YOU’VE GOT A GIFT!
I Corinthians 12:1-31
Romans 12:3-8
Ephesians 4:11
I Peter 4:8-11
S: Spiritual gifts
C: We possess spiritual gifts
Th: Live the Difference
Pr: YOU ARE SPIRITUALLY-GIFTED!
?: What? What are the facts we need to know?
KW: Facts
TS: We will find in our study of Scripture four facts we need to know in order to apply our spiritual gifts.
The _____ fact we need to know is…
I. Spiritual gifts are special abilities distributed by the Holy Spirit to every believer according to God’s design and grace for the common good of the body of Christ.
II. God has designed the church to work interdependently.
III. We are different, but not divided.
IV. We have one or more spiritual gifts.
PA: How is the change to be observed?
Version: ESV
RMBC 04 January 04 AM
INTRODUCTION:
ILL Notebook: Talent (viola) [slightly revised…]
When Deborah Hays began viola lessons as an adult, she called her mother to share her excitement.
"Wonderful!" her mother ex¬claimed. "But I’ve never heard a viola. What does it sound like?"
Unable to give an apt description, Deborah phoned her mother a few days later, after buying a CD of viola music. "Listen to this…” she said as she placed the telephone receiver next to the stereo speaker, and turned the music on for about 30 seconds of a Schubert sonata. Then she picked up the receiver. "Well, Mom, what do you think?"
A moment of silence followed, then a ques¬tion: "I’m speechless, Debbie. Your more gifted than I thought! How many lessons have you had?"
Well…
Has anyone ever told you that you had a gift?
They told you that you were really good at something.
They understood by watching you that you were especially blessed.
You know…
I like getting gifts.
How about you?
This may sound crazy, but I like getting socks and ties.
And I really like getting books, cds and dvds.
But what I would really like as a gift is a BMW Z5 convertible – blue if you have it.
Now that’s a gift!
OUR STUDY:
Do you know that we have been gifted by God?
Think for a moment, because you have been gifted with infinitely better things than the silly ones I just mentioned.
First, we have been given eternal life.
Listen to Romans 6:23…
For the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.
And, there is more, for we have been given the Holy Spirit, the very Spirit of God residing in us.
Listen to II Corinthians 1:21-22…
And it is God who establishes us with you in Christ, and has anointed us, and who has also put his seal on us and given us his Spirit in our hearts as a guarantee.
But even that is not the end.
There is even more!
You see…
1. As Christians, WE HAVE BEEN SPIRITUALLY GIFTED.
There is not a believer in this room who does not have what is called a “spiritual gift.”
Each one of us has been gifted by God with special abilities that we did not have prior to being a Christian.
They are, in fact, the result of the Holy Spirit coming in and residing in us.
Sadly though, the truth is that we don’t all use them.
They are for the church untapped resources, because we don’t know what we have then or how to use them.
This means that many of us end up settling for far less than God intended for us.
Now, as a point of clarification, spiritual gifts are different than talents.
Talents are what you are born with; spiritual gifts are what you are born again with.
Our spiritual gifts are worth knowing, because we are assigned to have a proper estimate of ourselves.
In the Scripture text we read this morning (Romans 12:3), it says…
For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.
To better understand what spiritual gifts are, consider this definition…
2. Definition: Spiritual gifts are special abilities distributed by the Holy Spirit to every believer according to God’s design and grace for the common good of the body of Christ (Bruce Bugbee).
Spiritual gifts are divine endowments.
They come from God to us.
And they are true gifts.
The Greek word that is translated spiritual gift is charismata.
At the beginning of that word is charis, which is the word for grace.
So spiritual gifts are really endowments of grace.
They are special abilities that are graciously given to us so that we might make our unique contribution to the body of Christ, the church.
Now note also here, they are not meant for ourselves.
They are given to us so that we will effectively minister among the community of believers.
They are for the building of the body.
For…
3. God has designed the church to work interdependently.
We have not been designed to work independent of one another.
We are to work together – interdependently.
For it is God’s design that we use our spiritual gifts to serve the body.
Their use is to promote the good health of the church.
This means, when we use them properly, it is a win/win situation for all involved.
