Spiritual Gifts in the Church Today

Transcript

GRM 503
9/22/1996
Spiritual Gifts in the Church Today
Selected Verses
Gil Rugh

I want to talk further about what we were talking about in our subject of study this morning regarding the church, the ministry of the gifts of the Spirit in the body and I want to make some introductory comments about para-church ministries. I don't want there to be any misunderstanding that I do have a great appreciation for what God is doing in these days and I often use negative illustrations to drive home the point.

When I traveled this summer I had the privilege of meeting on different occasions with some individuals and there are very positive encouraging things that come from that. I was visiting with a leader of a mission group whose goal and desire is to penetrate parts of the world where no missionaries have gone. He’s been used of the Lord in effective ways in that kind of ministry. I appreciate the sacrifice and the willingness of their lives and their abilities to serve the Lord in that way and don’t want to minimize those kinds of sacrifices or commitments in any way. I talked with some who have been used of the Lord to plant churches. In some places in the world missionaries have been so used of God and their ministries have been so used that national churches have been established. Missionaries are moving on to other ministries. Many things to be praising the Lord for. Many lives have been touched. People have been saved so I don’t want to leave a misimpression. I have a great appreciation for what the Lord is doing in many lives, the commitment people are willing to make, the sacrifices people make to leave the comforts of home, friends, family and go and serve in difficult and trying circumstances and situations. Not for personal benefit but a commitment, out of a commitment to Jesus Christ and a desire to honor Him. So, in all of that I don’t want to lose perspective and I don’t want you to lose perspective.


But in all that is going on in the world and all the ministry that takes place, we want to be sure that we keep a focus that is biblical. That is my concern and passion that we recognize that the local church is central, foundational, and at the heart of all the God is doing in the world today. It is the body of Christ. In that body it is the functioning of the various parts together that enable the body to work, to build itself up to maturity in Christ as passages like Colossians 2 and Ephesians 4 tell us.

We talked about the matter of the gifts of the Spirit in the body and I want to talk a little bit about specific gifts tonight as a way just to remind us of what the scripture says about these gifts. As you might expect and as you well know this is an area of disagreement. This past week I was reading some articles of testimonies and opinions of some men who left their teaching positions in theological schools because they had become convinced that God was doing miracles today. That He was doing works of healing. That He had an ongoing program of revealing Himself and speaking through apostles and prophets today. I thought it is important for you and I to be well grounded in the truth of the word of God in this area because again Satan works to undermine God’s program in the world. The church is God’s program and the functioning of the various parts of the body of the church are the ways that God works in the accomplishing of His plan in the world today. It’s sometimes discouraging to see the conflict that takes place over these issues. Yet we could expect nothing else as we know that the enemy of our soul, the enemy of our Lord works to undermine His purposes and plans. We have to be discerning in the use of scripture. I want to talk about spiritual gifts and just go over the gifts basically that are enumerated for us in scripture and get an idea of in summary way of what they entail.

And I want to start out by comments regarding permanent and temporary gifts because it’s hard to talk about the gifts of the Spirit without the question coming up. Do you believe that all the gifts are present today? And if you don’t believe all the gifts are present today and yet you claim you believe the scripture, upon what basis do you say that some gifts that are used so dramatically in New Testament times are now not present today? Isn’t it the same God? Doesn’t the same Spirit empower us? Does not the scripture say in Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever?” Why would our all sovereign, all powerful God do such dramatic things to impact people at a certain time in the Church’s life and not other times.

Well, let me say passages like Hebrews 13:8, “Jesus Christ the same yesterday, today and forever” do not directly relate to this subject. The fact that He is unchanging in His character, in His person, does not mean that He always does the same thing in the same way. Jesus Christ does not walk the earth today in a physical body. He did that at one time. The fact that He is the same yesterday, today and forever does not mean that He has to appear on earth today and walk this earth in a physical body. But in His character, He is unchanging. In Old Testament times He led His people by a cloud or a pillar of fire through the wilderness. Sometimes we would love to have such clear leading in our own lives. But God does not lead us in that physical way today. But He is the same yesterday, today and forever. So that does not determine whether all the gifts are present today or not. I understand that certain gifts that are enumerated in passages like Romans 12, I Corinthians 12 to 14, Ephesians 4 are temporary in nature. They served a purpose in the founding of the church, but they do not continue down to our day. And I want to make some comments about these gifts, particularly apostles and tongues. Then we will just tie some of the other gifts that I believe are temporary in nature to those, the most important gift given to the church and the priority in the gifts.

