KJV
Click to Change
Return to Top
Click here to view listing below for Lev 17:5
In Acts 19 we saw the need and nature of the baptism with the Holy Spirit. But we would be presumptuous if we thought that such an experience eliminated the need for ongoing encouragement and exhortation. What we see in Acts is that as Paul and others go on in their missionary journey, they are constantly exhorting and encouraging believers as they meet them. Disciples need encouragement and exhortation, not worldly encouragement, or exhortation, but Biblical, holy exhortation and that is what we see in Acts 20.
We all go through tough times, times when the burdens of this world are too much for us alone to bear. When that happens, we need help. Our help first and foremost comes from the Lord. “He is our help and our shield” (Psalm 33:20). One of the ways our Lord sends us help is through the encouragement of others. It helps when you have a headache, and the Lord sends someone beside you to pray and hand you Tylenol or to put a cool cloth on your head to sooth away the pain. It helps when someone is there to pray and hold your hand when the pain medication isn’t working or when a loved one is approaching their final breath. Whether we have a headache or heartache, or whether it’s us suffering or someone we love, it helps to have someone come alongside us to pray for us, hold us, and encourage us. That helps.
The Bible says, “Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ” (Galatians 6:2). In that Scriptural context, we are encouraged to help others with “burdens,” or weights of life that are too great for any one person to bear. But we are also exhorted in that passage that “each one shall bear his own load” (Galatians 6:5). A “load” is something we can and should do to “fulfill the law of Christ.”
The words “encouragement” and “exhortation” in Scripture come from the same Greek term, parakaleo. Parakaleo means, “to call near.” The idea is to invite, implore, console, even beseech, entreat, pray. When we encourage, we come alongside someone to help them have courage. To “encourage” is to literally put courage in someone. We do this when we find someone who is discouraged, or who is empty of courage. We come alongside that person who is fearful of what the doctor’s report will tell them. We come alongside that person who fears the jury’s outcome. We come alongside the one who fears what their spouse will say or do, or what has happened to their child. That’s encouragement. Encouragement is for those who are hurting and need a shoulder to cry on, a friend to pray with them.
Exhortation is for those who are not necessarily weak, but who perhaps are not carrying their load. We exhort those who are not fulfilling their responsibilities. We exhort the husband to love his wife like Christ loved the church. We exhort the wife to respect her husband. We exhort the child to honor their parents. To exhort is to call someone to action. We exhort people to put God’s word into action in their lives. We exhort sinners to repent. We exhort believers to obey God’s word. We may exhort the addict to repent and come to Jesus. We exhort the lazy sluggard to get up and work. We exhort the Laodicean church to be revived and get on fire for Jesus.
Encouragement is softer. Exhortation is stronger. They might be used together at times. When a Christian falls we initially encourage them to confess their sins to God and receive His forgiveness (1 John 1:9). We restore those “overtaken in any trespass,…in a spirit of gentleness” (Galatians 6:1). But then we exhort that Christian to move forward in their walk with the Lord. We exhort them to not repeat the offense because true repentance leaves the sinful actions behind (e.g., 2 Corinthians 7:9-11). Yes, encouragement and exhortation work in tandem to restore the fallen.
How do we know when to apply each aspect of parakaleo? We know how to implement parakaleo by the direction of the Holy Spirit. Without the Spirit, we’ll be encouraging when we should be exhorting and exhorting when we should be encouraging. When we get these two aspects of parakaleo mixed up because we are trying to implement them in our own strength (i.e., in our flesh), the results will be counterproductive, indeed, even destructive.
The Apostles and the early church were known for its ministry of parakaleo, or ministry of encouragement and exhortation. One of the main reasons for the Missionary Journeys in the Book of Acts was to encourage and exhort the established churches and the Christians in those churches. In Acts 20 we find the perfect example of what such a ministry of encouragement and exhortation looks like.
Holy Encouragement and Exhortation
The Spirit brought people alongside Paul to assist in the mission work He called him to. Sopator’s name means “savior of his father,” whose father was Pyrhus287 and was from Berea. If he was from Berea perhaps he had the same traits as the Berens who searched the Scriptures daily to see if what was taught was true (Acts 17:11). Aristarchus whose name means “the best ruler”, and Secundus whose name means “fortunate” were from Thessalonica, a church, according to Paul’s two letters to them, that was concerned about the return of Jesus, End Times, a church that had a high view of God’s word and were remembered for their “work of faith, labor of love, and patience of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ” (1 Thessalonians 1:3). Gaius, whose name means “lord,” was from Derbe in Macedonia. He had accompanied Paul from Corinth to Jerusalem and was known also for having John’s third epistle addressed to him (3 John). Timothy, “honoring God,” Tychicus, “fateful,” and Trophimus, “Nutritious,” were from Asia. Timothy was a resident of Lystra whose father was a Greek and mother a Jewess, was Paul’s traveling companion and dear son in the Lord, to whom Paul wrote two epistles, 1 and 2 Timothy. We don’t know a lot about Tychicus and Trophimus other than Paul commented that at one point he had to leave Trophimus in Miletus sick, which is evidence that Paul, who certainly must have prayed for Trophimus, didn’t always see an immediate healing of those he prayed over (2 Timothy 4:20). Not everyone is always healed.
All these men went ahead and waited for Paul in Troas. It’s likely that each of these men were carrying a donation from their fellowships to give to the church in Jerusalem. Paul speaks of such a collection in 1 Corinthians 16:1-4. They possibly traveled together for safety reasons, as well as to be accountable for the funds they were transporting.
Paul was not alone. And here we see a particularly important aspect of both fellowship and discipleship. Notice that the Spirit inspires Luke (the human writer of Acts) to indicate who was with Paul and where they were from. Why did the Spirit do this? Because the Spirit is showing us that discipleship involves disciples (Sopater, Aristarchus, Secundus, Gaius, Timothy, Tychicus and Trophimus) accompanying the discipler (here it is Paul) in the experience of ministry. The Spirit uses a hands-on method of teaching through serving. The best way to learn how to teach is to teach. The best way to learn how to minister is to minister. The way to see God’s calling on your life is to serve and see where he bears fruit through you.
In Acts 20:2 it states Paul “encouraged them with many words.” Wherever Paul went on these missionary journeys he shared many words from the Word of God. The word used to describe what Paul was doing is “encouraged” which is translated from the Greek term PARAKALEO (Strong’s #3870 – par-ak-al-eh´–o) which means, “to call near, i.e., invite, invoke (by imploration, hortation or consolation)… beseech, call for, (be of good) comfort, desire, (give) exhort (–ation), intreat, pray.”288 The idea here is to rally believers together in fellowship to teach them God’s word and exhort or encourage them to live in the Spirit. Paul was moved and directed by the Spirit to gather people together in fellowship wherever he went and encourage and teach them in the word of God. This is how disciples grow and go on in their walk in the Spirit with the Lord. Disciples need encouragement and exhortation to go on with the Lord.
Examples of Encouragement and Exhortation
We see encouragement and exhortation throughout the New Testament. Here are just a few examples of exhortations in the New Testament from Paul and others:
These are just a few of the examples of exhortation and encouragement found in the New Testament.
