Last week we looked at the mistaken idea people have regarding what is involved in being a Christian…it’s not just hanging out until I die then I go to be with Jesus in Paradise…nowhere is that suggested in Scripture… what is mandated is that we become interdependent with other Christians.
Paul goes into an explanation on the importance of why that is…it has everything to do with what God has given each member in the Church…Paul is revealing two mysteries never before known until then.
One is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit…nowhere in the Old Testament is there any reference to believers being indwelt by the Holy Spirit…in fact very few people in the Old Testament were ever even temporarily indwelt by the Holy Spirit…it was not until Pentecost that Christians were permanently indwelt by the Spirit.
Secondly is the concept of spiritual gifts…the Holy Spirit in a believer’s life regenerates us…transforms us…sanctifies us …seals us…and comforts us…and it is through the Holy Spirit that we are given spiritual gifts to helps us to continue Jesus’s work on earth.
God doesn’t call us into our individual ministries then just expect us to somehow get it done.
No such thing as ‘if God calls you He will equip you.’ To believe that God will miraculously give you supernatural understanding of the Bible is foolishness.
God does not magically give you everything you need in order to use your gift to His glory.
It can be thought of as all the resources that YOU provide and GOD provides so together we can in unison with God successfully carry out our purpose in life.
God gives you the spiritual gift that will best suit His purpose based on every aspect of who you are…where you came from…your past successes and failures, your background…your level of education…everything you’ve accumulated from your life experiences.
That may mean going to seminary…learning a second language…knowing how people function in a different culture…whatever you need to do to be equipped for your life’s assignment.
That’s why every person’s gift is hand-picked by God to effectively fulfill your role in the body of Christ.
God knows exactly WHERE you need to be and WHAT you need to do in order for you to be equipped for your life assignment.
So, what is the benefit if any of knowing what your spiritual gift is? …because.
Knowing your spiritual gift is key in knowing where to focus your time… talent…and effort for the greatest impact in God’s kingdom.
In Romans 12:6-8 Paul uses the analogy of the human body to remind us that even though we have many different parts in our body it is still one body…each of the parts of the body work together to make the entire body healthy.
Without these different gifts the church would be as useless as a body made up entirely of hands or legs…that is why every believer is perfectly gifted.
KEY – Every believer receives the exact gift and resources best suited to fulfill his role in the body of Christ.
6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.
If your gift is prophesying…prophesy in accordance with your faith.
7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach.
8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously, if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.
The gifts listed in verses 6-8 are prophecy…service…teaching…exhortation… giving…leading…and mercy…don’t know why Paul elected to mention just these seven gifts because in other letters he lists additional gifts…nor does the order in which they are listed indicate a preferred status.
In Romans 12 Paul makes mention of two types of spiritual gifts…the speaking gifts and the serving gifts….every person in this sanctuary…if you have accepted Jesus as your Savior, has either a speaking gift or a serving gift.
There are few subjects in the Bible that have more widespread difference of opinion than spiritual gifts…does everyone have a gift? …are all the gifts still functioning today? …how many gifts does each person have?
God has graciously given gifts to each of us… every believer has at least one spiritual gift…it is possible that some may have more than one spiritual gift… BUT …every believer does have at least one gift.
As with all things God loans us…it comes with a caveat…a warning… gifts are not for our benefit…they are to be used to serve others and bring glory to God.
Scripture makes it clear that gifts are given according to God’s sovereign will [1 Cor.12:11,18,28] thereby we should not despise another person’s gifts…should not despise our own gift…neither is there room for pride…we should be content with what God has gifted us with.
I want to reiterate on what I said last week…I want to push back on you a little …here’s the problem in the church… lay people failing to earnestly seek out their spiritual gift…they are becoming more like spectators at a baseball game than active players.
Far too often believers neglect their spiritual gift and let others who are less gifted do the work they should be accomplishing…but because the work needs to be done…it gets done by others who are less qualified or already overworked.
In smaller churches where there is a shortage of believers there may be a certain ministry that is needed but with no one to meet that need…it’s not unreasonable that someone in the Church, seeing that need…asks the Lord to give them the ability to meet that need…even if it is not in the area of their spiritual gift.
