Study Guide: "Putting It All Together"

Text: 1 Corinthians 13

OPEN:

Today we conclude our study designed to help each of us "unwrap our spiritual gifts."

This could not be more timely, and not just because it is Day of Pentecost Sunday.

In a presentation that he acknowledged is "sobering," Dr. Donald House Sr. warned that The United Methodist Church has only 15 years to reverse its decline in the United States. This week's presentation from House - a life-long United Methodist and trained economist - came to church leaders at the Connectional Table and General Council on Finance and Administration joint meeting held in Nashville, Tennessee.

 

"By 2030, the denomination in the United States will either have found a way to turn around, meaning it is growing, or its turnaround in the United States is not possible. By 2050, the connection will have collapsed," House concluded.

 

House based his conclusions on a comprehensive study of denominational statistics that included mapping the location of every local church and studying population trends within a 3-mile radius of each congregation. Historical trends dating back to 1974 gave a contextual picture for this study.

 

"For the last ten years, the U.S. church has lost an average of 52,383 in worship attendance each year," House reported. Actually, his numbers only ran through 2011. In 2012 the church lost 49,202, but in 2013 the loss caromed to 62,592. In other words, the trend is not getting any better, despite the efforts of the Vital Church Initiative, but may in fact be getting worse.

 

Along with the loss in attendance, House pointed out that the number of U.S. congregations shrank by 16 percent, the number of conferences by 19 percent, and the number of districts by 21 percent. "What we are doing is disassembling our infrastructure faster than we are experiencing decline in the U.S.," he said. "If this were a business model, I'd say you were gracefully closing your doors."

The only remedy is to return to the New Testament model of spiritual gifts based ministry in the local church. 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)

Defining Spiritual Gifts

A very helpful 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).

The following are five common denominators taken 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.

2. The gifts of the Spirit are varied and different (Romans 12:4; 1 Co. 12:14).

3. The Holy Spirit determines the gifts we receive; we do not choose what gifts we have (Romans 12:6).

4. Spiritual gifts are to be used for the growth of the church (1 Co. 12:7). 

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).

    2) Qualitative church growth—the process of individual and church growth in spiritual maturity (Acts 2:42; 5:42; 14:21-22; 16:5).

    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).

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).

I. Radical Implications of Spiritual Gifts Unleashed in the Church.

   1. God brings to the church what is needed to fulfill his purposes for that place at that time.

       1) The Church give serious attention to every member of the church. 

We cannot afford to ignore any member or proceed without unleashing their gifts for the growth of the church.

       2) New member orientation should include spiritual gifts discovery and discussion that exposes the member to existing ministry opportunities and consideration of new ministries based on their gifts.

    2. The church should plan its organizational life so that members can exercise the spiritual gifts that have been committed to them by the Holy Spirit.

Gordon Cosby: "If we take them seriously, they will set off a revolution in the churches that will bring in a whole new age of the Spirit." (Laos, p. 51)

        1) This means that developing a church program without considering and even planning around the spiritual gifts of the members will have to be done away with.

2) The various offices and ministries of the local church should be driven by the spiritual gifts of the members.

    3. Loving exercise of spiritual gifts changes the conversation from "me" to "us." (1 Co 13)

       1) Spiritual gifts are much more about the we than the me.

       2) We do have the responsibility for discerning our gifts, but the church holds responsibility for encouraging and allowing me to exercise my gifts.

That may mean changing or expanding existing ministry structures.

Spiritual Gifts should dictate structure. When the opposite is true you will find a declining and dysfunctional church, that tends to diminish the importance of individual believers and promote indifference in majority of church members (it's someone else's job--they don't need me).

       

CLOSE:

We conclude this study exactly where we began:

“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.”

- Do you know your spiritual gifts?

- Are you using your spiritual gifts?

- Are we, as a church, equipping & unleashing you to use your spiritual gifts for the growth of this church and the Kingdom of God?

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes)

Study Guide: "The Sign Gifts"

Text: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

OPEN:

It may help to begin with a brief mention of what Spiritual Gifts are not:

1) They are not natural talents.

2) Spiritual gifts are not offices in the church (although they should certainly support and qualify for certain offices: teacher, pastor, evangelist, missionary, etc.).

3) Spiritual gifts are not the same as the fruit of the Spirit.

4) Spiritual gifts are not the same as the roles all Christians are to perform.

