Sunday
Morning Bible Study
August 29, 2004
Spiritual Gifts
Illustration
Harry Truman loved to tell the story about a man who became rather
disoriented, yet philosophical after a drinking binge. It was the fourth of July and the man had “toasted”
the Statue of Liberty once too often. As
he staggered out of the bar, he wandered into a nearby funeral parlor and fell
headlong into an open casket. There he
spent the night. When he awoke the next
morning he looked carefully at his surroundings and asked, “If I am alive, what
am I doing in this thing? But if I’m dead, why do I have to go to the bathroom?”
When we come to trust in Jesus, He’s going to bring us to our senses, a
little like waking up the next morning.
Have you asked yourself, “What am I doing in this life?”
Why should I be interested in Spiritual Gifts?
God has a work for you to do on this earth.
But He wants the work to be done right.
He wants it to have His fingerprints on it. That’s only going to happen as we learn how
to allow the Holy Spirit to work through us, and when He works through us, He
works through the gifts.
Helps
(1 Cor
12:28
KJV) And God hath set some in the
church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that
miracles, then gifts of healings, helps
…
helps – antilepsis – a
laying hold of, in NT, to aid, help. It
seems to carry the idea of “laying hold of” a need and taking care of it. A close form of the word is found in:
Ac 20:35
"In everything I showed you that by working hard in this manner you
must help the weak and remember the
words of the Lord Jesus, that He Himself said, ‘It is more blessed to give than
to receive.’"
I believe this is the same gift that Paul mentions in Romans 12:7 –
(Rom 12:7 KJV) Or ministry, let us
wait on our ministering …
ministry … ministering – diakonia (“deacon”)
– service, ministering, esp. of
those who execute the commands of others.
We’ve made the word to seem to talk about some kind of special religious
person, but it really just speaks of a servant.
Its focus isn’t on the relationship between a servant and master (doulos), but its
focus is on the work that the servant is doing.
let us wait – this phrase is not in the Greek text, but was added by the
translators. The idea is simply, “If
your gift is ministry, then do ministry”
What
is the gift of “helps”?
It’s simply being a servant to
others. It’s being “helpful” to
others. It’s fulfilling a “need” with
your ability.
Yet there is something special, an
extra “gifting” with those who have this gift.
They do their job especially well.
They find great joy in serving.
There was a gal in the book of Acts who
would get sick, die, and Peter would raise her from the dead. Her name was “Dorcas”,
and I think she may have had the gift of helps.
She was described as a woman:
(Acts 9:36 KJV)
full of good works and almsdeeds
which she did.
In particular, she had made a lot of coats and garments for the poor (Acts 9:39)
Lesson
Obligation versus
gifting.
Some of these spiritual gifts are
things that can only be done by those “gifted” by the Lord to do them. A person who does not have the gift of
miracles does not perform miracles. A
person who does not have the gift of tongues can’t speak in an unknown
language.
But some of the gifts are a form of
something that we all should be doing.
Some will be more “gifted” than others, but we are all to do them.
There is a “gift of exhortation” (Rom. 12:8), yet we are all supposed to be encouraging
one another (Heb. 3:13).
There is a “gift of giving” (Rom. 12:8), yet we are all obligated to give (Acts 20:35).
A person with the gift of “helps” won’t
just serve others because they know they need to, they will overflow in helping
others because they love it and they’re pretty good at it.
Lesson
The Holy Spirit is practical.
If we’re not careful, we can fall into
the trap of thinking that the Holy Spirit’s purpose is to give certain people
in the church the ability to read your mind and come up with amazing bits of
knowledge.
But Jesus said that the one true result
of the baptism of the Holy Spirit was power:
(Acts
1:8 KJV) But ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is
come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me …
The word “power” is dunamis in the
Greek. Though we can get caught up in
saying that this is the root word for “dynamite”, it’s also the root word for
“dynamo” and “dynamic”. Its root meaning
is simply that of “ability”.
When the Holy Spirit fills you, He will
give you “ability”. It’s always the
ability to be a witness for Jesus. Sometimes
it is also the ability to speak in an unknown tongue. Sometimes it is the ability to have a special
word of knowledge. Sometimes it’s the
ability to clean up a neighbor’s kitchen or take especially good care of the
flower beds at church.
Teaching
(1 Cor
12:28
KJV) And God hath set some in the
church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers …
(Rom 12:7 KJV)
…or he that teacheth,
on teaching;
teacheth – didasko – to
explain or expound a thing
What
is the gift of teaching?
The ability to
explain the Word of God.
Often as a person is speaking, there
may be actually several gifts as work.
There may be times when a word of knowledge is mixed in, other times
when the words are purely prophetic, sometimes there is exhortation going on.
But the part that is “teaching”
involves the explanation of God’s Word.
