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Extraordinary Ordinary Exhortations

June 26, 2006

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Dear Friends

What was the greatest exhortation Jesus ever gave? The Sermon on the Mount? Speaking in the Temple? We have a suggested answer, but it is not one of the above. We’ll get back to that in a minute.

Changing topics for a second, what makes the difference between a dying or stagnant ecclesia and a thriving, vibrant ecclesia? If your answer included “service”, you may be on to something. If service isn’t the entire answer, it is a good portion of the answer. The vibrancy of an ecclesia is the sum total of the individual acts of service in it. Let me repeat – the vibrancy of an ecclesia is the sum total of the individual acts of service in it.

I would submit that the BEST exhortations you will ever see will not come from behind a podium. They are when we exhort with service on the other side of the podium. Some of the best exhortations I have ever witnessed were by people who couldn’t give a good speech if their very lives depended on it. The best exhortations were also “extraordinarily ordinary” acts of service. They weren’t flamboyant, dangerous or requiring unusual skills. These exhortations were done by ordinary brethren with ordinary abilities, but a heightened sense of service, love and care. These “exhortations” were given by the sister who goes to plays, concerts, ballgames of the children in the ecclesia. It is the old brother who looks after the elderly despite his own needs and infirmities. It is the young brother who helps someone move on a Saturday when they could be having fun.

Notice a couple of examples I DIDN’T give. Money. Bible. Speaking. Teaching. Preaching. These are excuses you often hear in regards to service. Not enough money. Don’t know the Bible well enough. I am not a speaker or a teacher or preacher. Everyone has a job to do and can do it with either reticence, willingly or heartily as unto the Lord.

I could name a thousand non-spoken exhortations I have witnessed in my life, but let me just mention one. My brother-in-law has been diagnosed with cancer. The outpouring of support from brethren has been overwhelming and very much appreciated. One instance in my mind stands out though despite being in many ways very ordinary. While my brother-in-law was three hours from our home in Durham, North Carolina receiving radiation treatments, two brethren drove down to visit him and take him to dinner. What makes this act extraordinary is the fact that they drove from Cleveland, Ohio to do it. That is about a 9 hour drive and over 500 miles one way. One of the brethren had never even met Allen. It is this kind of exhortation which strengthens my faith, spurs me on to do better and live my life more like Jesus. I have been privileged to hear many fine exhortations from the podium, but few will match the power of the exhortation of these two brethren who simply drove a car and ate a meal.

One of the traps we fall into is that we let people be idle. This is strictly counseled against in the Bible. EVERYONE has a job to do. “And withal they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house; and not only idle, but tattlers also and busybodies, speaking things which they ought not.” (1Ti 5:13) “Slothfulness casteth into a deep sleep; and an idle soul shall suffer hunger.” (Pr 19:15) “For even when we were with you, this we commanded you, that if any would not work, neither should he eat.” (2Th 3:10) “But be ye doers of the word, and not hearers only, deceiving your own selves.” (Jas 1:22)

One of the reasons we have so many problems in the body of Christ today is that too many people are idle. All they have time to do is worldly activities or to criticize the work of others and find fault. This should not be – especially when there is so much positive work to be done.

By the way, in this brother’s opinion, the greatest “exhortation” that Jesus ever gave was when he died on the cross for us. Dying is a very ordinary thing to do. It happens all the time. Yet, Jesus’ death was the most extraordinary ordinary thing that ever happened. It was an extraordinary ordinary act of service and exhortation. Hopefully it is the exhortation that we keep the nearest and dearest to our hearts.

Have a great week,

P.S. Many requests have been made to print the TFTW in book form. Since this has been a community effort, I would like to make this book a community effort as well. If there is any particular TFTW that has touched you or that you would like to write a preface for, please contact Kyle Tucker. We will include some of these comments in the book, Lord willing.