Let's prepare for the conclusion of our discussion of individual spiritual gifts with a reminder of the three categories of spiritual gifts:

Enabling Gifts

Serving Gifts

Sign Gifts

We conclude our discussion by tackling the third category--the Sign Gifts.

Sign gifts when properly used have been signs that attract people to Jesus.  In many places, miracles, divine healing, and exorcism have been convincing proofs to the people that there is power in the Gospel. (Old Testament example of Elijah in 1 Kings 18).

Some discount the sign gifts as having passed away, wrongly interpreting the 1 Corinthians 13 passage that says:

Love never ends. But as for prophecies, they will come to an end; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will come to an end. For we know in part; but when the complete comes, the partial will come to an end. (1 Co 13:9-10)

to teleion = the perfect (neuter)

Sign gifts will cease when prophecy and knowledge ceases. Verse 12, "but then we will see face to face."

Lenski: "Here the incomplete state in which we now live forms the contrast. A complete state will eventually come, to teleion, when we shall attain the goal for which we are now striving.... the great future moment when the goal shall be reached, namely the Parousia (Second Coming) of Christ. Then this entire state of imperfection which is now evident upon the earth will be abolished, for it will have served its purpose. An entirely new way of apprehending, of seeing, of knowing shall take its place.... In heaven we shall know in a heavenly manner" (pages 565-566).

Sign gifts are often more sensational than the other gifts.  These have been abused more than the others for that very reason.  Satan delights in imitating them to mislead people and cast reproach on the name of Christ's church.  We need to develop a correct understanding of them rather than discounting them entirely.

  1. Miracles

"to another the working of miracles" (v.10)

1) Christians are believers in miracles.

    a) Jesus performed miracles.

    b) Peter walked on water.

    c) Apostles raised people back to life, healed the sick, and cast out

                  evil spirits.

2) Miracles are not only natural wonders.

    a) Often we fail to see God's miracles when we are spared serious

                   injury in a terrible accident.

3) Spiritual miracles are of even greater wonder than physical

              miracles.

    a) What could be more miraculous than a dead heart made alive

                   again by the power of the Holy Spirit?

       - every believer is a walking miracle of God's grace.

4) Those who refuse to believe unless a miracle or sign is performed

              are in error.

    a) Jesus never accommodated himself to these requests (Lk

                  11:29).

5) We should not spend a great deal of time worrying if we are not

              seeing physical miracles in our church.  We are called to walk by

              faith and not by sight.

    a) We are to believe God even when we do not see any outward 

 demonstration of His working.

  2. Divine Healing

"to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit" (v.9)

"then gifts of healing" (v.28)

"Do all possess gifts of healing?) (v.30)

1) God does heal people in a miraculous way as a result of believing

              prayer (James 5:13-15).

2) Many believe that there is no generalized gift of healing but

              specific gifts for specific instances of healing.

    a) 1 Co 12:9, 28, 30 both gifts and healings are in the plural.

3) Great distress has come to God's people because some well

              meaning, but misguided, people have taught that it is God's will to

              always heal.

   a) They say that divine healing is the redemptive will of God (Isaiah

                  53:5).

      - Literal rendering of that verse in Hebrew: "By His stripes, he

                   was healed for us."

4) Divine healing is therefore in the sovereign will of God rather than

              His redemptive will.

    a) This means He heals, delays, or refuses as He sees it is best

                   for His servant.

       - God may respond in one of several possible ways:

  (1) He may heal instantly.

          (2) He may heal through natural processes He has built into the

                        body.

                (3) He may heal through doctors and medicines.

  (4) He may say, "My grace is sufficient for you," as He did with

                        His servant Paul (2 Co 12:7-10).

  (5) He may use the disease as a means to take His child home

                        to be with Him.  This is ultimate healing.

5) Scripture teaches we are to believe in Christ's ability to heal, not

              His willingness to heal (Mk 1:40ff; 9:15-29).

  3. Exorcism

1) Exorcism is not in any of the New Testament gift lists.  Paul used

              this ability on his missionary journeys.

   a) First, we need to recognize the existence of demons and demon possession.

      - Examples abound in Scripture.

   b) Second, we do not want to give them more credit than they

                  deserve.

      - A Christian may fall into sin but in no way be possessed by a

                  demon.

      - A Christian may suffer from mental illness and not be

                  possessed.

      - A Christian may be depressed and not possessed.

