Part 3 - The Spiritual Gifts (Lesson # 10 Fundamentals of the Faith)

So this will be part 3 of lesson 10 on the subject of the spiritual gifts, so it looks like we'll probably finish This morning, and then we'll move on to the next lesson Next time that's that's the way it appears so we ended with talking about the permanent gifts I Remember where we left off.

I just want to see if you do. I'm just testing you where do we leave off? Mercy right yeah, mercy was the last thing we talked about and then it moves on after that to exhortation. So just a quick review because somebody brought this up last week Afterwards to me how it is possible to have It is possible to have knowledge without wisdom.

But you can't have the gift of wisdom without knowledge, so I thought that was a Good insight, I think that makes sense. Chapter or number six discernment. Discernment we talked about this. Maybe the most unpopular of the spiritual gifts Mercy is the ability to show deep compassion to those who have Spiritual physical or emotional needs so that's where I ended off talking about visiting people who are maybe shut-ins or in the nursing home or people that are Just going through a really tough time those who have the gift of mercy would be inclined to Reach out to people or go visit them and just try to be a comfort.

I had said that you know. This is something that I do as the pastor if I know somebody's in the hospital or if the church members in the nursing home I I go but That doesn't necessarily mean that I have the gift of mercy.

But somebody in the congregation Might so it's good to have everybody involved and of course talking about the spiritual gifts. We believe every Christian has at least one probably more than one so we want to be exercising our gifts.

So we'll move on to exhortation. Unless somebody has something they want to add. Brad. Yeah. Okay the acronym or the acrostic whatever it is. Think now that isn't is in regards to discernment. You're saying Marcus, or is it just Okay.

Okay. All right good, so let's look at number eight exhortation. Exhortation is the ability to encounter or excuse me to encourage and motivate. A Person with this gift of exhortation can come alongside Another to comfort him with love to encourage him to a deeper spiritual commitment in growth or to exhort him to action.

This is the gift that qualifies people to exercise a counseling ministry in The body and I had said that you know. You will find some disagreement from church to church and how you define some of the spiritual gifts but exhortation the word exhortation.

Most commonly I hear people defining it as encouragement. If I've heard that once I've heard it a thousand times that exhortation is is encouragement. Have you heard this? Okay, but the word exhortation means to make urgent appeal and Exhortation is also something that's done in preaching.

So a preacher will exhort people exhort the congregation to take what they have heard take what they've learned and to and to do it and to apply it so exhortation is the ability to encourage and Motivate.

I think that's a pretty good pretty good definition. A Person with this gift can come alongside another to comfort him with love to encourage him to a deeper spiritual commitment and growth. To exhort him to action.

Have you ever listened to some people? After listening to them you just feel like getting up and doing something. Yeah, we yeah. But we need you know, we need Motivation and that's something that If we're not taking part in the life of the church, we're probably not going to be motivated.

We need to stir each other up and we need sometimes we need someone to light a fire under us we need someone to give us a swift kick in the pants maybe too, but you know, we we really need people to To motivate us because it's like the illustration with the the fire and the coals, right?

If you take a coal out of the fire and set it off by itself, it's gonna go out. It doesn't stay burning unless it's with the other coal. So we we all need each other. So hopefully we encourage one another but there are those People who have the gift of exhortation any comments on that?

All right. Exhortation the next gift is giving. Okay, so this gift is a direct reference to the material ministry of giving food clothes money houses in Response to the needs of the church. I don't think that means hey.

You can have my house here. Let me sign over the deed to you, but you know opening up your house. Or this maybe could also be have some overlap with the gift of hospitality. But you're a giving person and you're just looking to help people out with their needs.

But typically when you think of giving what do you think of? Yeah, you think of giving money? So there are there are people who have the gift of giving and there are some people who don't have the gift of giving.

So if somebody doesn't have the gift, I mean that doesn't mean that well, okay. You don't have the gift. That means you'd never have to give anything. It's like with mercy. We should all be merciful even if that's not your gift.

You should still show mercy, right? If you have the gift of knowledge then Great. Amen, but if you don't have the gift, that's no excuse to just remain in ignorance and never learn anything, right? So just because this isn't your gift doesn't mean that we don't Take part in it.

What might the gift of giving look like? So just maybe a practical example of something you've seen or done seen from someone else or experienced and he. Okay, yeah. But we've all known people that are in.

Not even just with money, but we've all known people that are giving. Giving people. Okay so this is a gift and Number ten if there's no other comments on that Larry.

