Gift of Exhortation

 

    The gift of exhortation is special because it enables certain people to connect and life the spirits of other people even when correcting the person.  Exhortation is the gift to help other Christians to become stronger in their relationship with Jesus and mature.  The people with this gift seem to have a supernatural ability to face confrontation like Jesus.

    Everyone has needs.  Every situation provides new challenges.  When it comes to confronting sin, it needs to be faced with care.  Accusations get you no where.  You need to make sure that the person has the ability to see your heart.  Your words need to be spoken in love.  It comes more naturally to some people than others, but it is a skill that we all need to learn.

    Exam yourself to see where you stand in faith.  Do you recognize Jesus?  Do you know God's voice from all the other voices?  Do you hold the power of God in your life?  You need to test your salvation to be able to see any weaknesses or lack of faith.  It is important to figure this out now.  If you fail the test, then you can truly come to Jesus now.  Why wait?  What good does it do?   It is time to figure out your salvation.

    Rejoice in your weakness if it brings you closer to God.  Embrace the truth and do what you need to do to become a mature Christian.  Be encouraged by your maturing because you have peace of mind.  Encourage one another and lift each other up in fellowship.   Allow the Holy Spirit work within you to enable you to do things you never thought possible.

    When you confront someone living in open sin, then you need to go in a group of two or three mature Christians that care about the person living in sin.  You need to do your research and make sure that you have at least two or three eye witness accounts and not just rumors about the sinful nature.  Trust in the power of God's Word and love when you confront sin.

    Today, proof is easy enough to come by, but the point is to make sure the person sees their sin and not hypocrisy or judgment.  They need to see the love of God in you.  Not everyone will listen.  Not everyone will acknowledge that the confrontation comes from a place of love.  That is not on you.  Your part is to make sure your heart and sin are in check and that you are following the guidance of the Holy Spirit.  If they chose not to listen, then it goes to church discipline and you can wash your hands of it.  It all comes down to grace, love, and salvation.

2 Corinthians 13