When I was a kid, I remember going to the “Spectrum” in Philadelphia, to see the “Harlem Globetrotters” basketball team. They were a crazy bunch of highly talented men, that satirically played a “game” of basketball. They fumbled around, often changing places on the court and making up the rules as they went along. It was as though no one ever actually taught them the game of basketball. It was humorous and fun. It was also a pattern – but I had no idea at the time it would be. It became something I saw in churches in my adult life – only now it wasn’t nearly as funny.
God set up a way He wanted ministry to be completed. After nearly four decades of “church growth” materials from developed management and advertising style leaders, after three decades of prosperity theology, after a wave of concert crazes of a decade ago, I have seen fads come and go. I cannot take the time to enumerate all the fads, but let’s just say that sometimes the church seems to be making up its own rules on what ministry should look like. Not everything the fads offer is evil or wrong. My point is that we seem to keep trying to remake what the church is supposed to look like on the ground in every city. The new isn’t intrinsically wrong – but it does need to be tested against Scripture and set within God’s stated expectations.
We need to be ever mindful that the church isn’t OURS, it is HIS. God gets to set the pace, the expectations, the functions and yes, the RULES. That isn’t a negative – He truly knows best how to tell His story. The God who flung the stars into place is not drab or uncreative, but He is ordered, and He has spoken about what He wants to happen and how it is to work.
We said that God expects five thing to happen. Two are passive because we essentially let Him do the work in us; the last three are active on our part:
1. Submit to a complete INSPECTION (12:1).
2. Allow a mind makeover. We need CORRECTION (12:2).
3. Check our EGO baggage. Some of us need DEFLATION (12:3).
4. Find our FUNCTION in the body. We need COMPREHENSION (12:4).
5. Get busy toward His goal. We need CONNECTION (12:5).
Functional connectedness is the essential quality of the body. Great are the number amputee churches that are struggling to function well while some essential parts of the body have removed themselves from any sense of responsibility to connection.
There are four passages in the Christian Scriptures that reveal building blocks of truth regarding the “charismata” or “gifts”. Some of you are aware that not all believers are comfortable with all the practices of other believers in regards to the gifts. The truth is that although we do not speak with one voice because of differing views on how Scripture should be understood – most evangelical Bible believing Christians agree on most all of the functions and operations of the “charismata”. In other words, there isn’t as much difference between Christian groups as you may at first think. Some issues are REAL and SIGNIFICANT – many are the way we have learned to frame our speech concerning the issues. As we seek to connect people to God and each other, we need to take a minute and really look at the lists of gifts. We are going to do more with them in the next lesson, but it is worth spending a few minutes here to become familiarized again with the lists.
Key Principle: God empowered the connection for the body with His Spirit. Fully understanding and carefully practicing the empowering gifts is God’s plan of operation for a health body life in the local church – and He intends that we use that plan.
If we survey the Christian Scriptures, we quickly observe that God used His Spirit to reveal to the early church through Paul three distinct types of gifts – People Gifts (Prepared Servants), Practice Gifts (Service Empowerments) and Pointer Gifts (Manifestations to Call Attention). We will focus primarily on the first two (because the last one gets the most press today!).
TYPE ONE – People Gifts:
Ephesians 4:1 “Therefore I, the prisoner of the Lord, implore you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling with which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, showing tolerance for one another in love, 3 being diligent to preserve the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. ..11 And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, 12 for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. 14 As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; 15 but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is the head, even Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.”
The passage was written inside of the letter of encouragement to the people of Ephesus, who were being pressed to feel “second class” among the citizens of Heaven by some who wanted them to keep the Torah. The letter addressed the “Call” of the Believer (Eph. 1-3); the “Conduct” of the Believer (4:1-6:9) and the “Conflict” of the Believer (Eph. 6:10-20). The opening of the section addressing CONDUCT appropriately begins with the EMPOWERING of Jesus in people gifts – those especially outfitted to lead and build the body.
