PHILOSOPHY OF MINISTRY

A Paper

Presented to

Dr. Roger White

Azusa Pacific University

In Partial Fulfillment

of the Requirements for GMIN 618

By

Jesse Logan Davis

April 16, 2014

Table of Contents

Abstracto Page 0

Chapter 1: An Inductive Study on Hebrews 3:12-15 and How it Directs My Callingo Introduction – Pages 1-2o Inductive Study on Hebrews 3:12-15 – Pages 3-11

Chapter 2: The Theological Themes of Mercy and Reconciliation in Relation to Ministryo Mercy – Pages 11-17o Reconciliation – Pages 17-20

Chapter 3: The Ministry Principles of Pastoral Counseling, Small Group Ministry, and Preaching and How They Shape Ministry

o Pastoral Counseling – Pages 21-23o Small Group Ministry – Pages 23-26o Preaching – Pages 26-29

Conclusion: What Comes Next?o Page 30

Bibliographyo Pages 31-32

Study Noteso Pages 32-33

Abstract

This paper is a Philosophy of Ministry focused on Exhortation. It begins with an inductive study

on Hebrews 3:12-15 and application of the biblical principles found therein. Next, it dips into the

theological themes of Mercy and Reconciliation in relation to exhortative ministry. Finally, there

is a brief look at three core ministry themes (Pastoral Counseling, Small Group Ministry, and

Preaching) which are central to the ministry of exhortation in the Church.

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Introduction

My name is Jesse Davis and I am twenty five years old. I have been a follower of Jesus Christ

since the age of eleven after coming to know about Jesus as a boy in Sunday school at a rural

church outside of Atlanta, Kansas. I heard about Jesus’ love and care for us and how he died on

the cross for our sin at a church camp and felt both deeply convicted and grateful for the willing

sacrifice of our Savior, so I went forward to pray for the forgiveness of my sin and the

acceptance of the Holy Spirit into my life. Overwhelmed by my feelings, I cried like a baby at

the joy of the experience of knowing God had come to save me from my sin and restore

relationship with me. It was at this point that I accepted Jesus as Lord, but I did not recognize the

full weight of this event.

As I continued to grow and learn about what it meant to be a Christian in Bible study,

youth group, and church (as well as further camp experiences and youth conferences) I would

have these experiences where I would say or do something and people would tell me that I

should be a pastor when I grew up. I laughed at the notion. Finally, on a mission trip to

Aguascalientes, Mexico in a small town called El Nacimiento I came to recognize exactly what

having Jesus as Lord meant for me.

I was enjoying the early morning cornucopia of color that God has blessed that region

with and felt a question come into my mind, “Why won’t you speak for me?” I responded “What

are you talking about?” Again, the thought voice that was not my own questioned me, “Why

won’t you speak for me?” I repeated my earlier response (though somewhat less

enthusiastically). The voice spoke yet again and said, “For years I have been sending people to

you telling you what I want you to do for me. So why won’t you speak for me?” Knowing the

full truth of the Holy Spirit’s words I had no adequate response. I accepted at that moment what

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it meant for me to have Jesus as my Lord. He has given me a call to the ministry of exhortation. I

am to speak for Him.

It is this calling and journey that has brought me where I am today. I have been studying

what it means to be a minister of the Gospel since the time I was sixteen through various

mentorship opportunities and service as a camp counselor and small group leader. During these

times I have learned what it means to follow God and share His love with those around me.

Along with this I have sought more formal training in the tasks of ministry through scholastic

study at Barclay College in Haviland, Kansas and at Azusa Pacific University’s Graduate School

of Theology. While at APU I have worked at two churches, Rose Drive Friends Church in Yorba

Linda, California as a pastoral intern for two years and Friends Community Church in Midway

City, California since June of 2013 as an apprentice pastor.

In these roles I have worked to deepen my understanding of what it means to be a

minister as well as broadening my skills in various aspects of ministry life. I have preached on

Sunday, taught Bible studies, and led prayer groups as well as participated in developing the

leadership and community engagement ministries of Friends Community Church. All of this

brings me to the point of this paper. This paper is intended to help you understand my

Philosophy of Ministry, a culmination of years of following Jesus and reading His word, working

with His people, and seeking His will for my life. As we work through the next pages together

please remember where I come from and who I am, this is the context for this paper and without

it the words written hereafter would be meaningless. The first section of this paper will be an

exegetical exploration of Hebrew 3:12-15. This passage deals with what I feel is the core of my

ministry (exhortation) and will help you have a base for how I understand the Biblical narrative

and interpret and apply its worth to life and ministry.

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Section 1: Inductive Study of Hebrews 3:12-15

We will begin our inductive study by looking at the passage as a whole. Hebrews 3:12-15 reads,

12 Take care, brothers, lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart, leading you to fall away from the living God. 13 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. 14 For we have come to share in Christ, if indeed we hold our original confidence firm to the end. 15 As it is said “Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts as in the rebellion.”1

In this section we will examine various aspects of this passage using the inductive method and

then apply this data to ministry. The book of Hebrews is not typical of others letters found in the

New Testament in that it is missing “the traditional prescript of a letter and has none of the

characteristic features of ordinary letters from this general time period.”2 The authorship of this

letter is unknown but it is clearly written by someone with a love for the Scriptures and a deep

understanding of the Hebrew people (given their quotation of the Old Testament and honoring of

people from its stories throughout). Hebrews is written as an argument for Jesus being the Son of

God (Hebrews 1:1-4). According to William Lane, our section is part of a warning against

unbelief citing Israel as an example of what happens to those who do not believe.3 While it is

easy to recognize the warning found in the text, we also see in it an encouragement to the reader

to minister to those around them. It is from this understanding of the text as an encouragement to

mutual ministry that we will organize our thoughts and evidence.

In reading this passage it is easy to note the warning given in verse 12a and 12b (see

attached notes for structural outline of the passage). The author is continuing his warning as 1 The Holy Bible: English Standard Version (Wheaton, IL: Crossway Bibles, 2005), Hebrews 3:12-15. (all

Scripture from the same source unless otherwise cited)

2 William A. Lane, Hebrews 1-8, Word Biblical Commentary, volume 47a (Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1991), lxx.

3 Lane, cii.

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established in earlier verses (starting in 3:1 and continuing to 4:11). This first section of our

passage is a bridge to the section that precedes it. The author gives a clear warning (“Take care,”

v.12a) to the gathered people in the church (“brothers”) for the purpose of their continued

security and wholeness as believers (“lest there be in any of you an evil, unbelieving heart” v.

12b). This warning is based on the danger that comes from this type of heart; the potential to fall

away from God (v. 12c).

