Practical Ecclesiology (10)

Gifts in the church

My wife was sick today and I was up all night with her. We just got back from the hospital and I recieved a phone call from a body member. Hes married with kids and

I Just want to say ministry thats worth anything comes at a cost.

At the beginning of discipleship its a one way street.

Disciples aren't built in a day.

When you are discipling someone it comes at a cost.

When making a disciple there is a sacrifice.

Sacrifices of money, time, energy . Time away from your family friends. Time away from leisure.

If you are operating in your gifts you want to operate in your gifts with love.

Jesus warns against thoughtless discipleship.

Luke 14:25-27 “Now great multitudes went with Him. And He turned and said to them, “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate his father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he cannot be My disciple. And whoever does not bear his cross and come after Me cannot be My disciple.”

Jesus is not saying hate your own family, but the stress is on the priority of love.

Jesus is saying love your family less then me.

This is evident in Gen 29:30-31 Where Jacobs greater love for Rachel is phrased by hating Leah.

Theres a devote despise dichotomy

You can’t love God and love mammon

Luke 16:13 ““No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or else he will be loyal to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and mammon.””

The Bible Knowledge Commentary 14:25–27

One’s loyalty to Jesus must come before his loyalty to his family or even to life itself. Indeed, those who did follow Jesus against their families’ desires were probably thought of as hating their families.

In our discipleship thens when our gifts are cultivated and we grow in them.

What do you think your gifts are?

1 Cor 12:1 “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant (misinformed ):”

“ Now concerning” is often referring to a new section of the letter.

Paul didn’t want the corinthian church to be misinformed but informed about there spiritual gifts.

Pauls desire is to always to impart clear doctrine to the churches. His desire was never to misinform of mislead.

- Romans 1:11 “For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—” ( Doctrine is that spiritual gift)

- Romans 1:13 “Now I do not want you to be unaware, brethren, that I often planned to come to you (but was hindered until now), that I might have some fruit among you also, just as among the other Gentiles.”

- Romans 11:25 “For I do not desire, brethren, that you should be ignorant of this mystery, lest you should be wise in your own opinion, that blindness in part has happened to Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.”

1 Cor 10:1 “Moreover, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware that all our fathers were under the cloud, all passed through the sea,”

Unaware - to be lacking in knowledge or understanding.

Paul is giving them OT examples which lead to Christ.

2 Cor 1:8 “For we do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, of our trouble which came to us in Asia: that we were burdened beyond measure, above strength, so that we despaired even of life.”

Paul was keeping them informed about his present sufferings.

1 Thess 4:13 “But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.”

The comfort of Christ second coming.

1 Cor 12:2 “You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led.”

In the corinatians church the unbelievers where driven by there pagans gods .Paul calls them dumb idols.

Psalm 115:5 “They have mouths, but they do not speak; Eyes they have, but they do not see;”

But there dumb idols caused them to continue to be ignorant .

Jer. 10:5 “They are upright, like a palm tree, And they cannot speak; They must be carried, Because they cannot go by themselves. Do not be afraid of them, For they cannot do evil, Nor can they do any good.””

Also side note: The corinthian church was unusually gullible. Easily persuaded They believed Jesus didn’t come In the flesh.

As in other areas, so in using gifts in the church, believers should promote the glory of God and the good of others instead of self-satisfaction

1 Cor. 12:8-10 “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.”

The list here includes nine gifts.

(1) Wisdom refers to insight into doctrinal truth. Paul exercised and expressed this gift in this letter (e.g., 2:6).

(2) Knowledge refers to the ability to apply doctrinal truth to life. Paul also exercised and expressed this gift in this letter (e.g., 12:1–3; 11:3). (Cf. the recurrence of the phrase “Do you not know” in 3:16; 5:6; 6:2–3, 9, 15–16, 19; 9:13, 24; also cf. 8:1–3, 10–11).

(3) Faith as a spiritual gift is probably an unusual measure of trust in God beyond that exercised by most Christians (e.g., 13:2).

(4) Healing is the ability to restore health (e.g., Acts 3:7; 19:12) and also to hold off death itself temporarily (Acts 9:40; 20:9–10).

(5) Miraculous powers may refer to exorcising demons (Acts 19:12) or inducing physical disability (Acts 13:11) or even death (Acts 5:5, 9).

(6) Prophecy is the ability, like that of the Old Testament prophets, to declare a message of God for His people (1 Cor. 14:3).

(7) Ability to distinguish between spirits is the gift to differentiate the Word of God proclaimed by a true prophet from that of a satanic deceiver (cf. 2 Cor. 11:14–15; 1 John 4:1). If the Corinthians possessed this gift (cf. 1 Cor. 1:7), it was not being put to good use (cf. 12:1–3).

(8) Tongues refers to the ability to speak an unlearned, living language (e.g., Acts 2:11).

(9) Interpretation was the ability to translate an unlearned, known language expressed in the assembly (1 Cor. 14:27).

With the possible exception of faith, all these gifts seem to have been confirmatory and foundational gifts for the establishment of the church (cf. Heb. 2:4; Eph. 2:20) and were therefore temporary.

Group Assignment. I’m gonna give each team a verse. Look up these spiritual gifts

Romans 12:6-8 “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.”

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

1 Peter 4:10-11 “As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 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.”