In one list, God revealed four gifts of “specifically prepared people” who have been Divinely appointed and dispatched into a situation in order to do a specific work at a specific time and place. These are listed in Ephesians 4. The passage can be broken into five essential parts:
- The obligation of the empowered body (4:1).
- The character traits of the obedient body (4:2-3).
- The mechanics of the provision to the body (4:4-10).
- The provision of the empowered for the body (4:11).
- The planned impact of the empowered on the body (4:12-16).
As we address the people gifts in the middle of the chapter, we musn’t skip the obligations and character traits of the obedient body. WE DARE NOT RUSH TO LEARN SOMETHING NEW AT THE EXPENSE OF MEASURING OUR OBEDIENCE TO SOMETHING FAMILIAR. Paul instructed them to:
- Understand their obligation (4:1): Recognize as called members of the body, they had an obligation to live as believers and uphold the family name (4:1).
- Live the Traits (4:2,3): The character traits of that family were described: humility (a compound word that means “low understanding” – and literally refers to placing a view of one’s self low on the list of priorities). Gentleness (prah-oo’-tace – means to be “considerate”). Patience (makrothumia is a compound word that translates “slow to boil”). Tolerance is a compound word from “hold up” and “enable” that suggests we carefully aid to success others in the body. (4:2). All of these traits are to be in an effort to “be diligent” (spoude: eager) to keep the body together and functioning well.
Step back look at the qualities necessary for a successfully growing body of believers (4:2,3):
- I must understand others in the body are more important than ME – my comfort is not first.
- I must constantly seek to be considerate of the feelings and growth of the others around me – they are more important to me.
- Others will do things that bother me, and I must seek to keep the “fuse long” and not spout off when they do.
- I can be used of God, if obedient, to hold up and build up weaker ones in their journey to grow in Messiah.
- I should be eager to keep the body running together and well.
Recognize the Provisions (4:11): Skipping by the verses that deal with the “MECHANICS” of Jesus’ delivery of the gifts in 4:3-10… drop your eyes to the list found in 4:11:
- Apostles (Eph. 4:11): “one sent forth” as in an ambassador – a missionary. Their focus should be primarily unreached people, plowing new ground. Healthy local churches should be concerned with the lost of many other places…
- Prophets (Eph. 4:11): Those who have been deeply invested in revealed truth and have the leadership of God’s people rooted in their – or “founders”. The uniqueness of the term “prophetia” on this list is found in the fact that it was a dramatic foretelling that powerfully demonstrated Divine enabling, and Paul wrote to the Corinthians that prophecy (specific) may be “stopped by outside influence” 1 Corinthians 13:8, causing some to maintain that it is no longer in operation (an issue for a later lesson).
- Evangelists (Eph 4:11): These “preachers of the gospel” are characterized by their consistent ability to preach the gospel to the lost with extraordinary result. Their focus is lost people who need to have a clear presentation of the Savior.
- Teaching-Shepherds (Eph 4:11): A specific minister who possesses both the teaching and persuasion gifts – an equipper.
Products (4:12-16): If the work of the people prepared by God is effective and unhindered, the results in Ephesians 4:12-16 are powerful:
- The body gets the necessary equipment and training in its use to effectively serve the needs of the community it has been placed in (4:12).
- The believers of the community sense a unity with one another (4:13a)..
- Believers are characterized by maturity in their decision making choices (4:13b).
- The theological “flip-flopping” is reigned in, and stability replaces it. The tricks and schemes of the wicked don’t trip up God’s people (4:14).
- Truth is lovingly shared to pull the body together. (4:15-16)
Let me be especially clear here. Disunity of a church body is, to some great extent, a Pastoral fault. The immaturity in many local churches is not solely due to the stubbornness of the members (although that will definitely have something to do with it). Where the Word is not regularly, systematically and persuasively taught today, the Word will not be LIVED OUT tomorrow. A nation of lazy or distracted Pastors will raise up ill-equipped families that will fall away from the truth in tough times. A Gospel of salvation and surrender that is allowed to be watered down to “self help” strategies will produce an anemic church, easy for the enemy to whisk away in times of persecution.
