5 Fold Gifts Class 1

WHY ARE THE GIFTS IMPORTANT: Why are we having this class?

I want to give you a couple of statistics:

78% were forced to resign from their church (63% at least twice), most commonly because of church conflict (1)

80% will not be in ministry ten years later and only a fraction make it a lifelong career (

100% of 1,050 Reformed and Evangelical pastors had a colleague who had left the ministry because of burnout, church conflict, or moral failure

91% have experienced some form of burnout in ministry and

18% say they are “fried to a crisp right now” (7)

BOREDOM AND BURNOUT

Why do we start with these stats. Because when we look at the bible and how it describes the body, this isn’t always how we see the church operating. Two words: BOREDOM and BURNOUT. When we don’t operate in our God-given gifts, you as church members get bored and don’t exercise the gifts that God has given you, and pastors get overworked, and start operating in areas where we aren’t gifted.

This is the beauty of the body. So #1: For the the health of this local church, but also for each other, we must start working towards everyone using their gifts. Just like our bodies, when every single part is working well, the whole body is working well. So your individual health actually effects our overall health as a church.

The body. How many of you would be okay if your hand was cut off? NONE OF US! the Bible says that we all need to be operating in gifts God has given us in order for the church to be a fully functioning healthy church.

Like a sports team. Too many point guards, all catchers no pitchers, ect.

#2: Biblical: This has got to be the foundation. No other reason why we would have a class, stop having GC’s unless we believe the Bible presents this to be true.

1 Corinthians 14:1 CSB

Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, and especially that you may prophesy.

1 Corinthians 14:1 CNVT

你們要追求愛，也要熱切地渴慕屬靈的恩賜，特別是作先知宣講信息的恩賜。

pursue: make every effort, run after, this is a command.

Desire also command: means to be jealous for, strive for

it is not enough to be open to spiritual gifts and their operation in the local church. One must be zealous for them and earnestly desire their presence.

Are we hungry to see God’s power in our lives and in our church? Let’s start with praying with the person next to us for this.

How many of us grew up in church that operated in the spiritual gifts?

OF those who did, how many you actually were TAUGHT how to operate in your spiritual gift?

1.ONLY FOR BELIEVERS : Gifts of grace. These are manifestation of the grace of God in your life. That when we operate in our gifts. No where does it say you will have one gift your whole life. But I believe there is a probably a few that you operate in more than others. However, the Spirit is sovereign in giving the gifts. Anytime, anyplace. His timing, His power, not ours.

-The Gifts are not an end in and of themselves but the Gifts are given to Give glory to God.

WHO IS THIS Holy Spirit?

He is God. He is part of the Divine Godhead. Holy Spirit is God. Not a divine force, but a person of the Godhead.He is not only the giver of gifts

Miracles in the Bible: Over 267 miracles in the Bible.

TWO MAIN VIEWS IN THE CHURCH:

Cessasstionism? Cessassionists still believe in the power of the Holy Spirit, but they would say that the revelatory gifts in 1 Cor 12 have ceased with the apostles. They believe that God has ceased to perform signs and wonders after the apostolic age. However there is no biblical evidence that these gifts will cease, nor is there evidence from church history.

CONTINUATIONISM: Gifts have continued down all throughout the ages and are available to every believer today.(CityLight Official View)

CHURCH HISTORY

Through Church History

They were not absent. They were possibly less prevalent, but to argue that all such gifts were utterly non-existent is to ignore a significant body of evidence.

I HAVE A WHOLE DOCUMENT AND PDF IF YOU ARE INTERESTED IN THIS.

Now I’m going to be honest, there are still some fo the gifts that I feel uncomfortable with, such as tongues and prophecy, however the biblical command isn’t just do things that you feel comfortable with, it is to be zealous about spiritual gifts.

So here we have the dilemma. Because I know that many of us have had bad experiences with Spiritual Gifts. Any hands raised? I know some of us have actually been hurt by people “operating” in the gifts of the Spirit. But what the Bible lays before you and before me, is, are we going to base our beliefs on experience, or on what Scripture says? It would be the same to say, man I know the Bible says love my wife, but the last time I tried that, it didn’t go well, I think I’ll just stop.

