“The LORD said to Aaron, ‘You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear iniquity connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity connected with your priesthood. And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. They shall keep guard over you and over the whole tent, but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar lest they, and you, die. They shall join you and keep guard over the tent of meeting for all the service of the tent, and no outsider shall come near you. And you shall keep guard over the sanctuary and over the altar, that there may never again be wrath on the people of Israel. And behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the people of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to the LORD, to do the service of the tent of meeting. And you and your sons with you shall guard your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and that is within the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood as a gift, and any outsider who comes near shall be put to death.’” [*] [1]
The Apostle to the Gentiles has written, “Concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols; however you were led. Therefore, I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says, ‘Jesus is accursed!’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except in the Holy Spirit.”
Then, in words that have been often misapplied in modern church life, he wrote, “There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” [1 CORINTHIANS 12:1-7].
God gives good gifts to His people. However, God’s gifts are given for His glory as we serve others! We can never find warrant in Scripture to see divine gifts as given for our own consumption. If God blesses us, it is so that we will be able to bless others, revealing the glory of the Lord through our service. This is especially the case when thinking of spiritual gifts.
YOU SHALL BEAR INIQUITY — “The LORD said to Aaron, ‘You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear iniquity connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity connected with your priesthood. And with you bring your brothers also, the tribe of Levi, the tribe of your father, that they may join you and minister to you while you and your sons with you are before the tent of the testimony. They shall keep guard over you and over the whole tent, but shall not come near to the vessels of the sanctuary or to the altar lest they, and you, die. They shall join you and keep guard over the tent of meeting for all the service of the tent, and no outsider shall come near you. And you shall keep guard over the sanctuary and over the altar, that there may never again be wrath on the people of Israel. And behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the people of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to the LORD, to do the service of the tent of meeting’” [NUMBERS 18:1-6].
“You shall bear iniquity.” Isn’t that an arresting phrase? The mere pronouncement implies responsibility—awesome responsibility! That statement should serve to give anyone pause who thinks of entering full-time Christian service. While we are not appointed as priests, we are given workers who are to labour in full-time service among the churches today.
The Apostle speaks of the ascension gifts our Saviour gave to the churches. He writes, “He [the ascended Son of God] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” [EPHESIANS 4:11-14]. Paul lists apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers as given by the ascended Saviour for the benefit of the congregations of our Lord.
There is a point here that must be stressed before we move forward—God appoints whom He wills to oversee His assemblies. Leaders are not elected, nor are they expected to be popular, they are expected to be holy and to guide the congregation toward holiness. As Paul is instructing the Corinthian congregation concerning the gifts of the Spirit, he writes, “You are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret” [1 CORINTHIANS 12:27-30]?
The crucial point to grasp is that God appoints for His purpose the various gifts represented within the Body of Christ. Whether considering speaking gifts, or sign gifts or serving gifts, we know God appoints. Therefore, we expect that the bishop’s staff is not the result of an election or a popularity contest; the one who wields that authority does so because he was appointed by God to that position.
There is a serious principle that seems to be forgotten when embracing democratic views. Those whom God appoints are appointed to exercise authority, and authority does not result from election. I am well aware that when Paul writes the words found in ROMANS 13, the immediate context addresses civic authority; yet, the principle is laid out, “Let every person be subject to the governing authorities. For there is no authority except from God, and those that exist have been instituted by God. Therefore, whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment” [ROMANS 13:1-2]. Focus on his statement, “There is no authority except from God.” If that holds true in secular society, how much more does it hold in sacred matters! And when the Apostle writes, “Whoever resists the authorities resists what God has appointed, and those who resist will incur judgment,” is it not apparent that it should serve to restrain overreaching for authority that has not been appointed?
In today’s text, the LORD warned, “You and your sons and your father’s house with you shall bear iniquity connected with the sanctuary, and you and your sons with you shall bear iniquity connected with your priesthood” [NUMBERS 18:1]. Those who serve would be required to accept that they were responsible not to violate ritual law. Transpose that concept to ministry among the churches and we see the truth that with great privilege goes great responsibility. The charge served as a means of protection for Israel since the priests and Levites would be responsible for ensuring that everything done was as prescribed by the LORD.
