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The Gift of Exhortation - W.E. Smith
The Lord willing, I would like to share a message on the spiritual gift of exhortation to be exercised on behalf of His little ones. This, like so many areas in Scripture, has been too little understood and exercised among the church of Christ. By His grace we will dig deeper into such matters, here a little and there a little, to see what the Spirit has to say. To exhort (parakaleo in the Greek) means to call near, to invite, to urge strongly, to beseech or implore others to action, to make a forceful appeal for some kind of immediate response. And a careful study of the Word will reveal that exhortation is the basis for much of the epistles delivered to the saints in the New Testament, and that it is a spiritual gift in its own right.
Here we discover that each member of the body is to exercise gifts according to the “grace given to us” and “according to the proportion of our faith“. The very health and vitality of the Body is dependent on this. To some it is given to prophecy, to others to serve, to teach, to lead, to give, to show mercy, and to still others, to exhort. All of these various gifts are granted and empowered by the grace of God for the edification or building up of the body, and each member is to exercise such gifts based on the “proportion of his faith“. What does this mean - “proportion of his faith“? Well, not only is each member granted a differing gift, but not all are given the same degree of faith (in the exercise of that gift), as the Lord conveyed in the parable of the talents (Matt 24) and minas (Luke 19). To each servant is given a certain portion to invest (or exercise for the profit of the Master Builder), while He is away. When He returns, there will be an accounting (at the Judgment Seat) of each servant’s faithfulness in transacting His Master’s business with whatever portion he was given. Now in a very substantial sense, His business involves the establishing and development of His Church (”I will build My Church”) in preparation to reign with Him in His Kingdom, and each member of the body is to invest the talents given to him by exercising gifts for the building up (edification) of the body. In other words brethren, Paul is laying down the practical application of what our Lord suggested previously in these parables to His own. And to certain individuals, the talent or gift given, is that of exhortation. Let us therefore consider this further as the Spirit permits. Before we do, let us back up a bit and consider what Romans 12:9-12 tells us about the exercise of all such spiritual gifts -
Here then, we are given the over-arching and under-girding principles by which all gifts are to be expressed as intended by He who grants them -
Brethren, for 2,000 years now there has been much activity conducted in the church of Jesus Christ, much of which has been well-intended and carefully conceived. Great human talent and planning has been directed at any number of great goals in churches and groups all over this world. Seemingly it seems, every mode and method of “doing church” has been devised, tried and tested. And yet, to those with true spiritual sight, they have all failed miserably, because Christians, by and large, have forgotten that it is the Lord alone who (as the Master Builder) will build His church, and the Holy Spirit who will make ready the Bride; and not men. And He will build His church by equipping and empowering each member of His Body to actively fulfill select responsibilities and functions, for the preparation and edification of the whole. And as we shall see, the gift of exhorting the brethren, as with all of the gifts, is absolutely essential if the Bride is to be ready at the Bridegroom’s return. Let us continue in this study by considering what the Scriptures reveal regarding this ministry and gift of exhortation, as inspired and directed by the Holy Spirit.
Here we see brethren, that exhortation, strictly speaking, is not the same as teaching, although it is an earnest pleading for those being exhorted to walk according to the manner laid down previously in the teaching; to enter in and possess the fullness of that promised in the teaching in other words. There is always a need it seems, while we are in the flesh and the world, to be exhorted to continually and actively appropriate the blessings and promises of God by faith, as expressed by His Word (both the Living Word and the Scriptures which contain that Living Word). In verse 2 above, we see that the Apostle Paul had earlier given the injunctions related to how they should walk in this newness of life. And here he was merely exhorting them to continue walking in them, to live the life, to press onward into the very fullness and holiness of the Lord Jesus Christ. For the Christian faith, this is nothing less than a living walk originating in, and empowered by the Living Word that came down from heaven. It is not enough to merely receive some teaching about what this life means or represents, but we are urged to actually enter into this life, to apprehend (through teaching) and appropriate it (by faith) in all of its fullness and reality. Because we so readily seem to forget this essential fact, and allow our testimony to become little more than hollow religious experience, the Holy Spirit is constantly reminding us of what “newness of life” actually means; that it is an existence apprehend by faithful obedience to every word breathed by God. This, when all else is said and done, is the aim of all spirit-breathed exhortation - to appeal to, and encourage believers to appropriate all that the Lord Jesus Christ has wrought for them, and promised in His Word. Notice, for example, how frequently in his epistles Paul is urging and beseeching, exhorting and encouraging his readers to do more, to go further, to run faster, to grip tighter, to labor more intently, to focus more narrowly on what it is out ahead, to be careful, to exercise wisdom, to be adequately equipped, to fight the good fight of faith (and the list goes on).