Ephesians 4:12–14 CSB

to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. Then we will no longer be little children, tossed by the waves and blown around by every wind of teaching, by human cunning with cleverness in the techniques of deceit.

Ephesians 4:12–14 CNVT

為的是要裝備聖徒，去承擔聖工，建立基督的身體；直到我們眾人對　神的兒子都有一致的信仰和認識，可以長大成人，達到基督豐盛長成的身量；使我們不再作小孩子，中了人的詭計和騙人的手段，給異教之風搖撼，飄來飄去，

To equip the church into maturity. THEN WE WILL No longer be little children tossed by the waves.

I will cover Ephesians 4 today and Scott will cover Romans 12/1 Cor 12/14 next week.

I want this to be a time that’s beneficial to all of you. So quickly we are going to run through these, then we are going to break up into these groups(based on your primary) gifting, and discuss a few things, and hopefully it will be encouraging.

Apostle使徒(Paul)

Raise hands if this is them?

Collin/YiPing too.

Biblically this word means “sent ones”. The office of a biblical apostle is no longer for today. There is no one who can say they fit the criteria for the biblical office of apostle(A), however the apostolic gifting is very much in use today. Pioneer missionaries. A missionary gifting. When we say apostle, we are referring to a gifting of the Holy Spirit and not the office of apostle.

They extend the gospel. As the “sent ones,” they ensure that the faith is transmitted from one context to another and from one generation to the next. They are always thinking about the future, bridging barriers, establishing the church in new contexts, developing leaders, networking trans-locally.

The shepherding and teaching functions are needed to ensure people are cared for rather than simply used.

Who: Describe…

-Person with a passion to see new areas reached for the Gospel. They have this ambition to go to new places see new churches planted ect.

-They Love change.

-They also have new ideas constantly. Visionary person

-They seem to have a vision for everyone’s life: I think James would be great at this, ect.

-They have a history of God using them to start and grow. I think fruit is a part of this calling.

What are they going to be doing?

-Missionaries, church plant(cross cultural missions)

-Vision and Direction: Not necessarily a new ministry. Rather big picture direction of the Church… So transforming a community, planting churches but also networking and bringing people together to buy into and commit to the vision…

-This person has a plan for everyone’s life

How to Equip here?

- Team leaders

-CityLight Kids

-Help Lead GC

-Equip People On How To Reach Their Neighborhoods and Cities

-Church Plant

-Starting new ministries and initiatives/ Missionary and Cross-cultural missions

THEY NEED:

Apostles need to learn compassion. Care for others as they lead.

Apostles need a high-accountability environment, especially when it comes to following through on their ideas

Apostles need to learn to wait for the “God idea” in the midst of the sea of merely good ideas.

Apostles need to learn to be patient and trust that God is working, even when they’re not.

Most apostles will need accountability to take a weekly Sabbath (yes, that means a 24-hour period where they do no work – this is remarkably difficult for immature apostles to embrace).

Here are some signs of Immaturity

They jump around from one idea to the next, unable to stay focused on one thing.Eventually, people stop following them because they don’t want to give their time and energy to something that will probably change in a few weeks.

They have trouble being part of a group they’re not leading.

They tend to have very little patience with needy people or those who won’t “get on board.”

Their projects tend to produce relational hurt; people often feel hurt and used by an immature apostle.

Prophet(先知的) Agabus

Allison my wife. Very Black and white. No gray here. My daughter, Hannah

Raise hands.

We do not believe there are any modern day prophets whose words are equal to Scripture. Every word that is prophesied is submitted to Scripture. Most people when they think of prophesy they think of foretelling the future, but that is only a small percent of what prophets did. Most was “forthtelling”(spoke God's word in their current context.)

Acts 13:1 CSB

Now in the church at Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, Simeon who was called Niger, Lucius of Cyrene, Manaen, a close friend of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul.

Acts 13:1 CNVT

安提阿教會中，有幾位先知和教師，就是巴拿巴、名叫尼結的西面、古利奈人路求、與分封王希律一同長大的馬念，和掃羅。

We might define the gift of prophecy as the Spirit-given ability to proclaim the written Word of God with clarity and to apply it to a particular situation with a view to bring correction or edification.