Continuing on, the author of Hebrews notes that it is possible to fall away from God (v.

12c) and this is based on the state of a person’s heart (v. 12b). It is the “heart” that potentially

leads one to fall away from God. The heart is typically seen as “the seat of life”4 and “the Bible

places human depravity in the ‘heart’ because sin is a principle which has its seat in the centre of

man’s inward life.”5 The state of our inward being dictates the actions of the outward being. To

illustrate this Attridge writes, “By its close association with disobedience in the following verses,

it suggests that faithlessness involves not simply passive disbelief, but active resistance to God’s

will.”6 We see how this thought thread is written into the text to warn the believers away from a

potentially deadly state of being and acting. To illustrate further, Lane writes, “The play on

words…‘unbelief in turning away,’ reinforces the fact that falling away and unbelief reflect the

same disposition.”7

Next up in our passage the author gives us a very important transition word in the

beginning of verse 13 (“but”) which gives us a clue into the fact that something important is

4 J. Laidlaw, “Heart” in Dictionary of the Bible, Volume III, Edited by J.J. Hastings (New York, NY: Scribner’s Sons, 1958), 317.

5 Laidlaw, 318.

6 Harold W. Attridge, The Epistle to the Hebrews, Hermeneia – a critical and Historical Commentary of the Bible (Philidelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1989), 116.

7 Lane, 86.

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coming. The author then writes, “exhort one another every day” (v. 13a). The word “exhort” is

going to be a key word for us. Exhortation is the way the people reading Hebrews are able to

stave off the hardening of their hearts, and thus stave off falling away from Christ. According to

Lane, “The avoidance of apostasy demands not simply individual vigilance but the constant care

of each member of the community for one another.”8 It is the group that has members willing to

exhort one another that will function well. This point is well made by F.F. Bruce when he writes,

Where the right path lies clear before the eyes, a disinclination to follow it can be reinforced in the mind by many beguiling lines of rationalization; but to surrender to them results in a hardening of the heart, a reduced sensitivity of conscience, which makes it more difficult to recognize the right path on a subsequent occasion. But in a fellowship which exercised a watchful and unremitting care for its members the temptation to prefer the easy course to the right one would be greatly weakened, and the united resolution to stand firm would be correspondingly strengthened.9

As Bruce states, it is the group with a resolution to seek the truth and practice the ministry of

exhortation one member to another is more prepared and equipped to deal with “the deceitfulness

of sin.” (Hebrews 3:13b) When we work together it makes the battle that much easier. The power

of exhortative ministry is that it is a shared ministry. Each member of the group has the ability to

actively be engaged in some form of it on behalf of, or with, the others.

We are going to focus in and begin examining the Greek word, παρακαλειτε, (translated

here as ‘exhort”) which should help us see where this idea comes from. The word παρακαλειτε

is a versatile one that is defined as “a. ask for earnestly, b. invite, c. call together to, and d.

encourage”10 and can be translated as “beg, urge; encourage, speak words of encouragement;

8 Lane, 87.

9 F.F. Bruce, The Epistle to the Hebrews, New International Commentary on the New Testament (Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishers, 1991), 101.

10 Johannes P. Louw and Eugene Albert Nida, vol. 2, Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament: Based on Semantic Domains, electronic ed. of the 2nd edition (New York, NY: United Bible Societies, 1996), 185.

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request, ask, appeal to; console, comfort, cheer up; invite, and summon.”11 The broadness of the

ministry of exhortation within the church is what makes it so important for us to understand what

the author of Hebrews is saying by using this word. When we speak of the ministry of

exhortation we are speaking of a multihued and multifaceted ministry which all believers can

partake in.

Our next take away from this passage is the importance of timely ministry in verse 13. In

using the phrase “every day, as long as it is called ‘today’” (Hebrews 3:13a) the author is

referencing the earlier quoted Psalm 95. Exhortative ministry is to be done every day. Lane

writes that this instance of the word “‘Today’ is no longer the today of the past, surveyed by the

psalmist in his situation, but the today of the present, which continues to be conditioned by the

voice of God that speaks day after day through the Scriptures and in the gospel tradition.”12 The

consistency of every day ministry is what guides the congregation deeper into their relationship

with Christ. Another perspective on the importance of the word “today” is given to us by

Attbridge who says, “The present comment stresses the challenge of living in the moment when

God speaks.”13 The word “today” relates to us as well as the original readers. The “today” of

Psalm 95, Hebrews 3, and the present are the same: the immediate moment lived with God. In

applying this to the life of the Church we understand that we are bound up together with those

who have been spoken to by God through the Scriptures, experiences, traditions, or their natural

reason throughout history in that when we hear God call our response is to be immediate and

wholehearted.

11

Barclay M. Newman, Jr., A Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament (Stuttgart, Germany: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft; United Bible Societies, 1993), 132-33.

12 Lane, 87.

13 Attbridge, 117.

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Going back to a more structural analysis we see that the second part of verse 13 continues

the “But” statement started in the first part by giving the reason for it. This reason is given as,

“that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin.” (Hebrews 3:13b) This is the first

mention of a “hard” heart in our passage but this is a theme that occurs throughout the Old

Testament Scriptures (e.g., Pharaoh in Exodus 4:21, 7:3, 7:13, 7:22, 8:15, et al). Note how the

“heart” focus of the author comes up again and in this case the author makes it clear that the

heart can be shaped (hardened) by sin.

Moving on to verse 14 of our passage we see how the author gives us a conditional

statement (note the use of “for” and “if” as marker words for this genre). Attbridge considers this

to be a parenthetical statement in support of the wider argument in the passage.14 The “for”

statement found in verse 14a is that “we have come to share in Christ” this is the core of the

author’s encouragement to the believers whom he is writing. This encouragement is followed

immediately by the recognition of the author as to the conditional nature of this sharing in Christ.

His “if” statement is that, “we hold our original confidence firm to the end.” (Hebrews 3:14b)

Stedman challenges the reading of this statement as conditional, writing “(…) the if is

descriptive, not conditional.”15 For Stedman, the “if” statement, “envisages deliberate efforts

made to renew faith and trust on a daily basis.”16 His concept of the descriptive “if” in this

passage is based on continued action of renewal each day. I agree with the idea that this is a

descriptive “if” due to the way we must continually act to renew our relationship with God.

However, it is clearly conditional in the use of the phrase “if indeed” and this is supported by the

phrase “firm to the end” (Hebrews 3:14b) found at the end of the verse. Why would the author 14 Attbridge, 117.

15 Ray C. Stedman, Hebrews, The InterVarsity Press New Testament Commentary Series (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992), 54.

