Opening illustration: Living Unaware of Our Vast Fortune Come with me into West Texas during the Depression. Mr. Ira Yates was like many other ranchers and farmers. He had a lot of land, and a lot of debt. Mr. Yates wasn’t able to make enough on his ranching operation to pay the principal and interest on the mortgage, so he was in danger of losing his ranch. With little money for clothes or food, his family (like many others) had to live on a government subsidy. Day after day, as he grazed his sheep over those rolling West Texas hills, he was no doubt greatly troubled about how he would pay his bills. Then a seismographic crew from an oil company came into the area and told him there might be oil on his land. They asked permission to drill a wildcat well, and he signed a lease contract. At 1,115 feet they struck a huge oil reserve. The first well came in at 80,000 barrels a day. Many subsequent wells were more than twice as large. In fact, 30 years after the discovery, a government test of one of the wells showed it still had the potential flow of 125,000 barrels of oil a day. And Mr. Yates owned it all. The day he purchased the land he had received the oil and mineral rights. Yet, he’d been living on relief. A multimillionaire living in poverty. The problem? He didn’t know the oil was there even though he owned it. It is fair to say that you and I are a lot like Mr. Yates at times. We are heirs of a vast treasure and yet we live in spiritual poverty. We are entitled to the gifts of the Holy Spirit and his energizing power, and yet we live unaware of our birthright. We gather today to remember how rich we are.
Let us turn to Romans 12 and see what these motivational gifts are and whether some us are sitting on them without knowing that we posses them. Let us learn from God’s Word as to how we can operate them.
Introduction: Whatever the spiritual realm is, it bestows on people a range of accomplishment abilities that go beyond mere skill or knack. The term ’spiritual gifts’ itself does not say who gave them, or even whether anyone did. While the term is useful, and is good shorthand for more complicated definitions, Christians much prefer to use the term "gifts of the Holy Spirit", as thanks to the One who gives the gifts, and as a way to give credit where credit is due.
Spiritual gifts do not depend on natural talents and aptitudes or developed skills, though God gave you those, too. A gift of the Spirit is something that God gives for the purpose of building up others in a life of faith. It is the experience of Christians over the years that the spirit usually harnesses one’s talents in the service of the purpose for which the gifts were given. Yet sometimes, the spiritual gifts seem to work against a person’s natural endowment. This is, after all, the same God who led his people out of Egypt using a stammerer named Moses, made a shepherd boy/musician named David into a renowned warrior and king, and turned rural fishermen into leaders who left a mark on the course of history.
The gifts are “according to the grace given us”, not according to our own ambition or effort, not by our desire to do a great work for God, but by God’s grace and His desire to achieve His purpose in our lives for His kingdom. This is why it is essential that we seek the guidance of the Holy Spirit when we serve Him. Often, the ways that He would have us serve Him are very different than the ways we would initially choose to serve Him.
What are the motivational gifts of the Holy Spirit and how do they operate?
1. Prophecy (N) ~ vs Prophesy (V)
Greek word: profhtei,an (articulate or bear a prophecy) – God speaks through someone else
OT Purpose: There is no question or debate at all, among Bible believers, that the Old Testament prophets received direct revelation and were able to foretell the future. Their function, in part, was to reveal what God would do in the days or years that lay ahead. The prophets often pronounced woes on other nations. Their mode of delivery implies that these woes were normally communicated in the presence of not just Israelites. False prophecy resulted in death of the giver.
NT Purpose: Neither is there any indication of change in the character of New Testament prophecy, but rather its revelatory nature is clearly assumed. For example, when at His hearing before Caiaphas Jesus was spit upon and smote in the face while blindfolded, He was mockingly exhorted to "prophesy who it is that smote thee" (Luke 22:64). This prophecy would clearly involve direct revelation. When Jesus could tell the hidden past of the woman at the well, He was immediately recognized as a prophet (John 4:19).
Description: In prophecy the message must be from God, bearing the effectiveness of the Spirit, and bearing a piece of God’s burden over us. It is usually (though not always) directed toward God’s people. What we do with the message is our own responsibility. A “prophet”, in the Bible, is anyone speaking with Divine authority and under the direct influence of the Holy Spirit, whether they are speaking concerning the past, present or future (“prophets” do not necessarily predict the future).
