Greek Meaning Of Exhortation
The Greek word used for exhortation is paraklésis and by its Greek definition, we can see this is sorely needed in the church. Paraklésis means to call to ones side, to call for or summon, and to admonish. Another name for the Holy Spirit is very close to paraklésis is the Paraclete or in the Greek parakletos and means one called alongside or called alongside with another because thats what the Holy Spirit does for us. He comes alongside us and helps bring Scriptures to mind and gives us the ability to understand Scripture, so what exhortation is for other believes, the Holy Spirit is for us .
God gives the gifts of the Spirit for the churchs benefit, not for the individuals benefit.
Exhortation In The Bible
I am writing this blog to explain the importance of exhortation in the Bible.
Exhortation is a form of communication that is used to persuade someone to take action, or to encourage them to continue doing something they are already doing.
Exhortation can be found throughout the Bible, from Acts 2:42-47 to Romans 12:1-2. It is a valuable tool for communicating Gods truth and encouraging others to live it out daily.
There are many different types of exhortations in the Bible: some are given by God himself , while others are given by people who were inspired by God . Some exhortations are meant for all people , while others are specifically targeted at one group or another .
The importance of exhortation in the Bible cannot be overstated. The purpose of this blog is to explain how important it is and why we should all strive to be good exhorters ourselves!
Three Observations About Exhortation
Even while not easy, exhortation serves an essential function in the plan of God to keep us in the faith.
Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. But exhort one another every day, as long as it is called today, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin .
In Hebrews 4 God has been talking about the Israelites in the Exodus and how they hardened their hearts during the wilderness wanderings thus provoking the wrath of God. The author of Hebrews urges Christians to avoid this provocation. He wants them to take care to avoid an evil, unbelieving heart that would lead them to fall away from the living God.
It is in this context that he raises the issue of exhortation. Exhortation is of crucial importance for the message of the text because it is the means by which people will avoid an evil unbelieving heart and so remain in the grace of the living God. Exhortation is a vital means of grace. It is a crucial tool in the hand of God to keep his people in the faith.
An Essential Means of Grace
Even when exhortation is not fun, it serves an essential function in the plan of our gracious God to keep us in the faith. That is the first observation about exhortation: Exhortation is an essential and God-ordained means of grace. Let me make two more.
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What Exactly Is Christus Vivit
Christus Vivit is an apostolic exhortation written by Pope Francis as a reflection on the XV Ordinary General Assembly of the Synod of Bishops, which took place in October 2018 on the theme of “young people, the faith, and vocational discernment.” This exhortation frequently references that Synod and its Final Document, but also provides the Holy Father’s own insights that flowed from the process that led up to, included, and followed the October Synod gathering.
In short, Christus Vivit is a significant papal document that gives the Catholic Church’s current and central understanding of its approach to youth and young adults.
The Word Exhort Is Used Several Times In The Bible And Mostly In The Book Of Acts
The word exhort is used several times in the Bible and mostly in the book of Acts. Its also used several times in 1 Thessalonians and 2 Thessalonians.
The word exhort comes from a Greek verb that means to encourage or to urge. It can be translated into English with words like: encourage, urge, motivate, persuade.
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How To Write An Exhortation
An exhortation is a persuasive or inspirational speech or text that strongly advises the audience how to feel or act about a certain subject. Often used in reference to biblical matters, an exhortation can be made about anything that you are passionate about and want to encourage others to feel strongly about as well. To write a strong exhortation, you will need to appeal to the needs and desires of the reader. Supporting facts are important, especially if they draw on the emotion of the reader.
Study your audience. Like any piece of effective writing, you should have a strong sense of who is reading the piece. This will help you to best appeal to their interests and convince them to share your view. For example, if you are writing an exhortation proposing a reformation in an institution, you might write a very different paper for the leaders of the institution than the members.
Research the subject matter. If you are writing an exhortation, it is likely that you already have an opinion on something that you want to share with others. The best way to communication why the reader should feel the same way is to prove that you have done your homework. Find supporting details that defend your argument and reputable sources for your claims.
References
Cns Stories And Other Coverage
CNS covered all pre- and post-Synod developments in 2017 and 2018. Find full coverage in the Catholic News Service Special Section.
