TRUTHS ABOUT SPIRITUAL GIFTS
Scripture reading
Exodus 31:1-11 (NIV) "Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah, 3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts. 6 Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you: 7 the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant law with the atonement cover on it, and all the other furnishings of the tent— 8 the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories, the altar of incense,9 the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, the basin with its stand— 10 and also the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron the priest and the garments for his sons when they serve as priests, 11 and the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place. They are to make them just as I commanded you.”
We are now in chapter 31 of the Book of Exodus.
This is the chapter that talks about the Lord choosing Bezalel, son of Hur, to make artistic designs for the Tabernacle.
It is said that that Lord filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and all kinds of skills.
He can work in gold, in silver and in bronze to cut and set stones.
He can also work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts.
In addition, God has also appointed and given special skills and talents to Oholiab, son of Ahisamak to assist him.
Together, they have been given the ability to make the tent of meeting, the ark of the covenant, and all the other furnishings of the tent.
They will also make the table and its articles, the pure gold lampstand and all its accessories.
They will also make the woven garments, both the sacred garments for Aaron and his sons servings as priests.
Then, they will make the anointing oil and fragrant incense for the Holy Place.
All of these will be according to the commands of the Lord.
He was to build the Tabernacle or dwelling place for the divine presence from the time of the Exodus from Egypt to the conquering of the land of Canaan.
It was built of gold, silver, brass, furs, jewels and other valuable materials according to the specifications revealed by God.
This Tabernacle was transported by the Israelites on their journey through the wilderness and their conquest of the Promised Land.
It had an inner shrine (named Holy of Holies) housing the Ark if the Covenant and an outer chamber (Holy Place).
Notice that God picked a man named Bezalel to be in charge of the work of building the Tabernacle.
The Hebrew word, "Bezalel" means "in the shadow of God."
That means that this man has been prepared and commissioned by God for this very purpose.
He has been given certain qualifications for the task to which he is called.
He is filled with the the Spirit and he has the skill, the knowledge and the ability in all of the required fields.
His assistant is Oholiab, it means "God is my tent."
He too has been filled with all kinds of skills to work as craftsmen, designers, embroiderers in blue, purple and scarlet fine linen and weavers.
In addition to Bezalel and Oholiab, God has prepared many others to do the work of constructing the Tabernacle.
It is important to note that they have received their gifts from God and they are to use them according to God's specific command.
If you look at chapter 36 of Exodus, here is a continuation about the work of Bezalel and Oholiab.
When Moses summoned all those who would like to give their gifts for the building of the Tabernacle, many came and responded.
It was during that time when the people continued to bring freewill offerings morning after morning.
Out of their reserves, the people gave more than was needed to the work of building the tabernacle.
It was a wonderful thing to note about the cooperation and the unity when God's people use their gifts for God's purposes.
Today, we are going to talk about the truths about spiritual gifts.
We believe that God has given us a wide variety of gifts to fulfill the Mission of the Church.
Every Christian has at least one gift which can be developed and use in the Body.
In the course of time, more spiritual gifts are given according to his faith.
No one receives all the gifts.
It is the Holy Spirit who decides what gifts I get.
The gifts I'm given are permanent.
Once you've been given it, you've got it for life.
He doesn't take them away, unless you decide not to use it.
God commanded us to first of all discover, develop and use our gifts always for the benefit of the Body of Christ - the church.
And the only way for these gifts to be a blessing to others is to use this in love and humility.
That is why the entire chapter of 1 Cor. 13 has been set aside for that after talking about of the spiritual gifts in chapter 12.
According to the Scriptures, all spiritual gifts can be categorized in one of the three below:
* Motivational Gifts - how God works in a believer to shape his perspective on life and motivate his words and actions.
Some of the examples are found in Romans 12:3-9 such as serving, teaching, encouraging.
*Ministry Gifts - How God works with what a believer does to serve and meet the needs of others.
Some examples are found in I Cor. 12:27-31 apostles, prophets, teachers, etc.
*Manifestation Gifts - How God works through a believer in a given situation that demonstrates His supernatural power.
