1. The document discusses God's desire to comfort those who are suffering and outlines various ways God provides comfort, such as through his character, counsel in scripture, the church community, and others. 2. It also examines how we can learn to comfort others from our own experiences of receiving God's comfort, our victories in faith, and opportunities to provide comfort to others. 3. The conclusion encourages finding someone who needs comfort and helping to alleviate their suffering.

1. The Ministry of Giving
Comfort

2. Introduction
It is a natural response of true friends to
want to comfort one of their own when
troubles or tragedy strikes them. This
was the case with Eliphaz, Bildad, and
Zophar toward their friend, Job.

3. (Job 2:11-13 NIV) When Job's three
friends, Eliphaz the Temanite, Bildad
the Shuhite and Zophar the
Naamathite, heard about all the
troubles that had come upon him, they
set out from their homes and met
together by agreement to go and
sympathize with him and comfort him.

4. {12} When they saw him from a distance,
they could hardly recognize him; they
began to weep aloud, and they tore
their robes and sprinkled dust on their
heads. {13} Then they sat on the
ground with him for seven days and
seven nights. No one said a word to
him, because they saw how great his
suffering was.

5. God’s desire to offer comfort to those
who need it is evident in several ways:
1. God’s characterization in Scripture
(2 Cor 1:3 NIV) Praise be to the God and
Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the
Father of compassion and the God of
all comfort.

6. 2. God’s counsel in Scripture
(Psa 119:49-50 NIV) Remember your
word to your servant, for you have
given me hope. {50} My comfort in my
suffering is this: Your promise
preserves my life.

7. 3. God’s construction of the church
(1 Cor 12:24b-26a NIV) God has
combined the members of the body
and has given greater honor to the
parts that lacked it, {25} so that there
should be no division in the body, but
that its parts should have equal
concern for each other. {26} If one part
suffers, every part suffers with it.

8. 4. God’s communication through others
(2 Cor 7:6-7 NIV) But God, who comforts
the downcast, comforted us by the
coming of Titus, {7} and not only by his
coming but also by the comfort you
had given him. He told us about your
longing for me, your deep sorrow, your
ardent concern for me, so that my joy
was greater than ever.

9. I. The “Words” of Comfort Reveals
Ways to Comfort.
A. Old Testament Words for Comfort
1. To cause to smile (Hebrew, "balag").
2. To show compassion and consolation
(Hebrew, "naham").
3. To support or strengthen
(Hebrew, "ca'ad").

10. B. New Testament words on comfort.
1. To come to one’s side to help
(Greek, "parakaleo").
2. To soothe or console
(Greek, "paramutheomai").
3. To use soothing words like a soothing
medicine used to relieve pain
(Greek, "paregoria").
4. To cheer up or to make a soul well
(Greek, "eupsucheo").

11. 5. To encourage someone to take
heart, help is near (Greek, "tharreo").
6. To correct wrong thinking that has
been causing pain to one’s self or
others (Greek, "noutheteo").

12. II. How We Learn to Comfort Others
God is building a resume of victories we
have in Him so that we can share with
others who need comfort. We learn
how to comfort others . . .
A. From Our Own Experiences

13. (2 Cor 1:3-4 NIV) Praise be to the God
and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ,
the Father of compassion and the God
of all comfort, {4} who comforts us in
all our troubles, so that we can comfort
those in any trouble with the comfort
we ourselves have received from God.

14. B. From Our Victories Won by Faith.
(1 Th 3:7-8 NIV) Therefore, brothers, in
all our distress and persecution we
were encouraged about you because
of your faith. {8} For now we really live,
since you are standing firm in the
Lord.

15. C. From Taking Advantage of Our
Opportunities to Provide Comfort
1. As we provide comfort to others, we
become more skilled in ministering it.
(2 Cor 1:4 NIV) [The God of all comfort]
comforts us in all our troubles, so that
we can comfort those in any trouble
with the comfort we ourselves have
received from God.

16. 2. As we watch others who are gifted at
giving comfort, we learn how to offer it
ourselves.
This may have been how Tychicus became
so adept at giving comfort to others. He
was with Paul and others when Paul was
on a mission of encouragement to the
churches he had established on his first
missionary journey. Tychicus probably
learned from Paul’s ministration of
comfort to the churches and was used to
aid Paul to that end.

17. a. Paul sent Tychicus to Ephesus to
encourage them.
(Eph 6:21-22 NIV) Tychicus, the dear
brother and faithful servant in the
Lord, will tell you everything, so that
you also may know how I am and what
I am doing. {22} I am sending him to
you for this very purpose, that you
may know how we are, and that he may
encourage you.

18. b. Paul sent Tychicus to Colossae to
encourage them.
(Col 4:7-8 NIV) Tychicus will tell you all
the news about me. He is a dear
brother, a faithful minister and fellow
servant in the Lord. {8} I am sending
him to you for the express purpose
that you may know about our
circumstances and that he may
encourage your hearts.

19. c. Paul was to send either Artemus or
Tychicus to replace Titus in Crete for
the purpose of encouraging Cretan
Christians who were prone to lying,
wicked acts, and laziness.

20. (Titus 1:12-13 NIV) Even one of their own
prophets has said, "Cretans are always
liars, evil brutes, lazy gluttons." {13}
This testimony is true.
Therefore, rebuke them sharply, so
that they will be sound in the faith

21. Conclusion
In the next study on “The Ministry of
Comfort,” we will search the Scriptures
to understand “How Comfort Can Be
Obstructed” and “How to Offer
Comfort to Others.” Until then, here’s
something to think seriously about
after you’ve had your chuckle.

22. The bulletin board out in a shop carried
this notice:
IN CASE OF ACCIDENT OR INJURY,
NOTIFY YOUR SUPERVISOR
IMMEDIATELY.
At the bottom of the notice someone
scribbled, “He’ll kiss it and make it
better.”

23. Now, go find someone who
needs comfort and then find a
way to “kiss and make it
better.”