You may want to have markers in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 in particular. We will center our attention on these two passages. In 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 28, as Paul gives a list of the gifts. He has mentioned some of them in verses 8, 9 and 10 of chapter 12, then in verse 28 he says God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers. Then the other gifts are set forth not going necessarily in numerical order or priority but there is preeminence given to apostleship. The gift of prophet or prophecy was second only to apostleship and the third in priority and importance was teaching. I guess that had a primary focus on the ministry of God’s truth to God’s people.


The gift of apostleship, an important one because there is teaching abroad today that we may live in a revival of apostolic gifts and the gift of apostleship has been instituted, reinstated if you will, in the church. However, I do not believe that that is possible. That was a gift the qualification of which cannot be met today. The apostle Paul and the twelve are those in view in the New Testament. Basically when we talk about the gift of apostleship that is the normal reference. The twelve, the eleven plus Judas’ replacement from Acts chapter 1, then the apostle Paul. The apostle Paul claims to be an apostle. In fact, in Romans 1 and Galatians 1 he says he is the called apostle. He had that office by the virtue of the call of God in his life.

Secondly tied to being an apostle, the apostle Paul received his message directly from Christ. This is key. Involved in the gift of apostleship in the New Testament is the receiving of direct revelation from God. This is why the issue of whether apostles are present today or not becomes very important. Can I stand up and say I have the gift of apostleship and God told me last night... And men are doing this today and if you watch quote “Christian television” you will see it happening on numerous occasions. In Galatians chapter 1 verses 11 and 12 Paul claims that he received his gospel by direct revelation from Christ. He wasn’t taught it by other human beings. Galatians chapter 1 verses 11 and 12. “Not according to man. I neither received it from man nor was I taught it, but I received it through a revelation of Jesus Christ.” In Ephesians chapter 3 the information concerning the church, the church as made up of Jew and Gentile alike, was not revealed in its fulness before Paul but by a special revelation to Paul. So in Ephesians chapter 3 verses 2 and following. “If you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace which was given to me for you.” And that stewardship of God’s grace was Paul’s apostleship. That’s his gift of grace. It is a stewardship as 1 Peter 4 would make clear as well. “that by revelation it was made known to me the mystery.” So saying I want you to know why I have understanding in this and others don’t. That’s what he says in verses 3 and 4. You can understand my insight into the mystery of Christ, something that hadn’t been revealed before. “...which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men but has now been revealed to His holy apostles and prophets in the Spirit.” So while Paul receives the central part of this revelation other apostles and prophets are also given revelation on this matter. As Peter will say in the end of his second letter the apostle Paul has received revelation, some of it hard to be understood. This matter of the church and the role of the church, Paul received the fullest, clearest revelation and that’s what he goes on to say. The specifics of it verse 6, “Jew and gentile alike are fellow partakers of the promise in Christ in the gospel of which I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace which was given to me according to the working of His power.” And no doubt Paul’s gift of grace was apostleship. So, an apostle had to be called of God and the characteristic of an apostle was he had to received direct revelation from God. Paul makes that clear about himself here as well as verse 5, “other apostles and prophets.” We will make reference to prophets in a moment.


Third Paul had seen Christ after His resurrection from the dead. The apostles were to be eye- witnesses of the resurrection. They had to have personally seen Christ after He was bodily raised from the dead. In Acts chapter 10 Peter makes this clear in his message to the Gentiles at the house of Cornelius. In Acts chapter 10 verse 40, “God raised Him up on the third day [Jesus Christ] and granted that He should become visible not to all the people but to witnesses who were chosen beforehand by God that is to us who ate and drank with Him after He rose from the dead” particularly the eleven, now the twelve with Judas’ replacement. Those were the particular ones in view. We were chosen to personally interact with Him, to eat and drink with Him after His resurrection so that we could tell you as eyewitnesses He is alive. I ate dinner with Him. I talked with Him I touched Him. They are eyewitnesses of the resurrection.

