13. Accepts people as they are without judging them.
Do you know anyone like this? I adore people like this. These guys will meet anyone exactly where they are with no judgments, and offer their hand in friendship and help. They'll ask questions to determine where a person is, but no stinging judgment. For them, it is a commitment almost as strong as marriage because this is what God has called them to do... help Spiritual growth though encouragement.
14. Is greatly loved because of his positive attitude.
15. Prefers to witness with life rather than verbal witnessing.
No knocking on doors for this guy. But he'll bring a book to a depressed friend, or teach a lesson by example because to him, actions speak louder than words every time.
Exhorters believe that to be credible in their verbal witnessing, they must be living what they are preaching. Paul gives his personal testimony in writing in Galatians chapter 1. He has not only witnessed verbally to the Galatians, but he recounts to them how he has lived his own message. What is the message he is preaching in Galatians? Read verses 15-16 in chapter 6. The question of circumcision is what invoked this letter, but the message has several points. The major point is all about Jesus Christ and Paul certainly lived Jesus Christ.
16. Makes decisions easily.
There is no “flip-flop” with an Exhorter. They believe God will correct any mistakes or wrong decisions as the Psalmist said in 33:10 The LORD brings the counsel of the nations to nothing; He makes the plans of the peoples of no effect. The fact is, life is too short to be floundering about decisions. The Exhorter will decide and get on with life, trusting God to guide the way.
17. Always completes what is started.
18. Wants to clear up problems with others quickly.
19. Expects a lot from self and from others.
If I can do it, so can you--is the thought process.
20. Needs a “sounding board” for bouncing off ideas and thoughts.
Paul triumphantly tells Timothy in 2 Timothy 4 that he has “fought the good fight and “finished the race” and “held firmly the faith”. He uses so much imagery here and he is so much the encourager even when we find out a few verses further that everyone except Luke had forsaken him. I would probably sit down and have a good cry because I was in prison and living the very last few days/months of my life and all my close brothers had left me. I would be eternally grateful to Luke, but still, it would be very disheartening to be left alone especially when all hope of deliverance from prison was gone. But Paul is all encouragement. We also see that Paul asks for Timothy to bring Mark with him to Rome because “he is very helpful to me in ministry”. Remember, Mark is the one that Paul got so angry with for leaving them in the middle of one of their mission trips. Paul exhibited two attributes of the Exhorter here. Take a moment and write them down.
I hope you wrote expects a lot from self and others and accepts others as they are without judging them. It would seem these two attributes would be at war with each other. They are. When an Exhorter accepts others without judging them, this predominantly means that no matter where a Christian is in Spiritual growth or Spiritual inaction, the Exhorter will never judge a person for being “where they are today”. The Exhorter will always expect a Christian to want to grow and to always be taking steps to grow Spiritually especially when the Exhorter has given that person a guideline for growth. The Exhorter can spot a Christian in Spiritual hibernation and will attempt to stimulate that person into wanting to correct that stagnation into growth. He will gently persuade and then encourage with stepping stones to growth with a plan of action. What is interesting about an Exhorter walking in the Spirit is this person will understand instantly if a person needs an entire outline of steps to take for a more mature level of growth or if that person needs to be given baby steps.
Paul uses this technique when he writes to the Corinthians that they should by now be “eating meat” instead of still needing the “milk” like babies. The mature Exhorter instinctively knows when the person they are mentoring should move up to the next level and will push for this to happen. Sometimes it will seem to the person being mentored that their mentor is way too pushy and expects far too much. That isn’t so.
The mature Exhorter has Biblical principles embedded into every fiber of their being—even though the Exhorter prefers Life Applications over Biblical Applications, that does not mean the Exhorter does not know the importance of Bible study—therefore the mature Exhorter knows when a person has finally mastered a principle and is ready for the next higher level. It is disheartening to the Exhorters when no growth is seen and when their few, simple steps are not attempted. They will back up and try different tactics, but the Encourager is sensitive to the Holy Spirit and will not waste time with a person that has no intention to change. We only have to look as far as Galatians 1:9 and Titus 1:16 to see this.
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