In the Service of the King Part 2: Let's Unwrap Your Gifts

Introduction

We as Believers in Jesus Christ have been convicted of our sin, our spiritual blind eyes have been opened. We have been regenerated, sealed, adopted, and now have the Holy Spirit dwelling inside of us. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. Yet, if all this was not enough the Holy Spirit also gives us a Spiritual Gift or gifts for the Edifying or Building up of the Church. Spiritual Gifts or Grace Gifts have been defined a few different ways. Here are two definitions:

Dr. Barackman defines the gifts as this: Spiritual Gifts (Greek: charisma, “grace gifts”) are various measures of divine grace, or power, by which the Lord Jesus through the Holy Spirit enables His people to perform special ministries in His work of building His Church.

Pastor Sam Storms defines Spiritual Gifts as this. “A Spiritual gift is when the Holy Spirit manifests His presence and imparts His power into and through individual believers to enable them to exceed the limitations of their finite humanity so that they might faithfully and effectively fulfill certain ministry tasks for the building up of the body of Christ.”

The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts

The Scriptures

The Apostle Paul addresses Spiritual Gifts in his epistles (letters) specifically Romans, 1 Corinthians, and Ephesians. Yet we see them being used in the book of Acts as the church grows. Let us turn to the main passages in question to see the gifts in context and then we will begin to UNWRAP the gifts in detail.

Romans 12:1–8 NKJV

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God. For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

1 Corinthians 12:1–21 NKJV

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.”

Ephesians 4:7–16 NKJV

But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore He says: “When He ascended on high, He led captivity captive, And gave gifts to men.” (Now this, “He ascended”—what does it mean but that He also first descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is also the One who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love.

Now this might be a lot of Scripture to digest, but take a breath as we look at some key areas in these Scriptures, before we look at the gifts themselves.

The Use of the Gifts

When we look at these passages above, along with the context that they are in, we learn several things about Spiritual Gifts and the Use.

We as believers need to be surrendered to Jesus Christ (Romans 12:1-2) in our mind, heart, actions, and attitudes. We need to have our mind transformed by the Word of God and not the world system that is around us.

We are One Body in Christ (Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12)

Romans 12:4–5 “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”

1 Corinthians 12:4–7 “There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:”

1 Corinthians 12:12–14 “For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.”

3. The gifts are for the building of the church

Ephesians 4:12–13 “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ;”

EQUIPPING OF THE SAINTS (for the work of the ministry)

EDIFYING OF THE BODY OF CHRIST

4.

The List of Gifts

Cessationist vs. Continuationist

Throughout the New Testament there are around 19 gifts listed in the three passages looked at earlier along with a couple of other places in the NT. Now as we go through this list of gifts I want to let you know that I am coming from the standpoint that some of the spiritual gifts are no longer around. The term is Cessationist vs. a Continuationist (all gifts are still in use today). The reason why we believe that some gifts ceased is that they were only needed for the Early Church. Often 1 Corinthians 13:8 “Love never fails. But whether there are prophecies, they will fail; whether there are tongues, they will cease; whether there is knowledge, it will vanish away.” is quoted as it is in the midst of Chapters 12-14 where Spiritual Gifts are being discussed. Whether that is the case or not for the purpose of this series we will be looking from a Cessationist viewpoint.

Twelve Gifts in Operation Today

As we begin to unwrap these gifts we will look at the approximately 12 gifts we believe are given by the Holy Spirit. This will be a broad overview and next week will be looking at more details of these gifts.

Evangelism

Every believer in Jesus Christ is called to evangelize and make disciples. Matthew 28:19–20 “Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all things that I have commanded you; and lo, I am with you always, even to the end of the age.” Amen.” Yet, there are some whom the Holy Spirit equips with a gift to “present the gospel clearly, enthusiastically, and courageously to unsaved people” (Barackman).

Ephesians 4:11 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,”

Ephesians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Evangelists

The work of the evangelist is to preach and explain the good news of salvation in Jesus Christ to those who have not yet believed. He is a proclaimer of salvation by grace through faith in the Son of God

The early church had many evangelists. Philip (one of the deacons in Acts 6:5) uses his gift of evangelism in Acts 8. Acts 8:4–6 “Therefore those who were scattered went everywhere preaching the word. Then Philip went down to the city of Samaria and preached Christ to them. And the multitudes with one accord heeded the things spoken by Philip, hearing and seeing the miracles which he did.” From Samaria Philip is sent to meet the Ethiopian Eunuch where he displays other spiritual gifts.