16 Stedman, 54.

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need to include “indeed” or “firm to the end” if it was merely a description of the Christian’s

(seemingly) optional renewal of faith? It describes the conditions in which we engage with God

daily and are renewed by Him.

In considering the readership of the letter, we must note that the challenge of conditional

blessing is one the Hebrew people were familiar with, having experienced the devastating effect

of the falls of the northern and southern kingdoms of Israel and Judah and having been under the

rule of foreign powers (for the most part) since that time until the writing of this letter. Bruce

writes, “To begin well is good, but it is not enough; it is only those whom stay the course and

finish the race that have any hope of gaining the prize.”17 The importance of the continued

practice every day of exhorting one another in faithfulness and the truth of God cannot be

stressed enough for the church. As the Israelites failed to continue on in faith and so lost the

blessing, so too we must continue to practice our faith daily and encourage those around us to do

the same in order to avoid a similar fate.

Finally, Verse 15 is a scriptural quotation that reinforces the point made in the earlier

verses. It calls us to remember Psalm 95 and consider how we are responding to the voice of God

in our lives. As mentioned earlier, this voice can take many different forms and in each case the

discernment of the church should be weighed in how we are to act on the hearing. The Scripture

quoted here calls the Hebrews to consider how they are responding to the voice of God and

warns them against hard heartedness as in verse 13b. This is a descriptive “if” ( contrasted with

the “if” found in verse 14b) wherein the author is describing for them how they could respond to

God’s voice. Attbridge considers this quotation to be an instrument of the author to encourage

17 Bruce, 101.

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the Hebrews to consider the whole Psalm and use it as an encouragement to faith in their

meetings.18

What is the point of this study? In looking at the passage so far it has become clear that

exhortative ministry gives each one the chance to grow and contribute to the community in their

own daily interaction with other members of the Body of Christ. To start let us look back at the

various definitions for the key word παρακαλεῖτε. In our study we noted how the word was

broadly translatable but in this section we need to note how each of the various definitions can be

mutually reinforcing. It is not just that the word can call us to “beg, urge; encourage, speak

words of encouragement; request, ask, appeal to; console, comfort, cheer up; invite, and

summon.”19 It is that in our practice of exhortative ministry as a church we can do many of these

definitions at the same time. So when we are doing ministry we can urge one another to speak

words of encouragement or request those of us skilled at comforting to console those who mourn

in our congregations. As we continue to unpack what it means to engage in exhortative ministry

keep this mutually reinforcing principle in mind.

In my context as an apprentice pastor the most obvious application of this passage is in

my interaction with the other members of the church throughout the week. I get the chance to eat

with many of them on Friday evenings and really enjoy these times of fellowship and community

building. During our meals, we get to “cheer up” one another and encourage each other to

continue in the Christian walk. Along with this, I get the chance to lead prayer on Sunday

mornings and in doing so I am participating in inviting and appealing to the members of the

Body of Christ to seek God’s will in the situations that overwhelm us.

18 Attbridge, 120.

19 Newman, 132-133.

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Another simple application of exhortative ministry is that of preaching. The art of calling

the people to hear the word of God is one based on appealing and urging them to listen to what

He wants to say to them. Preaching exhortative messages often involve all the parts of the

definition above. We beg the people to listen, encourage them to follow, ask them to act, comfort

them in the hard times, and invite them to continue their journey with God on a weekly basis.

The exhortative preacher will do just as the author of Hebrews has done in our passage. They

will build on the Scriptures in order to call the congregation to action.

In small group ministry the focus of exhortative ministry is on encouragement. These

settings give us the chance to build relationships that allow us to challenge one another on our

hard-heartedness. As a valuable ministry of and to every believer, these intense relationships are

something we need to value as much as we do our Sunday experiences. In working with small

groups in various churches over the years I have come to realize the need for exhortatively

equipped leaders. In doing ministry in these settings the focus on deep relationship is ingrained

within me. I know how important it is to exhort the people around you to live as they are invited

to by God. When we practice exhortative ministry in these settings we will be building the types

of communities that God intends for the church.

The ministry of exhortation is not limited to those called to shepherd the church but to

each part of the body. Each one of us has every day to exhort one another to live in the way we

are called to live. This corporate cooperation of exhortation will build strong relationships and

bonds between members of our congregations. In my context, I have seen how this type of

interpersonal ministry has benefitted the members of our group. We have built deeper

relationship through challenging one another and building one another up over the course our

time together. Through the ministry of exhortation we are better able to have intense

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conversations about our ministry and our lives. This is so because of the way that our exhortative

ministry requires each one to work daily to encourage, invite, and urge the others to hold onto

that faith which they are called to.

Over the course of our lives we have the opportunity to exhort hundreds of people in

dozens of different ways. The umbrella of exhortative ministry is broad but one of the core

messages of this passage is the daily aspect of this style of ministry. In our Christian faith we are

called to a daily re-submission to God and a daily ministry to those around us. It is the daily

experience of fellowship and mutual ministry in the Body of Christ which will be the defining

characteristic of exhortative ministry. When we are applying this passage in our daily lives we

are living in encouraging, comforting, challenging, appealing, and inviting relationships. It is just

these kinds of relationships that the world is hungry for. It is these types of people that God

desires us to be. In working through what it means to live exhortatively we will become the

ministers that God calls us to be, those who love one another and practice the unique

characteristic of exhortative ministry that He has created and blessed them to.

Section Two: Theological Exploration

Exhortative ministry is founded on God’s mercy and intended to reconcile people to God.

In this section we will be testing the above thesis by examining mercy and reconciliation and

how they relate back to our foundation of exhortative ministry as core to the ministry of all

believers. Using various sources we will note how the ministry of exhortation relates to these

theological themes and builds on their firm foundation to create a healthy structure for the church

to function. By the end of this section we should be able to note how mercy is the reason for, and

reconciliation is the true measure of, exhortative ministry.

Mercy

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We will begin our theological exploration by examining the concept of mercy and how it

relates to exhortation. First, Mercy is an attribute of God20 which is described as, “A quality of

compassion, especially as expressed in God’s forgiveness of human sin. Scripture stresses God’s

forbearance towards sinners. In his mercy, God shields sinners from what they deserve and gives

gifts that they do not deserve.”21 This mercy is seen throughout scripture in the way God takes

action on behalf of the people of Israel; for example the stories present in Exodus, Judges, and 1

and 2 Kings give numerous examples of God’s mercy shown through salvific action, though the

most culturally informative of these is the Exodus from Egypt itself. This action is what the

people are to remember for it was this act of mercy that the people exist as a free nation.