Some examples are found in I Cor. 12:7-11 such as wisdom, knowledge, faith, etc.
We believe that each person who believes in Jesus Christ for salvation is indwelt by the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit grants to each believer spiritual gifts to discover and use them.
Each gift is valuable and each member is important and needed in order for the Body of Christ to function as a whole.
When a Christian serves using his or her spiritual gifts, the love of God will be demonstrated and each believer can experience personal fulfillment and great joy.
Let me illustrate to you how the spiritual gifts function in a group setting.
A group of Christians are having a home Bible study discussing about spiritual gifts.
One member commented, "I really don't understand how these different gifts can work together."
At that moment, a woman accidentally dropped her cup, which broke and spilled coffee all over the floor.
Each group member responded differently to the mishap, according to their spiritual gifts.
The teacher gave some advice. "Next time, if you will put your cup on the coffee table, that won't happen again."
The administrator responded by organizing a clean-up committee. "Bill, please go and find a mop. Sally, could you help him with a towel?"
Bill, who had the gift of service, hurried to get the mop.
Sally, who had the gift of helps, followed Bill and said, "I'll help you."
The person with the gift of exhortation said, "We all make mistakes so don't let it get you down."
The person with the gift of mercy put her arm around the woman, patted her hand and said, "I feel so badly for you."
The person with the gift of giving exclaimed, "I'll buy a new set of coffee mugs to replace the broken one."
That, my brothers and sister is how the spiritual gifts operate in the Body of Christ.
They all used their various gifts together to resolve the situation.
And we need to do the same for the good of all.
In our Scripture verses for today, we will learn four things about spiritual gifts.
1. GIFTS ARE GIVEN TO WHOM GOD HAD CHOSEN (vs. 1-2)
Exodus 31:1-2 (NIV) "Then the Lord said to Moses, 2 “See, I have chosen Bezalel son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah,"
The first thing we can learn from this chapter is that God has chosen Bezalel to be given a spiritual gift.
The word translated "chosen" in this verse is a word that means "called or commissioned."
In here, God commissioned Bezalel, son of Uri for the work of overseeing the building of this first Tabernacle.
Out of the many Israelites in the land, God had personally gifted Bezalel for this particular task.
In the same manner, God chooses to call those to whom He gives gifts.
Out of the many Christians in this world, God has chosen us by giving us spiritual gifts to use.
Look at these verses:
1 Cor. 12:11 (NIV) "All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines."
This text tells us that the spiritual gifts are given to us because of the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Look at the progression of the activity of the Holy Spirit in us:
First, He works in our lives.
Then, He determines the spiritual gifts we need to have.
Then, He distributes the spiritual gifts to equip us for service.
He considers carefully our personality, our character and our task in determining our spiritual gifts.
Then, in Hebrews 2:4 (NIV) "God also testified to it by signs, wonders and various miracles, and by gifts of the Holy Spirit distributed according to his will."
This verse tells us that God communicates His will to us through signs, wonders, miracles and spiritual gifts according to His will.
That means that our spiritual gifts is a sign or work of wonders to others that we belong to Christ.
There are however well meaning Christians who have been given spiritual gifts but they don't like the gifts that they have.
They have been given the gift of helps while others have the gift of administrator.
They look at person using his gifts and they want that kind of gift as well.
They are not satisfied, not fully convinced and not happy with the kind of gifts they have.
They argue with the master.
The Bible says its is not wise to do that.
Isaiah 45:9 (NIV) "“Woe to those who quarrel with their Maker, those who are nothing but potsherds among the potsherds on the ground. Does the clay say to the potter, ‘What are you making?’ Does your work say, ‘The potter has no hands’?"
Here is an illustration regarding the potter (God) and the clay (us).
It said that the potter (God) has the right to choose what kind of vessel He wants to make us.
It the potter chooses to make use vessels among the watershed of the ground, instead of a vessel inside the house, that is his prerogative and right.
We should not argue, bicker or dispute his opinion.
God chooses according to our personality and experience.
We must submit to God's wise judgment on the matter.
At the same time, we should be thankful, be appreciative and be content or satisfied with the gifts that God gave us.