But a key issue in all of this is having a proper estimate of ourselves.
We need to not only understand what our spiritual gifts are; we also need to understand what keeps us from using them effectively.
Things that can get in our way are pride and arrogance.
If we think that we are somehow superior, we will be unable to effectively minister.
If we don’t trust others to use their gifts, we will prevent others from effectively ministering.
If we fear failure, we will never use them.
If we are into power and control, we will fail to see the necessity of others in the process.
So, it is important that in our discovery of our spiritual gifts, and their use, that we be godly men and women.
Therefore, let us remember that…
4. We are different, but not divided.
We are different.
We don’t all get the same gift or gift-mix.
Each one of us is different (and some are more different than others if you know what I mean).
Each one of us has different personalities, different talents, different interests and different experiences.
And now along with that, we have differing spiritual gifts.
But in the midst of all this difference, there is to be unity.
We are different, but we are also the same.
For what unites us is much greater than what makes us different.
We have the same Spirit.
We have the same Lord.
We have the same God.
This means that we are called to serve without division.
So please remember that unity doesn’t mean we have to be alike.
It doesn’t mean we have to think alike.
It doesn’t mean that everybody here has to conform to what I think you should be (though that would be easier for me, but a whole lot more boring).
What unity does mean, though, is that we are working together.
We are made to function in community.
So anytime we are sitting on the sidelines, thinking we are not needed or because we are mad, we are being disobedient.
We are not being a good steward of what God has given us, because we are called to invest what we have been given for the accomplishment of the Great Commission.
We are called to make disciples.
And God has given each church, each local church, all that is needed to accomplish this task, which includes our spiritual gifts.
Now…
5. We have one or more spiritual gifts…
Each one of us has at least one.
Many believe that we have a combination of two or more, and I think an observation of people will lend itself to that conclusion.
But I want to say, to be clear, that Scripture does not really give us an indication of the number we might have.
What we do is make some educated guesses, so to speak.
What we are doing next is giving an overview of the gifts.
This is a list of spiritual gifts that I believe are the most clearly defined in Scripture, but it is not necessarily an exhaustive list.
First, let us consider…
5.1 Administration: ability to devise and execute procedures to accomplish the goals of ministry (I Cor. 12:28)
People that have the gift of administration are good with strategies and plans.
They enable ministries to be effective and efficient, by creating and establishing order.
These are the people that have the special ability to be organized in such a way that ministry happens.
In the proposed by-laws, one of the things we would want to be looking for in members of the diaconate, are people with this ability and/or gift.
The second gift we wish to consider is…
5.2 Apostleship: ability to minister cross-culturally (I Cor 12:28)
Here we want to make a distinction between the office and the gift.
I do not believe the office of apostle can be repeated past the originals we find in the New Testament, but I do believe that the role and gift is alive.
People with this gift are mission-oriented.
It is on their heart to fulfill the Great Commission as found in Matthew 28, with a special burden that all hear the good news.
They are enabled to communicate across cultural boundaries with relative ease.
Obviously, it is to the advantage of those that are going into some kind of cross-cultural ministry (“on the mission field”) to possess this gift.
The third gift we are considering is…
5.3 Craftsmanship: ability to design and/or construct items for ministry use (Exodus 31:3)
This gift is not on all lists, but if you look at the passage in Exodus, you will understand why I placed it here.
People with the gift of craftsmanship are good with their hands.
They are enabled to work with raw materials to design and/or create something that increases the effectiveness of others.
Because of this, they are considered handy and resourceful.
They are often characterized as artistic, with a penchant for excellence.
The fourth gift is…
5.4 Discernment: ability to distinguish between truth and error (I Cor. 12:10)
People with this gift are able to discern between right and wrong.
They have insight on the difference between pure motives and impure.
They readily identify deception and often can sense when evil is at play.
They are perceptive and insightful.
The fifth gift is…
5.5 Encouragement: ability to strengthen, comfort and counsel those who need help (Rom. 12:8)
Sometimes this gift is also called “exhortation.”
People with this gift have the ability to come alongside others, at just the right time, to challenge, comfort and confront as needed.
