Intro: We know the power of snow. Snowflakes are all uniquely made and beautiful frozen water. Snowflakes that don’t stick together don’t stay around very long. When they do their unique properties allow them to become an avalanche, a blizzard, a snowman and a snow covered landscape that is beyond any painting in the world. It produces joy for skiers, children who make snowmen, laughter when snowballs are thrown by families. This happens because the snowballs stick together.
The same principle applies to us as followers of Jesus. Each and every one of us has been uniquely gifted with the capacity to contribute to the work of Jesus. We were never intended to stand alone we were given the gift of God’s Holy Spirit in order to stick together and strengthen one another. Part of being all in means being all in together.
We learned that the Gospel should be engraved on your heart, ingrained in your head and this will lead to it be expressed by your hands. If God has your heart and head he will always have your hands.
Spiritual gifts when not used correctly or understood properly can cause problems. This is why Paul told the Church at Corinth
1 Corinthians 12:1 “Now concerning what comes from the Spirit: brothers, I do not want you to be unaware.” Paul didn’t want confusion or division in regard to spiritual gifts. As we discover more about the Spiritual gifts we will discover the way God gifted us to be hands on and All in!
What is a Spiritual Gift? A spiritual gift is a special empowerment given by the Holy Spirit to do ministry under God’s direction and grace for the good and growth of His body the church.
I. God gives gifts to everyone
1 Corinthians 12:7 “A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial:”
The original word that translates demonstration comes from a word that means exhibition. I remember the first art exhibit I ever went to. It was a 6th grade field trip. The display was in Memphis TN and was all about King Tut. It was amazing that they could display so much about Tutankhamen in so many pieces. That is what the spiritual gifts are supposed to do in us. The Spirit of God takes each individual piece of His church and displays Jesus. There is no insignificant piece because the same Spirit gives all the gifts. The ability to teach a SS class. The ability to organize events. The ability to be welcoming to a visitor. The ability to preach. We are pieces of the display.
A) Who gives the gifts? Ephesians 4:11 “and He personally gave some”
Jesus personally gives gifts to the church. There is only one way you do not have a spiritual gift. If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ you will not have a gift. Your gift will grow as you live closer to Jesus and serve deeper in His church.
B) When do I get the gifts? Ephesians 1:13 “When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.”
The moment you believed Jesus died for your sins and confessed Him as Lord you received His righteousness and His gift. The Holy Spirit is the promised gift of God’s indwelling presence in your life. You cannot be all in without the Holy Spirit living in you. If the Holy Spirit lives in you then at the moment he moved into your body you were given gifts.
II. Everyone gets different gifts (Romans 12:4-6a)
12:4 “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:”
A) Unity that the gifts should build
Notice that many parts are one body. There is one body of Christ. Denominational labels don’t mean anything to God. A friend of mine once said he was asked what he would be if he weren’t a Southern Baptist, he said, “I’d be ashamed.” Being a member or a Southern Baptist Church will not get you into heaven. Being Southern Baptist Church does not make us wrong or right. Following Jesus and being led by the spirit and building His church makes us right.
B) Diversity that the gifts should build
God does not make Xerox copies. John was not like Peter, Peter was not like Paul, Paul was not like Barnabus. God purposefully puts different people from different backgrounds into the same body. All of us are needed to display the marvelous grace of God. If we were all alike there is no way we could reach Carlisle, Des Ark, Lonoke, Humnoke and beyond for Jesus.
Not to mention it would terribly boring if we were all gifted to do the same thing. So some reminders. If there are differences sometimes we will disagree. Sometimes we will hurt each other. With the differences God can build a body that can touch many different areas of life and living.
Important point to remember. 1 Corinthians 12:11 “But one and the same Spirit is active in all these, distributing to each person as He wills.”
III. Gifts are given for the growth and encouragement of the church
1 Corinthians 12:7 “A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial:”
Warren Wiersbe “Spiritual gifts are tools to build with not toys to play with or weapons to fight with.”
What is the difference between natural ability like singing, athletic and spiritual gifts? Abilities help on the natural, social or physical realm. Spiritual gifts are designed by God to help the church at a spiritual level. Spiritual gifts are designed by to advance the church.
Ephesians 4:12, 13, 16 12 “for the training of the saints in the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ,”13 “until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into a mature man with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness.” 16” From Him the whole body, fitted and knit together by every supporting ligament, promotes the growth of the body for building up itself in love by the proper working of each individual part.”
Ephesians 4:11 “And He personally gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers,”
Paul makes clear that God has given the church a gift of leaders and teachers. He wanted the church at Ephesus to understand the roll of these called individuals. Their main responsibility is to pray and minster the word of God in order to train and equip the saints for the work of the ministry.
The word equip means to mend or repair or make whole. It was used of setting bones and mending nets. It carries the idea of putting things in order. Jesus walked along the Sea of Galilee and saw Andrew and Peter, James and John busy at work in their boat. What were they doing? They were mending their nets. They were making the nets strong and getting the ready for the action of catching fish. Paul makes clear that this is what the teaching and preaching ministry is for. God uses imperfect pastors/teachers to teach His living and active word to prepare you to serve the body and share Jesus. Acts 20:32 “And now[i] I commit you to God and to the message of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you an inheritance among all who are sanctified.” The early church understood the great need for a healthy dose and diet of God’s word.
IV. Gifts are given for use in ministry and missions (Ephesians 4:12)
A) To serve the body
When Paul speaks of service he means service that all Christians not just leaders are called to. Service is modeled on the pattern and command of the Savior and represents the practical outworking of God’s love, especially toward fellow believers.
This service involved the feeding of widows, the taking of mentors, restoring of the broken, healing of the hurting.
Is there someone that you see in need? If you see it then it is probably your gift to serve and help.
How do I discover my Spiritual gift?
It is Bill Gothard who suggests that individuals react to given situations in the light of their gifts. If a waitress spills someone’s meal all over the restaurant floor and a group of Christians are sitting nearby, each individual will react in accordance with this spiritual gift. The gift of mercy responds by concentrating on cleaning up the mess, the gift of giving offers to pay for another meal, the gift of exhortation seeks to cheer up the waitress. The gift of administration delegates and organizes the whole matter to avoid confusion. The gift of teaching suggests some ways to avoid a recurrence of the problem. Your spiritual gift makes you sensitive to certain needs that others may not perceive. Do what you see needs to be done.
B) To share Christ
The ultimate purpose of the gifts are to prepare the church to share Jesus. To share Jesus with each other when we suffer, struggle, sin. That ultimately leads to sharing Jesus with others.
Conclusion: Being all in means being hands on. God’s law is engraved on our heart, ingrained in our head and expressed through our hands. Understanding we have a gift that helps and heals the body.
If we are All In Ministry and Missions are the result! (Next week – Specific gifts and how they operate)