Well, there's a type of giving Not listed here, but it is for giving. Yeah. We have been forgiven much therefore Scripture says we must be forgiven Towards other people and it says and if you're unwilling to forgive God will be unwilling to forgive you.

Yeah, so forgiveness is something that you you give right you offer and give forgiveness.

But that's kind of true with everything. Everything comes from God. God is love and because he loved us. We are able to well certainly to love him back, but to love others, too. He is even he is showing his grace to us so we can be gracious to others.

Mercy all these things. We've received them. So don't keep them.

Give them to somebody else. Right, and that's the whole idea with the spiritual gifts. Let's let's turn to Ephesians chapter 4. Just want to show you something here. Who is it that gives the spiritual gifts.

Well, they're the gifts of the Holy Spirit, but they're given by Given by the Lord, so I just want to read. Let's see. What verse is it? Yeah, look at verse 7 Ephesians chapter 4 verse 7 7 and 8 but to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift.

Therefore he says When he ascended on high he led captivity captive and gave gifts to men so The Lord gives us our spiritual gifts. They're given through the Holy Spirit and he gives them to us not for us to just hold on to them and edify ourselves.

Right we in this came up with the gift of tongues. We talked about well, the spiritual gifts are given for the service of the church the service of others. So you wouldn't you if you had the gift of tongues, you wouldn't use it to build yourself up.

You would use it for the edification of others. You imagine if you had the gift of giving well, I'm gonna give to myself. Like that no that doesn't work. God gives us the gifts and we then give and minister the gifts to others, right?

That's pretty pretty basic. So one last thing on giving you know with with money as kind of the thing that people would think of when we talk about giving in the church some churches have the viewpoint that the tithe is is The standard and I think the tithe is is a standard you see in scriptures in scripture.

But there are some churches historically have that have said the tithe is is like a commandment, right? There are some churches if you join you have to give your w2 and They make sure that you pay to the last dime.

I've heard stories of people being called to account and having to pay up because you know They're giving record and their w2 were not lining up. See that the the tithe is an Old Testament concept. There might be people who have the gift of giving who give over and above a tithe.

But I don't see this as a commandment in scripture that you have to give X amount you you have to give This much or this much. The more you give the more you will receive. Not necessarily like the TV preachers if you give 1 ,000 God will give you back 10 ,000 but The the principle is God loves a cheerful giver.

So for someone who has the gift of giving They may give over and above a tithe. And then there's some people that are struggling financially and you know The church would never even really expect them to do much because they're not in a position to do that.

You know, there's been widows who are struggling to get by and This is one thing the Pharisees did that they would remember Jesus accused them of devouring widows houses. Like they're just finding ways to get their monk.

So there's some people that you know, they're just not in a position to do that, so Anyway, I don't I don't view that as a commandment necessarily, but This is the gift of giving whatever the Lord lays on your heart is typically how This church has approached it Marcus and then Joyce.

Okay Yes We'll go with the joke, let's get it over with.

We're trying to increase attendance here at our church, so we've decided to to change the tithe to eight percent. Every man according as he purposive in his heart, so let him give. So you could purpose in your heart to give eight percent if you didn't figure you could do ten percent.

Or you could you could purpose in your heart to do fifteen percent. Yeah. But the idea is make up your mind and stick to it. Do it, right?

Right, yeah, I don't know just my personal opinion that it's always sort of been a turn-off hearing. You know, there's those preachers that they're just always talking about money and giving and just high pressure and guilt trips.

And just so preachers that are always talking about money. I don't know I'll preach on it when I come across it, but I guess that's just me Joyce. You had a comment. Yes. Right, I think so yeah, whatever you give your time your yours.

Yeah, you're your energy your money possessions opening your home. I think anything. Whatever you are giving to God. I mean, I guess in another sense a lot of these things are you're giving so I. However, someone defines it, but sure I think that could be included.

Lenny. Right. Right, yeah, so Without you know, this could dominate this is like tongues. It's one of those subjects, you know, it could just kind of typically that that was the Understanding that a tithe is yet to the local church and then because there's tithes and offerings right a tithe is 10

So it the 8 is not a tithe, right? So but yeah, there's there's the other Offerings that maybe are above and beyond or just something. That's not 10 Larry.

And they would always ask the person who would call in with a question, you know, how much are you giving to. You know your local church. And many people would say I can't afford to give. And they would say well you really can't afford not to give you know.

Everything comes from God and then the people would then in turn begin To give to the church and Every time. It would be easier because there would always be enough money. Yeah. Yeah.

All right, so we'll move on from this subject unless there's anything else. But it is a gift of the Holy Spirit. Give it number 10 administration and leadership. This gift is the ability to oversee the flock.

