On the Way to Spiritual Gifts, Their Foundation

[HKHaugan]

I am still convinced that the recovery of the church is in the discovery, practice and sharing of spiritual gifts. When I say ‘church’ I am not talking about the ‘Body of Christ.’ Rather I’m pointing to the sagging denominational efforts vested in maintaining traditional structure and budgets while neglecting the spiritual life of their members. But before we get to the gifts there needs to be a foundation in any group calling itself Christian. That foundation is its vision, its sense of purpose, its reason for being. “For no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ (1Cor.3:11).”

There has to be some honest facing of reality when it comes to what is really taking place in a ‘church.’ Is the vision really being a Body of personal witnesses to Jesus? How verbal are people really in their daily walk? Are members being discipled to know and experience Jesus and share that experience with others? How centered is the leadership in preaching, making decisions and envisioning the presentation of Jesus to the world around them? Are sermons geared to seeing who Jesus is, why He came, how He affects us personally and growing in the knowledge of His Presence? Are budgets designed to fulfill the vision of Jesus’ calling believers to be His personal witnesses? Are believers praying for the fulfillment of the vision, for one another, for direction, for repentance and forgiveness, for the neighborhood, for the town?

The question about prayer is paramount. We are not talking about liturgical prayer that mentions a topic and then rushes on to something else. What we are asking is there real concerted open prayer for what God is calling a group to be or is prayer consigned only to public worship on a Sunday? The bottom line question has to be faced. Is it a ‘Sunday-only’ group or is Jesus the driving force that occupies the daily life of a believer?

Moving on then, if the foundation is Jesus then how is He presented?

God ordained the way He wanted His Son’s coming into the world to be presented. The word that best describes that way is ‘Gospel.’ It comes from the Greek word, euangelion, eu-good, angelion-announcement, news (note angelos, angel or announcer). In English it is the word ‘evangelism’ which, unfortunately, has come to mean a program with a formula for recruitment as opposed to someone living and sharing how a personal experience of Jesus, God the Son, has changed their life. It is sharing the Gospel.

But what is ‘the Gospel?’ It is three things, God’s power, God’s event and God’s love.
First, God’s power.
Paul tells us this, “…it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile. For in the gospel the righteousness of God is revealed—a righteousness that is by faith from first to last (from faith to faith-KJV), just as it is written: “The righteous will live by faith (Rom.1:16-17 NIV).” Simply put, being righteous is being faithful.

Second, God’s event.
Then Paul spells out the event of the Gospel in more detail, “For what I received I passed on to you as of first importance: that Christ died for our sins according to the Scriptures, that he was buried, that he was raised on the third day according to the Scriptures, and that he appeared to Cephas, and then to the Twelve. After that, he appeared to more than five hundred of the brothers and sisters at the same time, most of whom are still living, though some have fallen asleep. Then he appeared to James, then to all the apostles, and last of all he appeared to me also, as to one abnormally born (1Cor.15:3-8).”

Third, God’s love.
But the words of Jesus in John 3:16 are the spiritual core of the Gospel, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Here the words were clear that have become so dear that bring us cheer for Jesus himself has made fear and its tear disappear when we adhere to His Word and keep it near.

What we will do from here is to suggest how we build the base for us to be open to the Holy Spirit who moves within us to bring His gifts enabling us not only to be the Body of Christ but also the bearers of the Gospel.

If a congregation, a prayer group, a home church, is being faithful to its calling to present the Gospel then what follows is discipling each believer in the way Jesus shared Himself with others. Our next look, as we move toward spiritual gifts, will be discipling believers.