GIFTED (part four)
The seven gifts listed in Rom. 12:6-8 are: Prophecy, Service, Teaching, Encouraging, Giving, Leading, Mercy. Last week we looked at the first three. Prophecy is receiving and speaking God's message to his people, or in regard to a specific situation, person or culture. Prophets spoke authoritatively on behalf of God to reveal God's message accurately that it may impact the lives of his people. The message usually consisted of the urging to repent or warning people based on what was going to take place.
OT prophecy focused on the foretelling of future events. Today, it could be if someone said something was going to happen tomorrow at Noon. But it would need to happen tomorrow at Noon in order to be legit. And it would have to be something previously unknown in order to be legit. The gift of prophecy can also be seen where God gives someone special insight into someone's specific situation; something the person could not have known if not for God revealing it to them.
The gift of service is attaching spiritual value to the accomplishment of physical tasks within the body of Christ. The ability to demonstrate love by meeting practical needs. "What can I do to help?" We all should serve but a deacon or someone with the gift of service has a natural pull in the direction of wanting to be useful for the benefit of the kingdom. They're not about being recognized for their service; they are willing to work behind the scenes without anyone knowing what they're doing. Their joy comes in knowing they've been able to help.
If I have the gift of teaching I am able to search and evaluate truth and give a detailed explanation of it. People with this gift are inquisitive: 'where did you get that information' or 'how do you know that'? They love study and research. They don't just want to know the truth, they want to know why and how something is true. They're trying to determine things on a deeper level. Those who have the gift of teaching also have the ability to impart biblical knowledge in a way that causes others to understand it's truth, concepts and applications. Today we will focus on the gifts of encouragement and giving.
1) Encouragement.
The OT word for encouragement means to strengthen. To encourage is to inspire, to lift someone’s spirits, to instill hope. Encouragers are the ones who readily come alongside other believers to motivate, comfort, console, counsel and strengthen them. It's the ability to challenge those who are wavering in the faith; the ability to stimulate the faith of others.
We are all supposed to spur one another along toward love and good deeds but those with the gift are able to do it more naturally and effectively. They ask, "how can I enhance this person's spiritual walk and fervor?" Someone with the gift of encouragement is able to both comfort and challenge someone. They have the right mix of calmness and firmness.
You can tell they love you but they're going to give it to you straight. They aren't going to coddle you but they're not going to be abrasive either. They want to see that you're open to practical solutions to your problem instead of just complaining about them.
Being an encourager can be difficult. One of the problems we can face is when it doesn't seem like our encouragement is working. We build someone up and try to motivate them and either they aren't receptive or if they are they do well for a minute but then slip up or slip away; it can be pretty discouraging.
We feel so badly for the person; we feel like we've failed the person. Sometimes it can cause us to be angry with the person. We want to just grab them and shake them up. We have to remain patient and remember that sometimes we can push too hard, too fast and that will have the opposite effect. So sometimes we go overboard but it's because we know how debilitating discouragement can be.
Satan knows that too. "The devil once advertised his tools for sale at public auction. When the prospective buyers assembled, there was one oddly shaped tool, which was labeled "Not for sale." Asked to explain why this was, the devil answered, "I can spare my other tools, but I cannot spare this one. It is the most useful implement that I have. It is called Discouragement, and with it, I can work my way into hearts otherwise inaccessible. When I get this tool into a person's heart, the way is open to plant anything there I may desire."
If the devil can discourage us then the door is open for us to sin, isolate from others and damage our connection to the Lord by not reading his word and praying to him. That's why encouragement is so important. The NT word for encouragement means to comfort.
Being an encourager means we sympathize and empathize; we acknowledge their sorrow, anxiety and fear as real and encourage them despite those fears. We meet them where they are and we help them to find the strength to move forward.
Someone in the bible who had the gift of encouragement was Barnabas. In fact his name means, "Son of Encouragement". In the book, “Who’s Who in the NT” under the section about Barnabas it finishes with, “It may be said that without the sympathy and encouragement of Barnabas, the vital contributions of Paul and Mark to the Christian faith and the NT might never have been made.”