Knowing who God is in the history of the Bible we can continue to build our concept of mercy

as it relates to the current focus on ministry through exhortation.

Since mercy is at the core of God’s character and is infused in His actions towards us it is

important for those who minister in His name. Without His character we fail to represent His

cause well. When we minister to those around us we do so with God’s mercy and love as the

impetus for our actions. It is His character in us that moves us to have compassion on those

around us. Our response to God’s mercy is to live in such a way that we reflect that mercy to the

world. For example one author writes, “As one experiences the unceasing mercy and grace of a

God whose love grows ever wider, so one's capacity to extend such to others expands.”22

20 Thomas C. Oden, Systematic Theology: Volume One The Living God (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2006) 126-127.

21

Martin H. Manser, Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies (London: Martin Manser, 2009) number 6686.

22 Barbara E. Reid, "Which God is with us?" Interpretation 64, no. 4 (2010), 380-389 (ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost, accessed March 4, 2014).

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As we consider how mercy relates to exhortation and church life (The body of believers

in relationship with one another and in spite of one another) keep this principle in mind: when an

individual continues to experience God’s mercy they are better able to act in mercy to those

around them. This concept is related to two statements that Jesus makes (Luke 6:36 “Be

merciful, even as your Father is merciful” and John 5:19 “Truly, truly, I say to you, the Son can

do nothing of his own accord, but only what he sees the Father doing. For whatever the Father

does, that the Son does likewise.”) As we see who God is in our relationship with Him then we

are able to better minister to one another. In seeing Jesus as our merciful Savior we better

understand God’s merciful character. When we understand that the actions Jesus took were ones

He knew the Father wanted we realize how important it is for us to follow Jesus’ example as He

followed the example of the Father. We follow the model of mercy set before us by God in Jesus

because one of the key things that Jesus wanted to teach us was how to act in ways the Father

desires (as seen in Hosea 6:6).

To assist us in better understanding mercy as a characteristic of God, Oden writes,

“Divine mercy is the disposition of God to relieve the miserable, salve the wounds of the hurt,

and receive sinners, quite apart from any works or merit.”23 God’s mercy is intended to actively

enter into the world and minister to people where they are. In Luke 4:18-19 we get Jesus’

purpose statement, “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, because he has anointed me to proclaim

good news to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim liberty to the captives and recovering of sight

to the blind, to set at liberty those who are oppressed, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

Jesus’ description of his own ministry is one of engaging in merciful activities with those who

are generally outside the social power structure. When we minister in the style of exhortation we

show God’s mercy to those around us. We invite others to participate with us in actively showing

23 Oden, 126

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who God is through participation in merciful ministry. When we are encouraging, comforting,

urging, inviting, and asking others to engage with Christ we are to do so in a merciful way; this

is important to understand because exhortation is sometimes seen in a negative way.

We think of those who exhort from a place of hate, those who call for fervor unto murder

or any other negative action. This is exhortation from the realm of human sin. Consider leaders

in the secular world. Many times we see how power and prestige have lead people to abuse their

position for their own reasons. When exhortation is used by a skilled speaker for their own

purposes it leads to the abhorrent state of subjugation of one person or group to another.

Submission in this way is not from a place of mercy, but of greed. This is to be avoided in our

church context. As those called to follow the example of Christ it is essential for us to be humble

in the ministry of exhortation and to ensure that when we call those who are following us to

submission it is only ever to the will of God as revealed in Christ Jesus.

When we minister to those around us exhortatively from the realm of God’s mercy we act

after His own heart for those around us. This is what Oden means when he writes, “Mercy is the

form taken by divine love when sin has blocked off other avenues.”24 Understanding exhortation

in ministry as action from a place of mercy is basic for our view of exhortative ministry. We do

not exhort others for our own gain but for theirs and we do so in the strength of God’s redeeming

mercy. We are driven by the Spirit of God in us to call others to consider their own lives and

how God’s mercy has been shown to them. We are asking them to share their experiences with

God with us so that we might be encouraged, as Paul writes in Romans 1:11-12, “For I long to

see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to strengthen you – that is, that we may be

mutually encouraged by each other’s faith, both yours and mine.” As Christians, it is our duty to

24 Oden, 127.

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share that which God has done in order to encourage those around us. God’s mercy is seen to be

active still in our current experiences with Him. Sharing these experiences with those around us

is one of the greatest purposes in the church (see Acts 1:7-8).

As we consider how God’s mercy is the driving force behind our ministry in the church it

would serve us well to consider Barclay’s words, “He can make no act, nor set anything in

motion by his own efforts until he has first been stimulated, elevated, and actuated by God’s

Spirit.”25 While Barclay was primarily talking about the nature of God’s mercy in salvation it is

applicable to our context of ministry through exhortation in that when we act in response to

God’s Spirit in us we do so because God’s mercy is so powerfully stimulating. In our ministry

we are to be led by God’s Spirit but especially in the timely (or in the moment) ministry of

exhortation it would serve us well to consider His action in the situation at hand and seek to

follow His direction. It is the experience of the Spirit of God in us that drives us to act as Barclay

writes, “We proclaim him so that others may come to experience the same thing themselves.”26

When we are exhorting those around us we are asking them to join in the experience of God’s

mercy.

The mercy of God is best shown in the body of Christ. When we gather together we are

meeting the need we have for each other (Genesis 1-2). In worship we are uniting our hearts and

strengthening one another. To illustrate this point, “Many lighted candles, when gathered

together in a single place, greatly augment each other’s light and make it shine more

brilliantly.”27 When the church is working together in sharing God’s mercy with one another we

25 Robert Barclay, Barclays Apology in Modern English, Edited by Dean Freiday (Newberg, Oregon: Barclay Press, 1991) 83.

26 Barclay, 122.27

Barclay, 280.

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are shining brightly, as Barclay writes, “Each individual receives greater refreshment, because he

partakes not only of the light and life that has been raised in him, but in the others as well.”28

This is the mercy of God at work in the gathered church. When we gather together for worship

and glorification of God we are able to share the mercy shown to us individually and in this way

we reveal more of the mercy of God for us.

By now we should understand why mercy is so important in understanding ministry. God

is merciful and calls us to be like Him. As we engage in our ministry we have to consider

whether we are doing so from a place of mercy. Mercy is the driving force behind our ministry.

Because of God’s mercy, Christ has come so that we can enjoy that mercy in our own lives. His

sacrifice is one that calls us to reconsider our lives in light of the Father’s desire for mercy.

When we are under God’s mercy we should be merciful (consider the parable of the unforgiving

servant, Matthew 18:21-35). Mercy is the reason we can enter into ministry in the first place.