The Nature of Holy Encouragement and Exhortation
When we talk of exhortation, we are not talking about just any old exhortation or encouragement, we are talking about a unique and Biblical exhortation with a certain nature and aim, a holy exhortation (“holy” means unique, special, according to God’s will). In Paul’s letter to the Thessalonians he describes the nature of his exhorting ministry, and this gives us a good picture of what exhortation and encouragement is and should be. Paul was inspired by the Spirit to write:
It’s important for us to understand what exhortation and encouragement is because, as we will see below, we are called by God to exhort and encourage each other.
What do we observe about right and holy exhortation from this passage? Below is a list of characteristics that good and holy exhortation consisting of:
The Need for Holy Encouragement and Exhortation
It doesn’t take much observation to look at the church today and those who call themselves “Christian” to see that there are many, if not most, who are not walking in a way that is worthy of Christ and His calling. Jude, the half-brother of Jesus, saw the need to exhort believers to be true to God’s truth as it was once for all revealed in His word. Jude was inspired to write:
From the very beginning, there have been those who creep into the fellowship or flock of God to turn people away from God to themselves and who try to water down God’s gracious gospel in a way that does not only permit, but it promotes lewdness and denies God and His word.
Notice, the short letter of Jude was written around 68 A.D. and at that point Jude was inspired to write, “to contend earnestly for the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints.” Now think about this for a moment, if at that early date, “the faith” that is, the gospel and God’s revelation of what is necessary to be saved from sin and live a holy life in the Spirit, if that was “once for all delivered to the saints” why is it that so many, even in “the church” have tried to add to and alter “the faith” with human traditions, worldly philosophy and alternative mystical and enigmatic so-called “truth”? Paul wrote in this regard:
Exhortation is necessary because of false teachings and deceptive alternatives to the “once for all” truth of God in His word. Exhortation is urging others to “contend earnestly for the faith.” Satan is a deceiver (John 8:44; 2 Corinthians 11:13-15) and we need to exhort and encourage one another to remain true to the light and revelation of God in His word.
The Result of Holy Encouragement and Exhortation
What is the result of holy exhortation? Returning to Paul’s first letter to the Thessalonians, we see that he notes the impact and result of his exhortation on their lives. When we look at this result in their lives, we see what the result of all holy exhortation should lead to. Paul was inspired to write:
When we look at these inspired comments by Paul, we see three results or fruit of holy exhortation.
First, holy exhortation results in thankfulness (1 Thessalonians 2:13a). Paul was thankful to God for the spiritual growth in the lives of the Thessalonians, who responded well to holy exhortation. What a blessing it is to see people respond to the Spirit’s holy exhortation upon their lives.
Second, holy exhortation results in receiving the word of God more seriously (1 Thessalonians 2:13b). The result of Paul’s holy exhortation to the Thessalonians was that they received God’s word. Now Paul spoke under the inspiration of the Spirit uniquely in that 14 of the 27 New Testament letters came through him. What we speak today is not the word of God unless we are speaking from the Bible. The point to be made here is that the result of this holy exhortation was that these people recognized and responded to the word of God in a way that showed they saw it as special, it was from God. They no longer read the word or listened to the word of God like it was a newspaper or a sales pitch they really didn’t have any use for. There was no one falling asleep or nodding off when God’s word was being preached. These people were attentive, not easily distracted, and oblivious to God’s word, BECAUSE THEY KNEW IT WAS AND RECEIVED IT AS God’s WORD! That is the result of holy exhortation.
Third, holy exhortation results in a higher view of God’s word and therefore a more effective impact of God’s word (1 Thessalonians 2:13c). Paul said that because they received his teaching from the word as from God, they opened the door to God’s word having a great and effective impact on their lives. Holy exhortation results in spiritual growth, repentance, and actual change for the better.
Fourth, holy exhortation results in spiritual reproduction (1 Thessalonians 2:14a). Paul says they “became imitators of the churches of God.” That is spiritual reproduction; they were following in the steps of Jesus as all churches of God should (1 John 2:6). The church is often referred to as a flock of sheep (John 10). Healthy sheep reproduce. Disciples are healthy when they exhort one another to lead others to Christ and make more disciples so that the church grows. That is the result of holy exhortation.
Fifth, holy exhortation results in Christlike selflessness (1 Thessalonians 2:14b–15). Paul points out that they were willing to suffer and links that to the example Jesus left for us. Holy exhortation is always aimed at producing a closer walk with Jesus and that is the hoped-for result.
Now we have looked at examples of holy exhortation, the nature of holy exhortation, the need for holy exhortation and the results of holy exhortation, but who is called to this holy exhortation?
All believers are called by God to exhort and encourage one another. In Hebrews, it states:
When we gather together we should be exhorting and encouraging one another in order “to stir up love and good works” and that we not forsake the fellowship and this essential part of ministry.
Observe here that those who were with Paul would have been able to observe the way the Spirit did ministry through him and then carry that knowledge back to their hometowns and teach others to do the same in the Spirit. There was Sopater from Berea, Aristarchus and Secundus from Thessalonica, Gaius from Derbe (which was near Antioch, Iconium and Lystra) and then there were Timothy, Tychicus and Trophimus from Asia (Acts 20:4-5). All these disciples were receiving hands-on experience of how to minister as they accompanied Paul in the Spirit on these missionary journeys.
A Day for Holy Encouragement and Exhortation
We have seen how it was a common practice that the early apostles went and ministered in the synagogue on the Sabbath (Acts 17:1-3). Some (e.g., Seventh Day Adventists) have taken such a common practice and said that believers should only meet on the Jewish Sabbath day (Saturday). Some SDAs have gone so far as to identify meetings on Sundays, (the first day of the week) with the mark of the Beast (Revelation 13).
That the apostles often ministered in synagogues on the Sabbath day does not mean this was the exclusive meeting times for the church, it merely shows that the apostles used any gathering of people as an opportunity to preach the gospel (Acts 5:19-20; Acts 13:5; Acts 16:13, 25-33; Acts 17:17, 19, 22; Acts 18:7; Acts 19:9; Acts 25:6, 23). The apostles were always looking to preach the word (Acts 2:47). Paul said he was willing to be all things to all men that by all means some might be saved (1 Corinthians 9:19-22).
The New Testament warns against the legalistic view of promoting one day in a way that creates bondage (Romans 14:5-6; Colossians 2:16; Galatians 4:9-11). The early Christians chose Sunday, the first day of the week, to hold worship services probably because it was the day Jesus rose from the dead, and they wanted to commemorate this event (Matthew 28:10; John 20:19-29; Acts 20:7; 1 Corinthians 16:2). The thing to remember here is that the early believers did meet to exhort and encourage one another, and it was on the first day of the week.
We see from these verses that Paul sometimes went a little long in his teaching and exhortation. He wanted to give the disciples a fest in God’s word whenever he was with them. Paul “continued his message until midnight.” Most probably listened but one man (Eutychus) fell asleep and fell out of a window. Through Paul, God healed the fallen miraculously.
