Spiritual gifts part 3
What are the different spiritual gifts?
Sometimes we put people on pedestals and we say, "Wow, I wish I was like that! I wish I had his brains! I wish I had his money! I wish I had his car!"
And even Christians can get envious of other people. We might say, "Oh, I wish I knew the Bible as well as this person. He knows the Bible inside and out, and I have a hard time finding John 3:16! ‘Oh God, please help me in this area!’"
Or we might say, "I wish I could fix things like Dave can. Because he can fix almost anything that needs fixing. and the only thing I know how to fix is a peanut butter sandwich. ‘Oh God, help me to be more like Dave!’"
Or we say, "I wish I could be a good conversationalist like Susie. She always has something interesting to say. She’s always making people laugh. But when I get around people, my brain is so frazzled that I can barely remember how to say ’Hello." Oh God, help me to be more like Susie."
Too many of us stumble through life with a inferiority complex: We say "I’m not special. I’m not smart. I don’t have anything to bring to the table in terms of serving God." But today’s Bible passage proves that everyone has a ministry. Every Christian has a gift that they can use to make their mark for the kingdom of God. Romans 12:6 says that "We have different gifts, according to the grace given us." God blessed each of us differently so that each one of us would play a special role in His kingdom.
1) Romans 12:1-12:8
This morning, we’re going to look at the gifts mentioned in verses 6-8. And we’ll talk about how we can use these gifts.
In Romans 1-11, Paul talks about the gospel of Jesus Christ. He talks about how we are made respectable through faith in Jesus. He tells us how it is God’s desire to have mercy on each one of us, first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.
Now in chapter 12:1, Paul is saying ’In response to God’s mercy on our lives, we should present ourselves to Him as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.’
And one of the ways we can present ourselves to the Lord is by using our gifts for the Lord.
1) Prophesy
2) Serving
3) Teaching
4) Encouraging
5) Contributing to others
6) Leading
7) Mercy
1) Prophesy
Verse six tells us that "If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it!" In fact, every single time Paul mentions a Christian with a gift, he says to the church "Let him use it.’ Don’t try to stop him. Don’t try to tell him he’s out of line. Don’t try to tell him that he’s too young. Don’t try to tell him that ’it’s never been done that way before.’ If God has given him a special gift to serve the Lord, then do everything you can to encourage this person to use his gift for the Lord."
The first gift Paul mentions is prophesying. We tend to think of prophecy as the gift of being able to tell the future. Sometimes that’s what it is but another definition is:
Prophesy
to declare or foretell by or as if by divine inspiration.
to speak as a mediator between God and humankind or in God's stead. (dictionary.com)
The voice of the people has been said to be the voice of God; and, however generally this maxim has been quoted and believed, it is not true to fact. The people are turbulent and changing, they seldom judge or determine right.
Alexander Hamilton
( 1757 – 1804) the first United States Secretary of the Treasury and American Founding Father
Romans 12:6
6We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.
An example of this is found in the book of Acts
8Leaving the next day, we reached Caesarea and stayed at the house of Philip the evangelist, one of the Seven. 9He had four unmarried daughters who prophesied.
10After we had been there a number of days, a prophet named Agabus came down from Judea. 11Coming over to us, he took Paul's belt, tied his own hands and feet with it and said, "The Holy Spirit says, 'In this way the Jews of Jerusalem will bind the owner of this belt and will hand him over to the Gentiles.' "
12When we heard this, we and the people there pleaded with Paul not to go up to Jerusalem. 13Then Paul answered, "Why are you weeping and breaking my heart? I am ready not only to be bound, but also to die in Jerusalem for the name of the Lord Jesus." 14When he would not be dissuaded, we gave up and said, "The Lord's will be done."
Acts 21: 8 - 14
Now if I was Paul, I would have said, "Man, get off my belt! What are you trying to do?" But Agabus was a prophet, and God was using him to give Paul a prophetic object lesson on what was going to happen to him in the future.
And God still speaks prophetically through His people today. There are certain people who are very good at speaking the words of God. You will know someone has a prophetic gift when they routinely speak the words of God and their words are tested against life, the bible and common knowledge of what we know about God. Those people who have been tested and have been found to consistently speak the words of God are recognised as having a prophetic gift.