      - These people need counsel and help, but not exorcism.

    2) There is not one example in Scripture of a Christian being

             possessed by a demon (James 3:11; Mt 12:26,28).

   a) A demon spirit and the Holy Spirit cannot indwell the same

                 personality.

3) The most frequent sources for demon possession in unbelievers

              are:

   a) A deep involvement in occult practices.

   b) A heavy involvement in drugs.

   c) Being born into a family that is involved in these things.

4) Demon possession is a reality.

5) When there is proof that possession has taken place, believers

              should follow the teaching of Scripture and exorcise them in the

              powerful name of Jesus.

   a) Demons cannot stand before the blood of Jesus, God's Word, 

                  and the name of Jesus.

   b) Never attempt to do this by yourself.  You should always gather

                  together a group of Holy Spirit-filled believers.

   c) Be prepared for a struggle and real wrestling in prayer.  God is

                 able and deliverance will come.

  4. Tongues and Interpretation.

"to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues" (v.10)

"various kinds of tongues" (v.28)

"Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?" (v.30)

1) These are the last two gifts found in Scripture.

    a) They have been used to cause much misunderstanding and

                   division in the church.

    b) People have tried and continue to try to make these the

                   evidence of being filled with the Spirit.

2) On the Day of Pentecost when the Holy Spirit came upon the 120, 

              He gave the disciples the ability to speak languages they had

              never learned.

    a) There are 16 different regions of the world mentioned, and they

                   were all hearing the Gospel in their heart languages.

    b) The people speaking were Galileans, which caused the people

                   to be amazed.  They were considered "uncultured" people and

                   there was no natural way they could speak foreign languages

                   flawlessly.

3) God gave this gift for evangelistic purposes.

"Tongues, then, are a sign not for believers, but for unbelievers, while prophecy 

  is not for unbelievers but for believers." (1 Co 14:22)

     a)  This explanation fits the other times in Acts when it is recorded

                     that those filled with the Spirit spoke in other languages.

     b) It is harder to know what was taking place at Corinth.

4) Corinth was a cosmopolitan city.  It is estimated that at one point

              Corinth had 700,000 residents; 200,000 were free and 500,000

              were slaves.

    a) The residents came from many different language groups.

    b) Greek was the common language for trade, discussion, giving instructions, etc.

    c) Many of the slaves understood enough Greek to get saved.  As

                  they were blessed in a worship service, they testified using their

                  heart languages. They were freer to express themselves this 

                  way.

       - This was causing confusion in the services, so Paul instructed

                   them that unless someone was there who could interpret what

                   was said, they should refrain from speaking in a language

                   others didn't understand.

        - When people pray, most often they use their heart language.

5) Commentaries written before 1900 agree that the tongues in Acts

              and Corinth were languages spoken on the earth.

   a) There is no suggestion of an "unknown" tongue or "prayer" 

                  language among the commentators.

             b) Their other explanation is that the believers in Corinth had

                  been influenced by the mystery religions and that the people

                  were speaking in ecstatic utterances similar to that found in

                  paganism.

      - There is no reason to accept this because Paul's instruction on 

                  interpretation would never refer to pagan ecstatic utterances.

6) Nowhere in Scripture has this gift or any gift been made the

              evidence of entire sanctification or being filled with the Holy Spirit.

    a) The Holy Spirit witnesses to the believer's heart so the person

                   knows that the Spirit has come in fullness.

    b) He does not give one gift to all as the evidence of His

                   indwelling.

          7) What about a private "prayer language?"

              a) I see no reason to discount this, as long as it falls under the

                  clear parameters Paul sets for public worship (only when an

                  interpreter is present).

1 Co 14:1-40

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.”

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes)

Study Guide: "The Serving Gifts"

Text: Romans 12:4-8

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)

Also, remember that 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.

Another brief mention in 1 Peter 4:8-11.

"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 (organizationally)."

A careful study of Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12-14, and Ephesians 4, substantiates this definition and reveals, with the introduction of spiritual gifts, complete provision has been made for all the needs of the church. The organization of the church, its government, extension, instruction, and corporate life, are all cared for by the Holy Spirit as he manifests his gifts through the members. 

1) There is, in fact, no part of the church's work for which there is not a corresponding gift of the Spirit.

2) God gives to every church what is needed to fulfill His purposes for that place at that time.

