Spiritual Gifts – Spiritual Service

Before architects build a building they ask “what is it going to be used for?”  If it is a grade school building, they make door knobs a little lower, they make wide hallways, it is well lit.  If it is an office building they design lobbies and spacious offices that have good lighting.  If it is a courthouse, they design metal detectors and juror chambers.  

Function always determines form. 

When God created you, He knew exactly what function He wanted you to fulfill.  You are the way you are because He wants you to do a specific ministry.

How then shall we serve?

1. Last Sunday evening, one of our discussion questions dealt with, “Are pastors the only ones called to ministry?”  The biblical answer is no.  Everyone has a ministry.  The problem is that most of us look at our acts of service as a “job” rather than a ministry.
   1. Imagine if you served on

                                                               i.      Praise Team

                                                             ii.      Sunday School Teacher

2. Interestingly, I have heard people say, “I must be called to the ministry because I want to touch people’s lives with God’s love…I want to teach and to share Jesus with them.” 

                                                               i.      My answer is…you are called to the ministry…as a Christian. 

1.      If God uses you full time, it will be because you have been faithful as a volunteer. 

2.      You don’t have to be a paid pastor to make a difference in people’s lives. 

3.      And I know of too many seminary students who graduate and cannot get ministry positions because they figured that a diploma would make them ready for ministry. 

4.      Ministry is the life long call of every Christian.

5.      A pastor, evangelist, teacher, etc. aspires to the office only when he has learned to be faithful in the ministry first. 

3. Too often, the word "minister" is spelled with a capital "M" and used to refer to a select group of individuals who are viewed as professionally trained religious workers serving as fulltime staff members of local churches.

                                                               i.      Other non-staff people are never referred to as "ministers."

                                                             ii.      When this is the practice, we must question whether or not we are using the word "minister" in a way that is biblically accurate?

                                                            iii.      "Minister" is the translation of the Greek word "diakonia" from which we get our word "deacon."

1.      The word means... "servant."

2.      In the New Testament, the word "deacon" is used, at times, to refer to special servants who meet specific qualifications as set forth in Acts 6:1-6 and I Timothy 3:8-13.

3.      But also, the word is used in other passages in a more generic way to refer to all Christians.

a.       For example, in Ephesians 4:12, Paul speaks of God’s people being "prepared for works of service or ministry (diakonia)."

b.      Every believer is envisioned as a "minister" of Christ!

c.       Thus, the call to salvation is also a call to... "the ministry.”

                                                           iv.      I did a little word study on ministry this week.

1.      Ministry: 

a.       Diakonia – one who does the work of their king; who serves.

b.      Acts 6:4 “But we will devote ourselves to prayer and to the ministry of the word."

c.       1 Cor 16:15 “Now I urge you, brethren (you know the household of Stephanas, that they were the first fruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves for ministry to the saints ),”

2.      Devote ourselves to the ministry: 

a.       Proskartereo -  to be steadfastly attentive unto, to give unremitting care to a thing

3.      In other words, 1 Cor 16:15 might read, “they have been steadfastly giving unremitting care to doing the work of the King”

4. God desires you to serve…but not doing it like a job.  Rather, He wants you to see it as a ministry…where you are doing the work of your King!  And to do it with steadfast and unremitting care!  You have the incredible opportunity to do the work of the King of Kings.  And every time you do something that God prods you to do, then you are doing this!

2. The question arises though, “HOW” do I know what to do and “HOW” do I do it?
   1. God has a plan for Christians to be able to do His work.  And He does not expect you and I to do it on our own strength.
   2. He gives each Christian a special empowerment called a Spiritual Gift.

                                                               i.      A Spiritual Gift is a divine empowerment that produces supernatural results from ordinary, obedient actions on the part of the Christian. 

                                                             ii.      But most Christians get pretty confused when it comes to Spiritual Gifts. 

1.      How many of you are certain you know what at least one of yours is?

2.      (about ½ expected to know).

3. Let’s open your bibles to 1 Corinthians 12:1

                                                               i.      NIV: “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant”

1.      My experience has shown that most Christians are ill-informed when it comes to Spiritual Gifts. 

a.       We have either seen their extremes, and have been turned off, saying, I don’t want that.

b.      Or we have tried to figure out our gift and have failed, and then just given up trying to comprehend it.

2.      But Paul’s desire in this passage is that we NOT be mis-informed.  That we learn and apply what we learn.

3.       Do you know why?

                                                             ii.      1 Cor 12:4-7 “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

1.      God works through people.  He has given you specific spiritual gifts.  And you are responsible to understand them and use them. 

a.       It is irresponsible to simply say, “I didn’t understand them, so I didn’t use what you gave me.” 