As we shift into our next topic we need to understand how it relates to the driving force

of mercy in our lives. The theological understanding of reconciliation is at the center of ministry.

Reconciliation is defined as, “A change in relationship or attitude from enmity to peace; the

cessation of hostility in attitude or action.”29 This is normally enacted by two parties in

collaboration with a mediator. In our case it was God’s merciful character that initiated the

conversation regarding reconciliation. This reconciliation was accomplished in Christ’s action

through the incarnation. He is our mediator (1 Timothy 2:5; Hebrews 8:6, 9:15, 12:24) in this

relationship. As we engage in this renewed relationship with God it is through the mercy shown

to the world in Christ. He is our only way to have restored relationship with our Father. In the

28 Barclay, 280.

29 Stanley J. Grenz, David Guretzki, and Cherith Fee Nordling, Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999) 100.

Davis 16

next few pages we will see how the ministry of exhortation is tied to God’s desire for

reconciliation because of His mercy.

Reconciliation

The core of our understanding for this theology of reconciliation is based in 2 Corinthians

5 where Paul writes,

Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. (2 Corinthians 5:17-20)

As we work through what this passage means we will come to see how the ministry of

exhortation’s goal is reconciliation. Paul is writing to a church that is struggling to come away

from their culture, they are seeking to be renewed and struggling to throw off the old ways of sin.

Paul is writing to encourage them (an aspect of exhortation) to fight against the cultural

influences they are facing. He is warning them about continuing in sin and giving them guidance

on how to live in relationship in their context. In our passage, Paul is reminding the believers of

their status before God. The key word “therefore” lets us know that Paul is basing this section on

what has come before it. A conditional “if” statement follows signaling to us and the Corinthians

that we have to be sure of where we stand for this message to be either comforting or

challenging. After this Paul hammers out his main point, we are new! He reminds them of

Christ’s reconciliation as the basis for this newness. He then states that because of our newness

we are able to join in the ministry of reconciliation with Christ. We have been given a position as

ambassadors on behalf of the great mediator in order to proclaim and invite others into the

offered reconciliation in Christ.

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Reconciliation is rightly tied to the action of Christ. Concerning the impact of this

reconciliatory action Oden correctly writes, “Individuals do not become reconciled to God on

their own initiative – rather they are being reconciled by God’s own initiative to which they are

being called to respond.”30 When we are offered this great gift it is up to us to respond. Jesus

calls on the church to act in mercy in reminding one another about the offer of reconciliation on a

daily basis. We live in a fallen world which is in the process of being redeemed. It is only natural

for us to need to be reminded of the state that Jesus has initiated since we do not always see it

played out in our lives. One important function of the ministry of exhortation is to remind us of

the new thing that God is doing in the world. We need each other to remember what He is doing

in our lives because sometimes it still feels like we are far from Him. As we practice this

reminding we are also enabled to see different perspectives on how God is continuing to work

out His mercy in reconciling the world to Himself. We are witnesses of Christ’s atoning work in

our lives and the reconciliation we enjoy through Him. Along with this we are also witnesses of

the restoration of our world in His continued action through the Church.

In the book of Romans Paul talks about the power of the reconciliatory mercy of God. In

chapter 5 he writes,

6 For while we were still weak, at the right time Christ died for the ungodly. 7 For one will scarcely die for a righteous person—though perhaps for a good person one would dare even to die— 8 but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us. 9 Since, therefore, we have now been justified by his blood, much more shall we be saved by him from the wrath of God. 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation.

30 Thomas C. Oden, Systematic Theology: Volume Two The Word of Life (Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2006) 355.

Davis 18

In our world mercy is often seen as a weakness. Capitalism and individualism have been used by

the sinful nature to breed selfishness in our hearts. We seek only that which is good for us:

families steal from one another, churches split, people abuse one another, and drugs are bought

and sold. Our society is twisted by all so many things, all of which remind us of the need for

reconciliation. Paul is writing in the above passage to a people who faced a sinful existence just

as we do. The reminder he gives them is that in spite of our continued disobedience God took

action to reconcile the world to Him.

The timeliness of Christ’s reconciliation is important as we seek to follow in His

footsteps. We have to be wise about when and how we initiate the conversations regarding

reconciliation with those around us. In all things we should seek to share the mercy of God with

them but there is a certain Sprit imbued wisdom and drive for when we are to talk with them

about the reconciliation that God offers. In Jesus’ earthly ministry He almost always dealt with

what was distracting a person (an action of mercy) such as their physical or social situation

before he dealt with what was destroying them (an action of reconciliation) which was their sin.

Barclay speaks to a two-fold manifestation of this redemption in us. Firstly, we are given the

capacity to be reconciled by Christ’s action and the light of God31 then “…we witness. And by

witnessing we know this pure and perfect redemption within us, purifying, cleansing, and

redeeming us from the power of corruption and bringing us into unity, favor, and friendship with

God.”32 We are enlivened by Christ’s action, so how can we not witness about it? We have a

natural desire to share God’s redeeming story with those we care about. We work to counter our

culture of individualism in becoming part of the Body of Christ and as a part of that body we are

able to live in mutual ministry through exhortation.

31 Barclay, 131.32

Barclay, 131.

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As we have examined the concepts of mercy and reconciliation in relation to exhortative

ministry it should now be clear that God is the one who teaches us how to live with mercy and

Jesus is our guide for reconciliatory action in the world. We have tried to give a good

theological core to our understanding regarding these things. Scripture has been central to our

investigation and so have modern and older theologians who have helped us get a different

perspective on the issues. In the end what we are called to do is to participate in the ministry of

reconciling the world to God in light of His great mercy. We depart this study with another

scripture from Romans, “I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present

your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Do

not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing

you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.” (Romans

12:1-2)

Section Three: Ministry

The following section deals with three areas of ministry that I feel particularly called to in my

role as a minister of the gospel: counseling/spiritual direction, small group ministry, and the

ministry of preaching. Each of these areas has had significant impact on my own development as

a follower of Jesus. While I recognize my bias for them because of their influence, I also see how

God has gifted me to practice each of these ministries well. In these pages I will dialogue with

some significant texts that have influenced my practice of these ministry aspects as well as

explain some of how I currently engage in these ministry areas.