19Do not put out the Spirit's fire; 20do not treat prophecies with contempt. 21Test everything. Hold on to the good. 1 Thessalonians 5:19-21
2) Serving
We are all serving a life sentence in the dungeon of the self.
Cyril Connolly
1903-1974, British Writer
If it is serving (others), let him serve (Romans 12:7a)
On being selfish and not serving others
Verse seven goes on to say that if a person’s gift is serving, let him serve. The people with the gift of serving are the ones who want to be involved with the life of the church no matter what that might mean. They’re the ones who help decorate the church at Christmas time. They’re the ones who donate their spare time to serve on church committees. They’re the ones who put tables and chairs away after a church lunch.
And they’re the ones who clean up in the church kitchen long after the people have gone home. If all this activity sounds like you, then you might have the gift of serving.
This is not saying, I have a low self esteem and am only fit to wash dishes. It is instead saying I am so secure in Jesus that I do not need a position up front to make myself feel good.
1 Peter 4:11 says that "If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength that God provides, so that in all things, God may be praised through Jesus Christ."
People with the gift of serving aren’t doing it so that they will get the praise. They are doing it so that God Almighty will get the praise. They’re doing it so that Christ himself will be glorified.
3) Teaching
if it is teaching, let him teach (Romans 12:7b)
I like teaching and the contact with young minds keeps one on one's toes.
Aaron Klug
(born 1926 Lithuania and winner of the 1982 Nobel Prize in Chemistry)
Paul then goes on to say, "If a person’s gift is teaching, then let him teach." I just want to take a moment to say how much I appreciate all the teachers in our church. These are people who run bible studies, train people one on one, and preach from the pulpit. Your ministry is making it possible for the young people to grow in the grace and knowledge of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Your ministry is encouraging them to learn more about the Bible for themselves. Your ministry is pointing the way for them to have their OWN relationship with God. I am horrified when I hear people say our bible study has no leader, surely we should be praying that each of our bible studies has a teacher to lead us.
The truth is that now more than ever, Christian young people need to learn and obey the word of the Lord. We live in a society that is becoming more and more biblically uneducated. We live in a society where people talk about the importance of the Ten Commandments, but many of them couldn’t tell you what half of the ten commandments are. We live in a society where people say that they believe in the Sermon on the Mount, but they couldn’t quote you one verse from the Sermon on the Mount.
Now more than ever, we need the ministry of our Christian teachers. Now more than ever, we need teachers who are filled with the Spirit of God and the Word of God.
Now more than ever, we need teachers who will use the gifts God has given them to share the life changing message of Jesus Christ. And I am eternally grateful that God is raising up teachers of the gospel right here at South Perth Baptist Church.
Those who are wise will shine like the brightness of the heavens, and those who lead many to righteousness, like the stars for ever and ever. Daniel 12:3
4) Encouraging
if it is encouraging, let him encourage; (Romans 12:8)
I know why I am here and my only real focused goal is to live each day to the fullest and to try and honor God and be an encouragement to others. What the future holds is firmly in God's hands, and I am very happy about that!
Ken Hensley
(born 1945 English, Musician)
People who have this gift will do everything they can to inspire people to be the best they can be. "I just know you are going to survive! You’re going to do great things for the Lord. So keep going!"
I was reading about Winston Churchill, the former Prime Minister of England. He had the gift of encouragement. He was giving a speech at Oxford University during World War II, at a time when the Germans were dropping bombs on London day and night. The British morale was at an all time low.
But he went up to the podium. He looked the people in the eyes. And he said, Never give in! Never give in! Never, never, never, never -- in nothing great or small, large or petty. Never give in except to convictions of honour and good sense.
Winston Churchill
1874-1965, British Statesman, Prime Minister
A person with the gift of encouragement will challenge people to never give up. And to put their faith and hope in the Lord Jesus Christ. In fact, even if you don’t have the specific gift of encouragement, God can still use you to be an encouragement to someone else. Hebrews 3:14 says "Encourage one another daily, as long as it is called today, so that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin."
