Text: Romans 12:1 - 16
OPEN:
We are engaged in a study designed to help each of us "unwrap our spiritual gifts."
Keep in mind our Foundational Statement: “Ministering as a disciple of Christ calls for us to know our spiritual gifts because spiritual gifts are the basis for all ministry in the local church.” (Fowlkes)
There are three primary New Testament passages that deal with spiritual gifts:
Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-11, 28; and Ephesians 4;11-16. There is another brief mention in 1 Peter 4:8-11.
We will examine each of these passages to learn the principles Scripture gives us concerning gifts.
Defining Spiritual Gifts
"A spiritual gift is a unique capacity given by the Holy Spirit and given to every believer in Christ for ministry in a local church in order to cause the church to grow quantitatively (numerically), qualitatively (maturity), and organically (organization)" (J. Robert Clinton, 1973, p. 23).
A very similar definition is offered by Donald Hohensee, former Wesleyan missionary to Burundi: "A spiritual gift is a unique capacity given by the Holy Spirit to every believer for ministry within, to and through the local body of Christ, so that it may grow in quality and quantity, thereby positively impacting the Kingdom of God" (1992, p. 4).
In Romans 12:3-8, the Apostle Paul presents several principles that need to be kept in mind:
1) A right understanding of one's gift will cause the person to have a balanced understanding of his/her place within the body (v.3). The believer will not have an inflated view of his importance, nor a too low view of her/his importance.
2) In Christ all belong to one body (vv.4-5). His comparison is to the human body with its many members. These members have different functions, but they work in harmony so that the body can function as a unit. In Christ we need each other because there is only one body.
The following are five common denominators take from the New Testament's teaching on spiritual gifts:
1. Every believer in Christ has one or more spiritual gifts (1 Co. 12:7; Eph. 4:7-8), with each believer gifted to accomplish some necessary ministry in the church.
1 Co 12:7: "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."
Eph 4:7: "But each of us was given grace according to the measure of Christ's gift."
This makes every believer/church member vital/indispensable.
2. The gifts of the Spirit are varied and different (Romans 12:4; 1 Co. 12:14).
Rom 12:4-5: "For as in one body we have many members, and not all the members have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members one of another."
1 Co 12:14: "Indeed, the body does not consist of one member but of many." (Then Paul goes on to give specific examples about parts of the human body)
1) We are not supposed to all have the same spiritual gift(s).
2) Introduce the concept of "gift mix."
3. The Holy Spirit determines the gifts we receive; we do not choose what gifts we have (Romans 12:6).
Rom 12:6: "We have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us..."
1) Paul refers to gifts in Greek as charismata (plural form of gifts; charisma is the singular). The root on which this word is built is charis - grace.
2) All gifts are graciously given by God. They are completely undeserved.
3) God is the source of the gifts; they are to be used for His service.
4) The sovereign Spirit assigns gifts to every believer individually as he wills. In other words, they are "grace gifts"—we do not earn or work for them; therefore, we have no grounds for boasting about them.
4. Spiritual gifts are to be used for the growth of the church (1 Co. 12:7).
1 Co 12:7: "To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."
The three types of church growth related to spiritual gifts are as follows:
1) Quantitative church growth—refers to the addition of people to the church (Acts 2:41, 47; 4:4; 9:31).
Acts 2:41: "So those who welcomed his message were baptized, and that day about three thousand persons were added."
2) Qualitative church growth—the process of individual and church growth in spiritual maturity (Acts 2:42; 5:42; 14:21-22; 16:5).
Acts 2:42: "They devoted themselves to the apostles' teaching and fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers."
3) Organic growth—the process whereby the leadership of a local church emerges to provide the best organization for the growth of that church (Acts 6:2-4; 14:23; 20:17-18).
Acts 6:2-4: "And the twelve called together the whole community of the disciples and said, 'It is not right that we should neglect the work of God in order to wait on tables. Therefore, friends, select from among yourselves seven men of good standing, full of the Holy Spirit and of wisdom, whom we may appoint to this task, while we, for our part, will devote ourselves to prayer and to serving the word.'"
Do you see spiritual gifts in operation here? Wisdom, prayer, service the word.
Proper use of spiritual gifts strengthens the church organizationally.
A functional church is one in which members know their gifts and are empowered to use their gifts.
A dysfunctional church is one in which one or a few members do everything (which causes burnout) while the other members are disinterested and uninvolved.
5. God wants every disciple to know his or her spiritual gift(s) and to use it/them in ministry for Christ's glory (1 Co. 12:1).
1 Co 12:1: "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed."
1) Believers will be held responsible for use of their gift(s):
1 Pe 4:10: "Like good stewards of the manifold grace of God, serve one another with whatever gift each of you has received."
1 Co 3:10-15:
"According to the grace of God given to me, like a skilled master builder I laid a foundation, and someone else is building on it. Each builder must choose with care how to build on it. For no one can lay any foundation other than the one that has been laid; that foundation is Jesus Christ. Now if anyone builds on the foundation with gold, silver, precious stones, wood, hay, straw--- the work of each builder will become visible, for the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed with fire, and the fire will test what sort of work each has done. If what has been built on the foundation survives, the builder will receive a reward. If the work is burned up, the builder will suffer loss; the builder will be saved, but only as through fire."
CLOSE:
“Ministering as a disciple of Christ calls for us to know our spiritual gifts because spiritual gifts are the basis for all ministry in the local church.”
When God's people discover and begin using their spiritual gifts in ministry, the inevitable result is quantitative, qualitative, and organic growth for the church, as well as individual fulfillment and freedom for the believer. It is this corporate exercise of gifted ministry that Trueblood has in mind in his book, The Company of the Committed:
"The struggle against apathy is so great a task that if we are to achieve even a semblance of victory we cannot be satisfied to leave Christian work to ordained clergymen. The number one Christian task of our time is the enlargement and adequate training of our ministry which, in principle, includes our total membership. This is a large order, and one which often seems discouraging in prospect, but we cannot settle for anything less and yet be loyal to the idea of Christ's revolutionary company." (1961, p. 57)
Requires each of us to discern and use our gifts for the good of the church.
Requires us to recognize the giftedness in each other.
(Dr. Dane Fowlkes)
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