1 Corinthians chapter 9. 1 Corinthians chapter 9. Paul has to defend his apostleship with the Corinthians. And he asks the question in verse 1 of 1 Corinthians 9, “Am I not free? Am I not an apostle? Have I not seen Jesus our Lord? Are you not my work in the Lord?” “Have I not seen Jesus our Lord?” You see that was a requirement. I’m an apostle. I have seen Jesus Christ after His resurrection from the dead. If you turn over to chapter 15 of 1 Corinthians, you find that Paul was a special unique case for you see Paul did not believe in Jesus Christ during Christ’s earthly ministry. He did not see Christ after His resurrection in that period of time before His ascension in Acts chapter 1. But he was given a special, unique confrontation with the resurrected Christ in Acts chapter 9 and he is the last of the apostles. Note, as Paul unfolds the appearance of Christ after his resurrection. Verse 5, “He appeared to Cephas [that’s Peter] and to the twelve. Then to more than 500 brethren at one time.” Seeing Christ in and of itself didn’t make you an apostle. These other things had to be there as well. Others besides the apostles saw Christ. “Then He appeared to James [verse 7] and then to all the apostles. Last of all as it were to one untimely born He appeared to me for I am the least of the apostles.” Paul says I am the last one to get a special appearance. I am one untimely born. I am a unique case. It was a special, dramatic appearance on the Damascus road. I am the last of the apostles, the last one to be made an apostle.

So to have apostles today you would have to have them have a special call from God, be given direct revelation from God. That I take it would add to the scripture as Paul’s writings did, Peter’s writings did and so on the other apostles. They would have to have a direct appearance where Christ will manifest his presence to them which would have its own conflict in light of 1 Corinthians 15 verse 8 where Paul said he is the last and a unique case. And lastly, fourth in my list, an apostle had to have the power to perform miracles. 2 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 12. As Paul defends His apostleship He says, “the signs of a true apostle were performed among you with all perseverance my signs and wonders and miracles.” Paul says you have seen the evidence of my apostleship. I have done signs, wonders and miracles in your presence. Read the book of Acts and I did that this week just to refresh my mind. We are reminded that not just every Tom, Dick and Harry who is a Christian is running around doing miracles. Passages like Acts 2:43. There are miracles being done at the hands of the apostles. Acts chapter 5 verse 12, “There were many signs and miracles being done and the hands of the apostles because these signs, wonders and miracles are the evidence of a true apostle. If every believer is running around doing miracles, then they wouldn’t be evidences you are an apostle.”


So an apostle had to have the ability to do signs, wonders and miracles. The writer of the book of Hebrews in Hebrews chapter 2 verses 3 and 4 says that “those who preach the word of God to us...” Hebrews chapter 2 verses 3 and 4, “How shall we escape if we neglect so great a salvation after it was at the first spoken to the Lord, it was confirmed to us by those who heard God also bearing witness with them both by signs and wonders and various miracles and by gifts of the Holy Spirit according to His own will.” One of the reasons I don’t believe Paul was the author of Hebrews. Evidently this is not an apostle who is writing this. The apostles had a unique ministry he said and their word from God was confirmed by signs, wonders and miracles that went to the receiving of direct revelation because you come and you claim that you had new material from God as Paul said in Ephesians chapter 3 regarding the mystery of the Church, not been revealed before. How do I know he’s telling the truth? God is now adding to His scripture. Well, the ability to do miracles was a confirmation of their apostolic gift. Ephesians chapter 2 verse 20 says apostles and prophets are the foundation of the church. We are not relaying the foundation we are building upon the foundation. So we study what was revealed to the apostles and prophets in our New Testament.

I would connect the gift of a prophet, second in importance to apostles. Prophets received direct revelation from God. In that sense they are similar to apostles, but apostle is a broader gift. It has more authority connected with it. But prophets did receive direct revelation as well. Our New Testament is the foundation upon which we build. We come and study what God has revealed. So I would see that the gift of apostleship is not cannot be present today. Well that establishes something of a precedent. I know one of the gifts is temporary. What about other gifts?

Well signs, wonders and miracles were the signs of a true apostle. If you don’t have true apostles present you won’t have the signs of a true apostle present. There is precedence there. Hebrews chapter 2 verses 3 and 4 tells us that those who received the message from God had it confirmed by signs, wonders and miracles. Signs, wonders and miracles. It’s important we see what the scripture say about them. They were confirming gifts of new revelation being given. Now some understand this, and they claim to want to put it in this context. While I was gone, I did watch a number of programs of men who would claim to have apostolic and prophet gifts. They are constantly saying God told me this. God told me that. I know some of them God didn’t tell them because it is contrary to scripture. Somehow it always gets around that God told me that you ought to send money. I mean something is wrong here. But the signs, wonders and miracles were confirming gifts of new truth being revealed. There is no new truth being revealed today. The word of God is complete and so these gifts would have passed off the scene.