People involved in pastoral care and being on the door have the gift of encouragement. Because these are the kind of people we want to have stationed at the front of the church. They are the ones who give you a hearty handshake and say, "Good morning! Welcome to South Perth Baptist Church! We’re glad you’re here today!" They are the people that send you a card in the mail to just say they are praying for you.
5) Contributing to others
To be a man is to be responsible. …It is to feel, when setting one's stone, that one is contributing to the building of the world.
Antoine De Saint-Exupery
1900-1944, French Aviator, Writer
if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously (Romans 12:8)
There are people in this room will never be preachers or teachers or missionaries. But they believe in the Christian cause as much as anyone else in the kingdom. And they show their support by giving as much as they can to the ministry of the gospel.
Chuck Swindoll once said that the only reason he was able to pay the tuition for his seminary education was that there was a guy in Dallas who financially supported ten students. And Swindoll was one of them.
And during their final year when they were getting ready to begin their ministries, this generous man from Dallas took all ten students to a local department store. And he bought each one of them a new suit. So that when walked into the pulpit of their first church, they would be dressed and ready for ministry.
This man didn’t do all this for the reward or for the recognition. He did it because He loved using his gift for the Lord. He loved the feeling he got from being a blessing in the lives of God’s servants.
And let me also say that the word for contributing is not the same word that is normally used for giving our church offering. The word Paul uses is a more intense word. It carries the idea of giving when it hurts. Giving over and above what a person normally would give.
John answered, "The man with two tunics should share with him who has none, and the one who has food should do the same." Luke 3:11
If you are motivated to give sacrificially from the bottom of your heart, then maybe this is one of your gifts.
6) Leading
if it is leadership, let him govern diligently (Romans 12: 8)
Very few of the great leaders ever get through their careers without failing, sometimes dramatically.
Philip Bayard Crosby, (1926-2001, author and businessman)
People with the gift of leading are good at solving problems. If this sounds like something you would do, or something you would like to do, then maybe God has given you the gift of leading.
And for those of us who are not leaders in the church, when was the last time you took one of our leaders out for a coffee, just to bless them? The church leaders work tirelessly and it is so easy to say ‘you are a big leader and I am so small’. It is so much harder to acknowledge that your church leaders work hard and they sometimes need a bit of support. I was in the church working away on a Friday night at 9.30pm and I was not the only person here. Michael Villanti was here working away making sure that your church runs well. When was the last time you looked at your council members and prayed ‘God, how can I bless them?’
7) Mercy
Heaven have mercy on us all - Presbyterians and Pagans alike - for we are all somehow dreadfully cracked about the head, and sadly need mending.
Herman Melville
(1819 – 1891 American, Author)
if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully (Romans 12:8)
A person with the gift of mercy has been blessed by God with a special sensitivity to suffering and sorrow. They might notice that something is bothering you before anyone else notices. And they will come alongside and pray with you.
People with the gift of mercy send cards to friends and family members who need sympathy and understanding. Their heart goes out to people that you or I might over look. Their burning passion is to help hurting people.
I see this with the English teachers in our church, who take time out to patiently teach others English. They have time and have compassion. They are the people who overcome their prejudices and make friends cross culturally.
Conclusion
1) Prophesy
2) Serving
3) Teaching
4) Encouraging
5) Contributing to others
6) Leading
7) Mercy
Now before we go home and start using our gifts, there are a couple of things the bible teaches us.
35In everything I did, I showed you that by this kind of hard work we must help the weak, remembering the words the Lord Jesus himself said: 'It is more blessed to give than to receive.' " Acts 20:35
God does not give us gifts to excuse us from doing other things. He gives us gifts so that we can do over and above, in the areas where we’re gifted.
Number two: Paul was not trying to write down an exhaustive list of spiritual gifts. Some of you have gifts that Paul never gets around to mentioning! Some of you have the gift of worship. You have a tremendous singing voice. Or an awesome talent at playing an instrument. Whatever your gift is, I encourage you to use it for the Lord, to let God be glorified in your life.
"A new command I give you: Love one another. As I have loved you, so you must love one another.” John 13:34
We are reminded that God is the ultimate gift giver. He gives us second chances to live our lives for Him. He gives us a new command to guide our lives for Him. And He gives us spiritual gifts to minister for Him. God is our True Love.
To wrap up
Let’s pray.