Operation: Paul says that a prophet should use his gift “in proportion to his faith” (1 Corinthians 12: 28). A prophet should not prophesy anything that is not according to his faith. He should not speak as a prophet without being certain he is speaking the words of God. He should not get carried away with enthusiasm and begin to speak his own words while prophesying. Never feel that you are obliged to prophesy because everybody else is doing it. The punishment for false prophecy in the Old Testament was death: “But a prophet who presumes to speak in my name anything I have not commanded him to say, or a prophet who speaks in the name of other gods, must be put to death.” (Deuteronomy 18:20). So, be careful when using the words “Thus saith the Lord”. Note also, that prophecy must also be in accordance with our faith. It should not contradict the doctrines and principles of the Word of God. Anyone prophesying something contrary to the Word of God is a false prophet. [Isaiah, Jeremiah, Daniel, Jonah, Ezekiel, Amos, Kim Clement & Loren Sandford]
Regulations for NT & Contemporary Prophecy:
II Peter 1: 20 - 21 “knowing this first, that no prophecy of Scripture is of any private interpretation, for prophecy never came by the will of man, but holy men of God spoke as they were moved by the Holy Spirit.”
2. Ministries (service)
Greek word: diakoni,a (ministry of service) ~ the word deacon & deaconess emerges from here
OT Purpose: Much of the time, the Israelites were slaves or servants to another nation.
NT Purpose: The apostles were instructed to take care of orphans, widows and the destitute ….
Description: The spiritual ability to meet the physical needs of people within a given community of believers or unbelievers. One of the first examples of the serving gifts in action was recorded in Acts 6:1-6 when the apostles selected seven men out of their group to minister to the poor Hellenistic Jewish widows who needed food. This in turn set the apostles free to minister with their spiritual gifts Phoeba, Acts 16:1).
Operation: Doing God’s work by humbly serving His people is an important gift. Personally serving others has a great positive impact on the world’s view of Christians and Christianity. It has much more impact than the work of great speakers or expositors. Those who serve by doing menial, low-profile work should not feel that they are less valuable to God. God honors those who responsibly and diligently carry out what He has called them to do, whether it be pasturing a church or waxing its floors. [Some of you present here this morning are excel in your service to God]
3. Teaching
Greek word: didaskali,a| (instructing Christian doctrine)
OT Purpose: The elders taught the Israelites the commandments and how to adhere to them so that they would stay right with God.
NT Purpose: The apostles taught different Christian doctrines and Jesus’ teachings so that the gentiles and Israelites would be saved by believing in Christ as their Lord and Savior.
Description: The spiritual ability to take the truth from the Word of God and explain it clearly so that the flock of God can understand it and apply those spiritual truths effectively to their daily lives. It appears that one can have the spiritual gift of teaching without being a pastor-teacher, but one cannot be a pastor without being a teacher. The natural gift of teaching can communicate any subject but yields just understanding of that subject. The spiritual gift of teaching communicates biblical truth and motivates men and women toward a life of godly obedience to that truth. Apollos and Paul had the spiritual gift of teaching (Acts 18:24-28, 2 Tim. 1:11).
Operation: Teaching is different than prophecy. Teaching mainly entails the interpretation, exposition and explanation of the Bible. Teachers should not feel that they must be speaking words directly from God (as do prophets); however, teachers should seek the guidance and instruction of the Holy Spirit as they prepare to teach. [My mentor; some of my professors ~ excellent Bible teachers]
4. Exhortation
Greek word: paraklh,sei (to urge, comfort or console)
OT Purpose: In the OT there is little exhortation and much is about obeying God and adhering to His commandments.
NT Purpose: The fruit of the Spirit are the manifestation of being a genuine and fruitful Christian. Whatever we do as believers in Christ, we must do it in love even though we get hatred in return.
Description: The spiritual ability to come alongside a person who may be hurting spiritually or emotionally and offer them a word of comfort concerning the past and a word of encouragement, admonishment (truth in love), and challenge so that they will be able to walk in the steps of the Spirit in the future. A man named Joseph was renamed Barnabas (son of encouragement) by the apostles because of his ministry to the early church in Jerusalem (Acts 4:36-37).
Operation: We all appreciate a word of encouragement. Encouragement is a valuable gift that can be given to all: for the Christian in his service of God; for the downtrodden and persecuted to trust and depend on the Lord; for the sinner to repent and turn to Jesus. I dare say that we can all serve the Lord at one time or another using the gift of encouragement. [E.g. Pastor Bill Spencer]
5. Giving
Greek word: metadidou.j (to provide a share of)
OT Purpose: Giving of ones time and money was a big thing in OT times. 1/10 (tithing) of their income was incorporated by Abraham and the latter prophets (e.g. Micah).
