The Gifts of Exhortation & Mercy
The Gifts of Exhortation & Mercy
Romans 12:8 Or he that exhorts, on exhortation; he that gives, let him do it with simplicity; he that rules, with diligence; he that shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
The gift of exhortation is equipped with the special grace of stimulating or guiding people to worthy conduct and personal progress; they make doctrine practical.
They tend to be very positive people with a basically positive outlook on life. They are always interested in seeing how tribulation or adversity can be turned into successful living and maturity in the Lord.
Paul is our example of the gift of exhortation.
Colossians 1:28 Whom we preach, warning every man, and teaching every man in all wisdom; that we may present every man perfect in Christ Jesus.
The gift of exhortation is motivated by giving steps to see a person grow in their Christian life.
The Gift of Exhortation
1. Sees the ability you have. Exhorters can visualize what spiritual achievement you can have if you would allow God to have
access to your life.2. Will give precise steps to move you from your past, forward.
3. Can see in the steps to go forward that there will be some pain in order for spiritual growth to occur, so they don’t try to skip it.
4. Says, “Let’s get out of this: follow the steps, and this pain is a step.”
5. Comes to you face to face, to help you along.
6. Looks at a person’s life, then goes to the Word of God, and finds a principle that will help the person take steps to get to God’s next level.
7. Wants to bring harmony between believers. They will get in the middle, find the problem, and offer steps to fix it.
The exhorter is often misunderstood because:
Others think they over-simplify the answer to a problem. But the exhorter knows the steps came from God and that they will work.
Hebrews 3:13 But exhort one another daily, while it is called Today; lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.
The gift of exhortation calls believers to obey and follow the truth—to live as Christians are supposed to live, consistent with God’s revealed will.
The Gift of Mercy
Romans 12:8 …he that shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
The gift of mercy is motivated by seeking to resolve the pain of others, This gift is so naturally in tune with others’ mental well-being that they absorb, understand, and feel others’ pain deeply themselves. Others sense that, and it is a big part of how they are able to help.
The apostle John is a great example of a person with the gift of mercy.
The Mercy Gift
1. Has the ability to understand and feel emotionally what is happening within an individual or a group.
2. Is drawn to those who are in emotional distress.
3. Can feel/discern on a level that most others can’t.
4. Desires to remove hurts and bring healing, rather than to see the benefits of that hurt.
5. Very often takes on the pain of those hurting.
6. Is more concerned for mental distress than the physical pain of the person hurting.
The Mercy gift is misunderstood because:
It avoids being firm, so others may judge them as weak.
Mercy is very intuitive and sensitive, so others mistakenly think they are guided only by emotions, instead of logic.
How mercy operates in the spirit and in the flesh:
Controlled by the spirit, they are concerned and sensitive. When in the flesh, they don’t seem to really care at all.
In the spirit they are fair, and effectively step in and help others heal and flourish. In the flesh, they can show pronounced partiality and/or indifference.
In the spirit they are gentle. In the flesh and when hurt or wounded emotionally themselves, they can be rude.
In the spirit, they are humble and understanding; in the flesh, hard and harsh. Their intense feeling can at times overwhelm their own emotional well being.
God’s intent in giving all the different gifts is that the body (the Church) would be whole and able to function without any handicaps. That can be done when each person discovers their gift(s), works to develop and exercises them. Every person can reach his/her full potential by everyone using their God-given gifts.
As that happens, God is glorified, and people’s lives are changed!