There is one thing that is abundantly clear.
If God commands us to do something (such as to witness, to love the unlovely, to disciple the nations, etc.), then He will enable us to do it.
Some may not be as gifted at evangelism such as Billy Graham but God has commanded all Christians to witness and to disciple.
We are called to evangelize whether or not we have the spiritual gift of evangelism.
What we need to do is to cultivate these gifts through our daily walk with Christ.
2. KNOWLEDGE, SKILLS AND ABILITIES ARE FROM GOD (vs. 3)
Exodus 31:3 (NIV) "3 and I have filled him with the Spirit of God, with wisdom, with understanding, with knowledge and with all kinds of skills—
Firstly, we learned that gifts are given to whom God has chosen.
The second thing that we need to remember is that knowledge, skills and abilities in this world are all coming from God.
Look what the verse says: "I (God) have filled him with the Spirit of God."
God first of all chose Bezalel from among the Israelites and then, God fills Him with His Spirit to equip him for the work ahead in the Tabernacle.
All the skills, the abilities and the knowledge we have came from the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives.
Ever since God created the first man in Genesis, the Holy Spirit has been involved in the process.
During that time, it was said that God formed man from the dust of the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life.
And then, man became a living being.
The word "breathed" means God infused upon man His Spirit which is the breath of God.
In the same manner, when you became a Christian, you became a new creation in Christ and you are "born of the Spirit."
The Holy Spirit has been working in your life ever since.
In our text in Exodus, God filled Bezalel with the Spirit of God and endowed him with knowledge and skills to become a master craftsman.
He was an extraordinary gifted man.
All those intricate panels made of gold and silver and various wood carvings for the Tabernacle has been created because of the special knowledge from the Holy Spirit.
The word knowledge means a person's general intelligence or understanding about God and what he desires.
This also refers to the knowledge of what God wants him to do at that particular moment.
In the case of Bezalel, God wants him to construct the first Tabernacle in the wilderness as a symbol of God's abiding presence for the Israelite.
All of these knowledge and understanding came from his association with the Holy Spirit in his life.
In the same manner, as we daily seek the Lord, the Holy Spirit impart to us knowledge and understanding regarding His purpose and will for our lives.
Then, God also imparts a special skill or abilities to Bezalel.
1 Cor. 12:1 (NIV) "Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed."
The word "uninformed" is also translated "ignorant".
It means uneducated, unaware regarding how these spiritual gifts function.
Many Christian are ignorant about spiritual gifts.
They don't know about the gifts that they have.
One of the most common excuses that people give for not getting involved in ministry is: "I just don't have any abilities to offer."
I think that is a wrong excuse.
The key is knowledge, understanding and matching your abilities with the right ministry.
According to studies, there are about 3,000 to 4,000 list of different abilities.
Of this, an average person has about 500-600 abilities that he can use for God's service.
Most of them just don't know it or just take it for granted.
There are some people who are actually born with natural skills such as those gifted in arts or in sports.
All those skills can be learned by experience at home, in the street or somewhere outside the classroom.
All they have to do is to discover and cultivate those natural talents and gifts.
There are also people who have certain abilities but are not aware that they have it.
They need some process of skill identification to point out their giftedness.
It will take time, but once you identify your gifts, you will be more comfortable in doing the things you love most.
Also, there are some skills that you use at work that can also be usable in the ministry such as in handling the financial books.
Again, knowledge is important.
There are those who have special aptitude for music that others like me did not have.
For some people, rhythm and timing came naturally.
While for others, they just never seemed to get it.
Some people take an instrument or an activity in special way.
They have a certain ability for writing or drawing or the use of computers where it just comes easy for them.
We often call them "natural talents" but there is nothing natural about it.
God is the one who gives us those abilities.
It is a gift from God.
And so, you need to ask yourself these questions:
Do I have knowledge in a certain area?
Do I have special abilities or skills that I have been able to develop beyond what the other average person can do in that area?
Then, believe that God gave them to you.
It comes from God and you need to honor Him with the gifts that he has given you.