Pastoral Counseling

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To begin our conversations about ministry I would like to talk about the ministry of

pastoral counseling or spiritual direction. Some might consider these two subjects to be different

but I consider them to be one and the same. As a counselor we are engaged to assist our brothers

and sisters in working through tough things and gaining a better grasp on their own lives. As a

spiritual director we guide and shape the conversation towards the end that God intends. I feel

that these goals can go hand in hand to utilize the time spent with each person, couple, or small

group which we counsel. I draw this idea from David G. Benner’s text Care of Souls,

Christian soul care is not the place for doing whatever has to be done to ensure that others see and respond to matters at hand as you do (or as you assume God does). It is, however, an excellent place to offer an opportunity for an examination of life from a Christian perspective and to consider the light that such a perspective sheds on its choices.33

This is my hope for the ministry which I engage in with people: that they see their life from a

new perspective, that perspective being a Christian one. This Christian perspective is the

challenge though. Much of secular counseling deals with the persons own perception and their

will. For the Christian counselor we find that we must lean on another principle perspective, that

of God, and this requires surrendering ourselves to Him. The ministry of counseling is related to

exhortation in this way: we call the person to surrender to Christ so that they will be free.

To go along with the exhortation to surrender oneself to God is the need to minister in

grace and truth: Cloud writes, “Grace and truth together reverse the effects of the fall, which

were separation from God and others. Grace and truth together invite us out of isolation and into

relationship.”34 As I have engaged in this area of ministry it has become clear that as much as

calling our brothers and sisters to surrendering their lives to God in their time with us we are

33 David G. Benner, Care of Souls: Revisioning Christian Nurture and Counsel (Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998) 146.

34 Henry Cloud, Changes that Heal (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996) 25.

Davis 21

asked to speak grace and truth to them in the hard situations they are dealing with. They need us

to do this because of their lack of deep relationships with others. If people were engaging in deep

relationships within the church, the need for pastoral counseling would be much less because

they would be able to lean on other Christians in trust, sure of their commitment to God and one

other.

Many people in our society do not have the required structure in place needed to support

them. The broader American culture which we live in individuates each person from the others

and tells us that we are capable of getting through life on your own. This thinking has spread into

the church and it is dangerous because this concept is a devious lie. It leads to poor practice of

community in almost every phase of life if not countered by the teachings of the Church. The

basic theological understanding for who we are is, “God created us with a hunger for relationship

—for relationship with him and with our fellow people. At our very core we are relational

beings.”35 The importance of relationship is that it fulfills our inherent need for the other to gain

a true picture of our self. Because of this truth I agree with Benner’s statement, “We desperately

need relationships in which we can engage in careful reflection of the moral dimension of our

life.”36 Though I do think he could shorten it to, “We desperately need relationships.”

It is difficult to engage in challenging conversations with those whom we hardly know.

People come to us and tell stories about their lives. We have to engage with these stories, often

fragmented and reshaped by the individual’s perspective of the situation. It can be very hard to

discern the truth in these moments but we are not alone. Benner writes, “The Spirit is the

indispensable source of all wisdom, which is necessary for the practice of pastoral counseling.”37

35 Cloud, 47. (based on Genesis 1-2)36

Benner, Care of Souls, 147.37 David G. Benner, Strategic Pastoral Counseling: A Short Term  Structured Model (Grand

Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003) 68.

Davis 22

God is right there with us in those moments and we have every opportunity to ask for and expect

his guidance in the conversations we have with the people that come to us. This is one of the

major benefits of pastoral counseling: we can seek the Holy Spirit in the conversation or session

in order to gain discernment of what to ask and where the conversation needs to go. This type of

holy listening is essential to the pastoral counselor’s ability to assist the person in working

through the issue. When we are engaging with the Holy Spirit and another person in this way we

are working in a niche that only we can: we are actively working as a spiritual guide and using

our training in counseling to re-shape the persons perspective to a Christian one. This is how we

accomplish what Benner calls the overarching goal of Christian soul care: spiritual formation.38

Small Group Ministry

Our next topic will be focused on the issue of spiritual formation in small groups. Much

of the basis for this topic will be drawn from Todd Hunter’s Christianity Beyond Belief. In his

text Hunter writes, “The goal of Christianity is not arriving in heaven upon death. The goal is

spiritual transformation into Christlikeness.”39 To meet this goal requires dedication on the part

of the individual and encouragement from the church and the Holy Spirit working in them.

Small group ministry meets the need of the person for the aspect of encouragement. In

working with small groups as a leader in college and as a camp counselor for the past nine years

I have seen how the encouragement of peers has shaped the growth of the individual members.

The group is able to engage in encouraging and challenging conversations with the individual in

a safe space. This naturally takes the investment of the individual in the process which only

happens, “When the vision of a different life—life in the kingdom—is clear and compelling,

38

Benner, Strategic Pastoral Counseling, 15.

39 Todd Hunter, Christianity Beyond Belief (Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009) 31.

Davis 23

when we have firmly decided to follow it, we will certainly be looking for means of

implementation.”40 This is one of the major problems in doing small group ministry. The

Christian life in America is often one where you take one step—that of accepting Jesus as savior

—without living with him as the lord of our lives. The image of “life in the kingdom” in

America stops at the gate where it has the opportunity to lead one into the throne room. Hunter

challenges our American mindset when he writes, “No one wanders aimlessly into following

Jesus.”41 It is not enough to step onto the path of following Jesus, we have to continue walking

with him if we are to live into what he has created us for.

In small group settings we are better able as church leaders to enter into the lives of our

congregations. In these settings we can build the community needed to assist our brothers and

sisters in their daily lives in tangible ways. These opportunities to build relationship give us a

chance to speak truth and grace over their everyday lives rather than waiting for a crisis to open

the door. In this way we can act in accord with Hunter’s challenging statement, “We must go; we

must love these people where they are, not where we wish they were.”42 We have to earn the

right to speak into their everyday life by living with them.

Hunter’s most powerful statement about the importance of kingdom life for me is, “We

are fully human while expressing constant goodness on behalf of others.”43 The reason for my

focus on small group ministry is that when we are engaged in the types of conversations and

relationships that are possible in these moments we are living embodiments of Hunter’s

statement. When we are encouraging one another, seeking God’s face on behalf of each other,

40 Hunter, 43.41

Hunter, 47.42

Hunter, 84. 43

Hunter, 102.

Davis 24

building deeper relationships, and challenging each other to continue walking with God we are

expressing the goodness of God to them.

Life change is best facilitated when we enter into the truth that, “It is through the other

that I am finally able to make peace with myself and thus have the power to make my life my

own.”44 In relationship we are better able to respond to the things in our lives which need to be

reshaped in our newfound identities in Christ. This is very difficult to accomplish well in our

society. Along with the individualization present in our culture is the pressure to assume a false

self. We are told to “fake it til you make it.” In many Christian circles there is a perceived need

to hide one’s troubles or struggles with sin in order to maintain a certain image. The challenge to

this is that, “if you ever hope to routinely nurture a community of grace in which you can live

and work, you must learn to trust others with yourself.”45 The vulnerability of the leader of a

group sets the tone and trajectory for the rest of the group.

