Gift of exhortation The gift of exhortation is the primary "go-to" gift of a world-changer.

Many things that have happened in secular history as well as religious history have come at the hands of an exhorter. Behaviorially 1. exhorter is a party looking for someplace to happen . very hori!ontal in their focus" very relational" never met a stranger" finds the key to his heart in very little time #. a$ility to cross every kind of $arrier" socially" racially" economically" religiously% and relate to people wherever they are% &. a$ility to understand and relate to people" make people like them" transition from small talk to relationship to the sharing of the gospel% that is vintage exhorter% no$ody does evangelism like the exhorter% unparalleled anointing to go into difficult situations and share the gospel '. servant may have a high anointing for the hard cases and spending tenacious time with hard cases" the exhorter is used for the ma(or ingathering time and again. ). capa$le of having significant even loud arguments without alienation% expresses their feelings with others with significant exchanges% *. skilled a$ove all others in creating and sustaining relationships at all costs +. they don,t like $eing alone% need to have people around them -. master communicator of the gifts% generally teacher more elo.uent or prophet more passionate" $ut the exhorter has more skill to touch more hearts on a $roader $asis 1/. very flexi$le and .uick to see opportunities and a$andon the plan they had in hand to take advantage of what god is doing at the moment 11. not intimidated $y new ideas and new truth 1 . one of the visionaries among the gifts% tends to see a $roader picture than the prophet" who can see farther and deeper% the largest num$er of people who can $e ministered to 1#. superficial $ehavior 1&. tend to govern $y relationship and $y persuasion" not $y principle% take opinion poll $efore announcing their course % carnal exhorter can fall short of where God wants him to go% dependent on getting there with the approval of people. 0rophet is committed to a$stract truth%

if this is right and God has said it" the prophet is committed to go and go now regardless of whether any$ody follows 1'. exhorter tuned to the feelings of people and the time frame for some$ody to em$race a new idea 1). tactful" re-crafts a word and $rings it to a congregation in a more accepta$le way and $ring people along" if exhorter chooses to keep the people instead of o$eying God he has fallen short of his calling. 1*. reconciliation that takes place headed $y exhorter or teacher 1xhorters in 2cripture Moses 3eremiah 0aul 1ach were world changers" intensely relational" accomplishing more than peers could accomplish 1+. $y nature superficial in visi$le $ehavior" exhorter is hori!ontal% people-related $eyond that" what does exhorter give to people4 knowledge of God exhorter must go vertical and get to know who God is the truth about the nature of God Moses, (o$ was to reveal God to the people% 5hat do 6 tell them4 5ho are you4 The exhorter must know the nature of God that applies to the current situation and mo$ili!e the troops. 1xhorter is gifted to $e a$le to see God in 2cripture7 8pens the word of God and finds the (ewels the rest of us have overlooked % this is the $irthright of the exhorter The church desperately needs to know their God" the exhorter is good at seeing God in 2cripture" the exhorter who knows his God is the world-changer that God goes to" 1-. 9ack of control of time. Time is the $attlefield for the exhorter. 5hen the exhorter,s time is under control" he is a$le to pull $ack from the hori!ontal in order to have the time allocated to go vertical and seek God. :o short cut for the exhorter. :o way to get to know God without si!a$le chunks of time. The $irthright and the anointing will not $ecome a reality until the exhorter allocates significant chunks of time to $e in the word to know his God and know what God wants to reveal to their generation. 20. Their intentions are wonderful, but so often they fall short. They procrastinate one hour at a time. They intend to, but never get around to it. Tyranny of the urgent, activities, they fail to possess their birthright. contrast the exhorter with the prophet in caricature7 carnal prophet willing to confront" does not care a$out relationships" truth ought to stand alone. carnal exhorter7 relates to every$ody" trusted" safe person" fun to $e around" can tell any$ody anything" $ut $ecause of fear of alienation or lack of knowing God there is nothing put into the open hearts they have unlocked.

