Divine Encouragement
This reflection is about Christian outliers, the questions that arise when no fruit is seen, and the Divine Encouragement that comes when you least expect it.
NOTESDIVINE APPOINTMENTS
Trace Pirtle
3 min read
If God has called you to read this journal reflection, I’ll assume that you, like me, are one of His outliers. Not lost, not a rebellious renegade, just a committed follower of Christ who doesn’t always match contemporary church.
Christian Outliers
God made each one of us unique, like the fingerprints that identify us. No two are the same; however, there are common patterns like loops, arches, and whorls. They share common qualities and cluster together like Catholics, Baptists, and Methodists.
But God didn’t create all “normal” fingerprints or typical followers. Among fingerprints, He also created the “questionable patterns”, the unusual designs that stand outside the normal classification patterns. These questionable patterns are easy to spot.
I wonder if God views His Christian outliers the same way? We better check our fingerprints.
But what is my point?
My point is that the outliers may not get the same weekly dose of encouragement as our normal brothers and sisters in Christ. After all, edification is the primary purpose of gathering, at least it was in the early church (see 1 Corinthians 14:26).
Christian outliers typically find their encouragement in simple church settings. Or on benches in city parks or downtown coffee shops when outreach ministry bumps into another believer and fellowship happens.
Those are special blessings and the Holy Spirit always shows up. But there are Divine Encouragements when no one is around, and you feel like a true outlier and wonder if you are still on the narrow path.
That’s where I was this morning.
Divine Encouragement
This morning I felt like a kid who got lost on a hiking trip with his dad. It’s not a feeling of fear; more like feeling incompetent. That’s how I felt about my writing.
Some old tapes ran through my head from well-intentioned Christians who said:
“You aren’t qualified to write about the Lord. You’ve never been to Seminary!” or,
“Why don’t you serve Him on a committee at church instead of doing your own thing and writing?” or,
“If God had really called you to write, you would see FRUIT!”
Maybe they were right.
And then I glanced over at the unopened Voice of the Martyrs publication that I had carelessly tossed to the side of the Pilgrim's Desk. It was still wrapped in plastic.
I opened the cover and started reading the Guest Editorial by Todd Nettleton, Host of The Voice of the Martyrs Radio.
I read about outlier missionaries who kept their hand on the plow, year after year, in some of the most remote and hostile places on earth for Christians.
But it was Nettleton’s introduction to Dr. William Leslie that caught my attention.
Dr. Leslie and his wife spent 17 years along the Kwilu River (The Democratic Republic of the Congo) as missionaries before being forced to leave. Dr. Leslie believed his missionary work was a failure because he saw no fruit. He died nine years later with that belief.
But, as Nettleton writes, a century later when other missionaries went to the “unreached” people in the region, they discovered a growing network of churches. One had seating for 1,000 believers! Apparently, the Leslies' work did bear fruit!
If the Holy Spirit wanted to offer me some Divine Encouragement through Todd Nettleton’s words, He certainly did that with Dr. Leslie and his wife’s story.
But the quote that captured the essence of the story, and God’s Divine Encouragement, was the following:
“I believe that the measure of success in the kingdom of God is obedience.” John Chau said these words nine months before he was martyred on North Sentinel Island. People said he wasted his life because his work hadn’t produced visible fruit.
Concluding Thoughts
If you have ever felt like an outlier in the kingdom of God, realize that you are unique and have a special calling to fulfill.
If you have ever felt like what you are doing has no value because you haven’t seen visible fruit, think again.
And, if you don’t believe me because I am “unqualified” to write these words, just wait…God will send your own Divine Encouragement at just the right moment!
May God bless you and yours abundantly.
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Read other Divine Appointment notes:
Daily Christian Reflections
Walking With Jesus
© 2026. Dr. Trace Pirtle, All rights reserved.
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