Again, there is an obvious correlation between teaching on the one hand, and exhortation on the other. They are often mentioned together in Scripture, and it would be a rare teacher indeed who would never exhort his students to apply that being taught. And yet in Romans 12:8, we see the gift of exhortation identified as a distinct function of the body, quite apart from that of teaching. This being so, it is well worth our time to dig deeper to comprehend how the gift of exhortation is to be expressed and directed by the Holy Spirit. Notice in the verse mentioned above that Paul is exhorting the brethren in Thessalonica “through our Lord Jesus Christ“. The very basis of his appeal is through, or by the authority of, the Master. Now to exhort through the Lord Jesus Christ suggests that the exhortation (whatever it happens to be) flows from the Master Himself, and His intuitive understanding of the condition and needs of the Body. It is (and must only be) His perfect perspective from which the exhortation to change, or continue, or to do anything must come. And so if any of His servants are to exercise the gift of exhortation for the edification of the Body in the sense laid down in Scripture, then it can never be derived from their own opinion or judgment of what is needed. What we see simply doesn’t matter, and in another sense, we are not even permitted to judge another man’s servant (Rom 14:4). Only He who searches the heart can know the true condition of any individual or company of believers at any moment in time.
Those exercising the spiritual gift of exhortation are to do so with “all longsuffering and teaching” (or patience and instruction). The sense here is that exhorting the brethren into the deeper things of Christ is not a ‘one time, fix all‘ proposition, but a continuing calling, requiring patient devotion and love toward those being exhorted, especially as we draw nearer to His coming for His own. A helpful illustration might be that of a devoted and loving parent training children. Any parent knows that it is not enough to merely teach your child something important once and for all; but there is a perpetual need to patiently exhort them in the required behavior or pattern. Patience, therefore is not an option for the fruitful exhorter of the brethren. Note the depth of such patience and longsuffering in the Apostle Paul, throughout all of his letters to the saints as an example. And lest we think this is a quality or disposition found naturally in the human heart, it is most definitely not. Galatians 5 reminds us that patience and longsuffering are fruit of the Holy Spirit, just as exhortation is a gift of the same Spirit. We also observe above that the imperative for spiritual exhortation flows out the times and seasons, as lying in the foreknowledge of our Lord and Master. Indeed, the great falling away, or apostasy of the last days, as revealed in the Scriptures, may well be upon us brethren, and yet there will always be a remnant who hunger and thirst for the authentic life of God and His righteousness, regardless of the many who have chosen the broad way that leads to emptiness and rejection at His Coming. There must also be a willingness, on the part of exhorters, to “endure hardship” in the exercise of their gift. Now there will always be those in the church, perhaps the many, who will not suffer to be exhorted to change their ways, or forsake the path of men for the path of God. For them the deeper things of Christ, and the fullness of His Life mean little, for to them church is about affirming all that they are already, and for tickling their ears with sugary reinforcement. To them (like the official teachers and religious leaders of Jesus’ day), he who exhorts is most decidedly unwelcome, and to be silenced at all costs. This is why, brethren, our churches are too often with syrupy, man-affirming believers, who are blind and ignorant of the faith once delivered. This is also the reason the word of exhortation has, for the most part, moved beyond the walls, and the days before our Lord’s Appearing are short. In addition to teaching, the gift of exhortation is intimately aligned with that of prophecy. Note 1 Corinthians 14: 1 -
The New Testament endowment of prophecy (GK - "propheteuo", meaning to speak under divine inspiration), speaks edification, exhortation and consolation to the companions of Christ. Similar to prophets of old, such as Jeremiah and Isaiah, who constantly urged the people of Israel to return to the Lord, to love Him above all else, and to put away the false gods and idols in their midst, the one who exhorts the brethren does so out of an insufferable love for his people, and a heartfelt desire to see them realize all the blessings that the Lord has intended for them. And here is another point regarding exhortation - that it is intentionally directed at the heart and not (so much) the mind, as is teaching. It is an appeal to heavenly ideals such as love and steadfastness; to a return to a manner of life and living as it was ordained by the Creator to be. For this reason it invariably involves an appeal to repentance and continuing endurance. It pierces forcefully through every example of falseness and shadow to reveal what is authentic, sincere and substantial. If we care to look closely brethren, we will see that much of the New Testament is exhorting us (and warning us of the consequences of not doing so) to press tenaciously onward toward our inheritance in the sabbath rest of God; the "Kingdom of our Lord and of His Christ" (see Rev 11:15, and note that this will ultimately be fulfilled in the "age to come", the last 1,000 years called the millennium and the Lord's Day). This passage in Hebrews is one of many examples -
Throughout this and other epistles, Christian disciples are exhorted to learn from the mistakes made by the children of Israel, and to remain steadfast until the coming of the Lord. And although all are encouraged to exhort one another daily in the Spirit, there is the sense in Scripture that certain individuals are granted this particular gift for the edification of the body. Yet perhaps more important than the source of the exhortation, is the response of the people when it is presented. Let's note some additional passages here in Hebrews -