2 . 1arned authority of an exhorter whom God has designed to $e a leader $ased on incarnated truth that came through pain and suffering in his own life. truth from scripture incarnated in your life gives you authority to mo$ili!e people ;nless you take time away from people to know your God" you will have very little depth in the vertical and will $e ineffective in the hori!ontal. God forces world-changers to get to know <im. takes them into a season alone to know <im and $e mighty in what <e has called them to do Moses spent &/ years on the $ack side of the desert 3eremiah was $usy at the $eginning of his ministry% and God took him into hiding% he wrote some of his $est prophetic words" and God prepared him to lead the remnant that remained in the land after the Ba$ylonian captivity. 9ook at 0aul" $orn again" filled with fire" preaching right after he got saved" got run out of town" started to preach in 3erusalem" and God took him to the $ack side of the desert. # years plus 1& years $efore he was launched into ministry in =ntioch. God had to lock the man up in prison to do his $est work. <is style was three weeks and a riot and a new church plant" and on to the next city. 6n prison" he was a$le to write some of his $est work. The pro$lem is7 6 see a very limited num$er of exhorters whom God forces into a position of maturity. The vast ma(ority of exhorters cannot gam$le on God intruding in their life. The vast ma(ority of world-changers will have to get there $y personal choice" choosing to say no" choosing to take dominion over their time" choosing to take time alone with the 9ord. >or failure to make that choice" they can s.uander their whole $irthright. They can $e popular" loved" effective in secondary things" good at mo$ili!ing people and reconciling people and leading people to the 9ord" making a useful a contri$ution to the $ody of ?hrist" lauded when they die $ecause every$ody likes them. But the fact that they have done good and accomplished much does not mean that they have possessed their $irthright. 6f they do not know their God" taken time to know the specific revelation of God for this period of time" they will fall short of their $irthright $ecause God has called them to greater things than a little reconciliation and a little organi!ational leadership. The exhorter is God,s world-changer. <e is pivotal. 5hen the exhorter does not possess his $irthright" he not only s.uanders his own fulfillment" $ut the lack of provision damages the rest of the $ody" especially the teacher and the giver. They $oth need the understanding of who God is that will come primarily through the exhorter. . 9ove and faith are hallmarks of the exhorter. >or the exhorter" the armor piece that fits is the shield of faith. >aith comes easily to the exhorter" for themselves and for others when they have incarnated truth" earned authority. :o gift works as hard and as long as the exhorter. They are intensely $usy. 1very exhorter 6 know can work me into the ground. They function on little sleep" wear many hats" involved in many pro(ects. #. 6s not willing to risk offense @ev. 7 / !evertheless 6 have this against you7 Aou tolerate that woman 3e!e$el" who calls herself a prophetess. The issue in the church is not the 3e!e$el. 6t is lack of confrontation. The issue is the exhorter. The 1xhorter does not like re(ection. 6n this context" the exhorter is unwilling to confront sin in the camp" $ecause he is unwilling to experience the reaction and

re(ection that is inevita$le when you confront a full-$lown 3e!e$el. The carnal exhorter will take two steps to the right" two steps to the left" dance around it" reason and make all sorts of excuses to keep from experiencing re(ection. 5hen the exhorter places relationship ahead of purity" he has destroyed his ministry. 5hen the exhorter is not willing to risk offense" reaction inside the camp" he is paraly!ed and whatever good he has" his relational a$ilities and his knowledge of God are not going to $e effective for the kingdom. the exhorter has to wrap his arms around this issue. 2o many times there is way to sidestep a situation and get around it. 2o many times" exhorters come up to the edge of greatness" where the ta$le is set" the opportunities are present" and they have to come through one final test" which is to confront sin in the camp. >or failure to confront sin in the camp in the proper season" the hand of God,s favor is removed. 6nstead of repenting and dealing with it" the exhorter will resign the church and go somewhere else. and it will start all over again. The exhorter is God,s choice for the world-changer more times than not" yet so many exhorters miss their opportunity $ecause they are unwilling to em$race pain and suffering" unwilling to suffer re(ection. = pattern flows out of this in administration of churches or ministries. 6 find organi!ations that are headed $y exhorters staffed $y ena$lers. The exhorter has surrounded himself with people willing to cover for him in the name of love and loyalty and ?hristian character. <e uses their ?hristian character to keep himself from reaping the conse.uences of his own poor (udgment and immaturity. God want to allow the natural conse.uences for violating his principles for leadership to $e visited upon the exhorter to make the exhorter grow and $ecome holy and know his God. 1na$lers will take the rap and suffer for him" fix the surface pro$lems" and the root pro$lem in the leader remains unfixed. The call is great" $ut there is no short-cut" and God demands holiness in the exhorter and a knowledge of God that only comes through spending time with God. The exhorter is not willing to face alienation and re(ection $y people that he loves. 8f course" that is exactly where God takes him. =re you willing to do what is right" although it means a season of alienation. God promises the exhorter who overcomes" who is willing to walk $y principle not $y relationship" $y knowing <is God and speaking the reality of who God is into that time and season in society% to him who overcomes" 6 will give authority over the nations. 6t is not wrong for the exhorter to desire to lead great groups of people" to $e a mo$ili!er" a recruiter" a reconciler" to do all these good things. 6t is in his B:=. Aet God wants it to come a$out supernaturally. <e wants the exhorter to walk on principle and risk the alienation of every$ody if necessary. <e will give that kind of authority over the nations. God calls us to die first" and out of that death will come life. The exhorter must die to people" to people,s perceptions" to activity" to relationships" to other people,s approval to find time to know God and to $e holy. 5hen the exhorter em$races pain and suffering" God delights in releasing

an authority over vast num$ers of people. The history of the church is marked $y people who have em$raced pain and suffering" and they have $ecome world-changers. The stakes are great. 5e must pray for those in authority as never $efore" $ecause our well$eing rests on our authorities" especially the world-changing exhorters.