I must hold myself accountable before God for this one truth: “Have I done my best, week after week, to carefully study and as thoroughly present the full counsel of the Word of God to the beloved people God has privileged me to walk with in their Christian life?” If I have not, I will face a special judgment reserved for the teacher of the Word that James referred to in his Epistle.
Look carefully at the underlying truths involved in PEOPLE GIFTS:
- We all represent to the NAME of the Lord in Christian – and we need to cut out the selfish living and act like believers – the world is confused by compromised Christians (Ephesians 4:1).
- Christian practice of the gifts is marked by GRACIOUS AND PATIENT CONSIDERATION – not a “down the nose peering” by Saturday Night Lives’ “Church Lady” (4:2-3).
- I need to recognize that God is preparing HERE some who will be a special and precious gift SOMEWHERE ELSE in the future. Pastors, missionaries and gifted servants are grown by intentional tending. If we miss this, we miss the blessing God intends for us. That means we may invest the energy and SOME OTHER LOCAL BODY will get the benefit (4:11).
- The head must take RESPONSIBILITY for the thinking of the body, but the limbs must agree to RESPOND to the reasoning of the head – or the body will not function together (4:12-16). Sometimes Christians remain immature because they don’t have leadership invested in the Word – other times they just aren’t listening!
TYPE TWO – Practice Gifts:
Now we turn our attention to the normal operational gifts of the church that we are supposed to be functioning in. There are TWO passages that refer directly to these gifts in the Christian Scriptures – 1 Peter 4 and Romans 12. We want to compare the two lists today for a very important purpose that will become clear. Look first at 1 Peter 4. Remember the letter written by Peter from Rome to gypsy like dispersed believers in what is today central “Turkey”. The people were likely migrants and were apparently really suffering, causing Peter to write encouragements, mainly focused on their conduct. He wrote about conduct when troubles came (1 Peter 1), Daily life conduct principles (1 Peter 2), Conduct facing difficult people (1 Peter 3) and now in 1 Peter 4, where the focus on conduct includes a brief word about PRACTICE GIFTS.
1 Peter 4:7 The end of all things is near; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. 8 Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. 9 Be hospitable to one another without complaint. 10 As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. 11 Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Peter offers instruction concerning two basic gifts that define in a general way what a church body does. We meet to inform and persuade people to live according to God’s Word. We serve one another to build many persuaded like-minded people to function together. The gifts are to be used in specific ways:
- SPEAKING: Peter says speakers are to do as one who is “speaking the utterances of God”. The terms are unmistakable. He is dealing with transmission of the truth of God by means of speech, and he said they must be offered as an oracle (log’-ee-on). The use of the term “utterances” places the weight on a pronouncement with AUTHORITY and PERSUASION. This isn’t used of a debate, but of a logical, learned and carefully crafted persuasive speech that leads to holy action. The issue is clear: Give God’s Word with careful preparation and persuasive authority.
- SERVING: By the “energizing ability” of God (“strength” is the word is-khoos’) those gifted to serve are to work. The import of this language was to contrast it with those who would serve in the flesh. The issue of service is equally clear: Serve drawing from God’s Spirit, not from your fleshly powers.
When we return back to the Seven “Practical” Gifts (we have been studying in Romans 12:6-8) we recognize the need for persuasive power and spirit energizing. The normal function of growing in Christ, is carried out by means of at least the seven service enabling gifts from Romans 12:6-8.
12:6 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; 7 if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; 8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Each of us plays a role, or multiple roles from this list:
1. PERSUADER: God called some in the body to learn the Word intensely and to speak it forth in direct proportion of their knowledge of His revealed world view. (12:6b).