These gifted ones desire to urge action that is biblical.
They desire to inspire confidence in God’s promises.
They desire to build the community of believers up so that it may be effective in accomplishing its purpose.
The sixth gift we are considering is…
5.6 Evangelism: ability to effectively communicate the gospel so people respond in faith (Eph. 4:11)
People with the gift of evangelism are able to speak with clarity and conviction.
They desire and seek out opportunities to challenge unbelievers with the good news.
Interestingly, they are typically sincere and candid, and they see positive results.
People come to Jesus when they share the gospel.
The next gift is…
5.7 Faith: ability to act on God’s promises with extraordinary confidence (I Cor. 12:9)
People that have been given faith as their spiritual gift know how to inspire faith in others.
They have a special sense of God’s leading, an attitude of trust in God that pushes them forward.
They don’t always know what the end will be, but that doesn’t matter.
They know that God is in it and we must go forward.
Among the community of believers, we need to learn to trust those that have been given faith, and not hold back from following them, even if we don’t quite understand where they are going.
They are gifted by God.
The eighth gift is…
5.8 Giving: ability to contribute resources cheerfully and liberally (Rom. 12:8)
People with the gift of giving know how to manage their finances and limit their lifestyle so that they might contribute freely to the accomplishment of the Great Commission.
They are often sacrificial in nature.
Sometimes, God gives them the special ability to make money, so that they are able to give more.
When they demonstrate the ability to give alongside the virtue of humility, they are very, very effective.
Obviously, we love to have these kind of people around!
The ninth gift we are considering is…
5.9 Helps: ability to accomplish practical and necessary tasks (I Cor. 12:28)
These people are the real work horses of the church, so to speak.
Those with the gift of helps are known as available and willing.
They have no problem working behind the scenes and are dependable.
They have the ability to see what needs to be done and go do it without being asked or told to do so.
The next gift is…
5.10 Hospitality: ability to care for people by providing fellowship, food and shelter (I Peter 4:9-10)
People with this gift are able to provide an environment where people feel valued and welcomed.
They really know how to connect with people and have the ability to set people at ease.
These are the kind of people that are easy to be around.
They are comfortable to be around and they are comfortable with their living space, regardless of its condition (in other words, you don’t have to have a perfect looking home in order to have the gift of hospitality).
The eleventh gift to consider is…
5.11 Knowledge: ability to discover, accumulate and analyze Scriptural truth for the church (I Cor. 12:8)
Those with the gift of knowledge are often our academics.
With ease, they search Scriptures for insight, understanding and truth.
Alongside of this, they are able to organize information that is helpful to others.
Sometimes, they have unusual insight that no one else has.
The twelfth gift we are considering is…
5.12 Leadership: ability to cast vision, motivate and direct people to accomplish the purposes of God (Rom. 12:8)
People with the gift of leadership know how to provide direction and motivate others to get there.
They understand the “big picture” and place great value in it.
They are influential and persuasive.
They have the ability to point people to better ways and destinations.
The next gift is…
5.13 Mercy: ability to practically help those who are suffering or who are in need (Rom. 12:8)
People with the gift of mercy bring healing to the body.
They know how to alleviate both physical and emotional pain with grace and dignity.
They are true expressions of agape love, as they are even able to serve in difficult and unsightly circumstances.
The fourteenth gift we will be considering is…
5.14 Prophecy: ability to speak God’s words (Rom. 12:6)
First, I want to tell you that my view on the gift of prophecy is not the same as others.
But when we come to chapter 14 in our study of I Corinthians, I will give a much longer and detailed explanation.
Interestingly, this is the one spiritual gift that each one of us is allowed to desire.
People that possess this gift are true listeners to the voice of God.
When God brings matters to their mind, they realize the importance of these matters, and share them with the community of believers.
A great time, I believe, for the gift of prophecy to be used in our church is when a time of testimony is given.
This is a great time to testify of God’s working so that the body might be built.
The next gift we are considering is…
5.15 Shepherding: ability to care for, nurture and guide people to becoming like Christ (Eph. 4:11)
Again, I think it is good for us to understand the difference between the office and the function as a spiritual gift.