Do you view your particular ministry as a privilege? I am quite certain that whatever service God has appointed you to fulfil is a duty, a responsibility, but you must never lose sight of the fact that it is a privilege to serve the Lord and to serve His people. Service to the people of God is a divine blessing, because as you serve the people of God you are serving the Lord Himself. That is made clear when the Master instructs disciples in the days immediately preceding His passion.
Though the passage is somewhat extended, I ask you to recall Jesus words recorded in MATTHEW 25:31-46. “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. For I was hungry, and you gave me food, I was thirsty, and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, I was naked, and you clothed me, I was sick, and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’
“Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. For I was hungry, and you gave me no food, I was thirsty, and you gave me no drink, I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”
Take note of the Master’s teaching as He spoke of what would take place at His return. Here, Jesus equated service to His people with service to Himself. I fully understand that He was speaking of events that were yet distant, events that would take place during the dark days that will come upon the earth during the period we know as the Great Tribulation. However, the principle is evident in what Jesus says. Even now, service to His people is service to Himself. Refusal to serve the people of God is tantamount to refusal to honour God Himself. Seriously, what excuse can any person offer for failure to serve God’s people when the Lord has appointed that individual to serve?
Whenever a Christian begins to see her service as drudgery, she is moving toward irrelevance in the Kingdom of God. At one period in my service before the Lord, I pastored a congregation that was enjoying rapid growth. The building could no longer accommodate all who wished to attend services on a Sunday. It was increasingly difficult to ensure seating for all who wished to share in worship on a Sunday morning. I recommended to the assembly that we should initiate a second service earlier on the Lord’s Day. To my joy, they were willing to make this adjustment to accommodate new people coming to the services. The earlier service especially appealed to younger families because it would give them opportunity to utilise their afternoons for family activities. The later service appealed especially to more mature families who no longer had children at home, since it allowed them to be more leisurely in preparing for the service.
I was astonished at the response of the leadership of one of the worship teams. One woman whinged and complained that she would have to sing twice on those Sundays when her team was scheduled to provide music. You never heard such whining and grumbling! A second service would strain her voice. Singing twice on a Sunday would be tiring. She would find it difficult to sing that much. You would have been astounded by the multiple reasons why a second service would inconvenience her. There was but one conclusion to be drawn from her moaning and grousing—her service was not offered to God, it was a performance so that people could see her. For her, the applause of the people was more important than the smile of Heaven.
Too often, service among the faithful has been twisted and distorted into an opportunity to promote oneself personally rather than receiving the service as it is meant to be, a means for honouring the LORD through serving His people. Too many of God’s professed people appear to think that service is a means for attaining power; opportunities for service are too often seen as opportunities for self-promotion. This perception often is promoted by the pulpit, if only unwittingly. If you doubt that this distortion has gained general acceptance among the churches, recall the times that people make it apparent that they fill a role only so long as they are noticed. Fail to praise such self-centred individuals or overlook lauding them, and they are ready to quit. “Nobody notices anyway,” they pout. Who are they serving? When I serve the people of God, I am serving the Lord Himself. Therefore, my service is for the Lord God of Heaven and earth.
Focus again on the divine warning as delivered in the text, “You shall bear iniquity.”
With this statement, the LORD delivered both a declaration and a warning to those appointed to divine service. In the context in which this statement is made, God was holding Aaron and those who would share the priesthood accountable even for how the community treated service before the LORD. The priests were answerable to the LORD for whether the community held God in awe or whether they grew casual in their worship. To be certain, the priests could not compel belief, but they were responsible to ensure that they approached God in a manner that communicated their awe of God and did not debase knowledge of the Holy One.
This warning came immediately after a dire judgement had fallen on some within the camp. Surely you remember the account of Korah’s rebellion. In Numbers, we are informed, “Korah the son of Izhar, son of Kohath, son of Levi, and Dathan and Abiram the sons of Eliab, and On the son of Peleth, sons of Reuben, took men. And they rose up before Moses, with a number of the people of Israel, 250 chiefs of the congregation, chosen from the assembly, well-known men. They assembled themselves together against Moses and against Aaron and said to them, ‘You have gone too far! For all in the congregation are holy, every one of them, and the LORD is among them. Why then do you exalt yourselves above the assembly of the LORD’” [NUMBERS 16:1-3]? This group sounds suspiciously like some church members I have known. These deluded souls are prone to argue, “Anyone can lead the church. All of God’s people are holy. We’re as good as you.” Though they want to argue that anyone can lead the congregation, their demeanour argues that they alone are able to lead. Their character fairly screams out their self-promotion rather than giving evidence of self-sacrifice.
