The Gift of Exhortation

Acts 4:36 "And Joses, who by the apostles was surnamed Barnabas, (which is, being interpreted, The son of consolation ), a Levite, and of the country of Cyprus, having land, sold it, and laid it at the apostles' feet."

The Greek word for "consolation" (translated "encouragement" in the NIV) is "paraklesis" and the definitions or synonyms of it are:

• Calling near, supplication, importation, entreaty, exhortation, admonition, encouragement, consolation, comfort, solace, that which affords comfort or refreshment.
  

It is that which is produced by THE COMFORTER, the Holy Spirit, and Barnabas, a member of the priestly tribe of the Levites, was gifted in exhortation or encouragement through the Holy Spirit; and so impressively so, that the apostles changed his name to Barnabas.

It is interesting that his gifting was very observable by the apostles, as it also often happens with us. We might want to believe that our gift lies in one particular area, when in reality, what is observed by our church family (as evidenced by our fruits) is a different gift altogether. It's good to allow this confirmation by others of our gifting. If we get rigidly determined that our gift is "this" and yet the church as a whole easily observes it to be "that", we then have to guard against our rigidness being pride or covetousness for a particular gift on our part, when, in fact, the Holy Spirit is trying to lead us into another gifting altogether different. And we will find, of course, that we will function in a way both optimally beneficial to other and optimally fulfilling to ourselves when we submit to the wisdom of the Holy Spirit.

By "fulfilling to ourselves", I mean that while there might be hard work and long hours involved in the ministry produced by the gift (as Paul experienced for example), it will never be burdensome; we will rejoice in having opportunity to function as that inner compulsion of the Holy Spirit leads us to do.

To further clarify, I have observed women who function in a ministry right alongside their husbands, but who do not have the same gifting as their husbands. Because these women are not operating in the gifts the Holy Spirit has given to them specifically, they are unhappy or stressed by the ministry they are involved in, when if they would just trust in the gift God has given them, and function in that primarily, they would have much more peace and joy in their lives. We wives enjoy the God-given desires to be a "help-meet" to our husbands, but He has also placed us as a specifically-gifted member of the body of Christ in order to edify that body, and we are not to neglect one over the other. The Lord will show us, if we ask, how we are to fulfill both, and when we begin to function more properly, there will be no burden.

Remember also, that we are trying to determine what our "primary" gift is, and that we all will function somewhat in all the gifts, but we will be easily identified, as Barnabas was, by our primary gift and it is in that gift that we should spend the greater part of our time ministering in.

Someone with the gift of exhortation is extremely gracious to others, always wanting the best for them, always encouraging others to walk uprightly and according to the Word. This is a form of teaching, in a sense, and those whose primary gift is exhortation might have a secondary gifting in teaching, but you will see later on that teaching, as a primary gift, is distinguishable by other things as well. But one gifted primarily as a teacher may not necessarily have the gift of exhortation or encouragement; in other words, they are not identified as being encouragers primarily, they are identified as being teachers primarily.

Exhorters are a wonderful gift to the body of Christ. They will work alongside of people encouraging their spiritual maturity and obedience to the Lord, praying for it, holding them up as they walk towards that goal together. An exhorter will try to help the other person see where they went wrong so that they do not repeat the same mistakes again. They are good counselors. They love others easily and are easy to love in return

Encouragers will also, however, at some point, "shake the dust off their feet" and move on, in a sense, if after some reasonable period of time they do not see a serious commitment to obedience and spiritual maturity in those that they are ministering to. They are compassionate, gracious and longsuffering, but they have their limits, and would rather move on to someone who truly wants to change rather than waste precious time on someone who does not; for there are still so many others who need encouragement to grow and produce fruit. (This is unlike those with the gift of mercy, as we will see later.)

Paul was an exhorter (Acts 14:21-22); Judas and Silas though primarily gifted as prophets also operated in the gift of exhortation (Acts 15:31-32); Peter exercised this gift (1 Peter 5:1-2); and we are all called to exhort one another (Hebrews 10:25.)

But Barnabas was an extraordinary example of one having the primary gifting of exhortation:

1. He helped the saints in need by selling some property he owned and laying the money at the apostles' feet for distribution to the saints (Acts 4:37); being willing to even deny himself financially for the sake of others;
   
2. He stood up for one who was considered a renegade and untrustworthy, sponsoring and endorsing Paul to the Christians in Jerusalem, going so far as arranging the meeting himself, showing the degree of faith he placed in Paul when others had no faith in him at all (Acts 9:27);
   
3. He was willing to give Mark, an undisciplined youth, a second chance. While Paul and Barnabas disagreed rather vehemently about traveling any further with Mark after he showed his irresponsibility and neglected to show up, Paul being primarily gifted in prophecy and thinking only of the work, moved on without either Barnabas or Mark. But Barnabas, in his primary gifting of exhortation, thought of Mark and saw something in the young man that he thought just needed some compassionate guidance; so he began working with him and training him so that eventually Paul came to say of Mark: "Take Mark and bring him with thee; for he is profitable to me for the ministry." (2 Timothy 4:11);
   
4. He was such an encourager of men, preferring others above himself, that whereas their ministry began as Barnabas and Paul, the two soon became known as Paul and Barnabas, a fact which never even flustered Barnabas;
   
5. When Gentiles began to be converted by the preaching going on in Antioch, the elders of the church in Jerusalem elected Barnabas to go check it out: "Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of God, was glad, and exhorted them all, that with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of faith: and much people were added unto the Lord." (Acts 11:23-24) – he wasn't put off by foreigners (Gentiles) receiving from the Lord, he was ecstatic;
   
6. And, knowing that the new converts would need a good teacher, he went in search of Paul and brought him back with him to Antioch, remaining with him for a year, as Paul taught them about the Lord. (Acts 11:25-26)
   

Exhortation does not use words of sharp admonition (as a prophet might tend to do) as much as it uses words of healing and grace; it does not condone sin while it helps show how sin can be avoided in future. Exhortation is most often used one-on-one, versus as a public discourse.

To recap, exhorters come alongside to help, to encourage new believers, to comfort the ill, to counsel those gone off track, to strengthen the wavering.

Thus, just as the Holy Spirit is an instrument of help, so the Spirit uses this gift to make us instruments of encouragement to fellow saints.