I have spent some time recently with the students at Bergen Bibelskole looking at the church of God as a covenant community. The last day I asked them to find all the "one another exhortations" in the New Testament and choose the three most important to them and then tell me why. Finding the exhortations is quite easy today with the many Bible computer programs available. However, deciding which one is the most important and explain why is not that easy.

I left the student to themselves to discuss and try to find some answers as I and my wife drove of to the eastern part of Norway. As we drove though the most beautiful scenery of fjords, mountains and crossed over the vast Hardangervidda covered in snow, and went through valleys and forests, from summer to winter, and to spring and back to winter again and again to finally reach the summer in Stokke, the students sent their findings and insights to me through email.
This morning I have enjoyed reading their emails with Bible studies and personal evaluation or adaption of the words into their own life. Definitely they have grown in God this year. They are not the same students any more. They have matured in their understanding and grown in grace and knowledge of the Lord. I was very pleased to notice their progress in God. This year at the Bible School must have been very rewarding for them and their teachers.
The most popular exhortations were John 13:34-35, Hebrew 10:24; 1 Peter 4:10. They are all about loving one another, encouraging one another and serving one another. I am convinced that they will enrich the covenant communities they are part of as they practice loving, encouraging and serving their fellow disciples and their everyday neighbours.