Comfort in the face of death. When Eutychus fell out of the window and dropped three stories, the worst was to be expected. But “Paul went down, fell on him, and embracing him said, ‘Do not trouble yourselves, for his life is in him” (Acts 20:10). “Trouble” (Greek thorubeisthe – Present/Middle/2nd Person Plural of thorubeo) means throw into disorder, be troubled, distressed, disturb). There were a lot of people in that upper room listening to Paul into the wee hours of the night. So much was the Spirit with Paul that not even a potential tragedy like with Eutychus could disrupt the teaching of God’s word. Without missing a beat, Paul went to the fallen Eutychus, stretched himself out on the fallen brother, and Eutychus was restored. When the Spirit is working, not even a tragedy can deter the work of God. And it says when “they brought the young man in alive,” that “they were not a little comforted” (Acts 20:12). The word “comforted” is translated from parakaleo, the same word we saw earlier in verse two of the chapter. Not even potential tragedy or death can deter when the ministry of encouragement, exhortation, and comfort in the Spirit are at work.
In our age of short commercials and short sound bites, people’s attention is not always what it should be. I saw on television today a commercial offering help for people with Adult Attention Deficit Disorder. When we consider that it is through the teaching of God’s word that He communicates to His people, it may inspire us to be more attentive. Attentiveness to God’s word is a discipline all disciples should cultivate in the Spirit. Pray and ask God to make you more attentive to His word. Ask the Lord to give you ears to hear all that the Spirit wants to say to you; and a heart willing to submit to the Spirit’s application of what He reveals to you.
A key point to glean from these verses is that coming to church is not only to get something for you, but it is also a time to give of yourself, to be used by God. The Bible tells us not to neglect the gathering together of the fellowship (Hebrews 10:24-25). In our self-centered world, believers have often fallen for the temptation to live by a “what’s in it for me” mentality. This is not Christ-like, and it is destructive to the body of Christ. You see, while going to church is a means to enrich and edify your spirit, it is also an opportunity for God to use you to enrich and edify someone else. The Lord may want to use you to reach out and encourage or exhort another person at church. Going to church is not only to get something, but also to give something. Keep that in mind next time you wake up and are wavering about going to church. The Spirit may have a mission for you that could be critically important to someone you will be directed to by Him in church. The Lord wants everyone in the body of Christ to interact with holy exhortation. Sunday is a perfect day to have that meeting.
The Spirit Sometimes Directs Us to Pass By
Exhortation should be done in the Spirit. Sometimes the Spirit directs us to move on, and we need to trust Him in such instances. The Spirit directed Paul to pass by Ephesus to keep his objective of going to Jerusalem (Acts 20:16). Paul was in tune with the Spirit and the Spirit’s direction and so should we.
A Practical Example of a Spirit-Empowered Ministry of Encouragement and Exhortation
While Paul doesn’t go to Ephesus, he does have the Ephesian church leaders come to him at Miletus so he could encourage and exhort them. We know Paul was on a mission to get to Jerusalem for the day of Pentecost, but his requesting the Ephesians elders to come to meet him might also have been designed to see where they were with the Lord. Would they make the trip? Or would they disregard Paul’s request? They came, and it showed their submission to Paul’s authority as well as their love for the Lord of Paul, as we will see. It was also evidence that Paul’s ministry of encouragement and exhortation was effective.
What does a ministry of encouragement and exhortation look like? This passage defines a ministry of encouragement and exhortation. When we look at these verses, what do we see?
Paul lived among them (Acts 20:18b). Encouragement takes place when we spend time together. It’s one thing to talk to people, it’s another to spend time with them. Parents, if you want to encourage your children, don’t just buy them stuff, spend time, quality time with them. Husbands and wives don’t sacrifice time together to build their own individual kingdom. Make spending time together a priority in your lives. Spend time with God personal to be encouraged. Spend time with each other to be mutually encouraged.
Paul served the Lord with all humility (Acts 20:19a). Humility facilitates encouragement. Paul wasn’t boastful or proud. You can’t encourage people when all you do is toot your own horn. Be humble enough to listen to those you are serving. In all your relationships, be humble enough to listen.
Paul served with many tears (Acts 20:19b). Paul wasn’t afraid to show his emotions. Openness facilitates encouragement. Paul wasn’t pretentious. Paul genuinely and honestly bore his heart to those around him. That’s encouraging. When we share honestly, from the heart, that is powerful and helpful, that is parakaleo.
Paul served in trials (Acts 20:19c). The plotting of evil people did not turn him away. We are encouraged when we get together, even if it means we are shunned or persecuted. And we are encouraged when the encourager ministering to us shows us by their life that God’s grace is sufficient, and that God’s power is perfected in our weaknesses (2 Corinthians 12:9-10). If you want to encourage people to have strong faith, you need to be a person of strong faith.
Paul kept back nothing that could help them (Acts 20:20a). He was always willing and eager to see them grow spiritually and to teach them helpful things for their walk with the Lord. Encouragement is not to make us feel good about ourselves; it is to glorify God by helping His children in every way to carry on in the faith. Paul used every righteous and holy means made available to him by the Spirit to encourage the church.
Paul proclaimed outwardly that which was helpful to them (Acts 20:20b). Helpfulness facilitates encouragement. He taught them. He explained God’s word to them (Acts 20:20c). It’s encouraging when brethren get together and discuss God’s word. He taught them from house to house (Acts 20:20d). He spent time with them in their neighborhoods and homes. He was personable and accessible. Hospitality facilitates encouragement. He testified to Jews and Greeks, to anyone who would listen (Acts 20:21a). He did not discriminate but shared with all those in the churches.
Testimonies facilitate encouragement. There’s something about personal testimony that encourages people. A testimony tells of an actual experience of Jesus in our life. When we see and hear how Jesus actually impacted a person’s life, it gives us hope that He will do the same in our lives. That’s encouraging! Share your testimony, but make sure it is to His glory, not your own.
Paul’s message was “repentance toward God and faith toward our Lord Jesus Christ” (Acts 20:21b). Notice the connection between “God” and “Jesus Christ.” Being honest about sin facilitates encouragement. Here we see Paul included the exhortative aspect of parakaleo in his ministry.
Paul shared honestly with those he ministered to. He didn’t always know what lay ahead of him, but he testified that he always trusted in the Spirit (Acts 20:22). Trust the Spirit to lead you to those who need encouragement. The Spirit, while not giving him the exact details, did prepare him for the trials that lay ahead of him (Acts 20:23). The Spirit prepares us to encourage others.
The Spirit-empowered minister is not deterred by the prospect of trials. That is because their life is not the most important thing to them. What is most important and what we ought to encourage and exhort others to prioritize, is that they finish the race God has plotted for them. And not only that they finish it, but that they finish it “with joy” (Acts 20:24). Heavenly priorities facilitate encouragement.
Paul knew the Ephesians wouldn’t see him again and was up front about that (Acts 20:25). He spoke the truth in love (Ephesians 4:15). Honesty facilitates encouragement. We see Paul’s honesty throughout these verses.
Paul declared to them that he was innocent of responsibility for their lives because he had declared the “whole counsel of God” to them (Acts 20:26-27). The primary aim of the minister is to teach and exhort God’s word fully to God’s people. God’s word should be central to encouragement. Truly, encouragement and exhortation are empty vessels without the ministry of God’s word.
Paul warned them to shepherd the flock because they were purchased with the blood of Jesus (Acts 20:28). The blood of Jesus facilitates fellowship and encouragement (1 John 1:7). The blood of Jesus is the only reason and basis for us to have fellowship with God through faith in Jesus.