Tongues I would put in this category and to me it’s a relatively simple matter to resolve the gift of tongues. Let me walk through just several steps without going through all the scriptures if I could. The word tongue is a good translation. Glossa. We have it in glossolalia. Glossa is tongue. Laleo is to speak, so glossolalia is the Greek word meaning to speak in tongues. Now the word tongue. It’s used in the Bible of a physical tongue in the New Testament. Used of your physical tongue. It’s also used of the language that the tongue speaks. So, in the book of Revelation chapter 5:9, chapter 7 verse 9, chapter 10 verse 11, chapter 11 verse 9, it talks about people from every tribe and tongue and nation. Well, obviously tongue there means language. We could even use it today. We don’t use it commonly, but we say what tongue do you speak. What is your native tongue? We mean what’s your native language because our tongue is the organ of speech.


It’s used in Acts chapter 2. The first use of tongues as a special gift is in Acts chapter 2 which we touched on this morning where the baptism of the Spirit first occurs. And you ought to note here in Acts chapter 2 verse 4, “They were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak with other tongues as the Spirit was giving them utterance.” You see it is the work of the Spirit in enabling them and empowering them to speak in other tongues. Down in verse 11. “Cretans and Arabs, we hear them speaking in our own tongues.” And obviously the context is a language because he just lists in verses 9, 10 and 11 Parthians, Meads, Elamites and on down to verse 11, “Cretans and Arabs we hear them speaking in our own tongues.” So, these are all the languages that are being spoken. There is no question this could be just and babble. Incidentally in this context in verse 6, the end of the verse, “They were each one hearing them speak in his own language.” That’s the word we get the word dialect from. And obviously we are talking about a language here. It is used down in verse 8 as well. “How is it we hear them in our own language to which we were born?” So it was just not some incoherent babbling going on. This was clear language, earthly language being spoken. And it is the normal pattern that at least is a general rule that the first use of a word or expression establishes its subsequent meaning or usage. We read in Acts chapter 10 when Peter was in the house of Cornelius the Holy Spirit fell on them and they began to speak in other tongues. Now do you think that if those Gentiles just got up and just started babbling that they would have accepted Peter’s explanation in Acts chapter 11 that the Gentiles got the same gift as us? No they didn”t. We spoke in earthly languages. They babbled. And you must understand that babble is not a new phenomenon even in New Testament times. There have been books written on this that show that going back in history babble speech, incoherent babbling has been used in many false religions and false cults so it’s not like this is some unique phenomenon. How would these Jews know the Gentiles really got the same gift? They spoke in languages not just the babble.

1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 21. In the context of talking about tongues in 1 Corinthians 14. Paul says in verse 18, “I speak tongues more than you all.” One of the characteristics of an apostle is they have a diversity of gifts. But look at verse 21, “In the law it is written by men of strange tongues, by the lips of strangers I will speak to this people and even so they will not listen to me says the Lord.” That’s a reference to Isaiah chapter 28 verses 11 and 12. And the language in view in Isaiah 28 is the Assyrian language and what the Jews were being told is when you hear the Assyrian language being spoken in your midst, you will know you are under the judgement of God. You see in the Law in Deuteronomy chapter 28 verse 49, God warned Israel, if you are unfaithful I will subjugate you to foreign peoples so the presence of a foreign language among the Jews was an evidence of God’s judgement on them.


There is no question in 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 21 that we are talking about an earthly language not some kind of heavenly babble. So in the very context of this discussion, an earthly language is the subject. Also in 1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 10 where it say “various kinds of tongues.” That word “kind” is used down in verse 28. It’s used in chapter 14 verses 10 and 28 as well. That word kind, “genos,” means nationality, race, kindred, people. It’s used in Philippians chapter 3 verse 5 of the nation Israel. That word nation we translated kind here. You could say there are different nationalities of languages or tongues. So again, we are talking about national languages, languages of a certain nation.