We now move to listing and discussing individual gifts. The study of spiritual gifts may be handled in a variety of ways.  One way would be to study each gift independently.  Another would be to examine the list in Romans, then Corinthians, then Ephesians, then the other gifts. I have chosen to divide our study into three categories, and look at the gifts in relation to other gifts by category. Also, the question must be asked if the specific lists are exclusive or representative. I see them as representative.

Serving Gifts

Some gifts in the body of Christ are like our external organs.  We see those who exercise these gifts.  Among them would be the evangelist, pastor, teacher, missionary.  There are other gifts in the body of Christ that are like our internal organs - seldom seen but vital.

1. Helps (1 Co 12:28; "forms of assistance" NRSV)

The gifts of "helps" and "service" are closely related gifts.

The Greek word for helps in 1 Co 12:28 means "being a support or help to those in need."

People with this gift tend to be people-oriented.

Their spiritual gift is to help others, often in a one-on-one situation.

People with this gift are often behind the scenes to release other workers in their spiritual ministries.

They are like Aaron and Hur who held up the hands of Moses (Ex 17:10-12).

Those with this gift find spiritual fulfillment in assisting others to better do their ministries.

2. Service (Rom 12:7; "ministry, in ministering" NRSV)

Service, instead of being a person-centered ministry, help meet the needs of the whole body.

The deacons in Acts 6 are a good example of the gift of serving. They used the resources available and found a solution that was best for all concerned.

Some organizations in the church have dedicated themselves to this type of ministry. This was the original intent for most men and women's groups.

3. Mercy (Rom 12:8; "the compassionate, in cheerfulness" NRSV)

The gift of mercy is a sensitivity to the feelings of others.

This gift enables one to feel with those in need.

These people render "unpleasant" service ungrudgingly.

    a) Ministry to persons in time of death, illness.

    b) Ministry to the poor, alcoholics, prostitutes.

Blessing comes to those ministered to; but the ones ministering also receive a blessing.

These are the ones who give a cup of cold water in Jesus' name.

4. Hospitality (1 Pe 4:9; "Be hospitable to one another without complaining" NRSV)

Rom 12:13, "Extend hospitality to strangers."

There are other exhortations in Scripture to be hospitable: Titus 1:8; 1 Tim 3:2; Heb 13:2.

Hospitality really refers to the love of strangers.

The one with this gift provides an open house and warm welcome to the visitor.

5. Giving (Rom 12:8; "the giver, in generosity" NRSV)

The role of giving for all Christians is the tithe. Those who tithe are simply doing their Christian duty.

The one with this gift not only gives the tithe, but goes beyond and does so joyfully.

    a) God enables them to understand the material needs of others     and to then meet those needs, doing so generously.

Often these people sacrifice personally in order to advance the cause of Christ.

   a) They receive spiritual blessing in this way.

   b) These are not always wealthy people, just ordinary people with ordinary incomes who love to give.

6. Faith & Prayer (1 Co 12:9; "to another faith by the same Spirit" NRSV)

Faith-gifted people, in a special way, are able to believe that God is adequate for a certain situation and to tap His resources.

These people have an extraordinary confidence in God's ability to meet the need.

Believing that God will do miracles in the face of natural impossibilities and he will accomplish this by divine intervention.

Prayer and faith go together.

   a) Whoever has the gift of faith spends time in prayer.

   b) The one who prays must have faith in God to do what is prayed for.

Those with the gift of prayer and faith frequently spend prolonged periods in prayer.  When they are through it seems as if only moments have  passed.

7. Leadership (Rom 12:8; "the leader, in diligence" NRSV)

The gift of leadership and administration are not necessarily one and the same.

People with this gift are the "idea people."  They see where the group should go or what they should do.

The ones with the gift of leadership have the ability to preside, govern, and plan with wisdom, fairness, example, humility, confidence, ease, and efficiency.

   a) They do not manipulate people but lead by example and people follow.

   b) Simple test: Is anyone following?

8. Administration (1 Co 12:28; "forms of leadership" NRSV; "gifts of administration" NIV)

These know how to put into effect the ideas the leaders have developed.       

            a) They can organize and administer (keep it going).

   b) They enjoy long hours in the office, overseeing  the business matters, keeping everything moving smoothly.

9. Discernment of Spirits (1 Co 12:10; "to another the discernment of spirits" NRSV)

1 John 4:1  - this is part of the expectation of every believer.

The one with this gift can discern correct, true teaching from false and misleading teaching.

