Roger Meyer

What is exhortation? Is it something we need? Is it something we should give to others?

English translations of the Bible use the words exhortation and exhort. One dictionary definition of “exhortation” is “an address or communication emphatically urging someone to do something.” This word refers to the act of exhorting, inciting, or giving advice—urging someone to some course of conduct or action, or trying to persuade someone to do something.

Shepherds of old carried a rod and a staff, two important tools of their trade. For the shepherd, a rod was a stick or club that could be used offensively or defensively against a threat to himself or his flock. It was also used for discipline and counting, especially to determine the tithe of the increase of a flock (Leviticus 27:32). The shepherd’s staff was a longer and thinner stick with a hook on one end, used for guiding the flock and for capturing or saving sheep.

What is the “spirit of slumber”? Do you have it? Is it good or bad? If it is bad, how do you get rid of it?

The phrase “spirit of slumber” is found in Romans 11:8 (King James Version). The Apostle Paul wrote of his sorrow and grief because the great majority of his people, the Israelites, had stumbled at the stumbling stone—Jesus Christ, whom they did not accept (Romans 9–11). Paul explained that this was because they had not yet submitted to the righteousness of God and God had given them “the spirit of slumber” or “a spirit of stupor.”

You may have heard the term “post-Christian.” What does it mean, and what are the implications—or consequences—of this modern phenomenon?