Now if we go no further people say do you believe that there are tongues today, well first off no. Number one, I would say that miracle gifts are associated with the ministry of an apostle. Number two, nobody is manifesting the gift. And in other times I have gone through some of the evidence for this. Charismatics have written books on this, done studies around the world taking tape recorders to meetings in different places in the world looking for people speaking languages they have not learned and they have never found any yet. So in that sense it is a dead issue. First I have to determine what is tongues in the Bible. Then does it continue on and the fact the people get up and babble and say oh see I’m fulfilling one of the gifts. No, sorry that doesn’t qualify. Babble never did qualify. It had to be an earthly language you hadn’t learned but now were supernaturally enabled to speak.

So while you are in 1 Corinthians just let me say about tongues as a prayer language. I eluded to this this morning and it always comes up in 1 Corinthians 14. The context of 1 Corinthians 12, 13 and 14 resolves the issue. Gifts are not given for your own personal use but for the benefit of the body. So when Paul says in 1 Corinthians 15 that you should... You know when you speak in tongues and there is not an interpreter you speak to yourself and that doesn’t edify the body. That’s not an encouragement to speak to yourself in tongues. And if you told me well you’ve got the gift of teaching well why don’t you go home and teach yourself in the living room. That’s not and encouragement to do that. In effect it’s putting me in my place. I’m not using my gifts properly here. It’s a put down so to speak. Because the Corinthians wanted to parade their gifts. They wanted the spectacular gifts. You say wait a minute, the Corinthians weren’t apostles but they could speak in tongues. How does that fit with the signs of a true apostle. But where did the Corinthians get their gifts? From the Holy Spirit. But how was it communicated to them? Through the ministry of the apostle Paul which is his argument in demonstrating his apostleship through his two letters. Now I’m not saying that only apostles had this gift. But it’s either apostles or a direct result of apostolic ministry that the sign gifts are present. But they were present in Corinth after Paul left and they were an ongoing reminder. Yes, Paul is an apostle. He could claim that. The signs of a true apostle were performed among you. They have experienced that. So it seems to me that in light of biblical evidence there are no biblical tongues today. And what do I credit the phenomenon to? All I got to decide is what the scripture says is right. I can’t come up with all the explanations for what is wrong. I don’t know. The devil? Psychological activity? You know people can be put into situations where they become vulnerable. I don’t know. And I am not questioning the motives of people. All I can say is the theology is either right or wrong.


Other gifts in this category. I mentioned prophecy. Now some would define prophecy as preaching because the word means to speak forth. But most that I can see agree that in New Testament gift of prophecy it involved receiving revelation from God. So to say well the New Testament gift of prophecy involved receiving revelation from God, the prophets continue today but they don’t receive revelation from God. Well then it’s not a New Testament prophet. I’m a teacher but I am not a prophet because I take the message of the apostles and prophets and teach it to you. I would love to be able to get up and tell you what God told me last night. I just can’t do it. It would give me one up for sure. So I would see prophecy simply in that category. Incidentally there is a move now to make two kinds of prophecy. This comes from within the Charismatic movement and is becoming very prominent because some of those promoting it... It was developed by a seminary professor. That there are two kinds of prophecy. The New Testament prophets in the revelation they received from God, there were no mistakes. But in the gift of prophecy today there can be error and mistakes so it’s not on the same level as New Testament prophecy. And we get into all kind of mumbo jumbo. There have been books written on this now on this new view of prophecy. I say we just stay with what the scripture says and it’s rather simple.

Healing would go in that category. I keep hearing people are healed. Some of these seminary professors that left and Evangelical seminary because they became convinced that healing was taking place, that the Vineyard movement under John Wimber was truly healing people. I don’t know. I mean I’ve known people who have gone to John Wimber’s meetings and they have yet to be convinced that there is genuine healing going on. I watched a lot of Benny Hen and I watched people falling over. And I thought they were going to need healing the way they had fallen over. But they always had somebody to catch them. But you know I’m glad people get healed of back trouble. I’ve had back trouble. There are times I’d like to be healed. And you know a pain here a pain there. But read the book of Acts, the man lame from birth. Now you imagine how shriveled those legs were having never ever been used. So this isn’t a person that oh I’ve got a pain. I can hardly walk but I think now I can walk better. This is a man who has shriveled legs that have never been used in his entire life. Jump up, run around, dance around. Even the Jewish leaders say that a great miracle has been done. We can’t deny it. I mean everybody can see it. I watch all these healings and I say ok I’ve got to watch this. Well, when she came she couldn’t walk without crutches but look at her. Oh praise the Lord. Nuts. That’s not the way my God heals. Tell her to jump and run and holler and do all those things. And you know we are just making a mockery of the Bible. That’s because we want to believe it. So I see that healing would go with that. Do I believe God heals today? Yes, I do. Do I believe the gift of healing is present today? No, I don’t. It is connected with the time of the apostles.