Paul warned them about “savage wolves” that would attack the flock from outside and infiltrate the flock from within (Acts 20:29-30; Jude 1:3-4). Truthfulness about enemies facilitates encouragement. That’s because to be forewarned is to be forearmed. It’s much easier to prepare and be encouraged by God’s provision when we honestly know what to expect.
Paul commended these beloved brothers and sister in Christ to the safest Person he could, to God (Acts 20:31-32; Psalm 23). When we fellowship and rely on God, we are encouraged.
He gave final testimony and an example that he didn’t covet anyone’s money while there (Acts 20:33-35). By saying this he was reminding them to not minister for money’s sake, but purely for the Lord (see 2 Corinthians 4:1-2). Paul had a giving heart. Self-seeking and using others will squash encouragement.
Paul, the man of prayer, couldn’t leave them without bending the knee with them before His God (Acts 20:36-38). The outpouring of tears and emotion is evidence of the closeness this great Apostle had with those he ministered to. When the Holy Spirit works in and through a person, there will be love (e.g., Romans 5:5, 8; Galatians 5:22-24). What we see in the culmination of this ministry of parakaleo, is an outpouring of love. Even though he shared some tough realities, when they concluded in prayer, they were encouraged by the Lord.
Remember who should have a ministry of parakaleo? All believers are called by God to encourage and exhort one another. Remember what it states in Hebrews:
When we gather together, we should be exhorting and encouraging one another in order “to stir up love and good works.” If we want to be encouraged and encourage others, if we want to be exhorted and exhort others, then we should never forsake the fellowship and this encouraging, exhorting, essential part of ministry.
Let’s pray that we have a ministry of parakaleo. Let’s pray that for each other. Let’s pray that for today’s church. Let’s pray for the Spirit to empower us to encourage and exhort to the glory of God. In Jesus’ name. Amen.
What Happened to the Church at Ephesus?
In the Book of Revelation we see three sections (Revelation 1:19), a picture of the resurrected glorified Jesus Christ (Revelation 1), a history of the people of God, (the seven Churches in Revelation 2; Revelation 3), and a prophetic word on the future (Revelation 6-22). In the second section, the first letter of Jesus to the churches is addressed to the church at Ephesus. What Jesus writes to this church reveals where it is (and the church as a whole is) spiritually at the end of the first century. What do we find? Each of the seven letters to churches in Revelation 2; Revelation 3 are addressed to the “angel” of the church. This could be a reference to the pastor of each church, since the word “angel” simply means “messenger.” It could also mean that each church has an angel and Jesus addresses the letter to the particular angel of each church. But what do we find Jesus saying in particular to the messenger or angel of the Ephesian church?
“Ephesus”
The word “Ephesus” means “darling” and insinuates romantic love. Ephesus is mentioned in Acts 19 and Acts 20, as well as in the epistle to the Ephesians. From A.D. 30 to 100 the church at Ephesus was the most prominent church in Asia Minor. It was located strategically on the eastern shoreline of the Aegean Sea. This area was densely populated and fertile. Ephesus was approximately 150 miles east of Athens and 35 miles north of Miletus. It was located at a junction near several trade routes and as a result was a very prosperous city. It was a seaport city and as such a strong commercial center. In Ephesus was one of the Seven Wonders of the World, the temple of Diana (Greek Artemis). Diana was a goddess of fertility and was described as a woman with a thousand breasts. Prostitution was the primary means of perpetuating this cult. Prostitutes would travel down the mount upon which the temple was located and seduce their clients. The money earned via prostitution was given to the temple. Another means of support for this religious cult was the selling of amulets and good luck charms. The region in which Ephesus was located was very superstitious. Toady Ephesus is sparsely populated and deteriorated which speaks to the churches failure to heed the words of Christ in the passage of Scripture we will now study.290
Ephesus – A Church of Pure Doctrine
The Ephesian church had a lot to be commended for. Jesus knew their works, labors, and patience. They did not compromise with evil. They followed Paul’s injunction to be alert to the likelihood that false teachers would infiltrate their assemblies and seek to disrupt, divide, and destroy them (Acts 20). Paul had warned the Ephesians that “savage wolves” would attack the church. Jesus commends this church for having obeyed in this area. This brings us to an interesting topic. If Jesus said we should not judge others, how do we deal with false teachers?
Jesus said we are not, as individuals, to judge and to pronounce condemnation. Jesus said:
We should not attack people personally. God alone is the One who will determine condemnation (Romans 12:17-21). No one is pure enough to be in a judgmental position. How should the church act then?
The church should judge to identify false teaching. Jesus said:
In his words to the church at Ephesus Jesus commends them for having “tested those who say they are apostles and are not, and have found them liars…” The word “tested” here is translated from the Greek term PERADZO (Strong’s #3985 – pi-rad´–zo) which means, “to test…scrutinize,…examine,…go about, prove,… try.”291 It is right for the church to always scrutinize teachings and teachers through the lens of Scripture (e.g., like the Bereans in Acts 17). So many have been led astray by false teachings because they did not scrutinize those teaching them and their teachings against the truth of the Scriptures. Every person is responsible to do that. There are people who care little for spiritual things other than to get fire insurance against hell and to cover the bases and play it safe; they delegate mindlessly their responsibility to religious teachers. But each person will be held accountable individually before God for having sought His truth through His Son Jesus and His revealed word. There will be no excuses or blaming others for sentences levied due to false teachings. People show more scrutiny and inspection for the purchase of temporal cars and houses, or what college to attend, than they do for their eternal destiny. No, we are to test all things, as Paul states:
That is the responsibility of every person, and they will be held accountable for it. Every person will be held accountable to the level of revelation God has sovereignly opened to them. Nowadays, it is not hard to get a Bible (most people have numerous Bibles in their homes) or to know how to read it. Really, 99.9% of people are without excuse and need to read God’s word, accept His truth and test all things. The mentally challenged will be dealt with justly by God, but those are very rare and those who would make reference to them are likely to do so to deflect their own personal conviction by the Spirit of their neglect. Hear God’s exhortation, “Test all things; hold fast what is good”!
In the letter to the Ephesians, Paul is inspired to write along these lines saying:
The church is responsible for keeping the faith, to assure that the doctrines taught and lived in the church are according to the Scriptures. As we saw earlier in our study of exhortation, this is one of the things we should be exhorting each other about in the church. Remember our quotation from Jude earlier where it states:
It is critically important that those in the church, especially the pastor, exhort each other to pure doctrine that is true to and based on God’s word. Such an exhortation to pure doctrine should be carried on into the family as well. Pastor teacher Jon Courson of Calvary Chapel states:
As parents, if you’re not inspecting people’s fruit that are in your kids lives, you may feed them the word, but if you’re not watching out for wolves, then you’re just fattening them up for the kill. And the same thing is true as leaders and pastors. If we just teach the word and don’t warn the flock about liars and deceivers, we just fatten people up for the kill. It’s foolish. – Jon Courson292
Based on the letter of Jesus to the church at Ephesus at the end of the first century, they have exhorted each other to pure doctrine. But some people can be right on doctrinal points, but like a porcupine, have so many points that no one can get close to them. This is where the Ephesian church was found lacking by Jesus; they had a lot of right points, but no loving passion.
