God Has Given Special Enablings And Gifts
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Supernatural empowering when you walk in the Spirit
These gifts don’t just stay here
We need each other
6 Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
7 Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;
8 Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.
• Committed to Spiritual Growing
The motivation of an
exhorter is to see spiritual growth
take place in practical living, and
he is willing to become personally involved to
see it achieved. Paul said,
I travail
in birth again until Christ be
formed in you.
19 My little children, of whom I travail in birth again until Christ be formed in you,
Paul further declared that he
worked night and day to
present every man perfect
(mature] in Christ Jesus"
(Colossians 1:28
28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus:
Work and labor
• Able to see root problems
An exhorter can discern
the spiritual maturity of another
person. Based on this, the exhorter
is motivated to search out
hindrances in the lives of those
who are not growing spiritually
and to give further encouragement
to those who are.
Paul saw the Corinthians as spiritual infants
and therefore could not speak
unto them as unto spiritual,
but as unto carnal
1 And I, brethren, could not speak unto you as unto spiritual, but as unto carnal, even as unto babes in Christ.
• See steps of action
An exhorter has the ability to visualize spiritual achievement for another Christian and then
help him work out practical steps
of action to achieve it. These steps are designed to remove hindrances and develop personal
disciplines through which the Holy Spirit can work.
Paul told Timothy to flee youthful
lusts, to avoid foolish questions,
and to follow righteousness with
a pure heart.
22 Flee also youthful lusts: but follow righteousness, faith, charity, peace, with them that call on the Lord out of a pure heart.
23 But foolish and unlearned questions avoid, knowing that they do gender strifes.
• Raise hope for solutions
An exhorter tends to use examples from
the lives of others to help Christians see the
potential of daily victory. Paul used the
testimony of one church to motivate another
church. (See II Corinthians 9:2
2 For I know the forwardness of your mind, for which I boast of you to them of Macedonia, that Achaia was ready a year ago; and your zeal hath provoked very many.
He used his own life to illustrate God's grace since he was the chief of all sinners.
15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners; of whom I am chief.
Using stories of people to help people
When I was in college -
• Turn problems into benefits
Mature exhorters have learned by
experience that God gives special grace during
trials. Based on this, Paul gloried in tribulation.
His credentials were the persecutions which
he experienced and the counseling God gave
him during his afflictions. (See
2 Corinthians 1:1–7 (KJV 1900)
3 Blessed be God, even the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of mercies, and the God of all comfort;
4 Who comforteth us in all our tribulation, that we may be able to comfort them which are in any trouble, by the comfort wherewith we ourselves are comforted of God.
5 For as the sufferings of Christ abound in us, so our consolation also aboundeth by Christ.
6 And whether we be afflicted, it is for your consolation and salvation, which is effectual in the enduring of the same sufferings which we also suffer: or whether we be comforted, it is for your consolation and salvation.
7 And our hope of you is stedfast, knowing, that as ye are partakers of the sufferings, so shall ye be also of the consolation.
• Desire to be "transparent"
An exhorter knows that true growth will
not take place where there is guilt. Paul told
Timothy that his chief weapon was a clear
conscience. (See I Timothy 1:19
19 Holding faith, and a good conscience; which some having put away concerning faith have made shipwreck:
An exhorter desires an open life to gain a wider hearing for the Gospel. Paul explained,
.. I am made all
things to all men, that I might, by all means,
save some"
22 To the weak became I as weak, that I might gain the weak: I am made all things to all men, that I might by all means save some.
• Gain insight through experience
The exhorter is motivated to learn
"cause-and-effect sequences" and through them to discover underlying principles of life.
He studies both Scripture and experience to
find these. His motivation is to promote
spiritual growth and to bring diverse groups of
Christians together.
Exhorter is Looking for life experiences to help illustrate truth to help others grow.
• Urgency to act on clear steps
An exhorter tends to explain truth with
logical reasoning in order to motivate people
to act upon it. Paul's writings in I Corinthians
15 have been studied in law schools for their
logic. He reasoned with the Jews, the Greeks,
King Agrippa, and others.
