GIFT EMPOWERED MINISTRY
1 Corinthians 12:12-31
INTRODUCTION: As we continue to look at this area of “gift empowered ministry”, we move ourselves in to the area of seeing our gifts with regard to the life and vitality of the local body the church. What becomes clearly evident, by the way Paul address the issue, is that the Corinthian church was a church that could and would easily amputate a limb or remove an organ, with little regard for the overall affect of such and action.
Paul brings to light, once again that each member of the body is placed there by God, hence God is in the placement service for the body.
PROPOSITION: Knowing our place in the body is essential for our service in the body.
I THE UNDERLYING UNITY OF OUR GIFTS. – 1 Corinthians 12:12-13
A God’s gifts are diverse
1 Earlier in the chapter, Paul referred to three different classifications of gifts
a Gifts of intellect
1 Wisdom
2 Knowledge
b Gifts of special faith
1 Healings
2 Miracles
3 Prophecy of future events
4 Discerning of spirits
c Gifts related to language
1 Tongues
2 Interpretation of tongues
2 Later in the chapter, Paul will list gifts in ordinal fashion – looking at their value to the church as a whole
a Apostles
b Prophets
c Teachers
d Others
1 Miracles
2 Healings
3 Helps
4 Governments
5 Tongues
B God’s Desire is Unity
1 One/many
a One from many
b Harmonious unit
C Believers are unified at the most foundational level
1 Believers are unified by the baptizing work of the Holy Spirit
a Baptism is a universal work of the Holy Spirit
1 Notice the word, “all”
2 We cannot be a believer and NOT have the Holy Spirit
Romans 8:9 (NIV) 9 You, however, are controlled not by the sinful nature but by the Spirit, if the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ.
b Baptism is a impartial work of the Holy Spirit
1 Not based on our nationality
2 Not based on our social status
c Baptism is a direction changing work of the Holy Spirit
Romans 6:3-5 (NIV) 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life. 5 If we have been united with him like this in his death, we will certainly also be united with him in his resurrection.
1 Baptism buried us with Christ – we experienced a death. Our old sinful life died
2 Baptism raised us with Christ – we experienced a resurrection. Our new life began
3 Baptism united us with Christ – we received a new purpose. Our present ministry was set in motion
II THE SUM AND VALUE OF OUR PARTS – 1 Corinthians 12:14-21
A Within the body of Christ, each member is necessary and has an essential function
1 A body operates only if enough members function as they should.
2 Some bodies barely function
a Heart does not pump blood well
b Bones are brittle
c Muscles cramp up
d Yet if even a minimal of the parts function the way they should, the body operates.
3 Some bodies function quite well
a Aware of there abilities
b Aware of limitations
c Trained to function better
d End result is a body that functions well
AS A CHURCH WE CHOOSE IF AND HOW WELL WE WILL FUNCTION AS A BODY!
B Bodies with insufficient parts operating as they should become handicapped.
1 Parts are not able to function – stokes, or amputations
2 Parts act on the own – Hodgkin’s, or MS
C The efficiency of the local church body is based on the functioning of individual believers.
D God has not given gifts to the church haphazardly, but in perfect arraignment – verse 18
E The Church cannot exist apart from the harmonious use of the variety of gifts God has given – verse 19-21
1 We are all mutually dependant on each other
2 Mutual dependence means full function
3 Each gift and gifted believer is in his or her needed place.
Now that brings an interesting point up, …. If we are not using our gifts here, why is that?
• We don’t know what our gifts are.
• We don not know where our gifts can be used
• We don’t belong here.
Now I can help you with the first two, but you gotta decide about number three. If you believe that you belong here, then I am telling you that you gotta get involved and use your gifts, because God put you here for that purpose.
III WHAT THE CHURCH NEEDS TO SURVIVE – 1 Corinthians 12:22-
A The gifts we often desire are not the gifts the church needs to survive and thrive.
B Our body can live without an arm, leg, or eye
C Our body cannot live without lungs, heart or liver
THERE IS NO EUTHANASIA IN THE CHURCH!
D Paul says the stronger need the weaker, not the other way around.
1 If the church is to survive it is the ministry of those unseen that will do it.
2 What makes a church is not what is on the outside, but what is on the inside.
3 One measures a great church by the number involved in ministry, not the number sitting in the pews!
THE MOMENT WE BEGIN TO LOOK AT OUR EXTERNALS OVER OUR INTERNALS WE ARE IN TROUBLE.
GOD KNOWS WHAT I CAN HANDLE, AND GOD KNOWS WHAT WE CAN HANDLE.
IT IS EASIER FOR THE CHURCH TO SURVIVE WITHOUT ME THAN IT IS TO SURVIVE WITHOUT YOU!
E What we do we do together
1 Verse 24 – God combined/tempered us (He arranged, mixed, and blended us together)
2 God tempered us (verse 25) in order that we be dependant to each other, and needed by each other.
3 God tempered us all together because we all equally important to Him
My giftedness is all about God! Your giftedness is all about God! The churches survival and thriveable is all about God
4 Verse 31 – God says have a zeal for the gifts that really matter
So I want to ask you – do you want to be a part in the thriveability of your church? If you do then you need to know what gifts God has given you for the efficient function of the church. Quite simply we are the way we are because this is how efficient we can be. We will change when we become more efficient as a body.
So, as you leave today, I have prepared a gift test”. It is simply to take. There are 64 easy questions and an answer sheet. Answer the questions and then add the numbers across. Those numbers that are your highest are probably the areas God has gifted you in, and should be developed. Now when you come back next week, we will look at what these gifts are and where they can be used in the church.
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