Ephesus, the Loveless Church
The problem with the church at Ephesus by the end of the first century was that they had not exhorted each other to “love.” Remember what it said in Hebrews about exhortation? It stated:
The church at Ephesus had exhorted one another to a lot of doctrinal purity and good works, BUT THEY LEFT OUT THE MOST IMPORTANT PART, LOVE.
Notice, THEY DIDN’T LOSE THEIR FIRST LOVE, THEY LEFT THEIR FIRST LOVE. THEY LEFT THEIR LOVING PASSION FOR CHRIST AND PEOPLE!
This wasn’t the first time God’s people had left their first love. Israel had done the same as the Lord through Jeremiah noted in the following verses:
Jesus taught and exhorted people to love the Lord with all our heart:
How did they leave their “first love” Jesus? They likely allowed other objects in their lives to compete for their love of Jesus. The apostle John (known as the apostle of love) warned against the love of the world, which competes for the place of love God should have in our lives. John was inspired to write:
The Ephesians very possibly at some point allowed the things of the world or other relationships to supplant the primacy of their love for Jesus. John here describes such competing things as “the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life.” The lust of the flesh is those things which pander and focus on self. The lust of the flesh consists of things that feed our self-centeredness and selfishness. The lust of the eyes consists of those things which feed our selfish fantasies (which usually have something to do with immoral sexuality or power lusts). And the pride of life refers to things which feed our self-promotion, self-gratification. These things will quench the love of Jesus out of our lives if we let them. The Tempter Satan tried the same thing on Jesus, tempting Him with the things of this world in the wilderness (Matthew 4:1-11) but Jesus responded in love of the Father with the word of God.
How Can We Recover From Being Loveless?
How can we recover from leaving our first love? How can we recover the loving passion of the Spirit? Jesus instructs us how to return to our loving passion.
First, remember from where you have fallen. When you leave your loving passion for the Lord and others (2 Corinthians 5:14-15), you’ve fallen spiritually. You may have a lot of points that are right, but without the love of the Spirit, they are meaningless. How do we get that back? Our first step back is to prayerfully remember our circumstances when we were last going strong in the loving passion of the LORD. Remembering God and all He has done for us is something we should practice regularly.
Peter made it a regular practice to remind his flock to assure their spiritual health. We see in his letters that he made it a practice to exhort his readers to remember God’s love for them. We see this in a number of passages from his epistles:
If you are to recover your loving passion for the Lord Jesus, first remember what He has done for you and where you were last before you lost that loving passion for Him and others.
Second, repent from your waywardness. To repent means to do a 180-degree turn from walking away from God to walking toward Him. God never turns away those who come to Him with repentant hearts. In Scripture, God constantly calls the sinner to repent, as we see in a few exemplary verses below:
We need to repent and return to Jesus; we need to make Him first again in our hearts. We need to repent of lopsided priorities that have let our loving passion for Jesus and others drift down our list of things that are important in life. We need to repent and return to our first love, Jesus.
Third, repeat the first works. Remember what Hebrews 10:24-25 said? We are to exhort one another to love “and good works.” We need to get back to Jesus, to get back to His word and put God’s word to action in your life by the power of His Spirit. As James the half-brother of Jesus exhorted, we need to be more than simply hearers of the word, but we need to be doers of the word. He was inspired to write:
Remember, return, and repeat, that is what Jesus exhorted the Ephesians to do and that is what we should do if we find ourselves missing the loving passion of Jesus in our lives.
The Consequence of Lovelessness
What if we don’t repent of our passionlessness? What happens if we just settle for doctrinal purity and dismiss the love of the Spirit as unimportant? Jesus said the consequence of remaining loveless would be that HE WILL “REMOVE YOUR LAMPSTAND.” Your light would go out (Matthew 5:14-16). You cannot be an effective witness or light for Jesus apart from the love of the Spirit working in and through you (Romans 5:5). If your battery is allowed to run low until it gets dim and goes out, you will not be any good in exposing what lays in the darkness. Without the love of the Spirit, you will be ineffective and powerless to fulfill God’s purpose as a disciple and as a church.
Paul was inspired to write to the Corinthians about this, exhorting them to love when he said:
The fruit of the Spirit and evidence of genuine Christianity is love (Galatians 5:21-24). When a person is saved from their sin and brought into a saving relationship with God through faith in Jesus, the Spirit pours His love into their heart. Therefore, a Christian is not evidencing proof or evidence of their salvation without such love of the Spirit (Romans 5:5; Romans 8:9-14). A church is not what Jesus envisions a church to be if it is loveless. To fulfill the mission of Jesus in and through us, we need the love of the Spirit. It is the love of the Spirit that is the power of God, the Pentecostal power of the baptism with the Holy Spirit. Ephesus had lost that love; do not let that happen to you!
The Loving Passion Thieves
When we speak here of “loving passion thieves” we are not talking about a loving group of people who steal passion; far from it! Here we are talking about those who steal the believer’s loving passion for Christ from them. In Acts 20 (Acts 20:17-38) and in Jude 1:3-4 we are exhorted about false teachers “savage wolves” that would creep into the church to prey upon it. There are those who infiltrate the church to steal its loving passion for Christ and of Christ. They are loving passion thieves. Jesus refers to them in Revelation 2:6.
Now notice something especially important here. ONLY TWICE IN THE NEW TESTAMENT DOES JESUS SAY HE HATES SOMETHING. IN REVELATION 2:6 AND REVELATION 2:15 AND EACH TIME IT IS WITH RESPECT TO THE NICOLAITANS. Jesus doesn’t say He hates the Nicolaitans, He says He hates their deeds. Jesus hates the deeds, not the doers here. But who are the Nicolaitans and why does Jesus find their deeds so repulsive and hated?
Who are the Nicolaitans?
There are two possibilities as to who these people are.
First, they may be a pseudo-authority group. The word “Nicolaitans” comes from the Greek term NIKOLAITES (Strong’s #3531 – nik-ol-ah-ee´–tace).293 This Greek term is a compound word created by taking the Greek word, NIKAO, which means, “conquer, overcome, priest, rule over” and linking it to another Greek term LAOS, which means, “laity, people.” The base literal meaning of the word “Nicolaitans” is conquering, overcoming, ruling over people. From this we interpret that the Nicolaitans were in some way the first ones to set up a clergy hierarchy, a false priesthood with human mediators between God and people as a substitute for a personal and direct interaction with God through Jesus Christ. The Nicolaitans placed themselves in a position of authority over the people to gain power over them. This is in direct contradiction to Jesus’ form of leadership, which is servant leadership (Mark 10:42-45; Luke 17:5-10; John 13:14-17; 1 Corinthians 9:19, 22-23; 2 Corinthians 4:5; Philippians 2:1-11).
How did the Nicolaitans (and we should say “how do” such people because they exist today) gain the upper hand over the people of the church? The Nicolaitans gained a position of power by placing themselves between God and the people of God. The Nicolaitans therefore separated people from the passion-full direct personal relationship with God in Christ and put themselves in a place of power and authority over the people who must come through them to reach God. By putting a human barrier between God and His people, it led to the distancing of the people from God and, consequently, the deadening of the loving passion for God. The passion is sucked out of people by distancing them from Jesus. They are therefore passion thieves as they “lord it over” the flock from their privileged positions.