When we are invested in small group ministry and living vulnerably we are committing

ourselves to the ministry of Jesus. We are going to live in close relationship with a group of

likeminded individuals in order to effect change in the world. In support of the importance of this

Andrews writes, “When people are living in a spiritual community with helpful relationships,

they will discover their hearts being transformed.”46 This is due to the presence of the Holy Spirit

in each believer as well as the value of the Bible in their time together. Without these two core

components of small group ministry it might as well be a social club or a support group. That is

not our intention in gathering together for fellowship between our common worship meetings.

We engage in small group ministry because “The fact is that we cannot mass-produce

44 Stanley Hauerwas, The Peaceable Kingdom (Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame, 1983) 44.45

Alan Andrews, The Kingdom Life (Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2010) 70.

46 Andrews, 131.

Davis 25

disciples.”47 The activity of discipleship in small group ministry is the same as that of Jesus with

his disciples. It is His framework that we use to build this type of relational ministry: one of time

spent together, stories shared, and opportunities for teaching moments taken.

Preaching

The last ministry area I am going to focus on in this text is preaching. This is the ministry

which I feel most called to in my life. God has given me the ability to speak well and the Holy

Spirit has consistently revealed and worked through the Scriptures to open the way for the

message that God wants to speak through me. Preaching is that activity where we pastors are

able to speak broadly about the kingdom life which we are called to live as Christians. It is the

space where we are able to cast a vision for God’s preferable future to the church. In this

ministry the theme of exhortation is unleashed. Each aspect of exhortation is part of good

preaching. We have the chance to help people see what God wants for them and encourage them

to reach out and take part in it. There is no greater calling than to guide God’s people in ministry

and no greater way to give them a glimpse of where they are headed than preaching.

Preaching is so important because “What you do publicly is what you value and what you

endorse, and that contributes to the overall culture you are trying to create.”48 Preaching is a very

public ministry for us. Our counseling and small group sessions are often done in a more low key

fashion in order to facilitate the intimacy needed in these settings for people to be comfortable

with sharing their lives with us but in the ministry of preaching we get to dictate the level to

which we are intimate with those who we are leading. We get to share what God places on our

hearts, we get to engage in challenging the congregation, and we get to build the culture that God

wants for His body by exemplary leadership.

47 Andrews, 158.

48 Bob Roberts, Jr., The Multiplying Church (Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008) 67.

Davis 26

When we preach we lead by example in the way that we share our story, one which God

is working in and through, and those stories which God places on our hearts to share for the sake

of glorifying His name. Later in his book Roberts makes this statement, “There is nothing greater

than giving something that makes a difference and impacts others.”49 The stories we tell, the

vision we cast for the church, is our gift to them because it is God’s gift to us; we merely get to

pass on the message of what God wants to do in and through the lives of His people. If we are

not compelled by the vision that we are casting then why would we expect others to be?

One of the key things I have picked up in seminary is how to preach in a way that people

can remember. When we primarily only get people for one hour on Sunday each week we need

to make the most of our time. In my preaching I tend to favor a simpler approach. I draw this

principle from my own life experience in hearing sermons and from other leaders. Simplicity is

great because, “If you give people too much to remember, they won’t remember anything at

all.”50

One issue that I face with this is that as a seminary student with an undergraduate degree

in Bible and Pastoral Ministry I find some things simple that are often new revelations or

challenging concepts to many of the people I serve as a minister. I feel the need to speak in the

common language of the congregation in my messages because I want to give everyone access to

the truth of the Scriptures in my preaching. I had a professor, Skip Payette, who said it this way,

“Put the cookies on the bottom shelf.” My theological education is not to wow the people I serve

but to give them the story of the Bible in its most real form so that they recognize how great God

is in their own lives and engage with Him throughout the week. Lewis and Lewis make the same

49 Roberts, Jr., 112.50

Andy Stanley and Lane Jones, Communicating for a Change (Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, 2006) 39.

Davis 27

point when they write, “The inductive preacher seeks to help listeners see the truth in such a way

that they are ready to accept, agree with and respond to that truth at the end of the sermon.”51 In

preaching we have the opportunity to invite people to enter into God’s story and come away with

something vital for their lives.

I want to make sure that when I give a message the people hearing it know why they are

hearing it and what they need to do now that they have heard it. This means I try to relate what

is being said to their lives, they are hearing the message because it relates to the common

experience of life that we all share. After they understand why they are hearing it I try to give

some application for the message, telling people what is in scripture is important but giving them

an example of its application in their life is even more so. Stanley and Jones write, “Single,

powerful ideas have a way of penetrating the heart.”52 God loves you. Jesus died for your sins.

The Holy Spirit wants to work in your life. We are God’s children. These simple ideas are

foundational to the Christian life.

Another way to make this point (and I cannot remember who said it this way) is, “Say

what you’re going to say, Say it, and Say it again.” This is not a mechanical style of repetition. In

practice I have to make sure that my study of the Scripture is not an enemy to its reception since,

“When the head stands at center stage and the heart doesn’t even make a cameo appearance, our

sermons aren’t going to get the kind of response we hope for.”53 This is not to say that we seek to

incite an emotional response with our message but that if we only show how much effort we put

into the message and not how much it has affected us we are short-changing the congregation in

doing so. I have the opportunity to show how important the message is by the way it has changed 51 Ralph L. Lewis and Gregg Lewis, Inductive Preaching: Helping People Listen (Wheaton, IL: Crossway,

1983) 81.

52 Stanley and Jones, 109.

53 Lewis and Lewis, 161.

Davis 28

or influenced my life. This is the aspect of preaching that comes from being called to be a

witness. To give testimony concerning an event which I have experienced, remember, and has

some lasting effect in my life. This is the ministry of preaching from the heart in simplicity.

Our final section has taken us through three aspects of Exhortative ministry which I want

to focus on in my ministry. Pastoral Counseling and Spiritual Direction are two side of the same

coin for me. As we work with those who come to us for guidance it is always in community with

the Holy Spirit. Next, we looked at spiritual formation in Small Group ministry. This is

something that has been core to my own growth and experience and I feel is critical to the future

of the church. Lastly, we engaged in a brief look at how I view the ministry of preaching. This is

the area that I feel most capable (though not often comfortable) of practicing the ministry of

exhortation broadly. These are not all I am going to focus on in my future ministry but they will

be emphasized because of how important they are to the life of the church as I have experienced

it.