It’s the ability to help another person gain understanding about what
God’s Word means.
We see an example of this in the Old
Testament:
(Neh 8:8 KJV) So they
read in the book in the law of God distinctly, and gave the sense, and caused them to understand the reading.
They helped those listening to be able
to understand the implications of what was being read.
If you have the gift of teaching, then
you love that look in a person’s eye that shows you that they understand.
I think there are things we can do to
improve our ability to teach others like learning to illustrate a point. Jesus often told stories or parables to help
the people understand what He was saying.
But the bottom line with the “gift” of teaching is that it is a special
ability from the Holy Spirit.
Exhortation
(Rom 12:8 KJV) Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation …
exhorteth – parakaleo – to call to one's side, call for, summon; to
admonish, exhort; to console, to encourage and strengthen by consolation, to
comfort; to encourage, strengthen. This
is the root of the word used to describe the Holy Spirit as the “Comforter”,
the “Helper”, the “Paraklete”.
As I’ve studied this word and its usage, I’ve come to the conclusion that
there are two main ideas behind it:
1) Encouragment
to action.
Getting someone off the sofa and out doing something.
2) Comforting others.
Those that are discouraged, those that are full of sorrow, we need to
“comfort” or “encourage” them.
Barnabas was one of the chief “encouragers” of the Bible. His real name was Joseph (Acts 4:36), but he became known as “Barnabas” which
means “Son of Encouragement”. We see his
gift at work:
(Acts 11:23-24 KJV) Who, when he came, and had seen the grace of
God, was glad, and exhorted them
all, that
with purpose of heart they would cleave unto the Lord. {24} For he was a good man, and full of the Holy Ghost and of
faith: and much people was added unto the Lord.
Barnabas was keeping the church moving in the direction of holding on to
the Lord. He was the one who kept
saying, “come on, you can do it, you can keep walking with Jesus!”
Lesson
Different flavors
As with all of the gifts, there are different ways in which the gifts may
be manifested (1Cor. 12:4-6)
Be careful not to think that when you’ve seen a gift in
action, that this is the way that it must always be operated.
Some people with the gift of exhortation:
Kay Smith, Pastor Romaine, David Carroll, George Bryson. They all have
different kinds of ministries and different ways of encouraging others to
action. Kay can be a gentle encourager, she can also be a cheerleader. Romaine was in your face, to the point,
followed by a swift kick in the pants.
David Carroll has such a soft spoken manner, yet when he’s done, you
want to get up and respond. George has a
way of twisting your arm and yet afterward you’re glad he did. All have the gift of exhortation. All can move you to action.
Sometimes a person may have a gift of exhortation but they don’t have a
public speaking gift. This is the person
who is always trying to encourage others, who has an eye out for the sad and
lonely ones. Don’t think that your gift
needs to be just like another person’s gift.
Giving
(Rom 12:8 KJV) …he that giveth, let him do it with
simplicity…
giveth – metadidomi (“with” + “to give”) – to impart
I have to confess that for most pastors, this is a gift that they can get a
little too caught up in.
A person with the gift of giving just wants to give. They want to give to others. It blesses them tremendously to give to
others.
A few weeks back the Register ran a series of articles on Howard Ahmanson,
the heir to the Ahmanson fortune. He is
a Christian who seems to have this gift of giving.
But let me say that I do believe that the gift of giving doesn’t have to be
tied to how much money you have. It
isn’t dependent on how much you have, but on how you give of what you have. The
example Jesus held up as the person who gave the most was the poor widow who
only gave two pennies, but she gave all she had (Mark 12:41-44).
Paul has given specific instruction (Rom.
12:8) as to how this gift ought to be operated in the church (he doesn’t say, “just give”):
simplicity – haplotes – singleness, simplicity, sincerity, mental honesty;
the virtue of one who is free from pretence and hypocrisy; not self seeking,
openness of heart manifesting itself by generosity. It comes from aplouv is literally spread out without folds, and hence means single, simple, without
complexity of character and motive.
Lesson
No strings attached.
Sometimes people will offer to give you something, but you have to do
something for them in return.
Illustration
Mobster Funeral
I recall a story where a mobster named Freddie died. He was famous all around town as a
gangster. Freddie’s brother, Gino, went
to a local church and asked the pastor if he would perform Freddie’s
funeral. He said to the pastor, “Pastor,
I will donate a million dollars to the church if you perform my brother’s
funeral. I only have one request, that
during the funeral you tell everyone what a saint my brother was.” The pastor didn’t know what to do. He knew the church could sure use the money
for their building fund, but he also knew that the whole town knew what a crook
Freddie was. On the day of the funeral,
there was Gino sitting in the front row of pews, holding a large briefcase full
of money. The pastor struggled, but got
up and began to preach about the consequences of sin and the need to
repent. He went on to tell about what a
crook Freddie was, and that he was the perfect example of a wretched
sinner. Gino was beginning to get very
upset. The pastor went on, “We all know
what a horrible person Freddie was. He
was drunk all the time, he cheated on his wife, he stole from his friends, but
compared to his brother, Freddie was a saint!”