Other gifts depending on how you... Oh what’s the word when you give something a meaning? The discerning of spirits, word of knowledge, word of wisdom. Is this a supernatural gift or is it an ability given that is supernatural but some people in the studying of scripture have to have an ability to discern in a way that others don’t? Well, it depends on how you identify the gifts whether you would say it’s an ongoing gift or not. I have tended to identify them as temporary. The discerning of Spirits was an ability given before we had the word to apply to the situation. So remember even when Paul is writing scripture and Peter is writing scripture it took time for this to get disseminated and for the church to have a completed New Testament and so on. So in these times when new revelation is coming there is an ability to discern. Already as Paul is preaching he has to write the Corinthians and say you know false teachers, false apostles are present, masquerading as an angel of light. I take it the gift of discernment would have been especially important.


Word of knowledge you know you watch any religious television especially PBN or something like that. Sometimes wait a minute, I am getting a word of knowledge. A word of knowledge, this is happening. And it always happens in their half an hour segment. Just amazing how God works on television time. This word of knowledge just comes and it fits and it ends when they have to pray and tell you to send in your gifts now. I mean does anybody ever stop and think. So some would say the knowledge refers to some people just have a good quick understanding. And I have no problems to identify it that way. I tend to think of it as a temporary gift that time when special knowledge was necessary because completed revelation was not. That would be the same with the word of wisdom. But some of those it depends on how you define them. But this kind of supernatural hocus pocus that I got a word of knowledge and somebody is being healed now. Left knee, yes it’s a left knee and you’ve had surgery, yes you’ve had surgery twice on that and praise the Lord you are being healed. You know if I did that here and said honey that left pain. You know I got up this morning I had a left pain. Now that he says it I don’t have it. Then I’d say come on down the microphone and I’m on my way.

Permanent gifts, teaching, Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, the supernatural ability to explain the word of God. Now it’s more than a desire to study the word of God. Some people equate I really love to study the word of God. Teaching must be my gift. Not necessarily. Now if teaching is your gift, you will have to study the word of God. The gift of teaching doesn’t mean you have the ability to communicate the word of God without studying. But a desire and a love to study the word of God does not in and of itself mean you are a gifted teacher. A teacher has to have the ability to study the word of God and to communicate it to others in an understandable way. So that would be involved in the gift of teaching. And it is a public kind of gift that others can help you. You either have that gift. Well, part of it is you do try. We ought not to be afraid to have someone try the gift but then we have to be honest you know. It doesn’t seem that that’s your gift. You know that doesn’t seem to be an area where you are effective.

Ministering or helps, two words used here. The word ministering and we get the word deacon from it in Romans 12:7. The word helps, different word but in 1 Corinthians 12:28 seems like they would be gifts emphasizing the same basic kind of gifts. Now again all believers are to be able to communicate the word. All believers are to be able to give an answer concerning the faith that is in them as we saw in Peter. All believers are to serve and help where they can. But some are specially gifted. You know people sometimes say oh yeah. I guess you don’t know what my gift is you will just lump me in with the serving gifts. Well, you know we don’t want to minimize that. I take it there would be a lot of people with serving and helping gifts. The body needs more of these gifts than they need teaching gifts quite frankly. And there is a warning don’t many of you be teachers in James. But here the gift of serving and helps, they are there. I mean I just am amazed in my years of ministry I look and see how some people are just... You know you say can you believe it they were there. Who do you think was helping? Yes. Who do you think was involved? Who do you think stepped in? Who do you think came over and helped them during that time? You know people they are just there and they’re not out front necessarily but you know that ability and it all just works and on he goes. And we experience the benefit of that gift and appreciate it’s importance.