This gift should be exhibited by pastors and elders as well as leaders of missionary societies youth ministries and Evangelistic associations, so some people are just gifted in Administration or leadership so they have the ability to kind of organize and keep things running smoothly.

Someone who maybe doesn't have the gift as soon as they take over an organization, you know. Things start just crumbling and falling apart and nothing's getting done and they just I mean some people have the gifts some people some people don't.

What might be some qualities of leadership or administration. You know, what do you need to have? If you if you have this brains, okay, that's that's true. What else others?

Because you can. Have you know, hey, we need this done. Would you do that? You know, would you do this to? Administrate to oversee all the projects and to be able to put people in the proper positions to get the work done right.

Yeah, a good leader knows how to delegate. Right, but you also need competent people to be able to delegate. So This has been something I admit I will admit I've struggled with. Delegating things to others as all do all do it.

I'll just take care of this. I'll just and then at some point you realize I I'm overloaded. I can't do all of this. And you're sort of robbing other people of opportunities at the same time but there could be the other situation where you just don't have anyone and.

But you really got to give people a chance because if you don't give them a chance. They're never going to grow into that position, you know, let them make some mistakes. You've made mistakes. I've made mistakes let them make mistakes.

So we need to to delegate what else? Yeah, you need to be an organized person. Yep. That's why and I tell all of you when you know when you're maybe after Sunday school. If somebody comes up to me or on the way out of church afterwards, it's oh.

Oh, can you do this or what about write it down? Send me an email. I I'm not gonna remember, you know so I have people telling me things and Unless it's written down, you know I'm I won't necessarily forget but I'm likely to forget if I have five different people asking me to do things on the way out.

So yeah, it definitely helps to be organized. Yeah, Ray. Right. Yeah, what's it what is the opposite of a procrastinator. I mean you need to be a motivated person industrious. Proactive. Yeah. Yep. Yep, okay so this is something that any local church in any organization needs they need someone with the gift of Administration some churches do have an elder system of rule where the elders they have teaching elders and Ruling elders.

Have you ever heard this? Maybe it's not something we're familiar with because we don't have that system here at Morris Corner, but churches that have elder rule. They will often have ruling elders who are focused on Administration and Organization and then there's teaching elders who do you know, pretty much nothing but teaching but it's it's they're both elders.

But there are two different roles really. And if that works, right, okay, so that's the spiritual gift of administration and leadership. Alright the gift of helps number 11. This is the ability to aid in a time of need or bear one another's burdens as the situation Arises, I this is just an observation.

Usually when somebody doesn't know what their spirit. I should probably shouldn't say this. This let me revise. Let me start over. This is probably the most common spiritual gift that I've noticed like when you ask somebody what's your spiritual gift?

And they'll say why the gift of helps? Most people's when I asked the question of what's your spiritual gift? This is usually what I get. So the a gift the gift is the ability to aid in time of need or bear one another's burdens.

These are people that just help out. Yeah, I just help out whatever the the need is. So, I think anyone can do this anyone can help out and we should all be willing to lend a hand but some people Are more inclined to do this and and they're better at it and they're always paying attention.

They're just looking for any opportunity to help out and then others are maybe sort of oblivious to that kind of thing. They're doing whatever they're doing. They have their gift, but there's just those people that are always willing to Lend a helping hand any comments on the the gift of helps I almost see this as sort of like a catch-all for a whole bunch of stuff, but Larry.

In my case, I'm not sure Not always but Much of the time it's out of selfishness. You know, it goes back to the leadership Type of thing, you know, I was brought up that if you want something done, right do it yourself.

And so there's a lot of times Where I see things that need to be done But instead of asking someone to do it Myself like what you said to that I get so many things Going right and then I'm overwhelmed with What all needs to be done?

But there's a lot of times where I do things out of selfishness just because I don't think or I believe that They're not going to do it right or the way I want Right. Yeah Yeah, Stacy.

And you said you do it too. You have to be very I think Self-mindful that you choose to do things yourself and you overwhelm yourself a Couple things are going to happen. You're going to get burned out.

You're not going you're going to rob somebody else of the ability to use one of their gifts for the church and Possibly you're not going to do it as well as you could have.

Right, yeah. Yeah, that's very important. So Good. We me and Larry needed to hear that I guess right, but we recognize like this is. I mean There's something to be said about. Hey, I'm gonna get this done.

I mean, that's good. But yeah, we we want everybody involved and that's really the whole point with the spiritual gifts is just to get everybody in the church every believer. Involved serving in some way and I've said this before but if you don't know what your spiritual gift is think about.