God’s desire is that when we give, we don’t expect anything in return.
Governments
(Rom 12:8 KJV) …he that ruleth, with diligence …
ruleth – proistemi – to
set or place before; to superintend, preside over
In 1Corinthians, Paul calls this gift “governments” (1Cor. 12:28)
governments – kubernesis (our word “govern”) – from kubernao of Latin origin, to steer a ship. A kubernetes was the helmsman, the man who knew winds,
currents, stars, and how to get a ship to its destination.
These are the individuals within the
church that have the ability to lead and organize. We often have a great need for this gift in
our church. Sometimes we have lots of
ideas of what to do, but a person with “leadership” knows how to envision a
project and see it through to completion.
Leader: Someone
with vision to see what needs to be
done or where to go, but also the strategy
to implement the vision.
(Rom 12:8 KJV) …he that ruleth, with diligence …
diligence – spoude – haste, earnestness, diligence
(Rom 12:8 NLT)
…If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility
seriously…
Lesson
Leaders should be diligent.
In fact, diligence can lead to leadership:
(Prov 12:24 KJV) The hand of the diligent shall bear rule: but
the slothful shall be under tribute.
Illustration
Shortly after he opened his first
plant, Thomas Edison noticed that his employees were in the habit of watching
the lone factory clock. To the inventor who was a tireless worker, this was incomprehensible. He did not indicate his disapproval verbally.
Instead he had dozens of clocks placed around the plant, no two keeping the
same time. From then on clock watching
led to so much confusion that nobody cared what time it was.
Are you a “clock-watcher”
or a hard worker? That may be the very
factor that determines how much potential you have as a leader.
God is looking for leaders who will be
diligent. He wants them to be diligent
to know how those under them are doing.
If you take care of the things that are under your care, then you’ll see
things flourish.
Mercy
(Rom 12:8 KJV)
…he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness.
mercy – eleeo
– to have mercy on; to help one afflicted or seeking aid; to feel sympathy with
the misery of another, esp. such sympathy as manifests itself in act; the
emotion roused by contact with an affliction which comes undeservedly on
someone else.
The gift of mercy isn’t a sense of begrudging help. It is willing help.
The gift of “mercy” may be what is involved in those who have a heart to
call on the sick, those who visit in hospitals or convalescent homes. It can be involved in ministries to
handicapped folks. It can be involved in
the “rescue missions”, and ministries to the homeless.
The gift of mercy is sometimes much more than just feeling sorry for
someone, it seems to be connected with action.
When people asked Jesus for mercy, He responded by healing them.
(Mat 15:22
KJV) And, behold, a woman of Canaan came
out of the same coasts, and cried unto him, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord, thou son of David; my daughter is
grievously vexed with a devil.
cheerfulness – hilarotes – cheerfulness,
readiness of mind, it comes from hilaros – cheerful, joyous, prompt to do anything
Sometimes we can give “mercy” but with a price, a stern warning, a
reluctant hand, but not cheerfulness.
How can I receive spiritual gifts?
As we’ve studied about the spiritual gifts, you may find yourself asking
yourself, “I sure would like to have that gift! But how do I get it?”
Prerequisites:
1. Salvation
You must be a believer to have the Holy Spirit in you. (Rom.
8:9)
2. Baptism of the Holy Spirit
The gifts of the Spirit are always connected with people being filled,
controlled, empowered by the Spirit. In Acts 2, the disciples spoke in tongues as
they were filled with the Spirit.
Additional things you can do:
3. Laying on of hands
1Tim.4:14 Do
not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed upon you through
prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery.
(2 Tim 1:6 KJV) Wherefore I
put thee in remembrance that thou stir up the gift of God, which is in thee by
the putting on of my hands.
4. Waiting and praying
Acts 1:4 And
gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised...
Luke 11:13 If you then,
being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more shall
your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?
The context of this verse is Luke 11:14, where Jesus talks about asking,
seeking, and knocking.
I do not believe that you receive a single set of gifts at one shot and
that is all you get for the rest of your life. I believe that we ought to be
open to God giving us new gifts.
Paul wrote,
(1 Cor
12:31
KJV) But covet earnestly the best gifts: and yet show I unto you a more
excellent way.
What’s the point in desiring the “best” gifts if you’ve already gotten all you’re
going to get?
Ultimately, receiving and learning to walk in the gifts of the Holy Spirit
are tied to a person’s relationship with the Lord.
He’s the one who gives the gifts.
He’s the one who decides what gifts you’ll receive.
It’s our place to ask, wait, and then practice.