Administration. This gift’s mentioned in Romans 12:8 and 1 Corinthians 12 verse 28. Two different words but they would both refer to administration, oversight. It is the supernatural ability to provide leadership for God’s people. And there are guidelines for it with elders and so on. Not everybody in the body should be leading. A democracy is our form of government not God’s form of church government. Now I realize that runs contrary to much thinking. But He has gifted some individuals with administrative oversight gifts. And those with this gift according to 1 Thessalonians 5 verses 12 and 13, Hebrews 13 verses 7 and 17 are to be respected and followed. It’ll save a lot of trouble. There is order in God’s church. Jesus Christ is the head. He has gifted and appointed some men to provide the leadership under his authority for the body. And that frees up people to do what they are gifted to do.

As we go back to Romans chapter 12 you know there is an emphasis. If this is your gift, function in this gift. If this is your gift, function in this gift. If this is your gift, function in this gift. If teaching is your gift, then function in teaching. That doesn’t mean you don’t do anything else but that’s where you concentrate. So those with the gift of serving are freed up from the responsibilities of administration and leadership so they can devote their energy to their gift. The church gets into a lot of trouble because everybody thinks I have the Spirit. I have a personal relationship with God. I’ll make my own decisions. How does the body function? It creates all kinds of confusion and disorder.

Evangelism in Ephesians 4:11. The gift of and evangelist. Then again, we are all to share our faith and to be ready to share our faith, and be able to share our faith. I take it that an evangelist has that special giftedness to share his faith and just can get right into the matter. I say boy I wouldn’t have been able to get to it like that. But I can learn and get better at it but I’ll never be an evangelist. And the evangelists I take it will see more results in the sharing of the gospel as well. The evangelist will lead in the training of the body according to Ephesians 4. And one of the gifts given and one of the speaking gifts given for the equipping of the body to function as it should. Because the body has to be taught in this area as well as having to be taught the basics of doctrine of the word of God.

Pastor teacher in Ephesians 4:11, is this different than the gift of teaching? It’s only mentioned pastor teacher in Ephesians 4:11. Teachers are mentioned in Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12. The pastor side of pastor teacher in Ephesians 4:11 I take it has to do with a leadership responsibility. I tend to the view, part of this from observation I guess that not everyone who has the gift of teaching has the gift of pastor teacher. The pastor side would be the leadership side. The kings in the Old Testament were known as shepherds of Israel. Now Ezekiel refers to this and other places as well. We have done that in other studies. I take it the pastor teacher is responsible for oversight in the teaching of the word of God.

Exhortation is a gift and exhortation is the ability to encourage, urge people to decision and action. There are people who are exhorters. They can urge people, encourage them, admonish them. This is to be done as a father would his own children with great patience and instruction with all authority as is unfolded in several passages of scripture. All true exhortation is done with God’s word. We are not just talking about being able to move the emotions of people. But being able to bring the word to apply it to the situation, to the need, to the opportunity. They are specially gifted by God to help people in this area and urge them the right direction, to help them make the decisions that ought to be made and so on.


Giving is a gift, a gift we hope others have I guess. Some people have an ability to give beyond what all of us are to give as believers. We are all to be giving but God has blessed people with the gift of giving. I don’t think this means necessarily that they are richer. Now sometimes He will give more because naturally if He gives much material abundance to a person who doesn’t have the gift of giving then they will probably keep more of it for themself. But a person with the gift of giving who is given much is always looking for the opportunity to give it. But there are people with the gift of giving that would not necessarily be given a great abundance but they have an ability to give and their desire is to find ways to give. And they are an encouragement. Sometimes we see people who would have this gift and they would have a lot but they just find a way to give a little more. And I think boy if they can give like that then I ought to be doing better. Incidentally this isn’t a gift that is to be exercised in secret. I realize we have to be careful we don’t do it for show. But there is also a blessing that comes from these gifts. When a person uses their gift of exhortation, the body is helped. When a person uses their gift of teaching the body is helped. When a person uses their gift of giving the body is helped and encouraged.

In Acts 4 when Barnabas sold his plot of land, he came and laid the money out to the congregation before the apostles. He wasn’t doing it for show. Now Ananias and Sapphira tried to mimic it with the wrong heart and they got in trouble and ended up dead. There are people who have this gift and our body benefits from it. I still struggle with the idea of how it can be handled in a way that is public enough the body does appreciate it without it crossing the line to be showy or a misunderstanding of motives.

