Kingdom's Keys Fellowship
Where God's Kingdom Meets Man's Heart.
Epiphany 13 Opening the Treasury
Epiphany 13 Opening the Treasury
“God's various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! (1Cor.12:4-6 Message Bible)”
Immediately we need to distinguish between spiritual gifts and natural talents. Let me explain that. I was doing a gifts workshop in a church in Louisiana some years ago and this issue arose when I said that they do not necessarily coincide. One member, a local banker, asked, “Do you mean if I really don’t like being treasurer of the parish and would rather do something else that would be alright?” Much to the chagrin of the rector I said, ‘Yes.” As it turned out the workshop enabled him to see that he had a gift of service that I found out later opened him up to an exciting ministry of administration in the parish. Another with the same gift but not a financier offered himself and did a marvelous job as treasurer. In another church the workshop showed a schoolteacher she didn’t have to teach Sunday School just because of her occupation. Her gifts led her into another ministry in the Body. Sometimes they do parallel, but if we start with gifts, the Spirit will use us where we can operate most effectively in the Body.
So let’s define spiritual gifts. In 1.Cor.12:1,4 there are two Greek words used for gifts. In vs.1 the Greek word is ‘pneumatikon’ meaning spirituality issues in general. In vs.2-3 Paul uses it to differentiate between two kinds of spirituality, pagan and Christian.
In vs.4 the word is ‘charismata’ meaning specifically grace gifts or ‘pieces of grace.’ Here he uses it to describe the Lord’s personal endowment of specific measures or kinds of spiritual abilities to believers. They are given to each as He wills. They are, in effect, our spiritual job description. The fact that they are given out of His grace means they are to be used gracefully in the Body. That is they see others in the Body as spiritually blessed with knowing Jesus as Lord and offer their gifts to minister and open their hearts to receive ministry. It is as though God has broken His grace into pieces and shared them with His people much like Jesus took the 5 loaves and 2 fish, blessed them, broke them and distributed them to the 5000 and with plenty left over. Spiritual gifts enable the Body to support each other, to heal each other, to teach each other and to build the Body together with plenty left over. Think of how God is a Trinity of persons working in perfect harmony. That is what the grace gifts are all about, bringing believers from their tortured and lonely existence into a unity in the Spirit. That is how the Body not only grows spiritually but how the world is changed as the believers pour back into the world sharing the good news of Jesus and His Body. “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good (vs.7).”
There are three basic passages to describe these spiritual grace gifts:
Romans 12:6-8, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”
1Cor.12:8-11 “To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.”
Eph.4:11-13 “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
Next few times---looking at them each---stay tuned………
“God's various gifts are handed out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various ministries are carried out everywhere; but they all originate in God's Spirit. God's various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is: Everyone gets in on it, everyone benefits. All kinds of things are handed out by the Spirit, and to all kinds of people! (1Cor.12:4-6 Message Bible)”
Immediately we need to distinguish between spiritual gifts and natural talents. Let me explain that. I was doing a gifts workshop in a church in Louisiana some years ago and this issue arose when I said that they do not necessarily coincide. One member, a local banker, asked, “Do you mean if I really don’t like being treasurer of the parish and would rather do something else that would be alright?” Much to the chagrin of the rector I said, ‘Yes.” As it turned out the workshop enabled him to see that he had a gift of service that I found out later opened him up to an exciting ministry of administration in the parish. Another with the same gift but not a financier offered himself and did a marvelous job as treasurer. In another church the workshop showed a schoolteacher she didn’t have to teach Sunday School just because of her occupation. Her gifts led her into another ministry in the Body. Sometimes they do parallel, but if we start with gifts, the Spirit will use us where we can operate most effectively in the Body.
So let’s define spiritual gifts. In 1.Cor.12:1,4 there are two Greek words used for gifts. In vs.1 the Greek word is ‘pneumatikon’ meaning spirituality issues in general. In vs.2-3 Paul uses it to differentiate between two kinds of spirituality, pagan and Christian.
In vs.4 the word is ‘charismata’ meaning specifically grace gifts or ‘pieces of grace.’ Here he uses it to describe the Lord’s personal endowment of specific measures or kinds of spiritual abilities to believers. They are given to each as He wills. They are, in effect, our spiritual job description. The fact that they are given out of His grace means they are to be used gracefully in the Body. That is they see others in the Body as spiritually blessed with knowing Jesus as Lord and offer their gifts to minister and open their hearts to receive ministry. It is as though God has broken His grace into pieces and shared them with His people much like Jesus took the 5 loaves and 2 fish, blessed them, broke them and distributed them to the 5000 and with plenty left over. Spiritual gifts enable the Body to support each other, to heal each other, to teach each other and to build the Body together with plenty left over. Think of how God is a Trinity of persons working in perfect harmony. That is what the grace gifts are all about, bringing believers from their tortured and lonely existence into a unity in the Spirit. That is how the Body not only grows spiritually but how the world is changed as the believers pour back into the world sharing the good news of Jesus and His Body. “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good (vs.7).”
There are three basic passages to describe these spiritual grace gifts:
Romans 12:6-8, “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man's gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith. 7If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach; 8if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.”
1Cor.12:8-11 “To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.”
Eph.4:11-13 “It was he who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, 12to prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ."
Next few times---looking at them each---stay tuned………
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