Read Mobilizing the Field Hospital: Pastoral Care as a Paradigm for Ministry with Young Adults, an academic article from Religions journal, on the connection of Christus Vivit and its notion of the “field hospital” with the Church’s approach to young adults in the United States, by Paul Jarzembowski from the USCCB Secretariat of Laity, Marriage, Family Life and Youth
Read Christus Vivit and Young Hearts that are Witnesses of Justice and Peace, a reflection from Mike Buckler on To Go Forth, a blog from the USCCB Department of Justice, Peace, and Human Development.
Read the Complete Guide to the 2018 Synod from Ave Explores and edited by Katie Prejean McGrady, USCCB representative to the Pre-Synod meeting of young adults in March 2018, and containing articles from various contributors to the overall process.
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Spiritual Gift Of Exhortation
The spiritual gift of exhortation is a special ability God gives some to help strengthen weak, faltering, and fainthearted Christians in such a way that they are motivated to be all God wants them to be. The focus of a person with the gift of exhortation is the spiritual welfare of the individual and they illustrate this through their actions and participation in the body. Any other focus is based on human wisdom and need and is not the use of this gift.
Paul And The Art Of Exhortation
Leadership is an art. As such, it consists of skills that can be studied, practiced and mastered. Effective leaders may be found in the boardroom and in the boiler room. They may be teachers, coaches, bankers, lawyers, service station attendants or food servers. Exhortation is among the relational skills effective leaders cultivate. Exhorters are people who spur others on to higher levels of achievement. In doing so, they help turn their constituents into leaders. But think of the word just used: spur. Spurring, while it may sometimes be necessary, is not always a pleasant activity.
Effective leaders accomplish extraordinary things by spurring others in the right way. By practicing the careful art of exhortation, they enable others to act. The apostle Paul demonstrated this ability in 2 Timothy 2:15-21:
Do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth. Avoid godless chatter, because those who indulge in it will become more and more ungodly. Their teaching will spread like gangrene. Among them are Hymenaeus and Philetus, who have wandered away from the truth. They say that the resurrection has already taken place and they destroy the faith of some. Nevertheless, Gods solid foundation stands firm, sealed with this inscription: The Lord knows those who are his, and Everyone who confesses the name of the Lord must turn away from wickedness.
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Paul Had The Gift Of Exhortation
The Apostle Paul also possessed this spiritual gift. He and Barnabas exhorted the believers.
They preached the good news in that city and won a large number of disciples. Then they returned to Lystra, Iconium and Antioch, strengthening the disciples and encouraging them to remain true to the faith. We must go through many hardships to enter the kingdom of God, they said .
Therefore, as we search the Scripture we find that exhortation, or encouragement, is a very important spiritual gift.
What Does Christus Vivit Mean
The Latin title of the document, Christus Vivit, is translated in English as “Christ is alive!” – and this understanding is the core of the document. Pope Francis notes that this truth is the foundation to everything that will follow in the exhortation, as Jesus’ living presence for and within the lives of young people is central to the protagonism of a synodal community in relationship with young people and how that community engages the world. .
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The Entire Document Is Grounded In Hope:
Christ is alive, which means that darkness and death do not have the final answer. The situation young people face today, and that the Church faces today, may seem daunting and overwhelming but a hopeful outlook, aided by the Holy Spirit, who guides our actions, reminds us that if local communities proactively implement Christus Vivit to the fullest, new life will surely emerge.
Examples Of Exhortation In A Sentence
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These example sentences are selected automatically from various online news sources to reflect current usage of the word ‘exhortation.’ Views expressed in the examples do not represent the opinion of Merriam-Webster or its editors. Send us feedback.
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Definition Of Exhortation In The Bible
While the Bible is filled with exhortations, what does it mean to be exhorted?
The word exhortation comes from the Latin word exhortare, meaning to urge on. In the Bible, the word is translated in various ways: encourage, comfort, comfort and console, encourage one another.
The Bible contains many examples of people being exhorted to do good things. For example, in Proverbs 3:5-6 we read: Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight. The writer of this passage is exhorting us to trust God and submit ourselves to Him. In other places we are told to love our neighbors , honor our parents , be kind to widows , feed the hungry , and so on.
Exhortation is the act of encouraging someone to do something. It can be used as a verb or a noun. In the Bible, exhortation is often used in reference to encouraging someone to live out their faith in Christ.
In fact, Paul says in Romans 12:1-2 that we should not just exhort one another but also not weary in well-doing.
