February 6, 2016

To exhort someone sounds, well, almost troubling, right? To say to someone “I plan to exhort you today” – seems too strong. But exhortation doesn’t always imply something critical, or demeaning. Exhortation actually means to “Encourage” — “To urge by strong, often stirring argument, admonition, advice, or appeal” as in the sentence “He exhorted the troops to hold the line.”

Listen to what Paul says in 1 Corinthians 10:1 — Now I exhort you, brethren, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that you all agree and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be made complete in the same mind and in the same judgment.

Here Paul is not making an “urgent suggestion” – he is making an urgent appeal – an appeal out of love – “encouraging” the people to love each other with the same love as G-d’s love seen in the person of Jesus Christ.
So Exhorting, also known as Encouraging, is the gift that is evident in those who love others so much that they consistently call upon others to live “In Christ”, or live in the love of G-d. Encouraging others in this manner is encouraging them to stay strong, to persevere, and to live into the Christian life – it is a positive message. But as mentioned above, it can also carry a call to correction. You see, exhorting someone is not always positive encouragement. Sometimes we must correct or build others up by calling them to task.

Not everyone has the gift of exhorting, in terms of correcting, but we all can find ways to encourage one another. If we love one another with the love of Christ, we will find ways to encourage each other – and pray for those who have the gift to exhort – to hold the line, to resist evil, and to call out sinful behavior.

Pastor Dave