If a church is already dead, then it makes no difference who is leading. If an assembly is defined by going through the motions without transforming the heart, it does not matter who is providing oversight of that congregation. However, if the church seeks to honour God, it matters very much whether the one leading is appointed by God or whether that individual who presumes to lead has promoted himself or herself! Leadership is not determined by who is the loudest in arguing over questions. Leadership is not the product of education, though education can polish what God has given, making His gift more effective.
I have often contended that any pagan can preach a sermon, but only a man of God will have a message from God for the faithful gathered to hear a Word from the Lord God. The message that the man of God brings will have been given to him by the Spirit of God as the man of God wrestles with the Word of God, seeking nourishment and refreshment and rest for the people of God. The man of God will bring a message, leading the people where the Spirit has led him, so that together they may continue the pilgrimage toward the Holy City. The man of God must follow the example of the Good Shepherd, outlined in the twenty-third Psalm. Tragically, this truth is too often ignored in this day as spirituality and religion appear to have supplanted the Faith in many of the churches of our Baptist Zion.
SERVICE BEFORE THE LORD IS BY APPOINTMENT — Under the Mosaic Law, it would have been a serious transgression against the Living God to presume that any person desiring to be a priest would be allowed to serve in that capacity. Such would be tantamount to purchasing the appointment of God, sullying the divine work in the heart of man. Allowing such a thing to happen would be tantamount to elevating personal desire to the criterion of the primary, if not the sole determinant of suitability for divine service. Only those whom God appointed to divine service were to serve as priests. Allowing one’s desire to serve determine service within the priesthood is really no different from claiming a “call” to serve within the pastorate. A call, by itself, is meaningless if there is no corresponding and obvious appointment by the Risen Saviour.
Men were not to be hired to be priests, they were divinely appointed to serve as priests. We are looking at a principle that carries over into the life of the New Testament assembly. Within the New Testament congregation, men must not be hired to shepherd the flock of God; they are divinely appointed to serve God’s people. The servant of the Living God will serve whether he is ever compensated for his service or whether his service is not recognised by a church or denomination. The man of God serves because God has appointed him to do so.
You will undoubtedly recall the words recorded in the Letter to Hebrew Christians. “Every high priest chosen from among men is appointed to act on behalf of men in relation to God, to offer gifts and sacrifices for sins. He can deal gently with the ignorant and wayward, since he himself is beset with weakness. Because of this he is obligated to offer sacrifice for his own sins just as he does for those of the people. And no one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God, just as Aaron was” [HEBREWS 5:1-4]. Take careful note that the priests were divinely chosen and appointed. Note that final statement clarifying the import of what God said, “No one takes this honor for himself, but only when called by God.”
The foundation for this assertion is provided in the account of the anointing of Aaron and his sons. The LORD commanded Moses concerning the appointment of Aaron and his sons to serve as His priests, “You shall take the anointing oil and anoint the tabernacle and all that is in it, and consecrate it and all its furniture, so that it may become holy. You shall also anoint the altar of burnt offering and all its utensils, and consecrate the altar, so that the altar may become most holy. You shall also anoint the basin and its stand and consecrate it. Then you shall bring Aaron and his sons to the entrance of the tent of meeting and shall wash them with water and put on Aaron the holy garments. And you shall anoint him and consecrate him, that he may serve me as priest. You shall bring his sons also and put coats on them, and anoint them, as you anointed their father, that they may serve me as priests. And their anointing shall admit them to a perpetual priesthood throughout their generations” [EXODUS 40:9-15]. It is evident that only God could appoint to divine service, and God alone would remove those who displeased Him from divine service. Neither appointment nor removal from office was at the discretion of the people.
Bible readers understand that all Christians are appointed to be priests of God. Peter identifies us who follow the Son of God as priests of God when he writes, “You are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. Once you were not a people, but now you are God’s people; once you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy” [1 PETER 2:9-10]. Each follower of Christ is a priest, but that does not mean that we are all to be overseers of the assembly. Each Christian stands between God and man, petitioning God on behalf of man and pleading with man on behalf of God. Nevertheless, within the New Testament assembly, there are no priests appointed to superintend the congregations of the Lord since each redeemed person is deemed to be a priest by God’s sovereign choice.