So what did Barnabas do? One thing is he looked at the positive in people. Acts 9:26-28, "When he [Saul] came to Jerusalem, he tried to join the disciples, but they were all afraid of him, not believing that he really was a disciple.
But Barnabas took him and brought him to the apostles. He told them how Saul on his journey had seen the Lord and that the Lord had spoken to him, and how in Damascus he had preached fearlessly in the name of Jesus. So Saul stayed with them and moved about freely in Jerusalem, speaking boldly in the name of the Lord."
Barnabas highlighted the changes that had taken place in Saul. He was able to persuade the Apostles to believe in how he was presenting Saul. Barnabas focused on what Saul had become; not on what he was. Someone who has the gift of encouragement is able to focus on people’s positive characteristics.
It doesn't mean they ignore the negative ones but they choose to center on the legitimate changes and positive traits. They focus on the God in them more than the sin in them. An encourager sees the potential in people and they highlight it; not only to them but also to others so that they too can try to see this person in a more positive light.
Someone with the gift of encouragement also sees the opportunities that can come from a negative situation. An encourager takes the problem a person is facing and is able to find something positive to focus on. They don't minimize the problem or the pain someone is going through, they just balance things out and try to instill hope in moving forward.
Like if someone was in a car accident where the car was totaled but the people in the car were ok they would focus on that blessing over the damage to the car to put things in a better perspective. The person who is an encourager will consider how something could have been worse and use that to help the person to not be so frustrated or overwhelmed.
The Thessalonians were going through persecutions and trials and Paul sent Timothy to them to, as 1st Thess. 3:2-3 says, " strengthen and encourage you in your faith, so that no one would be unsettled by these trials." When we face trials and hardships we will be tempted to become anxious, worried and upset. But when an encourager comes along, he strengthens and encourages us so we can avoid anxiety and worry or be pulled out of it if we've already gone there.
Another aspect of Barnabas' encouragement was that he was focused on discipleship. Acts 11:19-24, "Now those who had been scattered by the persecution in connection with Stephen traveled as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch, telling the message only to Jews. Some of them, however, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, went to Antioch and began to speak to Greeks also, telling them the good news about the Lord Jesus. The Lord’s hand was with them, and a great number of people believed and turned to the Lord.
News of this reached the ears of the church at Jerusalem, and they sent Barnabas to Antioch. When he arrived and saw the evidence of the grace of God, he was glad and encouraged them all to remain true to the Lord with all their hearts. He was a good man, full of the Holy Spirit and faith, and a great number of people were brought to the Lord."
Barnabas wanted to inspire these new believers to stay the course and persevere. He taught them the principles of walking with the Lord and encouraged them to remain true to the faith. And we see that Barnabas helped to bring a great number of people to the Lord. Those with the gift of encouragement help people to overcome the reasons why they haven't trusted in the Lord for salvation and they help those who are saved to believe in the Holy Spirit's power and to trust the Lord in all things.
2) Giving.
The gift of giving consists of generously providing resources and money to further the work of the kingdom. They have an automatic response to contribute to worthy causes. They ask, "what can I do to meet this financial or material need?" They are generous people; not just with their finances but also with their goods and time.
They are governed by wisdom when trusting their personal assets to others to help further their ministry. They want to know that their donation was put to good use so they will look for updates to see how their investment is accomplishing goals. If they determine that their investment wasn't a wise one they will redirect it somewhere else.
One of the things that gets someone with the gift of giving fired-up is when they see mismanagement of funds either by an individual or a corporation. And they can see when someone is being greedy or when someone's trying to manipulate or swindle them. They can pick up on pressure tactics and sales-pitches. They love to give but they're wise about it.
And you don't have to be rich to have the gift of giving. As Paul told the Corinthian church in 2nd Cor. 8:12, "For if the willingness is there, the gift is acceptable according to what one has, not according to what he does not have."