4. Let’s look at why God gave them.

                                                               i.      Spiritual Gifts open the way for effective service.

1.      Remember our definition of a Spiritual Gift?

2.      Which would you rather have…natural results or supernatural results?  Tough answer, huh?

                                                             ii.      Spiritual Gifts call us to a greater sense of mission and destiny.

1.      We have been talking for 12 weeks now about discovering your purpose and your destiny…about unwrapping the purpose for which you were created. 

2.      Your spiritual gift points like a signpost to your mission.

a.       Example:  People who have a teaching gift should teach.

                                                                                                                                       i.       I didn’t know what my gift was…at least not clearly, until someone else recognized it in me and told me that when I shared in bible study, that they had lights come on in their life. 

                                                                                                                                     ii.      They said that God spoke to them through what I had shared. 

                                                                                                                                    iii.      I was a young Christian at the time, without a clue of how God planned on using me. 

                                                                                                                                   iv.      But God used that as a sign post to tell me to teach, to use the gift, and to allow Him to minister through me.

3.      People serve most joyfully when their abilities and calling match their task. 

a.       How many three-hundred-pounders are placed at the position of quarterback in the NFL?

b.      Too often, sincere and conscientious Christians have carried heavy loads of guilt because they were expected to perform tasks for which they had little or no ability.

c.       The happiest and most effective Christian servants are those who are functioning in ministries where they can clearly recognize some sense of calling, some degree of skill, some level of enthusiasm and vision, and feel competent to serve…and where they see God working.

3. Look at a few of the gifts and how you might use it here!:
   1. Administration: the gift that enables a believer to formulate, direct, and carry out plans necessary to fulfill a purpose.

                                                               i.      I Corinthians 12:28, Acts 14:23. 

                                                             ii.      Help out in the office, be a support person for a ministry.  Help plan our outreaches and events.

2. Evangelism:  the gift that moves believers to reach nonbelievers in such a way that they are baptized and become active members of the Christian community.

                                                               i.      Matthew 28:16-20, Ephesians 4:11- 16, Acts 2:36-40.

                                                             ii.      Help other Christians to learn how to share their faith.  Lead others to Christ.

3. Exhortation/Encouragement:  the gift that moves the believer to reach out with Christian love and presence to people in personal conflict of facing a spiritual void.

                                                               i.      John 14:1, II Timothy 1:16-18, III John 5-8.  

                                                             ii.      Barnabas.  Small Group ministry, all ages Sunday School ministries need encouragers who see the good and potential in others.

4. Faith:  the gift that gives a believer the eyes to see the Spirit at work and the ability to trust the Spirit's leading without indication of where it all might lead.

                                                               i.      Genesis 12:1-4a, Mark 5:25-34, I Thessalonians 1:8-10. 

                                                             ii.      Budget planning, Long range planning, advisor to the pastor, trustees.

5. Giving: the gift that enables a believer to recognize God's blessings and to respond to those blessings by generously and sacrificially giving of one's resources (time, talent, and treasure).

                                                               i.      II Corinthians 9:6-15, Luke 21:1-4.

                                                             ii.      Budget planning team.  Long range planning  Quiet & anonymous support..

6. Hospitality: the gift that causes a believer to joyfully welcome and receive guests and those in need of food and lodging.

                                                               i.      Romans 12:13, Romans 16:23a, Luke 10:38. \

                                                             ii.      Shepherd Ministry host/hostess.  Kitchen helper.

7. Intercession:  the gift that enables a believer to pray with the certainty that prayer is heard and when requests are made, answers will come. Takes prayer very seriously.

                                                               i.      Matthew 6:6-15, Luke 11:1-10, Ephesians 6:18.

                                                             ii.      Prayer ministry – both organized and unorganized.  Hospital visitation.

8. Leadership:  the gift that gives a believer the confidence to step forward, give direction and provide motivation to fulfill a dream or complete a task.

                                                               i.      Romans 12:8, John 21:15-17, II Timothy 4:1-5.

                                                             ii.      Any ministry team leadership role.

9. Mercy:  the gift that motivates a believer to feel deeply for those in physical, spiritual, or emotional need and then act to meet that need.

                                                               i.      Luke 7:12-15, Luke 10:30-37, Matthew 25:34-36. 

                                                             ii.      Almost any ministry.  Counseling.

10. Pastoring (Shepherding):   the gift that gives a believer the confidence, capability and compassion to provide spiritual leadership and direction for individuals or groups of believers.

                                                               i.      I Timothy 4:12-16, I Timothy 3:1-13, II Timothy 4:1-2.