This, then, is the essential truth that must be understood: Each Christian is a priest of God, but not every priest is appointed to be an overseer. Overseers, also known in the New Testament as elders and as pastors, are appointed by God to function within specific assemblies. The assembly, guided by the Holy Spirit, recognises those God has appointed and receives them to fill the position to which God appoints. In a similar sense, God appoints each Christian to fill some particular position within the congregation. Together, we comprise the Body of Christ.
Perhaps you will recall the Apostle’s statement concerning the congregation as the Body of Christ. Paul wrote, “The body does not consist of one member but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ that would not make it any less a part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. If all were a single member, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, yet one body.
“The eye cannot say to the hand, ‘I have no need of you,’ nor again the head to the feet, ‘I have no need of you.’ On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together.
“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret” [1 CORINTHIANS 12:14-30]?
Among the churches of this day there is observed a tendency for followers of the Master to appropriate to themselves the right to determine how they will serve. Paul carefully pointed to the unique character of the Body of Christ. We who have believed are not all identical, as though we were cut out with some celestial cookie cutter. Each follower of the Christ is uniquely prepared to fit with other members of the Body; each Christian is precisely prepared to complement others so that the Body of Christ may be complete. My purpose as a member of the Body is to build you, encourage you and console you. This is not a purpose that is restricted to pastoral service, it is the responsibility of each member of the Body! You are uniquely prepared and appointed to build, to encourage, to console! Your appointment is unique!
Labouring to dissuade the Corinthian congregation from their mad pursuit of becoming identical in their service, Paul points to the inferior nature of a congregation in which all are alike in giftedness. The Apostle writes, “Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts, especially that you may prophesy. For one who speaks in a tongue speaks not to men but to God; for no one understands him, but he utters mysteries in the Spirit. On the other hand, the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation. The one who speaks in a tongue builds up himself, but the one who prophesies builds up the church. Now I want you all to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy. The one who prophesies is greater than the one who speaks in tongues, unless someone interprets, so that the church may be built up” [1 CORINTHIANS 14:1-5].
The Apostle’s obvious concern is that each saint will endeavour to “build up the church.” The focus for infantile Christians appears to be for them to build their self-esteem, to boost their self-image, to exalt themselves. I’m speaking to those who follow the Risen Saviour when I say, “As a follower of the Risen Son of God, you have been gifted, and the gift(s) you received were chosen by the Spirit of the Lord Who distributed His gifts as He determined for the benefit of the assembly. You, as a gifted individual appointed to the assembly, bear the joyful opportunity to build others, to console others and to encourage fellow believers.” Your focus, if you will honour the Lord who gifted you, will be to gain glory for His Name through serving others. Your focus must never be on your own sense of worth or self-esteem.
I’ve heard fellow believers on occasion argue that they must take care of themselves so that they can minister to others. One great problem with that philosophy is that few ever move beyond taking care of themselves—they begin to suffer from ingrown eyeballs that can no longer look outward to where their focus should have been all along. I agree that we are each responsible to walk with the Saviour, to graze in verdant pastures into which He will lead us and to drink from cool streams beside which He will lead us. However, we know that the Master is always seeking His lost sheep; and we, if we are walking with Him, will join with Him in seeking those who have wandered away. Our concern will always be building up His Body!
For your benefit, I must to drive home one essential point. As a follower of the Christ, your life is no longer as it was when you were still in the world. As one identified with this dying world, you could choose what you wished to do and where you would go. At least, you imagined that you had great freedom. Instructing Timothy, his son in the ministry, the Apostle Paul writes, “The Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will” [2 TIMOTHY 2:24-26].
Take special note of the final portion of the TWENTY-SIXTH VERSE. Those outside of Christ have been captured by the devil to do his will! The lost are not nearly as free as they imagine. They imagine that because they engage in gross sin and feel no immediate recrimination they are free, when in fact, they have been taken captive by the devil! When someone foolishly says, “I can worship at the lake as easily as I can worship in church,” they demonstrate how foolish they are. The simple response to such an assertion is that you can indeed worship at the lake, while snowmobiling, or fishing, or hunting, or doing almost anything, but the focus of your “worship” is not likely the Creator of all things. Thus, your “worship” away from church is not that different from your “worship” in a church building—your “worship” is non-existent, or worse still, your “worship” is self-worship as you exalt your own desires, imagining that by exalting your desires you are pleasing God. Such people have been captured by the devil!
