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ENCOURAGING PEOPLE

Tuesday - May 2, 2023 CornerstonE

church PHNOM PENH, CAMBODIA

TODAY’S SCRIPTURE

There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy

with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to

see them. - Acts 18:2

Read: Acts 18:1-8, Acts 18

TODAY’S MESSAGE

Paul steps into Corinth weak, afraid and stressed. He’s alone, and it doesn’t seem like he

has any relationships in the city. It can’t be a healthy emotional space. He meets a couple,

Aquila and Priscilla, who love God. He seeks them out and they welcome him. They are

kindred spirits. He ends up living and working with them. God gives Paul the gift of the

encouragement of people. God uses Priscilla and Aquila to provide Paul with fellowship,

companionship and camaraderie both in Corinth and later in life (Romans 16:3-4).

Many of us are like Paul. We feel weak, afraid or stressed. Breaking points are vulnerable

places emotionally. Often, we are so emotionally and physically worn out that we pull away

from people. Or maybe we are ashamed of something and feel like we can’t talk about what

is going on. Instead of seeking out people to receive the gift of encouragement, we isolate

ourselves. We exchanged real personal relationships for movie marathons, playing mobile

legends and etc. When we could be doing something with friends, we sit alone scrolling

through our phones to see what everyone else is doing. Instead, we need to show up and

then open up.

IN YOUR CHAIR TIME TODAY

Think through who your people are. Often it is the relationships we build when nothing is

going on that provide support when we reach our breaking point. Maybe there’s someone

in your life you need to re-engage or a relationship you need to seek out. When you see

somebody reach out, respond like Priscilla and Aquila by welcoming them. At Cornerstone,

we believe that God created us for a community. Small groups are an excellent way to get

connected to others to take a step like Paul did to seek out how to belong, grow and serve

with a small group.