Church Series-The Nature and Purpose of Spiritual Gifts
Wenstrom Bible Ministries
Pastor-Teacher Bill Wenstrom
Tuesday November 8, 2016
The Church Series: The Nature and Purpose of Spiritual Gifts
Lesson # 12
The Scriptures teach that at the moment of conversion, each and every believer has been given a spiritual gift for the purpose of serving other members of the body of Christ (1 Peter 4:10; 1 Corinthians 12:7).
There are two passages in Romans and First Corinthians which address the subject of spiritual gifts extensively.
Romans 12:1 Therefore I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. 3 For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith. 7 If service, in his serving; 8 or he who teaches, in his teaching or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. (NASB95)
1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. 12 For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body is not one member, but many. 15 If the foot says, “Because I am not a hand, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear says, “Because I am not an eye, I am not a part of the body,” it is not for this reason any the less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the hearing be? 17 If the whole were hearing, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But now God has placed the members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired. 19 If they were all one member, where would the body be? 20 But now there are many members, but one body. 21 And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; or again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, it is much truer that the members of the body, which seem to be weaker are necessary; 23 and those members of the body which we deem less honorable, on these we bestow more abundant honor, and our less presentable members become much more presentable, 24 whereas our more presentable members have no need of it. But God has so composed the body, giving more abundant honor to that member which lacked, 25 so that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. 27 Now you are Christ's body, and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues. (NASB95)
The distribution of spiritual gifts was authorized by the Lord Jesus Christ as a result of His strategic victory over Satan at the cross during the dispensation of the hypostatic union (Ephesians 4:7-10).
However, the actual appointment of the believer’s spiritual gift is made by God the Holy Spirit as per 1 Corinthians 12:11.
In 1 Corinthians 12:7, “manifestation” refers to the fact that every believer receives one spiritual gift since the word is in the singular (See 1 Peter 4:10).
1 Peter 4:10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength, which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen. (NASB95)
Spiritual gifts are stewardships for which the believer will have to give an account to the Lord.
They are also assignments of position within the body of Christ.
Identification of one’s spiritual gift and production from this gift is a direct result of spiritual growth which can only be achieved through the consistent and persistent learning and applying of the Word of God which in turn enables the Holy Spirit to identify for you, your spiritual gift.
Just as a car operates on gas so the believer’s spiritual gift operates on God’s love.
This is indicated in that in Romans 12 after Paul discusses spiritual gifts in verses 6-8, he then discusses loving one’s fellow believer in verses 9-16.
Also, after discussing spiritual gifts extensively in 1 Corinthians 12, Paul then discusses the importance of the believer operating in the love of God in 1 Corinthians 13 and even teaches that loving one’s fellow Christian is more important than spiritual gifts since they run on love.
The believer discovers for himself or herself and manifests to others their spiritual gift by loving God and their fellow believer.
The nature of spiritual gifts is important for the believer to understand.
Nature of Spiritual Gifts:
(1) Gifts are never merited or earned.
(2) Gifts are a special grace-given ability (nature or essence)
(3) Gifts are given by the Holy Spirit (a divine endowment) (source)
(4) Gifts are given to each believer in Christ (recipients)
(5) Gifts are for service to the body of Christ that it may grow quantitatively (evangelism), qualitatively (edification), and organically (developed ministries and offices in the church) (immediate purpose)
(6) Gifts are for the glory of God (ultimate purpose)
(7) Spiritual gifts are God’s special gifts given to believers to enable them for special service to the body of Christ and in the world.
When related to the gift of ministry or service or helps, it may include natural talents received at birth.
The following is a list of what a spiritual gift is not:
(1) It is not an office in the local church like elder or deacon.
Certain gifts are needed to function effectively in those offices, but an office and a gift are not the same thing.
(2) It is not a particular geographical area or a place of service.
It is the ability to serve, not the place where one serves.
(3) A spiritual gift is not a particular specialty or method of ministry.
The gift of teaching may be used through radio or through writing or through the classroom, etc.
(4) It is not a certain personality type (vivacious, scintillating, dynamic, etc. (cf. 1 Cor. 2:1-5 with 2 Cor. 10:10).
For years, the body of Christ, the church, has been hampered by a clergy mentality that makes a strong distinction between the professional clergy and the lay person.
This clergy or minister mentality fails to see and function under the New Testament truth that every believer is in full-time Christian service since every believer is a ministering priest who is to be ministering for the common good of the body of Christ according to the gifts God has given him.
Most people view the pastor as a paid professional to preach, teach, counsel, visit, and keep the administrative wheels running smoothly.
Believers individually and the church as a whole exist to be good stewards of the truth of God in evangelism and discipleship through the exercise of the gifted members of the body of Christ.
We exist for the mission of propagating the gospel of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world and building up other believers in the Christian faith so that they become healthy ministering saints.
And while other factors hurt this mission, certainly one very large contributing factor is the “clergylayman, retailerconsumer” mentality that is so prevalent in our society.
The idea of becoming a mission-oriented church with every believer a minister scares people.
They are much more comfortable with the concept of paying others to do the work of ministry for them.
But the New Testament teaches us that church leaders are to be like coaches who should be training others for the work of ministry according to the spiritual gifts of each believer (Ephesians 4:11-16).
This clergy/layman mentality has produced a crisis in the church today that is having serious consequences on the spiritual health of the body of Christ.