You know, what do you like doing? What do you want to do? What do other people tell you that, you know, have they noticed that? Hey, you're good at this right noticed you Are gifted in this area, what are other people saying and just just try try a whole bunch of things out and Then you'll figure it out eventually if you don't know, but you got to try.

Don't be afraid to try. Mark. Yes. Yeah, they would be for the body of Christ, I mean there's people in the world that are good at certain things but these are. It's the work of God the Holy Spirit. So before you came to faith, you know, this is off.

This is usually a Misunderstanding where people think that you know, we're all born with certain talents like some people are just born. They seems with a gifting in a certain area. That's not necessarily the same as the spiritual gifts.

It's not something you're born with. It's something that God has done a work in your heart. He Empowers you to do it. So it's really only for believers. Dad. Talent. Right, yeah, and that's what I was trying to say that yeah you have talents but spiritual gifts are are different.

Okay number 12 is the gift of service the gift of service is working for the body of Christ in areas of physical ministry such as serving food or performing maintenance. Yeah, I think a lot of people would consider that the gift of helps.

So, I mean, that's how I've sort of always heard it defined. But again, that's that's not how it's defined in the book. So if you get some disagreement, I mean, it's not that big of a deal. But the gift of service is working for the body of Christ.

Okay, what's another word for service? The New Testament uses a Word that we think of as being a sort of a Christian word. What is it ministry, right? Ministry is service. That's what the word means. So if you go into the ministry You're you're going into the service of God or if you're involved in Serving God in the church.

Let's say you do help out With serving food or you perform an odd job you mow the lawn or or something like that. You say well that's not ministry ministry is what's done here right behind the pulpit ministry is what's done here up front.

No ministry is what's done, you know everywhere so we're all involved in the work of Service the work of the ministry. There's just different types of ministries, right? Joyce. Yeah, yeah you're saying you don't hear the word minister.

Right. Yeah, I don't know. I don't know why you know all these different terms. Minister yeah, you don't typically hear that. Baby, that's more of it. Is that an old-fashioned term? Someone want to back that up?

Yes.

I think it's almost 13. I was gonna look it up. I pretty sure it's from 13. Says that police officers are ministers. Yeah.

Yeah, well there's some nations that they have the you know the interior ministry or the Ministry of Defense right there's there's different words. For maybe the military or action roles in government and they're called ministry.

I think in Israel their government they call it. You know, there's ministers. We we have like we have secretaries right in our government. We have secretaries, but in other governments they call them Ministers, but it's all it's all service, right?

You're serving your country, but here we're serving God. Yeah, yeah admin yeah, that's good good. All right, any final comments before we move on from that we're almost done. Less than 15 minutes. So let's try to get through this number three the exercise of spiritual gifts.

State the principles expressed in Romans 12 6 through 8. And it says since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us Each of us is to exercise them accordingly if prophecy according to the proportion of his faith if Service in his serving or he who teaches in his teaching or he who exhorts in his exhortation he who gives with Liberality he who leads with diligence he who shows mercy with cheerfulness exercise your gift.

So however you exercise it do it. Do it well. Read 1st Corinthians 13 1 through 7 and answer the following questions. How can your gifts be abused and without? Benefit. The Apostle Paul says if I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but do not have love I have become a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal.

So can you exercise the spiritual gifts and Do it without love or do it with the wrong motivation. Well, you say well, it's not really exercising your gift. You're abusing the gift. Okay, so there are people who preach sermons and they are maybe prophesying but their motivation is hey I want to roast these people and they're not really doing it from a position of love.

Some people do that and it is from a good place. But you know, the point is you could Exercise your spiritual gifts and Maybe have bad motivation. Whenever we talk about the abuse of the gifts. Yeah, you think of 1st Corinthians 14.

I mean, there's the gift of prophecy, but then there's what false prophecy. There's the gift of tongues but then there's the Unknown tongue the gibberish that nobody understands. So there are the there are ways to abuse the spiritual gifts.

So Paul recognizes one way to do it is to not have love he says if I have the gift of prophecy and know all mysteries and all knowledge and if I have all faith so as to Remove mountains, but do not have love I am nothing and if I give all my possessions to feed the poor if I surrender my body to be burned.

But do not have love it profits me nothing. So if your gift so it profits nothing if your gift is not exercised in love so motivation is He of course the thing is you don't know my motivation. Do you I Don't know your motivation.

There could be people that are busy and they're they're doing this they're serving in this way. It might be pastoral ministry. None of us really know each other's motivation, right? I think we ought to you know based on each other's testimony and our manner of life.

