The Gift of Mercy and Ministry
Acts 9:36-43
God has given gifts to each of His children. In Acts 9:36-43, we are introduced to an ordinary lady with an extraordinary life. Tabitha is an example of one who had a combination of gifts. I want to speak to you on the topic of, “The Gift of Mercy and Ministry”
(Pray)
About the early church:
The 1st century church was the most spiritually gifted church in history. They had all the gifts of the Spirit: the sign gifts, the speaking gifts and the serving gifts. They spoke with tongues, they raised the dead and they spoke the oracles of God. Please understand the sign gifts were for the Jews. The Bible says in 1 Corinthians 1:22, “the Jews require a sign.” As we read the New Testament, we will find that in every instance of the sign gifts being demonstrated –Jews were present. You will also see a definite decline in their use. For example, in the early days of Paul’s ministry (Acts 29:9-11) as he was preaching a long sermon, a young man fell asleep in the window. He fell out of it, three stories to the ground and was killed. Paul goes down and raises him from the dead. Later in life as an aged man nearing death, Paul tells Timothy (1 Timothy 5:23) to take a little wine for thy stomach’s sake and thine often infirmities. If Paul could raise the dead, surely he could heal Timothy of his stomach problems right? Other examples can be given here but the point is: the sign gifts were already in a steep decline towards the end of the 1st century. But during the period of the early church –during that 1st century, this group of people was used in a tremendous way. They literally turned the world upside down for the cause of Christ and for the glory of God. No doubt, the gifts of the Spirit were a vital part in their effectiveness.
But that does not mean we are limited or cannot have the same impact in our current era as they had in theirs. The fact of the matter is we have more tools available to us than they had. We have the completed, inspired, inerrant Word of God. Published and preserved! We have freedom and ease of communication, printing, technology and the like. When you consider the early church it is truly amazing how they did so much with so little. At the same we are brought to the convicting reality that the modern church is the exact opposite. They did so much with so little and we do so little with so much!
The point I am making is that we must not excuse ourselves from the responsibility that the Lord has given to us. Our lack of progress is not due to the absence of the sign gifts but our failure to utilize the gifts we have. Churches are struggling to make a mark in our communities because God’s people will not engage and put to use the gifts God has given to His people.
In Acts 9, we find such an example. Tabitha was has an ordinary lady who lived an extraordinary life. She did not possess the sign gifts. She was not in a place of prominence. She did not have the status of a superstar or church celebrity. She was completely unknown outside her immediate sphere of influence. Yet God knew exactly who she was and He honors her faithfulness by including her in the book of Acts. There is a tremendous lesson here to be learned! You may not be in a place of high visibility. Your service and contribution may not be seen by the congregation –But the One who really matters, the One who sees all things, sees your labor of love and work of faith. God sees the body. We are members of one body, but we are members in particular. This passage illustrates this beautifully. God views Peter and Tabitha as equals in ministry.
As we consider this passage this morning, there are three things I want us to observe about the testimony of Tabitha. These three observations will help us gain a greater understanding these particular gifts.
When you look at the life of Tabitha you quickly notice that she invested her gifts.
1. Investing Her Gifts
Tabitha had and utilized at least 3 different spiritual gifts: the gift of ministry, the gift of helps or mercy, and the gift of giving. What are the characteristics of these gifts?
The Gift of Ministry: the term ministry literally means ‘service’. It is the God-given ability to help or serve joyfully and in love. This person has a built in need detector and they are happiest when they are helping others. They prefer to serve behind the scenes and avoid the ‘spotlight’.
The Gift of Helps or Mercy: the term literally means ‘pity’ or ‘compassion’. It is the God-given ability to have compassion for all kinds of hurting people and to minister to them cheerfully. This person can see through the disguise of a smiling face. They can empathize with those hurting and shows them love and appreciation.
The Gift of Giving: It is the God-given ability to give cheerfully, eagerly and generously to the Lord’s work with no other motive than to bring honor to God. This person does not create a ‘funeral atmosphere’ when the pastor talks about giving. They give without anyone knowing about it.
She served because she was compelled by the Holy Spirit to do so. These were her spiritual gifts. It was the Holy Spirit who gave her the desire to serve. It was the Holy Spirit who gave her the compassion to help and show mercy. It was the Holy Spirit who moved her to give to those who had a need. But pay close attention to what the Holy Spirit utilized in expressing her gifts. The gifts of the Sprit are the supernatural promptings, compulsions, or motives behind the believer being involved and getting engaged.
Let’s be brutally honest. The carnal man desires to be served. The natural man demands and expects to receive. But the spiritual man finds fulfillment and satisfaction in serving others. The Christ-life is not self-centered it is self-sacrificing. Believers who have the gifts of ministry, helps, mercy and giving have an insatiable desire to serve, help and give. And incredibly they find enormous satisfaction is doing so without attention or applause.