Second, the Nicolaitans may be a Heretical Sect. Many commentators believe that the Nicolaitans may have been a group which were led by Nicolas of Antioch (Acts 6:5) and developed into Gnosticism. This view is based for the most part on the words of the early church father Irenaeus, who stated that the Nicolaitans were followers of Nicolas and had backslid into a life of “unrestrained indulgence.”294 It is believed this sect was antinomian, (lit. “No –law”) which taught a total freedom, which led to orgies and free “love.” The immorality that this sect led its followers into is believed to better warrant the hatred expressed in Revelation 2:6 (Cf. Psalm 139:21-22; Isaiah 61:8; Jeremiah 44:4; Amos 5:21; Zechariah 8:17). There appears to be less evidence to support this view than that of the above.
Why Does Jesus “HATE” the Deeds of the Nicolaitans?
The practices of the Nicolaitans are abominable to Jesus because:
1.) There is only one Mediator between God and people – JESUS.
The aim of Christ’s cross work was to tear down the barriers that our sins had raised between us and God (Isaiah 59:1-2). To step between God and man, no matter how good the intent, is to oppose Christ and minimize the effect of His cross work. Jesus is “The DOOR” (John 10:7, 9). No one else can or needs to place themselves between God and people anymore. Now we go directly to God in Christ.
2.) The ceremonial and religious human priesthood was made obsolete by Jesus.
We are told in Hebrews, that our Great High Priest Jesus Christ has made the old ceremonial system of human priesthood obsolete. This is because Jesus is now our Intercessor between God and us, and He is far superior to any human priest (Hebrews 7:11-28; Hebrews 8:6-13). For men to reestablish a ceremonial priesthood and setting themselves up as mediaries between Christ and the people makes an obstacle, a barrier between people and Jesus. Jesus doesn’t want anything or anyone to get between Him and His people. Picture how you feel when someone tries to harm your child. Have you ever gone to a parent-teacher conference and had the teacher speak disparagingly about your child? How did you feel? How does it feel when a teacher tries to get between you and your child? You get angry and very sensitive when anyone tries to get between you and your children. Imagine how Jesus feels when a formal clergy tries to do that in His church.
In effect, what such Nicolaitans do is attempt to sew up the curtain that Jesus has torn in two by His work on the cross. Jesus has provided us the opportunity to have access to God through Him into the Holy of Holies. For men to put themselves in a mediatorial position is to diminish, minimize and nullify what Jesus has accomplished on the cross. This is the truth of the matter we see presented in the following verses:
The veil of separation has been torn down in Christ. We now have access to the Father through the Son, Jesus, by the Spirit, and are able to come confidently before God to find grace to help us in our walk with Him. Pastor Chuck Smith makes the following comment regarding the Nicolaitan hierarchy,
God doesn’t want you to feel that you have to go through someone to get to Him. He wants you to come directly to Him in His Son Jesus Christ.295
The Priesthood of Believers
The only human “priesthood” now is the Priesthood of Believers. This Priesthood refers to ALL BELIEVERS. Peter mentions this when he states:
This Priesthood is also referred to in the Book of Revelation as referring to ALL BELEIVERS:
Before the Law was given, the Father was the priest of the household (Genesis 8:20; Genesis 26:25; Genesis 31:54). The Law set forth the nation of Israel as a “kingdom of priests” (Exodus 19:6). God narrowed the priesthood to the tribe of Levi (Exodus 28:1). Now, as stated above, Christians in the churches are priests in that they are God’s tools to proclaim the Gospel. But also, as a priest, we all have access to God through Jesus. “Apostolic succession” of a priesthood separate, distinct, and above, that of the believer priesthood is not supported by Scripture.
Under the old covenant, only the High Priest once a year had access to God on the Day of Atonement (Leviticus 16; Leviticus 17). The access of all believer priests is emphasized in Hebrews, where it states:
Any system that adds to the personal connection between God and man in Christ is false and sinfully separating and Jesus hates it!
The Loving Passionate Purpose of the Believer Priest
The believer priest’s passionate purpose is, to exhort others by proclaiming God’s call from darkness to light. Peter is inspired to write of believer priests, “that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:9). The believer priest is God’s tool to exhort by proclaiming the praise due Him because of His glorious Gospel. (Part of this exhortation would include, exhorting others to prayer and be an intercessor. The believer priest is to exhort others to pray and themselves prayerfully intercede on behalf of the unsaved – Colossians 4:12; 1 Timothy 2:1).
The Fourfold Loving Passionate Sacrifice of a Believer Priest
Believer priests have a sacrifice to offer today. C. I. Scofield296 indicates that the sacrifice now offered by the believer is fourfold:
The believer priest lives to exhort others to join in these offerings to God. These offerings do not add to or subtract from the righteous standing the believer has through Christ (2 Corinthians 5:21). These offerings are simply an expression of the passionate love we have for the Lord.
We continue now with why Jesus finds the idea of a Nicolaitan type of clergy reprehensible.
3.) Pastors are to lead and feed the flock of God, not fleece the flock.
Jesus and all those He placed in leadership positions in churches show us that leaders in the church are to be servants, not a transcendent clergy class that lords their position over the laity.
When the church clergy become more concerned over their own income and self-perpetuation than about the spiritual welfare of God’s flock, they have crossed over the line into Nicolaitanism.
4.) Control Freaks are Pseudo or False Apostles
A sign or indication of a false apostle is their attempt to wrest authority from God to themselves so that they can control or “lord it over” the laity or believer priests. Paul and Peter made mention of such apostle want-to-be’s when they wrote:
These verses indicate that there was a group referred to as “FALSE APOSTLES.” The weight of these verses works against the idea of an “APOSTOLIC SUCCESSION”, which does not appear to have been part of God’s plan. These verses also bring into question the motives and source of those who concocted and participated in a system that creates a separate and distinct “priesthood” over and above that of the priesthood of believers.
The bottom-line reason for Jesus hating the deeds of those who practice a Nicolaitan-like way is that Nicolaitans put barriers between Jesus and His flock. The minister of God should do everything possible to bring people closer to Christ, not to use their position as a place of power and manipulation over people.
An Exhortation from Jesus to Overcome the Nicolaitan Love Thieves
Jesus’ concluding words to the loveless Ephesians is to be an overcomer. In Christ we are overcomers. Here, we have an interesting play on words by Jesus. The word “overcome” is translated from the Greek term NIKAO, (Strong’s #3528 – nik-ah´–o) which means, “conquer, overcome, prevail, get the victory.”297 NIKAO is the same Greek word that is used to make up the first part of the word Nicolaitan (NIKAO – Strong’s #3528). This is a term used fourteen times in the Book of Revelation (Revelation 2:7, 11, 17, 26; Revelation 3:5, 12, 21; Revelation 6:2; Revelation 11:7; Revelation 12:11; Revelation 13:7; Revelation 15:2; Revelation 21:7).298
In our personal loving, passionate relationship with Jesus in the Spirit, we can be overcomers in His love is a stated fact of the Scriptures. Below are a few verses which attest to this:
We need to stop trying to control the church and the people in it like the Nicolaitans did by way of manipulation and lording it over types of leadership (e.g., legalism). Instead, we need to depend on our first love, Jesus. It is the love of Jesus in and through us by the Spirit that will make us powerful overcomers (John 16:33). It is the love God as a heavenly Father has for His children that will enable us to overcome the wicked one (1 John 2:13). It is the loving faith and trust in our loving God that enables us to overcome what the world throws at us (1 John 5:4). And it is the promise of eternal life with our loving God that drives us to overcome (Revelation 21:7). It is His church, and He wants everyone to go directly to Him for help in that love.