Lest we take too lightly the words given by the exhortation of our Lord through His servants, here we see that the consequences of neglecting or despising the word of exhortation are severe. In fact, we have the example of Israel ever before us in the testimony of God's Word to see where their hardness of heart and stubborn disobedience led them. Similarly, if the church dismisses or ignores genuine God-breathed exhortation, then the result over time will be nothing short of apostasy, a falling away from the faith once delivered; from the Lord Himself. This, sadly, has been the story of the Christian testimony since that first generation when "wolves" and false shepherds first slipped into the sheepfold and the Lord's shepherds failed to protect (by exhortation among other things) the sheep. This is serious business little ones, and the times are short! Will we in fact heed the exhortation of the Lord, through those imbued with His Spirit of exhortation, or will will despise it, seeking rather to have our ears tickled with feathery words of self-congratulation? If indeed we are sons of the kingdom and of the day (Matthew 13:38, 1 Thess 5:5) and children of light (Ephesians 5:8), then chastening and correction is absolutely necessary for us to mature in the faith, that we might be partakers of His holiness, and to be able to stand at the coming judgment of the saints. Exhortation by its very nature makes us uncomfortable and unsettled to be sure; it forces us to evaluate whether we are truly living for the Lord, abiding in Him and not in this world. It gives weight and substance to the teaching we have received related to what we are as new creations, and sons of the kingdom. It reveals that which is hidden or false, as a spotlight pierces into the darkness and exposes it as such. For this must only be if indeed we are to be children of the day, who are not afraid to have all things in our hearts revealed and laid bare. Yet again, the one who exhorts is not merely standing loftily in judgment over his brethren, but he is enabled through the Spirit to see that which the Lord sees, first (always this must be first) in himself, and then in the body at large. His zeal is singularly for the Lord's glory, and for the manifest well-being of the brethren. He is constantly aware that it is salt that preserves and not sugar, and that it is light that exposes things for what they truly are and not the darkness. In this light, let us revisit the final words of Joshua to the children of Israel just prior to his death -
This brethren is as good an example of God-breathed exhortation as can be found anywhere in the Word. Notice that Joshua's appeal is to what they already know (in all their hearts and souls), to what they have seen (that the Lord is faithful; that not one word of His had failed them), and to "hold fast" to the Lord their God, that they might ultimately possess all of the land He had sworn to them as an inheritance. Well, we too dear brethren, have an inheritance set out ahead of us, and it is nothing less than entrance into our Lord's Heavenly Kingdom, to rule and reign over this earth with Him for a thousand years. Yet in this wilderness journey, from faith to faith, from children needing milk, to mature saints sustained by meat, we have so very much to learn, so very much to let go of and so very much to apprehend. And the spiritual gift of exhortation is a most essential condition of our training and development as children of God. Tragically, as we read in the Book of Judges following this appeal from Joshua, the children of Israel proved just how pitifully they took his words to heart. They did in fact perish quickly from the good land, rather than go on to possess all of it with the Lord's fullest blessing and purpose (to be a light to the gentiles). Indeed, they always reacted with hostility to the Lord's prophets and messengers, who meant them only that which is good. Ultimately, they rejected and then crucified the One sent from heaven, the One greater than Moses, whose heartfelt words of exhortation and truth fell always on uncircumcised ears (Acts 7:51) and stony hearts. It is fitting here also to add to Joshua's final words, what well might be some of the final words of Peter (at his approaching death), and the similarity of the message is rather striking -
Yes, little ones, as long as we too are in this tent, we need to be constantly reminded of essential and important things, to be "stirred up", that we will "be neither barren nor unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ", and ready to present ourselves to Him at His Coming. God-sent exhortation, if it is heeded and taken to heart, keeps us from stumbling, it keeps us established in the present truth, and advancing in the faith, such that an "entrance will be supplied to you abundantly into the everlasting kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ." And so to conclude dear brethren, do not despise this gift, whether you are the one to whom it has been granted, or those who are being exhorted. It is one of those most precious gifts given to the church, ministered under the watchful care of the Holy Spirit, our Helper and Comforter, who will lead us into all things in Christ Jesus our Lord. Please pray for one another in this matter, as the days and hours grow short, and as we wait His appearance for His watchful ones. Please pray for those who are the exhorters among the brethren, for theirs must only be a difficult and lonely path, and they need the Lord's blessing, provision and empowerment, such that they will not become bitter or proud in the ministration of this gift. And pray also that our hearts will not become hardened and our necks stiff, once the word of exhortation comes forth, wherever that may be. In all this and other matters, we pray for you dear children, that your faith might remain and even grow stronger as the days grow darker. In Jesus Righteous Name, Amen. Please pray for us here at Living-Walk, that we would watch and see the Master at work, and understand what He would have us be and do. Your friend and servant in Christ Jesus, Wayne |
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Dear
saints, our prayers for all of you persist in this dread hour,
such that you will be wholly equipped in all things pleasing to
our Blessed and Soon-Coming Lord and King, Jesus Christ. Please
in turn pray for us that we too will grow in all wisdom and
holiness, as He makes us ready to be received by Himself at His
imminent appearance. The hour is dark dear brethren, and (sadly)
the darkness covers all the world and even the testimony of
Jesus Christ, to the degree that Christians seek their
collective purpose in the kingdoms of men, not their Master.