                                                             ii.      Shepherd, Shepherd in Training, Pastor, Sunday School teacher, Discipler.

11. Service (Helps):  the gift that enables a believer to work gladly behind the scenes in order that God's work is fulfilled.

                                                               i.      Luke 23:50-54, Romans 16:1-16, Philippians 2:19-23.

                                                             ii.      Just about anywhere in the church where something needs done and anonymity is best.

12. Teaching:   the gift that enables a believer to communicate a personal understanding of the Bible and faith in such a way that it becomes clear and understood by others.

                                                               i.      I Corinthians 12:28, Matthew 5:1-12, Acts 18:24-48.

                                                             ii.      Teaching, preaching, Sunday School, Home bible studies, Shepherd Ministry.

4. You will notice I did not include the “sign-gifts” because people think they are so cool, they try really hard to act like they have them.  (miracles, tongues, prophecy, interpretation, words of knowledge). 
   1. They exist…and if you have one of them, you will know it.  You won’t need someone to tell you. 
   2. But most of the “service gifts” aren’t as obvious. 
   3. But for all of the gifts, you will only learn you have it by “trying to use it” and through other’s observations of your life. 
   4. Tonight we will be examining some of these gifts closer and also try to affirm one another’s gift, helping each other see what we see in one another. 

   
    

5. Cautions for Spiritual Gifts:
   1. Don’t refuse to do something outside of your spiritual gift…as an excuse.

                                                               i.      Consider how a baseball team functions on the playing field. Under some circumstances, a "catcher" moves over to cover or even play "third base," yet he and others recognize that he is a "catcher."

                                                             ii.      Identifying ones spiritual gift must never become an excuse for refusing to serve in any area of ministry when there are special needs or opportunities that arise.

                                                            iii.      Never must peoples’ needs go unmet while a Christian is saying, "I will not serve because I don’t have the gift of..."

2.  Gifts aren’t for you…they are for the building up of the body.

                                                               i.      I Corinthians 12:31, "But eagerly desire the greater gifts."

1.      Some take this to mean that if one truly desires a certain gift and prays fervently for it, God will grant that gift.

2.      The language of this verse is in second person plural imperative in the Greek text--not second person singular.

3.      Thus, the entire Body, rather than individual believers, is being exhorted to desire the greater gifts.

4.      Our desire and prayer should always be that God, in His wisdom, will supply His Family with any and every gift necessary to enable it to effectively fulfill its God-given mission.

5.      In other words, my prayer should be, "God, give us the gifts that we need," rather than, " God, give me the gifts that I want."

6.      I have prayed frequently for God to provide us with the appropriate gifts to do His will in our church.  You actually might be in our church today as a result of that prayer.  You may be the answer to a prayer. 

6. Closing:
   1. What will we say when the Lord says to us, "How did you use the gift/s that I loaned to you?"

                                                               i.      Whatever grace-gift you may have received is to be used faithfully, productively, and responsibly to build up the Body of Christ, and glorify God who gave it.

                                                             ii.      We are not "owners" of our gifts--only "stewards" or "managers."

                                                            iii.      To Christians, Peter wrote:  "Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, FAITHFULLY ADMINISTERING GOD’S GRACE IN ITS VARIOUS FORMS" (I Peter 4:10).

                                                           iv.      A steward serves as a trustee, and as such must feel the twin sense of privilege and responsibility.

                                                             v.      Your spiritual gift is a trust from God that you must now manage effectively and account for ultimately. Leslie Flynn, in 19 Gifts of the Spirit, writes:

1.      In the day of judgment we’ll not be lauded for the magnificence of our mansions, the chrome on our cars, the size of our salaries, the far-and-wideness of our fame. But we will be praised if we can properly respond to the question, "Did you faithfully use the gifts I loaned you"?

2. Illustration:  When Queen Mary used to visit Balmoral Castle in Scotland every summer, so well-known and beloved was she that she walked unescorted around the countryside. One afternoon, venturing far from home and suddenly noting dark clouds, she stopped at a door to ask to borrow an umbrella. Not recognizing the queen, the lady of the house was reluctant to lend her brand new umbrella to a stranger. Her cast-off umbrella from the attic had one broken rib and several holes. With an apology, she handed it to the queen.

                                                               i.      The next day the lady answered a knock at her door. She opened to a man in gold braid who held a long envelope. "The queen sent me," the stranger said, "and she asked me to thank you for the loan of your umbrella." For a moment the lady was stunned, then burst into tears. As the courier turned away, he could hear her muttering over and over, "Had I known it was the queen, I’d have given her my best!"

3. We are all gifted children in the service of the King.  Will you give Him your best?