Discerners understand what people are thinking and feeling often without anything being said.

   a) In other words, God allows them to see what is in the heart so that they may better minister to that individual.

These often prevent congregations from being swayed by false teaching.

10. Music

Music is another gift not specifically listed in the New Testament.  But music itself is mentioned: 1 Co 14:26; Eph 5:19-20; Col 3:16.

God has gifted certain people to be able to sing or play an instrument so that others are helped in their walk with the Lord.

    a) God gave David music ability and it ministered to King Saul and continues to bless us through the Psalms.

    b) This gift results in blessing the hearts of believers; edification is the result.

    c) Sinners are convicted and drawn to the Savior.

Music can be natural talent only.  If it becomes a spiritual gift, it points people to Jesus.

    a) Attention is drawn to Him rather than the musician.

CLOSE:

Let's end where we began:

There is, in fact, no part of the church's work for which there is not a corresponding gift of the Spirit.

God gives to every church what is needed to fulfill His purposes for that place at that time.

Two critical questions remain:

Do you know your gifts?

Are you using your gifts?

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes)

Study Guide: "The Enabling Gifts"

Text: Ephesians 4:1 - 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)

Also, remember that 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.

Another brief mention in 1 Peter 4:8-11.

And keep in mind our working definition:

"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).

Here's a quick reminder of five common denominators taken from the New Testament's teaching on spiritual gifts:

1. Every believer in Christ has one or more spiritual gifts, with each believer gifted to accomplish some necessary ministry in the church.

2. The gifts of the Spirit are varied and different.

3. The Holy Spirit determines the gifts we receive; we do not choose what gifts we have.

4. Spiritual gifts are to be used for the growth of the church. 

5. God wants every disciple to know his or her spiritual gift(s) and to use it/them in ministry for Christ's glory. 

In Ephesians 4:1-16, Paul again discusses unity in the body of Christ and emphasizes that each believer receives grace according to Christ's choice (v.7). He then lists some of the gifted people God gave the church: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers.

   a) The purpose of these gifted persons is the edification of the

                 church.

   b) They are to prepare God's people for service.

   c) The pastoral staff is to equip the saints to do the work of the ministry (v. 12) The result is 

                mature believers filled with the fullness of Christ, and a church that is the same.

We now move to listing and discussing individual gifts.

The study of spiritual gifts may be handled in a variety of ways.  One way would be to study each gift independently.  Another would be to examine the list in Romans, then Corinthians, then Ephesians, then the other gifts. I have chosen to divide our study into three categories, and look at the gifts in relation to other gifts by category. Also, the question must be asked if the specific lists are exclusive or representative. I see them as representative.

I. Gifts that Relate to Specific Roles in the Church.

In Ephesians 4, Paul gives a list of gifted people which he says are given

"to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ

may be built up."  These gifts in this category are primarily gifts which

enable other members of the body of Christ do their work.

  1. Apostleship

We commonly think of the 12 Apostles of our Lord, those who had been chosen by Christ for a very specific purpose, as the apostles. The word apostle has a much broader meaning.

The word apostolos means "one who is sent."  Frequently, we associate this with the word "missionary. 

In Scripture there are people who are referred to as apostles who are not mentioned in the original twelve (Mt 10:2-4). Paul, Barnabus, James (the Lord's brother), Silas, and Timothy are all referred to as apostles.

There are warnings against false apostles (2 Co 11:13; Rev 2:2).

Therefore, we would conclude that the gift of apostleship continues today.

a. To understand the gift of apostleship, we need to examine the work of  the apostles.

These people were sent by our Lord to preach the Good News of the Kingdom, to bring together new groups of believers, and to exercise some authority over them for a period of time.

b.  In contrast to pastors, apostles take the Gospel to non-Christian peoples and successfully plant churches among them.

c. We can compare this gift with the work of modern-day church planters, particularly those who have responsibility for several such churches.

d. The new Christians look to him/her for everything they know about Christianity. This is a heavy responsibility.

  2. Prophecy.

There is a common misconception that when one hears the word  "prophet," that the speaker will tell you something about the future, something not presently known.

While prophets in Scripture did make some predictions, their prophecies dealt mainly with the present, illustrated by lessons from the past.

Prophecy has more to do with "forth-telling" than "fore-telling."