Conclusion

In this paper we have taken time to discuss how Hebrews 3:12-15 teaches us about exhortative

ministry in the context of the local church. In our study we noted how we are urged to be

renewed in our relationship with God daily. We also saw how this ministry has many different

possible applications and that each member is capable of engaging in mutual exhortation.

We then took time to look at Mercy and Reconciliation in relationship to exhortative

ministry. Mercy is an attribute of God and is a defining characteristic of Christ’s followers.

Reconciliation is the application of that mercy, both for God and for the Church. We engage in

reconciling ministry because of the invitation of God to be active in His redeeming relationship

in the world.

Davis 29

Finally, we dealt with three areas of ministry which are closely tied to Exhortation,

Mercy, and Reconciliation: Pastoral Counseling, Small Group Ministry, and Preaching. Pastoral

Counseling is the process whereby the counselor and counselee engage with the Holy Spirit in

seeking God’s will for the situation currently being faced. Small Group Ministry is the space

where the church engages in the ministry of exhortation most easily. When this is done well the

Body of Christ will be living in the merciful activity of reconciling the world to God. Preaching

is the ministry area where the pastor gets the chance to speak encouraging and challenging words

to the congregation as a whole. This is the area where we get to cast God’s preferable vision of

the future before the congregation and encourage them to chase it.

As I stated in the introduction to this paper I feel called to pastoral ministry. I am going to

finish up my degree in May and then will be looking for a place to live out that calling. I am

hoping that I will be able to find a church to work and grow with as their pastor but I may

practice my calling to pastor as a military chaplain. God will lead, I will follow.

Davis 30

Bibliography

Andrews, Alan, The Kingdom Life. Colorado Springs, CO: NavPress, 2010.

Attridge, Harold W. The Epistle to the Hebrews, Hermeneia – a critical and Historical Commentary of the Bible. Philidelphia, PA: Fortress Press, 1989.

Barclay, Robert. Barclays Apology in Modern English. Edited by Dean Freiday. Newberg, Oregon: Barclay Press, 1991.

Benner, David G., Care of Souls: Revisioning Christian Nurture and Counsel. Grand Rapids: Baker Books, 1998.

Benner, David G., Strategic Pastoral Counseling: A Short Term  Structured Model. Grand Rapids: Baker Academic, 2003.

Bruce, F.F. The Epistle to the Hebrews, New International Commentary on the New Testament. Grand Rapids, MI: Eerdmans Publishers, 1991.

Cloud, Henry, Changes that Heal. Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996.

Grenz, Stanley J., Guretzki, David, and Nordling, Cherith Fee. Pocket Dictionary of Theological Terms. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1999.

Hauerwas, Stanley, The Peaceable Kingdom. Notre Dame, IN: University of Notre Dame, 1983.

Hunter, Todd, Christianity Beyond Belief. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 2009.

Laidlaw, J. “Heart” in Dictionary of the Bible, Volume III. Edited by J.J. Hastings. New York, NY: Scribner’s Sons, 1958.

Lane, William A. Hebrews 1-8, Word Biblical Commentary, volume 47a. Dallas, TX: Word Books, 1991.

Lewis, Ralph L. and Lewis, Gregg, Inductive Preaching: Helping People Listen. Wheaton, IL: Crossway, 1983

.Louw, Johannes P. and Eugene Albert Nida. vol. 2, Greek-English Lexicon of the New

Testament: Based on Semantic Domains, electronic ed. of the 2nd edition. New York, NY: United Bible Societies, 1996.

Manser, Martin H. Dictionary of Bible Themes: The Accessible and Comprehensive Tool for Topical Studies. London: Martin Manser, 2009.

Newman Jr., Barclay M. A Concise Greek-English Dictionary of the New Testament, Stuttgart, Germany: Deutsche Bibelgesellschaft; United Bible Societies, 1993.

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Oden, Thomas C. Systematic Theology: Volume One The Living God. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2006.

Oden, Thomas C. Systematic Theology: Volume Two The Word of Life. Peabody, MA: Hendrickson Publishers, 2006.

Roberts, Jr., Bob, The Multiplying Church. Grand Rapids, MI: Zondervan, 2008.

Reid, Barbara E. "Which God is with us?" Interpretation 64, no. 4 (2010), 380-389. ATLA Religion Database with ATLASerials, EBSCOhost. Accessed March 4, 2014.

Stanley, Andy and Jones, Lane, Communicating for a Change. Colorado Springs, CO: Multnomah Books, 2006.

Stedman, Ray C. Hebrews, The InterVarsity Press New Testament Commentary Series. Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press, 1992.

Inductive Study: NotesSet 1 – General Observations

- Sin comes from a hard heart- We must hold to our original confession to share in Christ- It is possible to have an evil, unbelieving heart- Even if we hear God’s voice we can harden our hearts against Him- Fellowship is needed daily to encourage one another in faith- It is possible to fall away from God

Set 2 – General Observations

- Sin is deceptive- We are to take care in our faith- Reference to “the rebellion”- Directed towards “brothers”- “One another” shows a mutuality of this exhortation- This passage is a warning

Set 3 – Structural observations

- Repetition of “if” statements, this passage is conditional (“If indeed” v. 14, and “If you hear his voice” v. 15)

- “But” gives the chance for a way through the problem of unbelief- Harden or hardened repeated (v. 12, 15)- Repetition of “Today” or “every day” (v. 13, 15)

Davis 32

- Having an evil, unbelieving heart leads one to fall way from God (v. 12) - Concept of sharing in Christ based on continued faith (v. 14)

Set 4 – Literary Setting

- Immediate contexto Preceded by an argument for Jesus’ greatness (3:1-6) and a quotation attributed to

the Holy Spirit (3:7-11)o Followed by further warning and encouragement to avoid unbelief (3.16-19) and a

warning (4:1-13)- Part of a letter to the Hebrew people encouraging those who believe in Jesus to hold onto

their faith. This passage works as one part of the encouragement and argument for believing in Jesus as Christ (v. 14).

- Quotation in v. 15 comes from Psalm 95:7-11- Written to multiple believers (evidenced by the “brothers” in v. 12 and the “one another”

in v. 13 along with the “our” in v. 14 [ which also shows that the author is a part of the group that has come to share in Christ])

Set 5 – Questions

- How does the immediacy of the passage (shown in the repetitive focus on “today”) relate to modern believers?

- Does the need for continued faith evident in this passage line up with traditional theological understanding concerning salvation?

- What is the context of the Psalm that is quoted here (Psalm 95) and how does that influence the reading and application of this passage?

- What does the author mean when he uses the word “exhort”?- How does the concept of hardening play out in the Hebrew scriptures? Does that inform

our reading of this text?

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