They are particularly attuned to God and his truth for today. They bring correction and challenge the dominant assumptions we inherit from the culture. They insist that the community obey what God has commanded. They question the status quo.

Without the other types of leaders in place, prophets can become belligerent activists or, paradoxically, disengage from the imperfection of reality and become other-worldly.

Who?

-Person who confronts false teaching or questions a teaching… looks for clarity

-Person who calls for church discipline.

-People who call people to holiness

-Probably hears your story and has words of knowledge for you

-Prophets keep us grounded on God’s word! They call out black and white… the confront people’s sin. Truth is central to this person. A constant call to the word of God.

Where can they Equip?

-Planning They will hold you to a biblical mission and God’s truth.

-Prayer

-CityLight Kids

-Social Work and Social Justice in our City

-Dealing with conflict

-Finance. High accountability

WHAT PROPHETS NEED

Prophets need space in their schedule for prayer and connection with God. Affirm this and help them make space for it.

Prophets need to know their gift is important – affirm them and what they’re seeing. The rejection they often receive because of their harshness is very painful, even if they don’t realize it.

Prophets need an atmosphere of permission to get it wrong. They need to know they won’t be rejected if they share something immaturely or if they’re wrong about something they were sure about.

Prophets need language that helps them qualify their revelations as something God “might” be saying, rather than a “thus saith the Lord” approach.

Signs of immaturity:(won’t share all of these)

ISOLATION. This is what people gifted in prophecy need to be aware of.

They talk about their perspective as though it was simply “the truth.”

Because they think they are the ones who really “get it,” they can form elite cliques in churches that destroy unity.

They jump from church to church because they keep finding problems in each.

They become frustrated when their ideas aren’t accepted immediately.

They have to point out every inconsistency or problem they see.

They tend to live in their heads and only associate with those who think like them.

Evangelist傳福音(Philip)

MARK CHENG and Ronny

These communicators of the gospel message recruit others to the cause. They call for a personal response to God’s redemption in Christ, and also draw believers to engage the wider mission, growing the church.

Evangelists can be so focused on reaching those outside the church that maturing and strengthening those inside is neglected.

Who:

-Influencers. Persuasive personality. Appeal to the Gospel.

-Gifted Apologists who communicate the Gospel in a clear way.

-People you want behind your new ideas or vision… they will share the “good news”

-People who are constantly inviting new people to church

-People pushing mission

-These people are excited about everything going on… They love church tell ALL their friends about it, they invite people all the time. They are involved in all kinds of outreach ministries they motivate people to do. They have also have fruit from their evangelism. God has gifted them to be able to communicate in a way where they’ve seen fruit.

Where You Can Equip?

-University Ministry/Basketball Ministry

-DISCIPLE SOMEONE

-Equipping people in apologetics as we share the Gospel in our city.

-Prayer

-CHURCH PLANTING

-GC

-Hospitality Team

WHAT EVANGELISTS NEED

Evangelists need to embrace spiritual depth, but it’s very difficult for them to invest the time and energy necessary to cultivate it. Far more effective evangelist if they become mature.

Encourage them to bring others with them when they’re out “doing their thing,” so they can train others in what feels natural to them.

Evangelists tend to win people to Jesus but then “drop” them after they’re “in.” Insist that they invest in discipling the people they bring to Jesus.

They need to remember this: “sharing Christ in the power of the Spirit and leaving the results up to Him”

Immature evangelist:

In their excitement to make connections and meet new people, they can neglect depth in their relationships and end up with a thousand shallow friendships.

They allow their concern to “reach the lost” to push them into bitterness toward “church people.”

They flit from relationship to relationship, spending time with whoever seems most exciting, instead of staying with a person of peace.

It’s easy for them to “neglect meeting together” because what we do “in church” never quite feels as exciting or important as hanging out with their non-Christian friends.

Shepherd(牧羊的)Peter

RICH ALL THE WAY

Nurture and protect. Caregivers of the community, they focus on the protection and spiritual maturity of God’s flock, cultivating a loving and spiritually mature network of relationships, making and developing disciples.

