And let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near. Hebrews 10:24-25

In my high school, we had a tradition of class vs. class competition. Everything we did as a full school had an element of class vs. class. From what we called Gimmie - Gimmie (what some may call Junk Scramble) to traditional sports at the end-of-year, all-school camp, we were competing. As a freshman, I couldn’t quite understand how we managed to always lose. No matter the contest, we were at a distinct disadvantage, and it wasn’t until my junior year that I began to understand the problem. It wasn't age or skill level; it wasn’t our preparedness or understanding of the usual rhythm of it all, although all those did factor in. What it came down to was our sense of unity as a class. For the silly games, like seeing which class could construct the highest cardboard tower, it was all about teamwork and our ability to support each other. It was a sense of unselfish love for each other and the desire to get to the goal regardless of individual glory. The biblical word or phrase for this can be found all throughout the epistles of the New Testament, and it goes like this: “Exhort one another.” Have you ever exhorted another before? Let me try: I exhort you to dig into exhorting one another with me! Did it work?

If you are reading this, I can’t help but think that my exhortation worked, or at the very least, you decided that there must be a reason I made such a terrible use of the word that you felt like you haaaaaad to know. I’ll take either reason. Exhortation is a strange word that we do not use very often. In biblical texts, we see it being used as somewhat of a command. Paul uses it often as an encouragement, while others use it to express a necessary part of the Christian walk. In any case, it is clear that to the biblical authors, exhorting or encouraging, warning, counseling, and setting someone on the right path are all necessary for the success of a community.

But exhort one another each day, as long as it is called “Today,” that none of you may become hardened by sin’s deception. Hebrews 3:13 (NET)

To better understand the word, let’s look at its use in Hebrews chapter 3. Paul is speaking to his audience and encouraging them to “Exhort one another each day.” This same word in the NIV is translated as “encourage” and should be taken to mean that each day, we help each other so that we are not deceived by sin. That sounds like something very important. I can’t help but think that the job of helping others not be deceived by sin is a big deal. How do we go about this?

Preach the word; be ready in season and out of season; reprove, rebuke, and exhort, with complete patience and teaching. 2 Timothy 4:2

To exhort someone, you must first know that person and know their circumstances. Exhortation is a personal encouragement against sin. It can look like a call-out, but it is not done out of a sense of self-righteousness. When Paul writes of this in Hebrews, he is expressly asking that the community of believers hold each other up, that they collaborate in their faith to support one another through the wilderness that they may be experiencing. He has likened our experience to Israel's wandering and says that, to safeguard against this, we need a community willing to encourage one another.

The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him.” Genesis 2:18

Think with me for a second about a time in your life when you felt alone in your spiritual walk. Maybe this was a long time ago, or maybe it was a little more recent. In these moments of loneliness, our tendency is to sit in them. God never designed us to be alone. From the beginning of the Bible, He designed humanity to be in community. The reason the epistles are full of the word exhort is because their authors understood that we need to be a community of believers and not just individuals. Starting tomorrow, our community of believers is collaborating to reach out to people who may feel alone in their spiritual journey. We are hosting an event called Hope Rising at 6:30 PM over the next few weeks.

I would like to encourage you, to exhort you, to not only attend yourself but also to bring someone with you. At these events, you will hear the truth and find a community of believers who are seeking Jesus together with a sense of selfless love for one another. Each night, we will have the opportunity to lift one another up, to seek Jesus together, and to encourage one another. So let us exhort one another every day.