Some gifts seem to have overlap: Shepherding vs. exhortation, Teaching vs. knowledge?--Spiritual Gifts FAQ
Question:
Some gifts seemed to have overlap; I was curious if you could say more about:
Shepherding vs exhortation
Teaching vs knowledge
Hearing more about the differences might give me insight into the ones that came up for me that were unexpected (exhortation and knowledge), whereas I had heard of the other ones for myself (teaching and shepherding).
Response:
It might help to start with a definition of each of those pairs of gifts:
Shepherding vs. Exhortation
The Shepherding gift involves nurture and guidance of others so that they grow in spiritual maturity and Christ-like character. Some but not all pastors have the spiritual gift of shepherding; many others in the church also have this gift. Jesus was the Good Shepherd (John 10)—he loved, protected, cared for, and led His sheep into life abundant. People with the shepherding gift seek to do the same by walking alongside someone for a long or short season and directing them to Jesus and His offer of life, hope, and peace. This might look like intentional mentoring or coaching.
In the Bible, we see Moses and David working as literal shepherds of flocks (jobs which seem to be unique preparation for their subsequent leadership of Israel (Moses to lead them out of bondage in Egypt to the Promised Land; David to serve as King). In Psalm 78, we are told that Davis shepherded his people with “integrity of heart” and “skillful hands”. Jesus as our Good Shepherd calls us, his sheep, by name, goes ahead of and leads us, shields us and lays down His life for us. As His sheep, we follow, find pasture, and as a result experience the joy and peace He offers (John 10). In Jeremiah 3, God promises to give his people “shepherds” after His own heart who will lead “with knowledge and understanding”—showing an example where the gift of Shepherding is used as a way of leading. In the New Testament (1 Peter 5), elders are to “watch over the flock”—clearly shepherding language—and not lord “it over those entrusted to” them as followers, giving the flavor of how Shepherds as leaders are to act. And, in Acts 18, Priscilla and Aquilla invite Apollos to their home and “explained to him the way of God more adequately,” to further prepare him for ministry.
The Exhortation gift encompasses offering a word of hope combined with a gentle push to action to those who are discouraged or needing direction. People with this gift come alongside to offer reassurance and affirmation, and, when needed, to challenge or confront, all with the goal of seeing others grow to greater maturity in their faith. Exhorters, through the power of the Holy Spirit, can help people move further and go deeper than they would have if left to themselves. These people help us go the distance and believe in our great value, even in times of challenge or personal attack.
In Scripture, we see John the Baptist exhorting the people (powerful along with his prophetic gift) (Luke 3), Jesus exhorting Peter about his future leadership (John 1), Joseph going by the nickname Barnabas which means “son of encouragement”—he was so marked by this gift that others simply called him the equivalent of “Exhorter” (Acts 4, 11, 13), Tychicus is sent to the church in Colossae to “encourage” their hearts—perhaps a role and a gift (Colossians 4), and the writer of Hebrews says to his/her readers to “bear with my word of exhortation” (Hebrews 13).
There is a sense in Shepherding of having people entrusted to us who we guide and also protect. Exhortation, on the other hand, might be described as using affirmation and reassurance to help provide needed courage to the discouraged. Those I know who have the gift of Shepherding often put themselves (or find themselves) in the mentor/coach space with a select group of people for a season, whereas those with gifts of Exhortation are using that gift with no regard for demographic nor situation—it exudes from them all the time. Both gifts can provide direction and a push toward maturity. Both help with the spiritual health and the wellbeing of the Body.
Teaching vs. Knowledge:
The gift of Teaching involves studying, understanding, explaining, and applying Truth in such a way that people grow in their own understanding, are challenged, and are inspired to apply what they’ve learned. This can be done in a church or other context, since God’s truth is true everywhere. Those who have this gift teach with authority, relevance, insight, and stimulate the hearers, through the work of the Spirit, so they are motivated to learn, value, and apply what they hear.