Please do not misunderstand what I am trying to say. The Gifts of the Spirit are abstract in nature but their expression and the tools by which they are expressed are concrete. God gave Tabitha spiritual gifts to compel her to serve, but her service was expressed by ordinary means. God used Tabitha’s talents and abilities in expressing her spiritual gifts. Sowing is not a gift of the Spirit it is a talent or ability. But a talent or ability that is surrendered to the Lord becomes a conduit through which the gift is expressed.
What talents or abilities do you have that God could use to express your spiritual gifts? In Exodus 30, God gave to Moses the details of how to build the furniture for the Tabernacle. In chapter 31:1-6, God identified the individuals who could meet that need. The Spiritual Gift was ministry –carpentry was the avenue through which it was expressed. What I am saying is –you have a God given desire to serve, to minister, to help others and to show mercy; and God has also equipped you with the tools to express it.
Tabitha invested her gifts and utilized her talents, as small as they may have seemed, as a means of expressing her spiritual gifts.
Investing her Gifts
2. Impacting Others
Serving others is a source of hope and help to those in need. There is nothing in this passage that gives the impression that Tabitha was a wealthy person –yet she gave. The gift of giving is not limited to the wealthy. In Acts 4, we read of Barnabas who sold property and gave it all to the church. That is commendable but that does not set the standard. The Gift of Giving is expressed in the act of giving not the amount of giving. Tabitha had an ability to sow and as a ministry she made coats and garments for widows and those in need. She gave. She gave her time. She gave her talent. She gave what she had. By the way, we are deceiving ourselves if we think we would give more if we had more. Sometimes people say things like, “If I had a million dollars I would give so much to the church and the work of the Lord.” The truth is –no you would not. Listen, if you are unwilling to give $10 now, what makes you think you would give thousands then? We give what we have. Again in Exodus, when they came together to build the Tabernacle, the people gave what was in their hands to give. Tabitha gave what she had and invested it into the lives of others.
Her willingness to use her gifts made a profound impact on the lives of those whom she ministered to. These were not weighty gifts. Her acts of kindness did not attract the attention of the local media or capture the imagination of the general public. But these small acts of kindness were an expression of love and an outflow of her Spiritual Gifts.
As small as these gifts might have been –they made a difference in the lives of these poor widow women. See them gathered there in the upper room. See them with their hearts broken. They are mourning the death of one Christian lady who took time to care for them. They are mourning the passing of an ordinary woman whose labor was an extraordinary work!
Mark it down, those who invest their gifts, who will allow their ordinary talents to become a conduit of their Spiritual Gifts will make a difference in the lives of those around them.
Investing her Gifts
Impacting Others
3. Impersonating Christ
The greatest example of one who had the gifts of ministry, helps, mercy and giving was the Lord Jesus Christ. These were not supernatural gifts given to Him –He was the embodiment of all the Spiritual Gifts, perfectly expressed and employed. The truth is we are never more like Jesus than when we are using our spiritual gifts. I am never more like Christ than when I am serving others. I am never more like Christ than when I am giving. I am never more like Christ than when I am helping someone else or showing mercy to someone in need. –And neither are you.
I see Christ in Tabitha. Do you? She served quietly. She served without seeking applause. Her desire was to glorify the Lord and minister to others. What a testimony. There are many people who serve. But unfortunately their motive is not what it should be. They serve to be seen, to be heard, to be applauded. They have their reward. But there are others who serve –seen or unseen- with one desire and that is to glorify God. That is impersonating Christ.
What is your motive in serving? Is it to be seen? It is to be applauded? Serving is about impersonating Christ and glorifying God. It is not about us. We are at such a strange place today. Many Christians do not understand what it means to serve. Christians get upset and leave the church because they were not able to “serve.” Here is a thought: when was the last time someone quit the church because they did not get to drive a van in the van ministry? When was the last time someone quit church because they did not get to be an usher or a Sunday school teacher, or do custodial and maintenance work? People don’t quit for that –but they quit because they didn’t get to sing or they didn’t get to lead in prayer, or preach. What I am saying is the heart of the servant is to impersonate Christ and glorify God. It is not about us –it is all about Him.
These are the lessons we learn from the testimony of Tabitha. What do these gifts look like in the modern church? -Very much the same. It is the gift of the Spirit that motivates and compels one to serve, to help, and to give. But it is expressed tangibly through your personal talents and abilities. These gifts look like gardeners, carpenters, musicians, cooks, van workers, ushers, nursery volunteers, sowers, planners, painters, artists, the list is as long as the multiple talents and abilities represented here this morning.
What do you enjoy doing? What abilities do you have that God can be utilize as a means of expressing these gifts? Invest them, impact others and impersonate the Lord Jesus!