How do I know if I am a persuader? I have an insatiable hunger to know the Word, and love to try to connect everything I learn to principles in the Word I already know. I love to discuss the Word with people and am careful to specifically apply truths to LIFE circumstances. I am not focused on theoretical theology as much as changing lives. Exhortation, Prophecy, and Teaching are considered the communication gifts. The distinctions for each gift are often confused. Often, gifted communicators have a mix of these gifts. Exhortation focuses on personal and practical application of the message or truth being communicated. Prophecy focuses purely on the message or truth to be communicated. Teaching focuses on bringing thorough or adequate understanding of the message or truth being communicated.
What does someone with my gift usually do in the body and the community? Preach, teach, lead Bible studies, lead a boy scout troop, coach a local sports team, I do something that leads people to shape a character of commitment and moral principle rooted in a Biblical world view.
2. WAITER: God called some in the body to be eager to meet the practical needs of the flock (12:7).
How do I know if I am a waiter? “These people tend to demonstrate a servant attitude, loyalty, attention to detail, and responsiveness to the initiatives of others. They function well in positions of detail and assistant leadership. Do you prefer to labor behind the scenes? When someone is doing a job poorly is your first instinct to help them instead of criticize? Do you prefer to work in a supportive rather than a leadership capacity? When you hear of someone with needs, do you offer your services if possible? When someone asks for your help, do you have difficulty saying no?” – Mark Driscoll
What does someone with my gift normally do in the body and the community? In the church these are the “worker bees”. They make all the functions work, opening the doors, turning on the lights, changing the bulbs, raking leaves and unclogging toilets. They have a specific focus on two things: people needs and property problems. In the community, this is the person who everyone in the neighborhood calls to fix something, and they know they will not only do a good job, but enjoy doing it. They tend to focus on accomplishing tasks that would otherwise go undone in order to move the body to accomplishing greater goals.
3. APPRENTICE MASTER: God called some in the body to verbally and in modeling pattern an accurate rendering of the truth in the lives of growing believers (12:7b).
How do I know if I am an apprentice master? I love to keep someone beside me as I work. I will tell them every secret of the trade, and hold nothing back. I am not jealous of them, I want them to excel past my ability. I teach verbally, but I also show them how to do the normal tasks of Christian ministry. I feel most rewarded when they do a great job and the attention in the room shifts to them.
What does someone do that has this gift in the body and in the community? In the church I may teach a Bible class, but just as quickly I will take youth on a camping trip. I will work in children’s ministry in a role where I can help shape a child’s life. I take younger believers out for food and share my life with them. I teach skills to others while incorporating a Biblical pattern for work, money use, values, etc. In the community, I may teach a “Life Skills” class to help people learn the basics of living out the truth principles of the Word. I like people learning, but I like them calling me to have coffee and sharing one on one. I share my life comfortably.
4. LIFTER: God called some in the body to prop up the weaker ones in the body (12:8).
How do I know if I am a lifter? This gift shows itself in the unique God given ability to certain members to offer words of comfort, consolation, encouragement, and counsel to other members of the Body in such a way that they initially feel aided, and long term feel healed. They do not allow endless counsel without direction toward God in prayer, but help the person into the presence of Christ. As a communication gift, it is sometimes “encouragement,” but must not be limited to that, as they often offer practical step-by-step plans of action to bring others to maturity in Christ.
What does someone do that has this gift in the body and in the community? From prayer warriors to counselors, these people dot the landscape of the church. They may emphasize prayer, but are not aloof from practice and planning. They sometimes write cards and are often very hospitable people. Under the Spirit’s guidance they aid, without His constant filling they criticize or judge – so they must be careful. In the community they are interested in helping people move to financial stability, help with meal plans, house cleaning techniques, and a host of other practical plans to help one gain independence and appropriate boundaries.
