bought with the prize of God's only son.

So honor God with the way that you live.

Just because you're being honest with someone doesn't mean that you're being harsh.

We meet people like Jesus does so perfectly with grace and with truth.

So let's bring our attention back to the screen and see what true biblical paracoleo encouragement looks like.

Anderson, since that's the best cancer hospital in the world, and a friend knew a friend, got us an appointment with our oncologist.

She showed up with a hug, and she gave us a little wooden cross.

And I have the wooden cross.

There is comfort in what this cross means because of what Jesus did for us.

But when I first got sick, I worked at the church.

I was part of the Children's Learning Center.

I had been part of that team for over 20 years.

And one of the moms gave me a sweet little basket of goodies whenever I got sick.

And one of the things she included was a box of scripture cards.

So I thought, oh, we can hand these out while we're at the hospital.

So we started buying these little fun packs of MMs.

And we attached a scripture and a pretty little bow to the MMs, and we started handing these out to everybody that we came in contact with.

And we were reminded that God's word is alive and active.

And it ministers to us.

We had tons and tons of cards come in the mail just right when we needed them.

And uh one of the sweet couples that we serve with, Pam and Mike Townley, showed up not too long ago with a bag full of cards that their class had made, and uh had like 20 little cards from twenty little kids that we had served with and loved on, and it was just really sweet.

And this is not even all the cards.

We've kind of run out of space.

I have a bag of them that we've had to put aside.

We've had posters uh show up on our porch from classrooms at church, whether each little kid putting their hand press flowers, care packages.

These things like the cards have kept us going.

And each person that did something, I mean, it wasn't by accident.

They intentionally cared and took the time and effort to do that.

I mean a lot of times you can like say, I should have done something, but uh each one of these people took the time to actually intentionally do something to brighten our day or encourage us.

We appreciate it.

I have two sets of flowers here that people have brought me this week because people are still loving on us and offering to bring meals, and uh we are better together in serving our one true God.

And this week, uh, our doctor let us know that one of the spots they've been monitoring um six months ago it was 13 millimeters.

Three months ago it was 10 millimeters.

This week it was immeasurable.

Immeasurable.

Immeasurable So we serve a big good God.

We prayed like the week leading up to that.

I was like, let any spot that they're monitoring, Lord, because we'd had the scans, and we We're gonna wait for see what the doctor had to say.

But please, Lord, that spot they're monitoring, just let us just be totally gone.

And they said immeasurable, so God answered our prayers, and we're just praying that the cancer stays away, like she said, it's known to come back.

And we're just praying and hoping.

We don't know.

I mean we're we're limited, but you know, we trust in a God who's unlimited.

Jesus comes to give life and to give it more abundantly, and we are living proof of that.

Amen.

We are not giving the enemy a seat at our table.

Praise God.

Praise God.

You see, in the moments they needed it the most, they had people there ready to encourage meal trains, handwritten letters that they can't even fit up on the screen because there's so many in prayer all happening to this very day.

Here's what I love as others encouraged Lisa, it empowered her to encourage others, she would go around in a hospital with a ton of hopeless people no hope for the future.

She would give them candy and she would give them a verse from the bottom, she's giving them more than just a verse.

She's giving them the greatest form of encouragement.

The gospel.

Jesus is coming back.

The day is drawing near.

And even though we do not know when his return will be, it is closer today than it was the day before.

When Jesus comes back, he's gonna separate those who know him, who have a relationship with him from those who don't.

Those who have a relationship with Jesus will be brought into eternal life, but those who don't have a relationship with him will face eternal judgment, condemnation, and separation.

The day is coming.

Are you ready?

Let me encourage you with one final thing that you were created to love God with all of your heart, soul, mind, and strength to love him and him alone.

But every single one of us, regardless of where we come from, regardless of where we're going, all of us have fallen short of the standard that God has set.

That every one of us in this room, including myself, we haven't just wandered from the truth, we are instead dead in our sin and powerless to do anything about it.

But the story does not stop there.

That because of God's great love for us, he sent his son Jesus to live a perfect life that you and I can never live, died a perfect death that you and I deserve to die.

He said, You deserve to die on the cross, but instead, I'm gonna take your place, and he is offering you freedom today, freedom, just like uh Lisa just mentioned up on there, she referenced John 10 10.

For the thief comes to steal, kill, and destroy.

But I, Jesus, have come to give life and to give it abundantly, and this life is offered to you today.

If you admit that you're a sinner, far and separated from God, if you believe that Jesus was sent to die in your place, rose again on the third day, and if you choose to make him the rightful ruler and the king of your life, then you will be saved.

As God's word says, let today be the day of salvation.

Don't wait, the day is coming near.

So, just as the day is coming near, so should our encouragement to one another be stronger.

Let's bow our heads and close our eyes.

Now, as we do, I want you to get real, you and the Lord.

Staff will be up at the front, but I want you to be real with the Lord for a second.

Do you have a relationship with Him?

Do you know Him?

For St.

Garrett, I don't, but I want to.

I want you to find one of the people up here on our staff who can talk with you and show you what it means to follow Jesus.

But maybe for some of you, you've already stepped into a relationship with the Lord, but you've never taken your next step through baptism.

This time is for you too.

Come forward, don't hold back.

If you're interested in getting connected to life groups, number one, our staff would love to show you what that looks like, but again, once we leave from here, there's a booth in the first impressions lobby where we can see all the different ways that you can get involved.

Some of you are just going through a difficult season, you need prayer, and you need encouragement.

So come up and respond.

Respond in the way that God is directing you.

So, Lord, this is not our time of response, it's yours.

And I believe that you are speaking to people right now.

God, I would pray that they wouldn't just shy away from your Holy Spirit, but instead that you would embolden them to respond.

God, whether it's salvation, first decision, whether it's baptism, whether it's wanting to get connected or joining the church, whatever it looks like, Lord, we pray that you would get all honor and all glory.

It's in your name we pray.

Amen.

Man, what an amazing time that we had today.

Hey, if you know of someone that needs to hear this message, we'd love for you to share that on socials.

We'd love for you to actually go and check out our socials so you can stay up to date on everything happening in the life of United City.

And if you need to take the next step, we'd love to help you do that as well.

Love you guys so much, and we'll see you next week.