NT Purpose: Was no different from OT times. In fact to be a cheerful giver of money to the church and her ministry was encouraged and in some areas even mandatory.
Description: The spiritual ability to give financially or materially to the needs of others within the body of Christ or the community in which they live. They express this spiritual gift in simplicity to the glory of God without drawing attention to themselves. Barnabas sold a field and gave the money to the apostles for the good of the church (Acts 4:36-37).
Operation: Some are endowed by God the talent and ability to make money in this world. These are the ones who are prime candidates to cultivate the gift of giving! However, the gift of giving is not limited to financial giving. As Peter, you can say, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you” (Acts 3:6). You can give services, talents, time, etc. And when you give, do it as Jesus commanded: “Freely you have received, freely give” (Matt. 10:8). Also, Paul in these verses encourages the giver to “give generously”. Giving should not be limited to the “duty” of tithing. [E.g. The widow at the temple]
6. Leadership
Greek word: proi?sta,menoj (to set or rule over in diligence)
OT Purpose: The OT leadership manifested God’s power and judgment. They were given extra-ordinary grace from God for leading His people and caring for them. Apparently they were directly chosen by God and the people’s selection did not play any role till they rebelled against God to chose Saul above God’s leadership and then it was a steep downhill for the Israelite nation.
NT Purpose: Apparently it differed from the OT style of leadership. Much of the time Israel remained under Roman jurisdiction and then was scattered till 1948. The choice was made by people with the Holy Spirit revealing to them what was upon God’s heart. Today it is man’s choice.
Description: The gift of leadership is, indeed, a gift from God. Very few are given the ability to be good leaders. Leadership is an important gift specifically in the organization of a church and its ministries. Every activity and service of a church needs a leader. Leaders should not take their role lightly, but, as Paul says, they should “govern diligently”.
Operation: The spiritual ability to stand before a group of people and lead them in a deep walk with the Lord, or mission project, the building of a new community of Christians, or an elders meeting, etc. The apostle James gave leadership to the council of Jerusalem (Acts 15). [E.g. Billy Graham; my mentor; Moses; Joshua; Paul …]
7. Mercy
Greek word: evlew/n (to have / show compassion in cheerfulness & gladness)
OT Purpose: No Mercy! Punishment or a penalty followed the sin or crime committed. At times, people who served God were pardoned (but not always ~ it was at God’s discretion).
NT Purpose: Mercy was given as God’s grace upon the people through Jesus Christ who died on the cross for our sins. And to be in Christ-likeness some of us have been given this gift of showing mercy to those who don’t even deserve it because God gave us His Son when we didn’t deserve His mercy.
Description: Mercy is a Godly trait. Our God is characterized by His mercy. When one truly shows mercy, he is being a true representative of God. However, as Paul says, when you show mercy, do it “cheerfully”, not grudgingly, not because you “have to”, but sincerely and from the heart.
Operation: The spiritual ability to manifest pity and give aid to those who are physically, emotionally or spiritually helpless. The ability to express compassionate loving action and lift up the one who is downtrodden and to do it joyfully. Tabitha ~ "...this woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity, which she continually did" (Acts 9:36f).
Conclusion: God has blessed us all with “different” natural talents and strengths, as well as “different” gifts of the Holy Spirit. Having “different” gifts implies a division and distribution of labor, a division and distribution established by the Lord. Never feel like you must fit into someone else’s mold, serving the Lord in the same way that they are. God has each one of us one or more of these motivational gifts. We have not all been given the character traits to do these things. In order to operate these gifts, it is mandatory to have the manifestation of the fruit of the Holy Spirit in our lives. So, seek the gift that God would specifically have you use to serve Him. Do not try to imitate the gifts of others, but cultivate and practice your specific gifts. Just think how productive and influential the church could be if all used their specific, God-ordained gifts in His service. Without the fruit the operation of these gifts is not possible. Find the methods of service God has prepared for you specifically, and then rest in them. We must not forget that the purpose of these gifts is not for our or your benefit but for the glory of God and the edification of His Bride. It is foolish to use your abilities merely for your own benefit. How will you feel meeting the Lord, never having used the gifts He has given you to serve Him?