Give each other the benefit of the doubt. I believe you all have good motivation. I hope you believe that of me. But we all recognize there are people out there that do not have the right motivation. But who knows who knows?

Yeah, see only God knows the heart. Sometimes it might slip out. But I don't think we should we should judge people's motivation. All right number two since your spiritual giftedness is to be exercised in love.

What are some guidelines that will ensure the profitability of your gifts so list? 15 guidelines. This is verses 4 through 7 anyone want to Share what you have written? Otherwise, I'll just read it. Okay, some of the you want to share no, okay.

Mike go ahead. So I have patience kindness. Not being envious or boastful or prideful or rude self-seeking easily angered. No record of wrongs. No delight in evil rejoices in truth protects trust hopes.

Perseverance good. See. I have the teacher's guide with all the answers pre-written. And Mike hit a home run. He got it exactly right so. So these are the 15 guidelines moving on to see. 1st Corinthians 12 Reveals the importance of each spiritual gift within the body of Christ.

According to 1st Corinthians 12 25. What should your attitude be in the use of your spiritual giftedness? What should the attitude be that there be no division in The body but that the members may have the same care for one another.

This is why this topic. It's always seems so interesting to me how The the purpose of the spiritual gifts is to build up the body of Christ. And yet this is one of the most Divisive topics within Within the church it seems.

So I tell you something's wrong. The way somebody's doing it if it causes division if the spiritual gifts cause division Somebody's it. It's it's proof that somebody is abusing the spiritual gift or they have bad motivation.

Larry.

He was talking about if I have a gifted hand. And he said if I cut it off to give to somebody else so they could use my gifted hand. Now it's dead. Yeah, and so if one of us Within the body the church body I mean we have our Congregational body of believers and there's the universal body of believers of which all believers are part of it.

You know if one of us is Using our gift wrongly It's like cancer or it's you know, and it's not gonna just like cancer is going to affect my body. If cancer is gonna Affect all people around me within our little congregation here and eventually.

The whole body worldwide. So what you're saying is if somebody is using a gift that they don't have it can be a detriment. Is that what you're saying? That's one. That's Okay, yeah. Yeah. All right, so D read Ephesians 4 11 through 16 what causes the growth of the body of Christ.

Verse 16 says the proper working of each individual part causes the growth of the body. So this is true for any local church any Denomination if you want the church to grow. Every part of the body has to be Operational.

Right. I mean imagine if if I'm up here, but my of my legs didn't work. I can't stand if my eyes didn't work. I couldn't read this if I if I left my mouth didn't work. I couldn't say anything. I wouldn't be any.

I Wouldn't be any use. So you are the legs you are the the hands you are whatever part of the body? We need everyone together To cause the growth of the church, so, you know, you come here on Sunday morning.

Hopefully you're instructed you're motivated and then you take it and you you go out and you Find ways to serve during the week that that's the whole point of this. Firing on all cylinders exactly. Yes.

All right, the final section application. Discovery of your giftedness each member of the body is commanded to minister in many of the gifted areas whether he Possesses the particular gift or not. For example, all Christians are to function in the following areas.

Faith 2nd Corinthians 5 7 wisdom James 1 5 knowledge 2nd Timothy 2 15 exhortation Hebrews 10 25. Giving 2nd Corinthians 9 7 and care for one another or helps 1st Corinthians 12 25. So do you agree with that?

Okay, so just because you don't have the gift doesn't mean that you don't. That you don't express faith or exhort people or care. The Bible does not explicitly explain how to determine one's spiritual giftedness.

However, you can begin by being obedient in the areas mentioned above. Look for open doors and pray for opportunities to serve seek the counsel of other believers. They may be more aware of your gifts than you are in order to discover your giftedness in the body and in submission to the elders of your church in What areas would you be willing to serve and this is what you're supposed to do.

Write down. Okay, I would I would be willing to do this. I'd be willing to do that so Whatever you wrote. If you're not currently doing it. Come and talk to me talk to somebody try to try to figure out sometime in the next few weeks months sometime this year that you're gonna You're gonna start exercising this gift and again, it might not be something within this building you don't have to serve Within the four walls of this church.

A lot of your service can be in the community in Jesus name. So not necessarily Here on the premises, but the point is you want to do Something for the Lord or you could just go to another believer and just so what are you doing for the Lord the bed?

Oh, man, I don't. But we should all be doing doing something. Each of us needs to exercise his or her giftedness and ministry for the common good of the church. And it closes with first Peter 410 as each one has received a special gift.

Employ it and serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.