Spiritual Gifts of Leadership and Mercy

Today we are continuing in the spiritual Gifts in the way that makes the most since to me.

The way that makes the most since to me is from 1 Corinthians 12:4-6

1 Corinthians 12:4–6 CSB

4 Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are different activities, but the same God works all of them in each person.

Different gifts (charismata)

Different ministries (Diakonion)

Different Activities/manifestations (energamaton)

Gifts flows into ministries which shows itself in different activities.

We have looked at the gift of prophecy, service, teaching and Exhortation

Prophecy is the divine enablement to proclaim God’s truth with power and clarity in a timely and culturally sensitive fashion for correction, repentance, or edification. Ability to reveal God’s word. -Chip Ingram

Service is the divine enablement to attach spiritual value to the accomplishment of physical tasks within the Body of Christ. Ability to demonstrate love by meeting practical needs that releases other Christians for direct spiritual ministry. -Chip Ingram

Teaching is the divine enablement to understand and give detailed explanation of biblical truth. It's the ability to search out and validate truth which has been presented. -Chip Ingram

Exhortation is the divine enablement to come alongside in need of encouragement to reassure, strengthen, affirm, and challenge those who are discouraged or wavering in their faith. -Chip Ingram

The Gift of Giving is the divine enablement to earn money, manage it well and wisely contribute to the work of the Lord with cheerfulness and liberality. -Chip Ingram

Romans 12:3–8 CSB

3 For by the grace given to me, I tell everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he should think. Instead, think sensibly, as God has distributed a measure of faith to each one. 4 Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, 5 in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. 6 According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts: If prophecy, use it according to the proportion of one’s faith; 7 if service, use it in service; if teaching, in teaching; 8 if exhorting, in exhortation; giving, with generosity; leading, with diligence; showing mercy, with cheerfulness.

Today we are going to talk about Leading as a motivational gift.

The Gift of Leadership

The Gift of leadership is the divine enablement to see what needs to t be done, set goals and attract, and lead and motivate people to accomplish the work of the ministry. -Chip Ingram

It's the ability to coordinate the activities of others for the achievement of common goals.

People with this gift are asking, what's the goal?

Where are you trying to go?

What's the target on the wall?

What's the results?

Okay, this activity fine activity. You're saying you're doing this, doing this. Show me, you know, what did you accomplish?

What's the goal?

This is a person who gives vision and direction can mobilize other people.

It originally has the idea of someone who stands in front, it's an ability to lead and delegate and charge. They enjoy responsibility. This is the guy that wants to take the shot. If you misses he misses but he wants the ball in his hands.

When there's a vacuum and nothing's happening person with the gift of leadership is just frustrated to death. It's disorganized it's going nowhere. What they want to do, is say, look okay.

It's it's a person who has ability to see how things fit together, what needs to be done, how can be accomplished and, and they have a way of doing it, where people are attracted to them and they see the big picture and they mobilize people and getting them in their strengths.

What it is not

Leadership is not the person who wants to be in control, show how big they are. Wants to have power. Prideful, I know better than you. These gifts are spiritual gifts, not sinful gifts. See everyone of these gifts has a sinful counterpart. Sin gifts. I want to teach because I know more then anyone else. I want to lead because I can’t follow. I want to give so you can look at me. I want to show mercy so I can hold it over you head and remind you of your failures when ever you get to big.

We are not focus on sin gifts.

All of these spiritual gifts have dangers too because we see the world through them.

Dangers of the gift of Leading

The danger is they can use people to achieve their goals.

Dangers that can get proud or pushy with the power that's given. We've all been around leaders that we wish they get a little grace with all that drive and intensity.

Sometimes they forget the purpose of the project. It got to get it done. Got to get done. We gotta build this building, gotta build. This gotta build this building. Gotta build this building. Come on. What's wrong with you? You need to give more. Why aren't you giving more? Come on these contractors. Hey, we're already 10-12% over budget, what's wrong with this committee? And someone says and why are we building this building? So we can love people.

How does Leadership Manifest?

We are all Leaders in some respect. There are people who look up to us in areas. Even if you don’t want it. But some of you have the God given gift of leadership. and It will manifest itself through things like administration, helping, pastor even teaching, discernment.

Just cause you want power doesn’t mean you are a leader. Just cause you don’t want power doesn’t mean you are not.

The Gift of Mercy

The Divine enablement to minister cheerfully and appropriately to people who are suffering or undeserving and to spare them from punishment or consequences justly deserved. - Chip Ingram

This is those people that you've blown it and you've really blown it, and you know you can blame others, but it really is your fault and something in them not only wants to help you but they don't want you to have to suffer the consequences that you really ought to get.

Kind of like God?

It's a gift of mercy.

It's a gift of of wanting to withhold just consequences from those who deserve it.

They're always asking the question, how can I make them feel better?

There's a high identification with people's hurts and and people's needs and, and what they're going through.

The definition of this word, at the heart of, it is an emotion that is aroused by the affliction or the needs of others that gets translated into action.

There's just something in the heart, this compassion, this sympathy and empathy, that wants to reach out and help people.

They are able to detect and discern, people's feelings.

This is the person that you come in contact with them and they just seem to discern what is going on in your life or the life of others that you didn’t even talk about.

Not only are they detect and discerning, they're very sensitive. They're sensitive to the point of action they want direct personal ministry.

The gift of mercy, they don't want to delegate this, they are moved highly by the world vision or the food for the hungry commercials and they're glad to give but they want hands-on, helping people with very specific needs.

Dangers of the gift of Mercy

They tend to have a hard time to be firm when necessary. They look through life with the eyes of mercy so things like parenting with authority and discipline is very difficult.

Resentment for those who don't have this gift. People with a gift of mercy and people the gift of leadership can have significant problems in the body of Christ. And God's goal is that this person does this out of his grace. And this person does this out of his grace and the leadership becomes more merciful and the merciful person learns to lead with clarity and direction and apply their gift much better.

They often are misunderstood by people the opposite sex. If you have this gift, you got to be careful because you someone's really hurting and you're a woman and a man is hurting or vice versa, you’re a man and woman is hurting, and you reach out to help them. And you know I think she's kind of coming on to me or he's coming on to me. No no it has not I see your need. I see your pain. People often with this gift end up in very dysfunctional relationships because they're trying to rescue people and they get involved emotionally in helping people. They shouldn't be helping. What you needed to find another sister to, you know, help that gal or a brother to help that brother on these kind of issues.

How does Mercy Manifest?

We are all to emulate God and be merciful at times, that does not mean we all see the world through the lens of mercy. Some of you have the God given gift of Mercy, and It will manifest itself through things like helping, pastor, teaching, discernment, Miracles, Words of Wisdom. So much more

Just because you don’t hold people accountable doesn’t mean you have the gift of mercy. Mercy is about helping not just about being to afraid or lazy to do anything about it.

Is this you?

No that is OK. As where everyone can encourage but that may not be your gift.

Prophecy, Service, teaching, Encouragement, Giving, Leadership, last one Mercy next week.

What is your gift?

What are you doing this week to use your gift.

Bibliography

Ingram, Chip. “How to Discover Your Primary Spiritual Gift.” Living on the Edge, 3 Dec. 2021, https://livingontheedge.org/broadcast/how-to-discover-your-primary-spiritual-gift/?type=broadcast.