When you were born from above and into the Family of God, the Living God assumed responsibility to appoint your service as He chooses. He appointed you to salvation, though you could not have realised this until after you had come to faith and been born from above. By His Spirit, the Lord appointed the gift or gifts that you received. Those gifts were appointed so that you could build up the body, so that through exercise of those gifts you could comfort those who sorrow and also encourage the faint-hearted. The Master even appointed where you would serve, having equipped you specifically for the benefit of that particular assembly. There, where the Lord appointed you, you were prepared and appointed to become integral to revealing the wholeness of Christ as you participate in the life of the Body. Not one aspect of your life as a Christian fails to bear the imprint of the hand of God.
I don’t want anyone to get the idea that one must have an engraved invitation before entering into service either for God or to His people; Christians are responsible to cultivate a servant’s heart. Jesus Himself testified that “the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve” [MATTHEW 20:28a]. Bible readers will recognise that Jesus used this insight to caution disciples that they were to develop the willingness to serve one another. When James and John, at their mother’s instigation, sought prominence within the Kingdom of God for themselves, the Master called His disciples to Himself and said, “You know that those who are considered rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise authority over them. But it shall not be so among you. But whoever would be great among you must be your servant, and whoever would be first among you must be slave of all. For even the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many” [MARK 10:42-45].
It remains true that each member of the Body is appointed to specific service for the cause of Christ and within the assembly of the righteous. Though the context is somewhat different from the thrust of the message, the truth is exemplified in the Apostle’s revelation that “Each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another” [1 CORINTHIANS 7:7b]. This appointment does not preclude other means of serving, but it does mean that specific services are appointed to each of us. Underscore this thought in your mind—each member of the Body is equipped for and appointed to specific service within the assembly of the righteous!
Though we haven’t time to fully develop this theme at this time, I nevertheless invite each listener to focus on the emphasis of this truth as it is repeated throughout the Word of the Lord. Paul writes, “There are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit” [1 CORINTHIANS 12:4]. After listing a sampling of the various gifts that were known to be operative within the Corinthian congregation, the Apostle reminded these saints, “All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills” [1 CORINTHIANS 12:11]. It isn’t necessary to recite the lists Paul provides in the Word to recognise that the gifts are as diverse as could be expected since they are given by the Infinite God.
In the Letter to Roman Christians, Paul wrote, “By the grace given to me I ask every one of you not to think of yourself more highly than you should think, rather to think of yourself with sober judgment on the measure of faith that God has assigned each of you. For we have many parts in one body, but these parts do not all have the same function. In the same way, even though we are many people, we are one body in the Messiah and individual parts connected to each other. We have different gifts based on the grace that was given to us. So, if your gift is prophecy, use your gift in proportion to your faith. If your gift is serving, devote yourself to serving others. If it is teaching, devote yourself to teaching others. If it is encouraging, devote yourself to encouraging others. If it is sharing, share generously. If it is leading, lead enthusiastically. If it is helping, help cheerfully” [ROMANS 12:3-8 ISV].
Focus on the SIXTH VERSE where Paul writes, “We have different gifts based on the grace that was given to us.” We are not all identical, though we each bear God’s image. We are uniquely prepared by the Infinite God for the task of building the Body of Christ.
Perhaps no other statement is so compelling as that penned by Peter in his first missive. “As good servant managers of God’s grace in its various forms, serve one another with the gift each of you has received” [1 PETER 4:10 ISV].
Each member of the Body has received a gift or gifts. Your responsibility is neither to play with your gift(s), nor to treat your gift as something meant only for your amusement—your responsibility is to employ the gift(s) you have received for the benefit of others. As members of the Body, we are instructed to “strive to excel in building up the church” [1 CORINTHIANS 14:12b].
To drive this point home, I invite you to focus on one final verse of Scripture. In the First Corinthian Letter, the Apostle to the Gentiles teaches those who read what he wrote, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good” [1 CORINTHIANS 12:7]. Whatever gift or gifts you may possess, they were entrusted to you “for the common good.” Because you are redeemed through faith in the Risen Lord of Glory, you are a gifted individual. More then that, you are a gift to the assembly where He has placed you by His Spirit. Your presence is designed to ensure that the Body of Christ exhibited through that congregation is complete. Therefore, you, and also the gift that He entrusted to you, is for the benefit of others. No gift was ever meant to be consumed for your benefit alone. To employ God’s divine gift for your own pleasure is spiritual dissipation! It is squandering God’s precious gift and reducing yourself to become a spiritual wastrel. You, together with those who are gathered by the Spirit of God into the assembly, are meant to reveal the fullness of the Risen Christ.