This gift implies the declaration of the Word of God with divine anointing and power.

a. It is the kind of proclamation that produces divine conviction within the hearts of those who hear.

b. Peter on the Day of Pentecost, when he quoted Joel 2:28-32,  seemed to have this definition in mind. Following this proclamation, the result was conviction of sin (Acts 2:37).

c. True prophecy (1 Co 14) will edify and build up believers, encourage and impart life, console the people of God, and bring conviction to the sinner.

d. Prophecy is greatly needed today. This is God's chosen way to bring people face-to-face with His

truth.

e. In Scripture the prophet combined his declaration of the Word of the Lord with warnings. If the people failed to hear the Word of the Lord spoken through the prophet, judgment would follow.

      - Jonah is a good example of a prophet to Gentile peoples.

      - Hosea is an example of a prophet who called Israel to

                   repentance.

f. Prophets are usually unpopular with the people because they denounce in and call for repentance.

  3. Evangelism

Evangelism means primarily to share good news.

All Christians are to be witnesses, but some people have a special ability to lead many others to faith in Christ.

They can speak to unconverted people, and God gives them remarkable success in seeing these people accept God's offer of salvation.

Often, these people do not recognize their ability to win souls as a gift, but think they are only exercising their Christian obligation to be a witness.

   4. Shepherding

This pastoral gift is best called that of shepherding.

The one with this gift of shepherding assumes responsibility for the spiritual welfare of a group of people. She/he feeds them, guides them, and ministers to them much as a shepherd does to his sheep.

To help us understand this concept, we must keep in mind the Eastern model of a shepherd who is with his flock day and night.

A good shepherd protects his flock from evil and leads the, into good pastures.

She/He is concerned not only for physical well-being of the flock, but their spiritual well-being as well. In order to do this, the shepherd calls on the flock, spends time with them, gets to know them, guides and teaches them.

Each church needs more than one who has this gift.  As a body of believers grows, the primary shepherd will spend more of her/his time training under-shepherds, enabling them to exercise their gifts so that the flock of God is truly cared for.

  5. Teaching.

May be pastors-teachers, but we will consider it as a separate gift. Having said that, there is evidently a close relationship between shepherding and teaching.

Those with the gift of teaching make truths of the Christians faith live for others.  The truth is understood and applied to life.

The one with this gift is able to bring clarity to things difficult to understand. 

A good teacher is both content and learner-oriented. To stress content alone tends to be unrelated to the listener's life. To stress the learner's present situation without biblical foundation leads to superficiality.

The good teacher brings the two together in an exciting and relevant manner.

There is no discipleship apart from good teaching (Acts 2:42).

Teachers are a great gift to the church, and those who are gifted to teach should be teaching.

   5. Missionary

The missionary gift, while not directly mentioned in a gift list in Scripture, was exercised effectively and clearly in the New Testament. Paul obviously had it, while Peter did not.

This gift is similar to that of apostleship, meaning someone sent from one church to minister to a different group of people. This person is responsible for preaching Christ where He was not known and for bringing into existence groups of believers.

The one with the gift of missionary is able to minister his/her other spiritual gifts in a cross-cultural situation.  They can do this with ease and comfort.

II. Gifts that Support these Enabling Roles.

  1. Encouragement (Exhortation).

 Barnabus is perhaps our best scriptural example in regard to this gift. His name means "son of encouragement" (Acts 4:36).

The one possessing this gift is equipped for a ministry of calling forth the best in others.

This word in Greek comes from the same root as paraclete or comforter. It has the idea of going to another's aid and walking along side of him.

   2. Wisdom

The gift of wisdom is the right use of knowledge.

The one with this gift can apply God' truth to a problem or need that is facing the body.

As Jesus promised the disciples that they would be given wisdom to answer when on trial (Lk 21:14-15), so the one with this gift receives divine insight for the specific situations facing the church.

  3. Knowledge

Knowledge has to do with comprehension of facts, recognition of truth.

In the natural world, the scholar must have the natural ability to handle large amounts of information. In the spiritual realm there is need for those who bring divine insight to the Scripture. These are good with details of Scripture. Some of this comes through diligent study, but some of it comes as a gift from the Spirit.

The ones with this gift will be drawn to give themselves in study.

 In comparing and contrasting knowledge and wisdom, knowledge has more to do with facts, data, insight.  Wisdom then makes practical use of that knowledge in meeting a particular need or situation.

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.”

(Dr. Dane Fowlkes)