4 And he reasoned in the synagogue every sabbath, and persuaded the Jews and the Greeks.
28 Then Agrippa said unto Paul, Almost thou persuadest me to be a Christian.
Desires to share face to face
An exhorter needs to see facial expressions of his listeners in order to determine their responses and to confirm positive results.
17 But we, brethren, being taken from you for a short time in presence, not in heart, endeavoured the more abundantly to see your face with great desire.
10 Night and day praying exceedingly that we might see your face, and might perfect that which is lacking in your faith?
11 As ye know how we exhorted and comforted and charged every one of you, as a father doth his children,
12 That ye would walk worthy of God, who hath called you unto his kingdom and glory.
Body language
Facial expressions
Misuses
• Keeping others waiting for them
An exhorter's willingness
to give people whatever time is
necessary to help them grow
spiritually often cuts into family
time and personal responsibilities.
He often assumes that his family will understand, until
major resentments surface. Paul
understood the sacrifices that he
was made in his ministry;
however, if an exhorter is married,
his priority must be his marriage.
32 But I would have you without carefulness. He that is unmarried careth for the things that belong to the Lord, how he may please the Lord:
33 But he that is married careth for the things that are of the world, how he may please his wife.
34 There is difference also between a wife and a virgin. The unmarried woman careth for the things of the Lord, that she may be holy both in body and in spirit: but she that is married careth for the things of the world, how she may please her husband.
• Looking to themselves for solutions
As an exhorter gains experience and success in counseling,
he tends to categorize problems as he hears them and arrives at conclusions before getting all the facts. By failing to listen completely and sense direction from the Holy Spirit, an exhorter
can be guilty of the folly of giving
the wrong direction. (See Proverbs 18:13
13 He that answereth a matter before he heareth it, It is folly and shame unto him.
• Being proud of visible results
When an exhorter gives steps of action, he assumes that they will be carried out. He bases
this expectation on the fact that he has "come alongside" and is working with the person to
achieve agreed-upon goals. As spiritual growth becomes visible, it is easy for an exhorter to take
personal credit for it. He may also, be tempted to settle for outward conformity rather than true inward change.
When working with people to help, we try to stay out of the way and humble.
• Starting projects prematurely
Exhorters tend to jump into new
projects without finishing existing ones. They
use projects to motivate others, and then
when others are involved, the exhorters find a
better project. After several projects, those
who are working on them may become
frustrated. The exhorter, however, sees the
projects as simply a means to accomplish a
bigger perspective.
• Treating people as projects
The exhorter is constantly on the
lookout for steps of action that will bring
lasting results. As he works with his family o
friends, they may get the impression that they
are simply another counseling project rather
than real people who need personal attention.
Sharing private illustrations The problem of treating family and
friends as "projects" rather than people is
made even worse as the exhorter shares
private illustrations which came out of his
counseling experiences. Exhorters depend
heavily on illustrations to communicate their
message. However, when these are used
without permission, listeners become uneasy
and those who were counseled become
resentful.
• Presenting truth out of balance
Exhorters tend to avoid heavy doctrinal
teaching which does not have immediate
practical application. The result of this
emphasis can be an imbalance of teaching
which will eventually show up as doctrinal
error. Thus, the exhorter needs the balancing
ministry of the teacher.
• Setting unrealistic goals
Exhorters often visualize long-range
projects and goals for people. These are
usually presented without reference to the
amount of time that will be required to
achieve them. Those whom the exhorter
motivates assume that the projects and goals
will be achieved much sooner than they can
be. This situation raises expectations and
breeds disillusionment.
• Giving up on uncooperative people.
Exhorters tend to lose hope with people
who do not quickly and consistently respond
to the steps of action which are given for
spiritual growth. By surrounding himself with
only those who do respond quickly, he loses
valuable personal character training and
insights which God must then teach in
other ways.