SERVICE BEFORE THE LORD IS A GIFT — “Behold, I have taken your brothers the Levites from among the people of Israel. They are a gift to you, given to the LORD, to do the service of the tent of meeting. And you and your sons with you shall guard your priesthood for all that concerns the altar and that is within the veil; and you shall serve. I give your priesthood as a gift, and any outsider who comes near shall be put to death” [NUMBERS 18:6-7].
The LORD said that the Levites were a gift to those who served before the Lord in the Tabernacle, though they were a gift given for the benefit of the LORD Himself. Then, the LORD God said that the service to which He appointed Aaron and his sons was a gift. We have seen that the gifted servants for the churches are likewise gifts given by our gracious Lord for the benefit of His people.
Earlier in the message I cited Paul’s statement concerning the ascension gifts of the Master. Paul has written, “[The ascended Saviour] gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes” [EPHESIANS 4:11-14].
We can accept that pastors and teachers, that evangelists and those who preach prophetically are gifts to the churches. However, I am adamant that each believer is no less of a gift to the entire Body. We must not forget that “The body does not consist of one member but of many” [1 CORINTHIANS 12:14]. Additionally, Paul writes, “There are many parts, yet one body” [1 CORINTHIANS 12:20].
The impact of this knowledge is summarised by the Apostle’s words, “Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret” [1 CORINTHIANS 12:27-30]? The obvious answer to Paul’s questions is that we differ, but we are each one essential. Only collectively do we become the Body of Christ. Only as we work together do we reveal the Body of the Saviour to this dying world.
Although we won’t be able to give a definitive answer in the time allotted, this information does raise a question concerning the service each Christian is appointed to offer before the Lord. As a people gifted by the Spirit of God, is our service a gift that is given for our benefit? Or is our service a divine gift given for the benefit of others? Alternatively, is our service a gift to be presented before the LORD? Just who benefits from the gifts God has given?
We seemingly move from one extreme to another whenever we speak of spiritual gifts. Among God’s holy people, some appear to imagine that everyone must have identical gifts, otherwise, they will be designated as inferior Christians. Other good and godly people want to relegate the idea of giftedness to the long-past days of the Apostles, as though Jesus was in error when He said, “My Father has been working until now” [JOHN 5:17 ISV]. These well-meaning souls seem to imagine that the Faith consists of a production in which worshippers attend performances put on by performers—from “worship teams” to orators paid to inspire with great, swelling words. I suspect that most saints simply want to serve the Lord. However, these dear souls are often discouraged as they are told in various ways that they are not qualified to serve.
However, listen to Paul as he addresses this very issue. Dealing with spiritual gifts, the Apostle writes, “Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly” [1 CORINTHIANS 12:6 (NASB: 1995)]. Each member of the Body of Christ is gifted; and thus, each member is equipped to serve in some capacity. If you are a redeemed individual, if you have faith that Jesus is the Son of God and that He gave Himself as a sacrifice because of you, He gave you His Spirit. And when the Spirit of Christ took up residence in you, He entrusted to you specific gifts to be employed in serving Him. You serve Him as you exercise your gift to build up your fellow saints, as you encourage those who make up the Body of Christ where you serve and as you comfort those who share this holy life with you. Your gift(s) was entrusted to you to be exercised for Christ’s glory. The congregation of the Lord is not defined as a performance—it is the Living Body of Christ. Church is not what is done for a brief time on a Sunday morning—Church is what we are collectively and continually! Our service has been entrusted to each one for God’s glory and for the benefit of all within the assembly. While we fulfil our particular ministries, we are building ourselves and honouring the Master. Amen.
[*] A PDF version of this message may be found at: https://newbeginningsbaptist.ca/wp-content/uploads/2018/09/Numbers-18.07-Our-Service-is-a-Gift.pdf.
[1] Unless otherwise indicated, all Scripture quotations are from The ESV® Bible (The Holy Bible: English Standard Version®), copyright © 2001 by Crossway, a publishing ministry of Good News Publishers. Used by permission. All rights reserved.