There are those that are called to fill the office of pastor and elder, and it is their responsibility to care for the flock.
But there are also people that are gifted as shepherds who do not hold the office.
They have an enabling to provide guidance and oversight, by modeling what it means to follow Jesus.
The sixteenth gift is…
5.16 Teaching: ability to clearly explain Scripture (I Cor. 12:28)
People with the gift of teaching know how to get the point of across.
Because they know how to explain the Word, they are able to challenge their listeners and inspire greater obedience in the body.
The last gift we are considering is…
5.17 Wisdom: ability to apply spiritual truth effectively (I Cor. 12:8)
Those with this gift are very practical.
They are able to focus on the unseen consequences of action, and also offer solutions that will build the body.
Now, as I mentioned before, this was not an exhaustive list…
5.18 There are other possible gifts: Celibacy, Counseling, Creativity, Intercession, Martyrdom
It was my evaluation, however, that the ones I have presented have the best biblical evidence behind them.
But just in case martyrdom is a gift, I do want to mention you can only use the gift once.
Also…
5.19 There are sign gifts: Healing, Interpretation, Miracles, Tongues
We will speak more about these in coming weeks, and especially about tongues when we study chapter 14 (whenever that may be).
There are those that believe that these gifts ended with the apostolic age.
There are others that believe that they are still very active today.
Suffice it to say, though, that if they are active, it is rather self-evident if you possess the gift.
APPLICATION:
ILL Notebook: Exercise (toning up)
Sarah was watching a new workout video to prepare herself for an exercise session the next morning.
Her husband stuck his head in the room, looked around and said, "That would probably work a lot better if you actually did the exercises."
Well, I hear that exercise actually works when you do it.
So…
1. What kind of shape are you in?
Let’s follow the acrostic S – H – A – P – E to observe our makeup as a person.
This will tell us about the shape God has made us.
First, we have…
S Spiritual gifts
Spiritual gifts demonstrate what we will do in the body of Christ.
When we know our gifts, we are better able to identify the role God has for us.
Second, we have…
H Heart
We all have differing interests, burdens and passions.
When we can readily identify our passion, it helps to identify where we are best suited to serve.
Third, we have…
A Abilities
We all have talents and abilities we are born with.
When we can identify these, they also help determine what we can be doing for the body of Christ.
What you are born with also determines what you will do.
Fourth, we have…
P Personality
This is another part of God’s design in our lives.
It demonstrates how we will serve.
It is the how we do it.
Some of us are more people-oriented, while others are more task-oriented.
Some of us are more outgoing, while others are more reserved.
Finally, there is…
E Experiences
We are all in a journey, and our experiences are what the Lord has already done in us.
They reflect the lessons we have already learned.
These are the things that shape us.
I encourage you to read the Current this week.
For…
2. We are beginning a new approach to ministry called “Network” in order to help you understand God’s design for you in the church.
You see…
We should want everything that God has for us.
And we should want nothing less.
This ministry approach we are adopting will aid us in finding where you fit in God’s plan, and how you might best accomplish the role God has given you in the church.
BENEDICTION: [Counselors are ]
You are spiritually gifted – you have been literally graced by God with special abilities; so use them for God’s glory.
You are spiritually gifted – but these gifts are not for self-fulfillment, but rather for the building of Christ’s body; so use these gifts for the glory of God.
You are spiritually gifted – this makes us different from one another, and this is a good thing, for together we work as a unit – for the glory of God.
May the God of hope fill you with all joy and peace as you trust in him, so that you may overflow with hope by the power of the Holy Spirit.
RESOURCES:
Network by Bruce Bugbee, Don Cousins, BillHybels
Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow, C. Peter Wagner
“Gifted to Serve,” Discipleship Journal, Jack B. Hoey, Jr.
“Unwrapping Your Gifts,” Moody Monthly, Jim Watkins
Sermoncentral
“You Want a Gift?” Denn Guptill
“Understanding Your Shape” Brian Bill
“Defrosting Your Spiritual Assets” Brian Bill
“Using What God Has Given” Brian Bill
“Unwrapping Your Spiritual Gifts” Brian La Croix