If that were not enough, the Lord tells us in His word that we can be “more than conquerors.” In Romans, it states:
The phrase “more than conquerors” is translated from the single Greek term HUPERNIKAO (Strong’s #5245 – hoop-er-nik-ah´–o;) meaning, “to vanquish beyond, i.e., gain a decisive victory…more than conquer.”299 A conqueror is one who goes into battle with the outcome undetermined and still at risk. But what is “more than a conqueror”? One who is “more than a conqueror,” is one who goes into battle KNOWING THE OUTCOME, CERTAIN AND SECURE IN THE KNOWLEDGE OF VICTORY PROMISED BY GOD. It should also be noted that the grammatical form of the word HUPERNIKAO in Romans 8:37 (Present/Active/Indicative) implies an ongoing state of being or action. This is a constant state and action. This is a way of life that Jesus calls us to! And it is all provided “through Him who loved us” (see Romans 8:31-39). Again, we come to the love of God as the source of this provision.
If we have left our first love and been manipulated by Nicolaitans, how might we find help and regain our loving passion in Christ? What is the center and root of our rehabilitation from this sin? What does Jesus promise to those who overcome? The answer to those questions brings us to the foot of the cross of Christ.
The Symbol and Substance of Christ’s Passion – The “Tree of life” – The CROSS of Christ
The tree of life is the same tree mentioned in Genesis 2:9. If God had allowed Adam and Eve to eat of the tree of life in their fallen state they would have lived eternally in their fallen state and we with them. What do we know about the tree of life?
It is interesting and important to note that “TREE’ is translated from the Greek term XULON and is used also used to refer to the cross of Christ. This is seen in the following verses:
IT IS BECAUSE JESUS DIED ON THE TREE (CROSS) THAT WE CAN HAVE THE HOPE OF EATING FROM THE TREE OF LIFE IN HEAVEN. The cross of Christ serves as the tree of life for all those who come to Him in faith by God’s grace. We can overcome the oppression of the Nicolaitans and temptations to leave our first love, by looking to the cross of Christ. It is such love that compels us. We have noted it and quoted it many times before, but we need to do so again. It is the love of Christ that compels us. Remember, Paul was inspired to write:
When we look at the love of the Father that sent His only Son and the love of Christ that agreed to come and give His life on the cross, the Spirit brings His life and love to us when, by faith, we accept Christ as our Savior. When we do that, our lives are changed dramatically and radically.
Ephesus and the Authority of Scripture
Some commentators link the seven churches of Revelation with depicting the nature of the Church in history. The Church at Ephesus depicts the condition of the Church from the period of 33 – 100 A.D. By the end of the first century, the church was leaving its first love, Jesus and becoming a passionless church. The church was active, but passionless, loveless. The absence of love meant the presence of Jesus in the Spirit was fading away from them. They were moving away from the substance of what they believed in and whose predecessors had experienced. The church at the end of the first century was already in trouble. This is important to recognize for an especially important reason.
YOU CANNOT APPEAL TO CHURCH HISTORY OR TRADITION AS A SOURCE OF AUTHORITY FOR DOCTRINE OR EXPERIENCE BECAUSE THE CHURCH WAS ALREADY GETTING OFF TRACK. WHEN YOU APPEAL TO CHURCH HISTORY AND TRADITION EQUAL TOO OR IN NEGLECT (EVEN CONTRADICTION TO) GOD’S WORD, YOU WILL LEAVE YOUR FIRST LOVE AND BECOME PASSINLESS. THAT IS WHAT WE UNFORTUANTELY SEE IN MUCH OF THE CHURCH OF OUR DAY. SCRIPTURE IS THE ONLY AUTHORITY WE CAN RELY ON FOR DOCTRINE OR TO VALIDATE EXPERIENCE! God PUTS HIS LOVE IN US THROUGH FAITH IN JESUS IN THE POWER OF THE SPIRIT WITH THE TOOL OF HIS WORD. THE BOOK OF ACTS GIVES US THE MODEL OF WHAT THE CHURCH SHOULD BE. THIS IS EXTREMELY IMPORTANT!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
Remember what we have seen and studied in Acts about what the church ought to be. Read and remember what we have already seen:
If we fail to offer ourselves to God through faith in Christ and do not open our hearts to the Spirit who applies God’s word to our hearts, infusing us with loving passion, if we don’t do that and rely on human intermediaries, traditions and worldly philosophy, we will leave our first love and be cheated of the substance of what Jesus wants to do in and through us. Paul noted this in his inspired letter to the Colossians, which we do well to take to heart. He said:
Do not leave your first love. Do not settle for anything or anyone but a personal, passionate, loving relationship with Jesus. Do not let yourself be cheated out of that! Exhort one another to such a passion in the Spirit, in His love.
An Ephesian Exam
The seven churches of Revelation give us a picture of the church and its people throughout history. Jesus’ letters to these churches point out commendable things and things which need correcting. He then gives counsel to those in each church group. At the conclusion of each letter to the seven churches of Revelation, Jesus encourages us to “hear what the Spirit is saying to the churches.” In other words, WE should apply what Jesus says to the people in these churches.
The letters of Jesus to these seven churches can be applied to individuals as well as to churches as a whole. God’s word instructs us to examine ourselves spiritually:
Below are questions designed to help us take a kind of Ephesian Exam, a spiritual check-up to see where we are spiritually. (There are questions we could ask in respect to all seven churches of Revelation, but we will limit our questions to the Ephesian church since that is the one under study here.) If a question affirms that you are in the Lord’s will in an area, rejoice that the work of God in you is taking effect. If a question points out an area where we are out of the Lord’s will, we need to surrender that part of our lives to Jesus, confess (1 John 1:9), repent (Revelation 2:5, 16, 21, 22; Revelation 3:3, 19) and follow the instruction of the Lord. Some of us will have to remember from where we have drifted and return (2 Peter 1:5-14; 2 Peter 3:1-9). In whatever we find, we should take heart that “it is God who works in you both to will and to do for His good pleasure” (Philippians 2:13).
The questions of self-examination raised by Jesus’ words to the Ephesian church in Revelation are as follows:
What did the Spirit reveal to you about your walk with Him through these questions? Perhaps there are some things you need to repent of. God is waiting; indeed, Jesus said He is knocking on the door of your heart (Revelation 3:20). Will you open the door and invite Him in?
The last church mentioned of the seven addressed by Jesus is the church at Laodicea. It represents the church in the latter days. Jesus said it was a lukewarm church that made Him nauseous (Revelation 3:14-22). Based on this and your responses to the questions regarding the Ephesian church of Revelation, are you cold, hot, or lukewarm toward God?
How would you describe your relationship with God?