Shepherds can value stability to the detriment of the mission. They may also foster an unhealthy dependence between the church and themselves. Protect THE FLOCK.

Not everyone who has the gift of pastoring will be called to the office of pastor. DO NOT HAVE TO BE A PASTOR!

A little flower girl at a wedding rehearsal was introduced to the minister. She asked him, “Are you a pastor or a preacher?” Taken back by the question, the minister asked, “Do you know the difference?” She thought for a moment, then answered, “A preacher thinks more of himself, but a pastor thinks more of his people.”

GUIDE, HELP FEED, HELP PROTECT

-They care deeply for the people in the church. They love to visit and spend time with the body. They help people feel valued. Evangelist gets people to church, and the Shepherds keep people there! We are a team!

Who:

-People who are counseling others

-People asking what about the people here? How does this affect this person or that person. Always caring about people’s need.

-People with a heart to walk with individuals over a long period of time.

Where To Equip?

-Hospitality Team

-CityLight Kids

-GC’s

-Deacon

-Youth

-Counseling

-Pastor

WHAT SHEPHERDS NEED(BOUNDARIES!):

Shepherds need to embrace boundaries, but it’s hard for them because they feel like they’re abandoning people. Help them understand how sometimes the best thing we can do for people is let them experience the consequences of their choices.

Encourage them to invest in people with the goal of spiritual reproduction, not just spiritual growth.

Help them embrace movement and mission, even if it means that not everyone will go with us.

Help them see places in the Gospels when Jesus had to “leave people behind” for the sake of being on mission with his Father.

Shepherds can tend to create their own “little church” within the larger church, which can be a good thing, but it can turn into a bad thing if shepherds are allowed to simply do whatever they want in those groups. Insist on accountability for what is happening within groups.

IMMATURITY

They create a false tension between building community and living on mission.

They take up other people’s offenses, especially towards authority figures.

They have trouble setting boundaries and can adopt a “savior complex” toward broken people

Because they don’t like conflict, they are unwilling to bring any kind of challenge or truth to people who need it, for the sake of “relational harmony.”

They assume any new initiative and resist change that will potentially cause discomfort for people must be “bad” and will oppose it in a knee-jerk fashion.

Teacher(教導的)(James)

Scott, Brian, John Fang, also Heather Caudle

Some people ask, well if a person has the natural gift of teaching shouldn’t that translate into the biblical gift? Not necessarily. For example: a natural teacher might be great at presenting facts and transferring knowledge, but lack the spiritual power to bless and grow those under his/her teaching.

This gift is one of the most frequently mentioned in the book of Acts. This takes center stage in the early church.

Communicators of God’s truth and wisdom, they help others remain biblically grounded to better discern God’s will, guiding others toward wisdom, helping the community remain faithful to Christ’s word, and constructing are gifted to rightly divide God’s truth. While preachers PROCLAIM God’s word, teachers explain(in power) and in clarity.

WHERE TO EQUIP?

-Teaching the Bible/Doctrine

-CityLight Kids

-Helping lead a GC

-Preaching

-Seminars

What TEACHERS Need:

Encourage them to trust that the Holy Spirit can “fill in the gaps” in people’s knowledge, and that he’ll often do so as they’re on mission. Help them see places in Scripture where Jesus sent people out with almost no theological knowledge whatsoever!

Encourage them to have an apprentice at all times, someone that is learning to teach like they teach, so they can pass along what they know how to do.Remind them that their job is to equip the body of Christ to live out truth, not just understand it. Challenge them to teach people toward competence, not just clarity.

Teachers can get so convinced by their own theological framework that they create a little enclave within the church for people who “really get it.” They sometimes need to be challenged to hold less rigidly to watertight theological systems.

IMMATURITY

They can offend people with their bluntness.

They can get so attached to stability that they’re unwilling to take risks or try something new.

In their desire to know the truth and make truth known, they may end up “just knowledge” Christians,

Miss the heart

teachers are prone to become Pharisees: content that they know and do the “right” things, setting up certain knowledge and behavior requirements as litmus tests for being a “serious” Christian.

They can get so attached to stability that they’re unwilling to take risks or try something new.