Later in the book of Acts, Philip is called an evangelist and references back to the first seven deacons.

Acts 21:8 “On the next day we who were Paul’s companions departed and came to Caesarea, and entered the house of Philip the evangelist, who was one of the seven, and stayed with him.”

Maybe you have this gift if you can proclaim the good news of Jesus Christ to any audience. You might go door to door or share the good news at jails or nursing homes.

Pastor/ Pastor-Teacher

Also in Ephesians 4:11 “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers,” We have the gift of pastor and teachers or as the Greek is more closely to Pastor-Teacher.

Ephesians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Pastors and Teachers

Pastors translates poimēn, whose normal meaning is shepherd. It emphasizes the care, protection and leadership of the man of God for the flock. Teachers (didaskaloi) has to do with the primary function of pastors.

Gifts that enable an elder / bishop (shepherd) to do the work of shepherding the flock that God has entrusted to their care.

Exhortation

Romans 12:8 “he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

To admonish, encourage, comfort or cheer

Romans: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary Exhortation

The gift of exhortation, therefore, encompasses the ideas of advising, pleading, encouraging, warning, strengthening, and comforting

Using this gift to teach God’s truth to saved and unsaved.

Acts 14:21–22 “And when they had preached the gospel to that city and made many disciples, they returned to Lystra, Iconium, and Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, exhorting them to continue in the faith, and saying, “We must through many tribulations enter the kingdom of God.””

2 Timothy 4:2 “Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching.”

Teaching

Romans 12:7 “or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;” 1 Corinthians 12:28 “And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.”

Both the same and different from the Pastor-Teacher in Ephesians 4.

Explaining God’s truth in clear manner.

I am thankful for those who explained the Word of God clearly to me.

Just because someone is a teacher in say a school does not mean that they have the spiritual gift of teaching (we will look more at talents and skills in our final message). It does not mean that you don’t.

Utterance of Wisdom

1 Corinthians 12:8 “for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,”

Putting knowledge into practice. Practical use of knowledge.

1 Corinthians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Gift of Wisdom

Wisdom, then, refers basically to applying truths discovered, to the ability to make skillful and practical application of the truth to life situations

Utterance of Knowledge

1 Corinthians 12:8 “for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,”

1 Corinthians: The MacArthur New Testament Commentary The Gift of Knowledge

refers to perceiving and understanding the truths of God’s Word

Administration / Administering the Work of God/ Leading

Romans 12:8 “he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

1 Corinthians 12:28 “And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.”

Leadership / Organization

Hebrews 13:7 “Remember those who rule over you, who have spoken the word of God to you, whose faith follow, considering the outcome of their conduct.”

Giving

Romans 12:8 “he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

Being used by God in material ways and lead to give.

John A. Davis and dollar - giving to start the school (illustration)

Service / Ministry

Romans 12:7 “or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;” 1 Peter 4:11 “If anyone speaks, let him speak as the oracles of God. If anyone ministers, let him do it as with the ability which God supplies, that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belong the glory and the dominion forever and ever. Amen.”

Many times people like trustees and deacons have this gift 2 Timothy 1:18 “The Lord grant to him that he may find mercy from the Lord in that Day—and you know very well how many ways he ministered to me at Ephesus.”

Those who come along side and serve with others.

Helps

1 Corinthians 12:28 “And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.”

Once again someone who comes along side and helps and assists other believers. Sometimes it is in the background. Fixing things and serving (might be hand in hand with Service/ Ministry)

Mercy

Romans 12:8 “he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.”

Matthew 9:27 “When Jesus departed from there, two blind men followed Him, crying out and saying, “Son of David, have mercy on us!””

Mercy Ships. Medical, Emergency, Social.

Faith

1 Corinthians 12:9 “to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,”

Acts 6:8 “And Stephen, full of faith and power, did great wonders and signs among the people.”

Special faith.

Gifts are For Believers (Do you know Jesus?)

Looking Forward / Conclusion