1.) Are you cold towards God? – You do not accept Jesus as your Savior and don’t think it’s necessary or important. You don’t know if “God” is personal or impersonal. You think there are many roads (other religions that are acceptable) that lead to God and eternal life. You think that Christians are narrow-minded to think that Jesus is the only way to heaven. You think a person goes to “heaven” because they are good or bad, not because a Savior has paid the penalty for the sins of the world on a cross and provides salvation by grace through faith to those who receive Him.
2.) Are you hot towards God? – You love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. You can’t wait to go to church and receive teaching from His word and worship Him. You have a daily devotional life of prayer and reading, studying His word, and putting it into practice by His Spirit. You can’t get enough of God and His word. You read, listen, talk about, and live according to Him and His word. You are excited about what God has for you each day. Your life is a venture in faith. God can ask you to do anything and you will do it.
3.) Are you lukewarm towards God? – You go to church only when you feel like it or when it suits you. The slightest inconvenience is an excuse to stay away from fellowship. You forget where your Bible is and aren’t worried about finding it, since you feel you can get by with missing a few days, weeks or months of reading and studying. You admit to sinning but feel everybody does it and feel, “God will understand anyway.” “Sin” in your life or the lives of others is not a big deal for you. You’re more excited and concerned about the stock market, a job promotion, pay increase or decrease, new car, repairing the house, renovating the house, playing sports, watching sports, watching TV, etc., etc., etc., than reading the word, praying or being in church related activities. You haven’t looked up one of the Scripture passages in this self-examination handout. You forget where your Bible is. You are content materially and spiritually and don’t feel you are really in need of anything or anyone. You find yourself going for extended periods of time without thinking about God. For you, going to church is a take it or leave it proposition. You forget how to get to church. You really don’t have any close relationships with people from the church. You don’t invite anyone to church. You don’t want anyone to know you think you are a Christian. You aren’t committed to or involved in serving the Lord in His church. Despite sporadic attendance at church, rarely reading the Bible or praying, not being involved in ministry of any kind, not really being involved in church, etc., etc., etc., you feel you are still “okay’ with God even though Jesus says such attitudes are repugnant to Him (Revelation 3:16-18).
I pray you hear the exhortation of the Spirit through His word, His people and His church and live in a burning hot walk with Him.
Conclusion
A friend of mine sent me a story, a kind of parable about a mule that fell in a well, and it relates to the importance of exhortation and encouragement. The story, with some editions, goes like this:
A parable is told of a farmer who owned an old mule. The mule fell into the farmer’s well. The farmer heard the mule ‘braying’ or whatever mules do when they fall into wells. After carefully assessing the situation, the farmer sympathized with the mule, but decided that neither the mule nor the well was worth the trouble of saving. Instead, he called his neighbors together and told them what had happened and enlisted them to help haul dirt to bury the old mule in the well and put him out of his misery.
Initially, the old mule was hysterical! But as the farmer and his neighbors continued shoveling, and the dirt hit his back, a thought struck the mule. It suddenly dawned on him that every time a shovel load of dirt landed on his back, HE SHOULD SHAKE IT OFF AND STEP UP! This he did, blow after blow.
“Shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up…shake it off and step up!” he repeatedly encouraged himself. No matter how painful the blows, or distressing the situation seemed, the old mule fought “panic” and just kept right on SHAKING IT OFF AND STEPPING UP!
It wasn’t long before the old mule, battered and exhausted, STEPPED TRIUMPHANTLY OVER THE WALL OF THAT WELL! What seemed like it would bury him, actually blessed him all because of the manner in which he handled his adversity.
That’s what exhortation is like. There are people, even believers stuck in a deep well with no sense of hope of getting out. They feel like the weight of the world is on them. And the world and the devil seem to just keep piling it on thick and heavy. Exhortation comes alongside the downcast person and in the Spirit, encouraging them to shake it off and step up in the Spirit. Exhortation is helping a person see that in Christ, nothing is impossible (Philippians 4:13). Unbelievers can be saved from the burden of their sin through the salvation offered in Christ (Romans 6:23). Believers can be reminded of the help they have in Jesus (Matthew 11:28-30; Galatians 6:2-5). God can use anything that happens in the lives of those who love Him, for His good (Romans 8:281 Corinthians 15:58; Galatians 6:9). That is what exhortation points out to the depressed and downcast.
So let’s commit to the Spirit and to having Him use us to be more intentional and purposeful in encouraging and exhorting those around us. It may just lead to the revival we need. It may just lead to the salvation of lost souls.
287 Sopater, (1991). Eds. Trent C. Butler. HolmanBible Dictionary.
288 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.
289 The Holy Bible, New King James Version, (Nashville, Tennessee: Thomas Nelson, Inc.) 1982.
290 Dr. Raul Ries, Hear What the Spirit is Saying, Logos Media Group: diamond Bar, CA, 1993, p. 21-22
291 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.
292 Jon Courson – Tree of Life Tape – Revelation 2:1-17 – W760 – 11/20/96
293 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.
294 Ralph W. Harris, Exec. Ed., The Complete Biblical Library, Springfield: Missouri, 1990, p.39. Quoting The Ante-Nicene Fathers, Against Heresies 26:3.
295 Chuck Smith, What The World Is Coming To – A Commentary on The Book of Revelation, The Word For Today: Costa Mesa, CA, 1993, p. 28
296 C. I. Scofield, The Scofield Study Bible, Thomas Nelson Pub.: Nashville, TN, 1967, p. 1504 – Note for 1 Peter 2:9.
297 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.
298 W. E. Vine, Merrill F. Unger and William White, Vine’s Complete Expository Dictionary of Old and New Testament Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.
299 James Strong, New Strong’s Dictionary of Hebrew and Greek Words [computer file], electronic ed., Logos Library System, (Nashville: Thomas Nelson) 1997, c1996.
|
Line-By-Line Order:
 Verse-ReferenceReference-VerseSeparate LineVerse OnlyReference Only |
Reference Delimiters:
None — Jhn 1:1 KJV Square — [Jhn 1:1 KJV]Curly — {Jhn 1:1 KJV}Parens — (Jhn 1:1 KJV) |
|
Paragraph Order:
Verse-ReferenceReference-VerseReference-Only |
Number Delimiters:*
No NumberNo Delimiter — 15Square — [15]Curly — {15}Parens — (15) |
|
Other Options:
 Abbreviate Books Use SBL Abbrev.En dash not Hyphen |
Quotes Around VersesRemove Square BracketsSort Canonically |
* 'Number Delimiters' only apply to 'Paragraph Order'
The Blue Letter Bible ministry and the BLB Institute hold to the historical, conservative Christian faith, which includes a firm belief in the inerrancy of Scripture. Since the text and audio content provided by BLB represent a range of evangelical traditions, all of the ideas and principles conveyed in the resource materials are not necessarily affirmed, in total, by this ministry.
Blue Letter Bible study tools make reading, searching and studying the Bible easy and rewarding.
Blue Letter Bible is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization
©2025 Blue Letter Bible | Privacy Policy
Note: MLA no longer requires the URL as part of their citation standard. Individual instructors or editors may still require the use of URLs.
Loading
Loading
| Interlinear |
| Bibles |
| Cross-Refs |
| Commentaries |
| Dictionaries |
| Miscellaneous |