Scriptures that reference Teaching or show someone exhibiting this gift include Exodus 35 (Bezalel and Oholiab—“ability to teach others”); Gospels—Jesus; Mark 2; Mark 4; John 17 (Jesus—“I have given them your word…and they accepted it”); Acts 5 (the apostles “never stopped teaching”); Acts 11 (Barnabas, Saul); Acts 13 (“prophets and teachers,” Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, Saul; Acts 18 ( Apollos); Acts 18; Romans 1 (Paul--persuading, preaching, testifying); 1 Corinthians 12; 1 Corinthians 14 (“word of instruction”); Ephesians 4; Colossians 1 (to “present everyone fully mature in Christ”); 1 Timothy 2; 2 Timothy 2 (“entrust to reliable people who will also be qualified to teach others,” “correctly handle the word of truth,” “lead in the knowledge of truth”); James 3 (not many should be teachers because they will be judged more strictly); 1 Peter 4 (“speaks the very words of God”).
Those with the gift of Knowledge bring Biblical truth and God-given insight to the church and in other settings. Knowledge can look like receiving a word from God that is uniquely timed to and tailored for a given situation. People with the gift of knowledge may also be those who have a voracious desire to study and know God’s Word, and God may use their deep understanding of Scripture to speak a timely word of knowledge to a person or group. Those with this gift may be the ones who can see all sides of something and are able to point out the consequences or the forgotten details that others have overlooked.
Scriptures that reference Knowledge or show someone exhibiting this gift cover everything from those selected to build the Tabernacle—who needed to be filled with God’s knowledge and wisdom; those who helped build the Temple in Jerusalem—to be filled with understanding and knowledge about specific craftsmanship; Jesus knowing many things—like what the disciples would encounter when they went to prepare the Passover meal, “seeing” Nathanael before he arrived and having the ability to call out something true in Nathanael’s character without being directly told, knowing what was in the hearts of the disciples, leaders, crowd; someone having a thorough knowledge of the Scriptures (ex. Exodus 31, 35; 1 Kings 7; Luke 22; John 1; Acts 18).
Where the Teaching gift involves study, understanding, and preparation, the Knowledge gift might appear in a moment (related or unrelated to study or preparation). With Teaching, the Holy Spirit uses this gift to bring learning and application to the hearers. With Knowledge, learning and application by the hearers is less obvious and may create struggle as well, inviting those with the gift of Wisdom to weigh in with regard to how to proceed.
All of that said, it might be helpful to go to the back of the Your Unique Design Class Guide and look at each of the questions in the spiritual gifts assessment that pertain to Shepherding vs. Exhortation, Teaching vs. Knowledge. It’s entirely possible that you resonated with some of the wording of one or two questions (but not all three) from each of those gifts, making your results feel a bit unclear.
Some steps to take that might be useful from here:
--ask several people who know you well what gifts they see in/through you. You can provide them with those brief definitions from the chart in the middle of the Your Unique Design Class Guide or online.
--ask them if they think your gifts have shifted from shepherding to exhortation; from teaching to knowledge.
--ask the Lord to provide clarity as you live and serve.
--reflect: is it possible that the Lord is shifting your list of gifts—dropping Shepherding and Teaching and raising up Exhortation and Knowledge? What might that mean for your life/work/ministry/involvements?
And, there is no perfect assessment nor list of gifts. As I mentioned in our time together, each gift expressed through each unique believer has a distinctive flavor. I also think it probable that your wiring (preferences for relating to others and the world around you) influences this discussion. Are you more independent or collaborative? More serious or funny? More direct or indirect? More task or people? More spontaneous or systematic? These things are also unique to you, God-given, and add shape to your gift expression.
In the end, after all is said and done, you might have the hybrid gift of Shepherding-Exhortation—meaning your Shepherding has a heavy dose of encouragement in it, and a hybrid gift of Teaching-Knowledge.
I’ll be praying as you explore with the Lord what this all means for you personally!
Shirley Giles Davis, author of the God. Gifts. You. Your Unique Calling and Design workbook, Your Unique Design Class Guide, Your Unique Design Facilitator Guide, DIOS. DONES. TÚ.: Tu llamado y diseño único (Spanish Edition), and Gifts-Calling-Purpose blog, is a consultant, coach, facilitator who has worked with hundreds of faith-based organizations, nonprofit agencies, and executive leaders in a diversity of fields for four decades. She currently serves as Catalyst for Equipping at her church.
Photo © Shirley Giles Davis.
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