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Moses Exhorts the Israelites
At the end of his life, Moses sought to prepare the generation that had been raised in the wilderness to enter the promised land. Their well-being depended far more on their spiritual condition than their military capabilities. Moses exhorted them to grow in their knowledge of the Lord, to trust Him always and to express this love and trust by obeying His commands.
Moses urged the people: “This day, I call the heavens and the earth as witnesses against you that I have set before you life and death, blessings and curses. Now choose life, so that you and your children may live” (Deuteronomy 30:19). There is nothing obscure about that exhortation!
Paul Exhorts Timothy
In 2 Timothy 2:14-21, Paul demonstrates this ability with Timothy. Paul began with a general exhortation for Timothy to “present (him)self to God as one approved” (v. 15). He then offered specific guidelines as to how Timothy could accomplish this through his study and teaching of God’s Word and with his speech. Finally, he contrasted a negative illustration with a positive one: Timothy must not be like Hymenaeus and Philetus, who had departed from the truth. Instead, he was to be like a gold or silver vessel in a great house. That vessel, when kept clean and polished, would be used by the Master for a noble purpose.
Later, Paul urged Timothy to “preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season; correct, rebuke and encourage—with great patience and careful instruction” (2 Timothy 4:2).
Take another look at Paul’s approach to exhorting Timothy. How do you think Timothy responded to Paul’s words? We know that with Paul’s exhortation to encourage him and through the Spirit’s work in his life, Timothy became a great leader in the early church.
Guidelines for Exhortation
When people make inadvertent or careless mistakes, the leader’s responsibility to exhort them is tough. Through Paul, God provides advice in Galatians 6:1-5. First, Paul defines the purpose of exhortation as simply “to restore” (v. 1). Once the purpose is clear, the following process is suggested:
- Proceed “gently” (v. 1)
- Have an attitude of service toward the offender (v. 2)
- Act in obedience to Christ (v. 2)
- Act in humility (v. 3) {See the post on Leading with Humility for some practical tips!}
- Seek counsel (v. 4)
- Accept responsibility for the manner in which the exhortation is handled (v. 5)
For more practical tips on Exhortation, check out these book summaries in previous blog posts:
- Encouragement Changes Everything (October 8, 2014)
- The 5 Languages of Appreciation in the Workplace (March 12, 2014)
May you learn new ways of Exhortation—especially if that’s not your Spiritual Gift!—to help your team shoot for the stars…