A good example of that is the poor widow. She put the smallest amount into the temple treasury but Jesus said she gave more than all the others because she gave out of her poverty. She had the gift of giving and she trusted God to take care of her. Those who have the gift of giving have the ability to trust that God will take care of them when they give.
The Macedonian church had this gift. Paul highlighted their example in 2nd Cor. 8:1-4, "And now, brothers, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. Out of the most severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints."
When you hear phrases like "severe trial" and "extreme poverty" you wouldn't think they would be followed by, "rich generosity". But when you also have the phrase, "overflowing joy" then it makes sense. One of the factors of the gift of giving is having overflowing joy-joy for my salvation, joy for the ministry, joy for the church, etc.
I don't think you can have the gift of giving without having joy. You can give without joy because some give begrudgingly or with ulterior motives; but you can't have the gift of giving without having joy. And we see with the Macedonians that this overwhelming joy was present despite their circumstances.
The gift of giving doesn't leave when times are tough. It may not be as easy or widespread as when I have more resources to use but when I have the gift of giving my attitude will still be desiring to use whatever I do have to bless others.
And it works the other way too. One doesn't become generous just because he has more. Some people think that way, though. "If I had more, I would give." There's a quote that goes, "If one is not generous with what he has, he deceives himself if he thinks he would be if he had more." The gift of giving is there regardless of how much I have at my disposal.
And we see some other factors with the Macedonians that showed that they had the gift of giving. "Entirely on their own". They didn't need to be prodded or even prompted to give; they were the initiators. Someone with the gift of giving is ready to give as soon as the need is exposed.
"Urgently pleaded". Instead of having to urgently plead with them to give, they were the ones who were urgently pleading to give. That sounds so unnatural, doesn't it? "Oh please, please can I give you my money?" It's natural when it's the other way around, when we're trying to get something, but not so much when someone is trying to give something. But that's what was going on with these Macedonians.
And we see that they saw giving to help the saints as a privilege. It was an honor to them to be able to help. And it wasn't so they could boast, it was for the purpose of benefiting them by meeting needs. For someone who has the gift of giving their reward is knowing that a person or a ministry is better off because they could contribute; so that God's work could be enhanced or continued.
Someone with the gift of giving also has the right perspective regarding their possessions. Their possessions don't possess them. They can let them go if it is God's will to do so. The rich young ruler couldn't do that when Jesus challenged him to. Wealth was his stronghold. But someone who has the gift of giving can let go of their possessions when the need presents itself and God moves them. They realize that it's all God's to begin with.
Psalm 24:1-2, “The earth is the Lord’s and everything in it, the world, and all who live in it; for he founded it upon the seas and established in upon the waters.” The Lord is the Creator, Sustainer and Possessor of it all. Grasping this involves taking a look at stewardship vs. ownership. If we were to look at everything we have as being on loan from God and under his control rather than everything being mine and under my control, we would have a whole different attitude.
If our attitude changed from ownership to stewardship what would change? I would seek to use what God had given me to bless him and others. I would be more willing to let people borrow things. My mindset wouldn’t be, "I earned it so I’m entitled to do with it what I want”.
Instead, I would have more of a thankful, appreciative attitude that says, “Thank you God for giving me the ability to work, thank you for giving me the job, thank you for providing me the opportunity to serve you with what you’ve given to me.”
The one who has the gift of giving sees their possessions in the right perspective; they see them not only as things to bless their lives but also as aides and tools to bless someone else's life. Instead of being like the man who decided to build bigger barns to hold all of his abundance we need to be "rich toward God" and bless others with the abundance of blessings God has given us.
2nd Cor. 9:11, "You will be made rich in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God." When we exercise the gift of giving that will result in having more to be generous with. When our attitude is right about the things we have God will honor that. Having the gift of giving results in being willing to be generous on every valid opportunity.
And we see that there is thanksgiving when we're generous. And their thanksgiving can result in paying it forward; being generous to others because generosity was shown to them. Having the gift of giving not only blesses others; it inspires them to bless others in return.
Encouragement and generosity are two things this world could use a little more of; don't you think?