SO…if God determines what gift we get…what does Paul mean when he says to earnestly desire the greatest gift [1 Cor. 12:31] …what’s up with that?
In regard to gifts there are four important factors concerning gifts:
FIRST…there are no benchwarmers in the body of Christ…every member has been given a gift…Christ never meant for us to idly sit around waiting to go to heaven…it was always His intent that we should be using our gifts.
SECONDLY…Christians will be held accountable how they used their gifts. [Matthew 25] The Parable of the Talents represents that reality…it’s ugly…God will personally evaluate every Christian’s performance…not based on the importance of the gift…but how effective we were with the gift we were given …what we did with it…and how we used it.
Christians who are unaware of their spiritual gift…even more serious…who are aware of them but don’t use them…face serious consequences for that neglect.
THIRDLY…we should not boast about our gift as if one is of greater importance than another…nor should we belittle or criticize those who don’t have the same gift as us…why would God give one church all preachers?
FOURTHLY…don’t envy the gifts of others…God gave you the gift that best suits your individual personality and will best benefit His church…also we should not compete with one another.
It is possible that more than one person in the church has the same gift…no competition within the family of God.
I want to briefly share with you the seven gifts of Romans 12:6-8 and how they are used within the church.
- If prophecy according to the proportion of his faith.
There’s a lot of controversy in defining the gift of prophecy.
…Some interpret this gift as a special gift that belonged only to the apostles… and like the sign gifts of…tongues…miracles…and healing…prophecy ceased after those men died.
…Another thought is that the gift of prophecy is based on something God brings to mind…unlike the gift of teaching which is based on the study and explanation of Scripture… prophecy is based on something God brings to mind but not necessarily a prediction.
…Third idea is that prophecy is still relevant today…and should be thought of on a par with what the apostles wrote…as inspirited and inerrant.
…Fourth idea is that the speaker should have the confidence and assurance that they are truly God’s public spokesperson to God’s people to…instruct…warn… admonish…rebuke…correct…challenge…comfort…and encourage.
I believe the gift of prophecy is valid for today…but…it is not to predict the future…nor is it equal with Scripture in authority or inspiration…the preacher who proclaims the Word of God acts in a prophetic role…speaking for God.
Using the gift of prophecy in ‘proportion’ is important…that word proportion in the Greek means:
…that what I say must be in line with inspirited Scripture
…that you don’t enter the pulpit and just ramble on about something that is not revealed in Scripture
…that you should not go beyond what God has given you to say
…being cautious to never speak on your own authority or from your own resources.
Something people…especially preachers…need to be cautious of is attaching God’s name to something for emphasis…of enticing people to do things because he has been instructed by God…for instance…preaching God’s going to reward you for giving money.
God deals harshly with those who use His name in that manner…when Paul asked the church for donations to support the Jerusalem church he doesn’t invoke God’s name to emphasize the importance in giving…instead he says:
‘I am not speaking this as a command’…in other words…this concept of giving has not been given to me by the Holy Spirit…I’m suggesting you do this.
While preparing my sermon and before entering the pulpit I ask for the gift of prophecy…despite the fact I have my sermon written down in front of me I am still reliant on God to bring to my mind thoughts…words…applications…and insights beyond what I have prepared that are in agreement with Scripture.
All for the purpose that will have the greatest effect in people’s lives…that will penetrate their hearts…that convict…that encourage…console…and guide.
- The one with the gift of service should humbly serve.
It’s an unfortunate truth that people are basically self-centered and self-serving …I realize that’s a hard concept to accept…sometimes even at the expense of others…this is due to our sinful nature that convinces us that serving ourselves is what is best and is what makes us the happiest.
The gift of service is broad in its application because all of God’s people should be serving one another…we are all called to serve…not only the people we see in our daily lives but we should be looking for opportunities to serve the oppressed…the orphaned…and widows…that’s why the gift of service often takes place behind the scenes.
God is far more interested in the why you serve than in how well you serve… He’s always looking at your heart…are you serving willingly and eagerly out of love…or because you feel you need to…or if you don’t do it it’s likely not going to get done.
The gift of service is unique in that when you serve others with your God given gift of service it feels like you’re just doing what you love.
- The one with the gift of teaching should humbly teach.