5. SUPPLIER: God called some in the body to give in a focused and purposed way to those He directs to receive (12:8).
How do I know if I am a supplier? God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ an ability to more carefully focus all their material resources to the work of the Lord with intense cheer. They are immensely practical people who love to give whatever they can to those who are accomplishing a task for the body. They are characterized by an acute awareness of their own stewardship of God’s resources, and celebrate their dependence on Him. They aren’t always people with great means, and more often than not are NOT people we would call “rich” – but they are surrendered in the area of material things and cheerful about surrendering them in practical but focused ways.
What does someone do that has this gift in the body and in the community? In the body, these are people that both give and steward funds for the body. They like to see how we can help with the smallest amount going the greatest distance. They sacrifice willingly for the body, with no strings attached. They love to help others learn how to give and steward well. In the community, they are organizers of everything from blood drives to breast cancer walk-a-thons, finding causes and focusing fund raising and resources to them.
6. ORGANIZER: God called some in the body to carefully and eagerly oversee the operations of ministry to the body.
How do I know if I am an organizer? God energizes administrative acuteness in certain members of the body to identify both immediate and long-range goals of a particular local body and harmonize the goals under the purposes of the organization. They love to devise and execute plans for the accomplishment of goals to the benefit of the whole body. They are sometimes leaders, but not always. They are good managers of resources and people. They are able at delegation of specific tasks and can identify other’s gifts and abilities.
What does someone do that has this gift in the body and in the community? These members of the body of Christ organize events, and plan, plan plan. They love to plan and then they love to recap and measure what worked and didn’t. Anyplace that screams for order attracts them. In their spare time, they organize things – they just love it.
7. RESCUER: God called some in the body to provide mercy relief in difficult places with cheer.
How do I know if I am a rescuer? God energizes some in the body with a deep empathy and overwhelming compassion for needy and suffering people. They long to alleviate the suffering by creating hope and practicing help. They can be found visiting and assisting needy people, and describe themselves as being able to “feel the pain” of others.
What does someone do that has this gift in the body and in the community? People who are so often enjoy helping among the physically handicapped or those with mental and emotional disabilities. They can be found in hospitals, nursing homes, prisons, and among “shut-ins”. They focus on people in distress to reflect God’s compassion.
TYPE THREE – Pointer Gifts:
A third profoundly important kind of gift list is found in the Christian Scriptures, that of what I have referred to as “POINTER GIFTS’. The list of nine “manifestation gifts” (sometimes I call them the “Come and Go” gifts were given to the body of Christ for:
- Direction: (Type One): Wisdom (1 Cor. 12:8): Sophia (from saphes, clear) and Word of knowledge (1 Cor. 12:8): logos gnosis; specific body of a directive message revealed. It can be “rendered inoperative” 1 Cor. 13:3.
- Authentication (Type Two): Faith (1 Cor. 12:9): pistis, from a word for “persuasion”; an act or sign that brings surety to the doubting. Healing (1 Cor. 12:9): Iama, to cure or heal physically or spiritually. Miracles (1 Cor. 12:10): dunamis; manifestation of specific power. Prophecy (1 Cor. 12:10; Rom. 12:6): prophetia used in a dramatic foretelling way to indicate Divine enabling. Prophecy (specific) may be “stopped by outside influence” 1 Cor. 13:8. Discernment (1 Cor. 12:10): diakrisis, from the word diakrinos – a judge.
- Revelation (Type Three): Tongues (1 Cor. 12:10): Tongues (and thus interpret.) can be “put to a halt” 1 Cor. 13:8, Interpretation of tongues (1 Cor. 12:10): hermenia, to clarify obscure words; we get “hermeneutics” from this.
Before we close, don’t forget what we are building together. This is not an organization like any other on the planet. There is no other “body” that was bought by the Creator with such a price. There is no place that offers freedoms greater than those that change an eternal destiny. There is no place, no purpose, no power that exceeds what we are doing – we are the body of the Risen Messiah given connecting tissue of the very breath of God to accomplish His glory! God empowered the connection for the body with His Spirit. Fully understanding and carefully practicing the empowering gifts is God’s plan for a health body life in the local church.