Showing mercy is a gift. And that’s the supernatural ability to manifest compassion, mercy, pity. Primarily be used in comforting and helping people in difficult times, times of sorrow. It’s not just being able to empathize. But a person with this gift probably is good at empathizing and entering into the suffering of someone else. Sometimes God has taken people with this gift through the kind of experiences that they are able to relate to people going through trials and difficulties. It’s to be done with cheerfulness as Romans 12:8 says. Because these people with this gift are often in the context of trial and difficulty. This gift of mercy is not just coming and being sad with a person who is sad but you bring the joy of the Lord to that situation. Not in a lighthearted way but even as you weep with those who weep, the person with the gift of mercy is able to bring joy and comfort in that situation.

The gift of faith. I take it some people have the ability to trust God beyond what other people have. I mean we are all to walk by faith but we have all known people who just are able to trust the Lord and go forward. And I look at it and I say boy you wouldn’t catch me doing that. After a time I say wow. Now you have to be careful of presumption. I try to be like the person of faith if I don’t have the gift of faith, I get in trouble. But again the body is strengthened and we learn to trust our Lord more. And when we see people and they’ll trust Him. And when you look at that situation you think they are going to be crushed. It’s going to overwhelm them. But they walk with a confidence in their Lord. What? I strengthens your faith and builds the body.


Another gift that is I almost said thrown in because it’s not listed among the gifts but I mention it because it’s called a grace gift in 1 Corinthians chapter 7 and that is the gift of celibacy. And that causes me to think that all the gifts are not present here but we have a sampling and you could put almost everything we do under the list of the gifts and fit them in. But you also realize the gift of celibacy is not and end gift in itself. According to 1 Corinthians 7 Paul says he has the gift of celibacy. He said what the grace gift from God did was allow Him to have more time to devote to the exercising of his apostolic gift because he didn’t have the burdens and cares and concerns and time consuming responsibilities of a family. But you need to have the gift. So there are those with the gift of celibacy. So we see there are related gifts here that enable the prime gifts to function.

And people ask me, do you believe that a person has more than one gift. I don’t know. The apostles had more than one gift. Paul was an apostle. He spoke in tongues. He did miracles. He healed people and so on. I think everyone ends up with one prime gift. Let me put it that way. Besides having the gift of mercy what else do I have. Well, that’s probably not my prime gift. Probably my prime gift is teaching. Now what other gifts might I have. Well you look and see other areas. Maybe you are effective in this area. Maybe you are effective in this area but there’ll probably be one area that is you’re dominant gift. And that’s where your attention will go. That seems to be the development of Romans 12. If teaching is your gift then concentrate on teaching. That would indicate that it is not saying that the average believer only has one gift but it’s saying that the average believer has one dominant gift if I can say that. But we all function in a variety of ways. I want to learn to be a better giver even if that’s not my prime gift and so on. A person with the gift of giving may be also gifted to teach. I think that could be. So there may be overlap.

The important thing is not that we be able to fine tune and be able to specify it and draw just the right box around our gift. The important thing is we recognize the gifts and have some idea of what they are, how they work and be functioning so that the gift that God has given me is being used to the health and wellbeing of the body. That’s our intention and desire when we talk about the distinction among the gifts and our concern to be careful with the gifts. That’s why we talk about whether these gifts are permanent or temporary. Because I want to be as biblical as I possibly can be realizing if I open the door even with good intentions but not being a good student of the word, I can open the door for an opportunity for the ministry to be led astray from the purity of devotion to Jesus Christ. And that’s our goal in it all, purity of devotion to Christ, that we might be presented to Him as a chaste bride, pure, undefiled, totally devoted to the Lord that we love and serve and anticipate seeing face to face in all His glory. Let’s pray together.


Thank you, Lord for Your grace. Thank You for the work you have done in our lives. A work of grace, undeserving sinners that we are. Lord, thank You for the gifts of the Spirit. Lord, it’s marvelous that we come from such a variety of backgrounds, different circumstances, different interests and yet Lord you bring us together and there is a oneness. There is a beautiful ability with all of our diversity to function in unity and harmony in a way that magnifies Your work in our midst. And Lord we desire that that would grow and increase, that we would grow and mature so that Your work in us would become all the more evident. Thank you for the day together. We look forward to the week before us. And Lord all the opportunities that will be ours as Your people to serve You, represent You, to make You known, be instruments used to encourage, to strengthen, to help and to build, to share the burdens. Lord, may we indeed be instruments in Your hands for the accomplishing of Your purposes. We ask in Christ’s name, amen.


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