The gift of teaching is the gift that has the special ability to interpret and present God’s truth understandably.
Here’s the benefit of having gifted teachers in the Church:
• Christians who have the gift of teaching search for truth.
• Christians who have the gift of teaching diligently study Scripture to find the truth.
• Teachers help keep the Church focused on truth. They are alert to false doctrine.
• Teachers instinctively question anything that seems inaccurate and motivates them to search out the truth.
Like the gift of preaching/prophecy…teachers are instructed to teach [vv. 6] –“according to the proportion of his faith…” that means to be careful to:
… teach in accordance with the gospel that has been revealed to you
… not go beyond or make presumptions about what the text means.
… means you can’t just wing it…you should be diligent in your efforts to teach in a careful and detailed way.
- The one with the gift of exhortation should humbly exhort.
The gift of exhortation is also known as the gift of encouragement…the word exhortation means to advocate or comfort…it comes from the same Greek word paraclete from which the title of the Holy Spirit comes from.
Those with the gift of exhortation attempt to bring out the best in people… especially with respect in bringing them to spiritual maturity…now most people would say…I would enjoy that…but there is also another side to the gift of exhortation…that may at times include rebuking someone.
Exhortation includes rebuking fellow believers for their sins…something that may be painful…it is not to condemn people but to call them to action.
- The one with the gift of giving should give sincerely
From Scripture there are a number of things that can be learned about giving:
…All believers are encouraged to give.
…Anyone, no matter what their financial resources can have the gift of giving.
…We are to support the Christian ministry by giving part of what we have.
…We are to give with pure motives.
…We should not use our giving manipulatively to gain power or status.
…We should give to meet legitimate needs.
…We should give expecting nothing in return.
This is not a spiritual gift reserved for the wealthy because there’s another aspect to giving…there is the gift of sacrificial giving that involves the giving of one’s own possessions to others.
With respect to giving…should we be helping other Christians before we help non-Christians… Galatians 6:10 can be a controversial verse in that regard:
As we have opportunity, let us do good to all people,
especially to those who belong to the family of believers
I believe in our efforts to do good we should not overlook the priority Paul sets that we are to do good to everyone…but I think our emphasis should be to pay special attention to the family of God first.
- The one with the gift of leadership should lead with diligence.
A leader is someone who has been given the ability by God to inspire and coordinate the actions of others…but most commentators understand it here to mean ‘to lead’.
The wording ‘with diligence’ means that you can’t be a passive leader…you must take the initiative.
That’s why a spiritual leader is to encourage…empower…and inspire others to be leaders as well…a spiritual leader guides people toward godly goals and behaviors…unity and love are values that a spiritual leader promotes.
- The one with the gift of mercy to show mercy with cheerfulness.
Those with the gift of mercy have a divine ability to sense hurt in a person and respond to it with love and understanding…very closely related to the gift of encouragement.
Mercy givers are attracted to people in distress…they love the people that most of us tend to run away from.
Here’s something we can all identify with…people who are suffering can tell whether you’re there helping them as a duty…or because you genuinely care.
Has to do with what I said about the gift of service…are you showing mercy from the heart or because you feel you need to?
Here’s the thing about people who are suffering:
…they don’t need to hear about how much you’re sacrificing to help them
…they don’t need to hear about a similar instance in your life
…they need to be comforted.
…they need someone to point them to the Lord as their strength.
Those who have the gift of mercy are more likely to sense how others are feeling…that’s why scripture says with cheerfulness [8].
Said a lot this morning…some may be saying ‘too much’…so in closing I want to sum up with THREE THINGS:
1) Important things to remember about gifts
If you preach Preach God’s message and nothing else
If you help Just help, don’t take over
If you teach Teach without slant or personal interpretation
If you are encouraging Be careful not to get bossy
If you lead Don’t manipulate
If you are showing mercy Don’t get irritated or frustrated
2) It’s important to remember that most of these spiritual gifts have corresponding commandments for all believers…in other words…all Christians are to show to some extent the gift of…service…giving…exhortation and mercy …we can’t opt out of showing these attributes by claiming that’s not my gift.
3) That we not just have an understanding of some of the spiritual gifts God has given…but more importantly that you realize that sitting in this sanctuary there are people who possess these gifts.