Exhortation In Short Supply But In Great Demand
Today there are more Christians attacking one another over non-essentials of the faith than I can ever remember having seen in my lifetime. Instead of building one another up, they are tearing others down. I heard that for many Christians the only kind of exercise they ever get is jumping to conclusions, tearing others down, and running others over. This is exactly why we need this gift in the Body of Christ. Remember that gifts are intended to help strengthen the church, not the individual. God gives the gifts of the Spirit for the churchs benefit, not for the individuals benefit.
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Exhort The Modern Disciples
Twenty-first-century Christian readers should also be urged, for they face the same problems as the early Christians in Corinth, Philippi, and elsewhere. Our hearts are as easily distracted from Bible truth as those of the audiences of Paul and Peter in the New Testament, which instructs believers to imitate Christ and to love one another , gives priority to others and stay unified .
Discipleship is a relationship between Christians that facilitates exhortation. Christians exhort, admonish, encourage, “draw near” to one another. It is a responsibility the apostles took seriously and to which they often wrote.
When interviewing a candidate for membership in Cheverly Baptist Church, Johnathan Leeman expects all members to give more than “75 minutes on Sunday”. États My friend, by becoming a member of this church, you will become jointly responsible for whether or not this congregation continues to faithfully proclaim the gospel. This means that you will become jointly responsible for both what this church teaches and whether the lives of its members remain faithful or not. ”
There is nothing passive about discipleship. Christians, including pastors and other leaders, need encouragement and encouragement.
Today the exhortation resonates with the jarring ringing of a rusty, hesitant bell readers are not used to accepting romantic criticism and even “our Christian friends do not want to be corrected”, like Aaron Menikoff said.
What Is The Gift Of Exhortation
The Various Gifts of the Holy Spirit Question 7
One of the gifts of the Holy Spirit is that of exhortation. Paul wrote to the Romans about this particular gift He said.
We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith ministry, in ministering the teacher, in teaching the exhorter, in exhortation the giver, in generosity the leader, in diligence the compassionate, in cheerfulness .
The gift of exhortation is listed separately from the gift of teaching. The word exhortation comes from a root word that means to advocate or comfort. In fact, it comes from the same Greek word, paraclete from which the term Helper or Comforter the title of the Holy Spirit.
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Confrontation: The Gift Nobody Wants
Some of us are more comfortable with confrontation than others. Some, for various reasons, prefer to avoid conflict altogether and create what M. Scott Peck calls a pseudocommunity a place devoid of conflict. Here we keep things safe, speak in generalities and only say things we think others around us will agree with. We are willing to tell small lies in order to preserve the status quo. Pseudocommunity is pleasant, polite, calm and stagnant and ultimately lethal.5
Regardless of how we feel about confrontation, there are times when this is the most loving thing we can do for another person. Dietrich Bonhoeffer wrote: Nothing can be more cruel than the leniency which abandons others to their sin. Nothing can be more compassionate than the severe reprimand which calls another Christian in ones community back from the path of sin.6
Similarly, though being rebuked by another person can be uncomfortable, but our openness and willingness to respond to correction, without getting defensive and counter-attacking, are critical components of our character.
When John the Baptist exhorted Herod Antipas, saying, It is not lawful for you to have your brothers wife , Herod responded by having John bound and imprisoned . Herodias, the wife in question, cunningly maneuvered her husband into an embarrassing social position in which he was forced to order that the prophet be beheaded . Herods sense of guilt for having done so is evident .
A Teacher May Have The Gift Of Exhortation
A teacher may have the gift of exhortation, as did the man Barnabas. We read the following description of him in the Book of Acts.
There was a Levite, a native of Cyprus, Joseph, to whom the apostles gave the name Barnabas .
Note that his real name was Joseph but he was given the name Barnabas because of his encouragement of others.
We find that Barnabas encouraged the Apostle Paul when other apostles avoided him. We read about it in this manner.
When he came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple. But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus .
This is truly an important gift which Barnabas had. Indeed, when others shunned Paul Barnabas embraced him.
Barnabas also encouraged a man named John Mark who had failed in his ministry. We further read about this in episode in the Book of Acts. It says.
Barnabas wanted to take with them John called Mark. But Paul decided not to take with them one who had deserted them in Pamphylia and had not accompanied them in the work. The disagreement became so sharp that they parted company Barnabas took Mark with him and sailed away to Cyprus .
The disagreement over John Mark caused Paul and Barnabas to go their separate directions.
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