3. THERE ARE WIDE VARIETY OF CREATIVE GIFTS THAT GOD HAS GIVEN (vs. 4-5)
Exodus 31:4-5 (NIV) "4 to make artistic designs for work in gold, silver and bronze, 5 to cut and set stones, to work in wood, and to engage in all kinds of crafts."
The third thing we can learn from our text is that God gives a wide variety of creative gifts to His people.
Look at the words "engage in all kinds of crafts."
It means that Bezelel has been given not just one but many kinds of abilities as a craftsman.
He was skilled in the ability to work with gold, with silver, with bronze.
He knows how to cut stones and place them in beautiful organized settings that creates a theme.
He understood carpentry and how to work with wood.
Apparently, he knew much more because these verses finally stops listing all his different skills and just says he was able to engage in all kinds of craftsmanship.
1 Cor. 12:6 "There are different abilities to perform service."
In the same manner, every Christian filled with the Spirit is a creative person.
Anytime you put yourself in a particular task that you have so much, you will be more creative over time.
But each gift is different from the others.
There was a story of a school composing of different kinds of animals.
The curriculum consisted of running, climbing, flying and swimming.
All the animals had to take the subject.
And so, the duck was good at swimming and fair in flying but was terrible in running.
So, he was made to drop the swimming class after school to practice running.
He kept this up until he was only average at swimming but average was acceptable.
The others, including the teacher, was no longer threatened by the duck's swimming abilities so everyone felt comfortable, except the duck.
The eagle was considered to be a problem student.
For instance, in climbing class he could beat all the others to the top of the tree but he insisted on using his own method of getting there.
He had to be severely disciplined and finally, because of his non-cooperation in swimming, he was expelled for insubordination.
Poor eagle.
The rabbit started at the top of the class in running, but obviously he was inadequate in other areas.
Because of so much make-up work in swimming, he had a nervous breakdown and had to drop out of school.
The turtle was a failure in most course offered.
His shell was considered to be the leading cause of his failure so it was removed.
This did not help his running a bit but sadly, he became the first casualty when he was stepped on by the horse.
Here's the summation.
The faculty was totally disappointed but, all in all, it was a good school in learning humility.
There was no real successes.
None seemed to measure up to the others, but they did concentrate on their weak points and some progress was made.
Here is the lesson of the story.
Everybody doesn't fit the same mold.
That is why God gave a wide variety of creative gifts for each one to utilize and for all to benefit.
Here in our church, we don't want to concentrate on what you are not good at.
We want to focus on what you are good at.
That is why if your ministry is not working out, you will be full of stress.
Stress is an indication that you are not in the right ministry because you are not enjoying it as you ought to.
If you are not making it in a certain ministry, it does not mean you are the wrong person.
It means that you are in the wrong job.
So, it is better to look for the right ministry opportunity.
4. ALL SPIRITUAL GIFTS HAVE A PURPOSE. (vs. 6)
Exodus 31:6 (NIV) "6 Moreover, I have appointed Oholiab son of Ahisamak, of the tribe of Dan, to help him. Also I have given ability to all the skilled workers to make everything I have commanded you:"
The last thing we can learn concerning these verses from Exodus is that all spiritual gifts have been given to us with a purpose.
The purpose why God appointed Oholiab for the task is to make everything God has commanded him.
Every creative gifts that had been given by God has a purpose.
The purposes of these gifts are to glorify God, to reach the lost for Christ, to disciple and serve fellow Christians.
Therefore, when God gives you a spiritual gift, they are not for your benefit, but for the benefit of others.
1 Peter 4:10 (NIV) "Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms."
We are to serve others with the gifts that God gave us.
We are to bless the church and build up the body.
As I said, the purpose of the gifts is to produce maturity and stability in our church family.
Eph. 4:11-13 (NIV) "So Christ Himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
We use our spiritual gifts to produce maturity in the body.
Probably, most of you know at least one Christian who started out right for the Lord and then some cult came along, swept them off their feet and never to be seen again.
Why did this happen?
Because Christians around them who have the gifts of discernment and teaching were not able to use their spiritual gifts to help them grow and become stable.
When we use our spiritual gifts, it produces maturity and stability in the church family.
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