FUNDAMENTALS OF DISCIPLESHIP
THE GIFTS
OF THE SPIRIT – III
1 Corinthians 12:1 Now
concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
Last week, we concluded with this thought:
For a disciple who realizes his primary purpose in life is to do
the will of IAUE; the gifting he is given is seen merely as the Father’s choice
to enable him to do what He requires of him.
There is no room for such a man to contemplate dissatisfaction, envy or
pride in what he has been given. Such
thoughts are alien to a genuine disciple; but they are very real to the
believer who is still ego-driven or who is a man-pleaser.
[I suspect that because of the subject matter
of our new series, this blog might attract new readers; readers who will not
have had the benefit of the past year of posts that have been dedicated to the
preparation of a kingdom heart, a disciple’s heart. For that reason, rather than plunging in and
dissecting the various gifts of the Holy Spirit, we are going to take a bit
more time setting up this study in order that we might all benefit from this
study as the Spirit would have us benefit, rather than ego getting all the
benefit.]
In my experience, any time a discussion of
“spiritual gifts” arises in the church, there tends to be a lot of confusion
over the relationship of three different passages of Scripture. You have gifts listed in 1 Corinthians 12,
and in Romans 12, and also in Ephesians 4.
Some appear to be the same names for the gifts; but then there are
others that only appear to be listed only once.
Let’s take a parallel look at these lists of gifts.
1 Corinthians 12:8-10 Romans
12:6-8 Ephesians 4:11
Manifestation Gifts Motivation
Gifts Ministry
Gifts
The Word of Wisdom Prophecy Apostles
The Word of Knowledge Serving Prophets
Faith Teaching Evangelists
Gifts of Healing Exhortation Pastors
Working of Miracles Giving Teachers
Prophecy Administration
Discerning of Spirits Mercy
Divers Kinds of Tongues
Interpretation of Tongues
These three lists of gifts are vastly
different one from the other. The
Manifestation Gifts are ways the Holy Spirit makes His presence and power
evident within us as members of the Body of Messiah. The Motivation Gifts are ways we, as a new
creature in Messiah, have been dispositioned. The Ministry Gifts are ways the
Father expresses dimensions of His authority within and to the Body.
You will notice that “prophecy” and “prophets”
cross all three gifts; and yet a prophet does not require either the
manifestation gift of prophecy or the motivation gift of prophecy. A person who exercises the manifestation gift
of prophecy is very likely not a prophet, because that gift is not one of the
necessary functions of a prophet.
You will notice there is a motivation gift of
teaching and a ministry gift of the teacher; and yet the teacher does not
require the motivation gift of teaching.
A teacher could have any of the motivation gifts as his/her spiritual
disposition.
These three lists are, for the most part,
totally unrelated one to the other, as they are given for different reasons,
different functions. There is one thing,
however, that connects all three lists of spiritual gifts; and it is generally
overlooked by most who study these passages of Scripture. This one thing they all have in common is the
focus of today’s study.
After Paul explains that we are placed in the
Body with different functions, he lists seven different kinds of dispositions, “gifts that differ according to the grace given to us” (Romans 12:7a). Then he
says this:
Romans 12:9 Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil;
cleave to that which is good.
10 Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in
honour preferring one another;
Paul had not been talking about love at this
point in his letter to the Romans. He
includes this discussion, now, because it is related to the gifts given to the
Body of believers: Prophecy, Serving, Teaching, Exhortation, Giving, Administration,
Mercy. From a human perspective, one or
more of these gifts may be considered “better” than the others, or “stronger”
than the others, or “more desirable” than the others. That is a problem; not the relative strengths
or weaknesses of the gifts, but our looking at them from a human perspective. This is why Paul interjects:
- Let
love be without dissimulation (without hypocricy).
- Abhor that which
is evil;
- Cleave to that
which is good.
- Be kindly
affectioned one to another with brotherly love.
- In honor, prefer
one another.
Do you see the direction this is going? He warns against the “human perspective.” The apostle would have us keep our focus on
our true purpose…to do the will of IAUE.
In that objective there can be no room of selfishness, of seeking our
own good, or vying for position or prominence within the Body. LOVE, not the syrupy emotional drippings of
humanity, but the self-denying, others-promoting care that originates in IAUE
and flows through us, is the perspective that we should maintain as our
giftings work through our lives (See Romans 12:14-21).
In Ephesians 4:7-11, Paul states that “unto every one of us is given grace
according to the measure of the gift of Messiah.” He says that Messiah, “When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive,
and gave gifts unto men.
Then he says that “he gave some…”
then he lists the ministry gifts of the Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor
and Teacher. This is often referred to
as the “5-Fold Ministry of the Church.”
The problem with this label is that this is only a partial list. Paul
says that Messiah gave gifts to ALL of us.
Some of those gifts are these five listed; but Paul does not list all of
the gifts that Messiah gave. This is quite
apparent in that not everyone in the Body is gifted as one of these five; and
yet Messiah has gifted “every one of us.” These gifts are given “For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the
ministry, for the edifying of the body of Messiah” (Ephesians
4:12). In other words, they
are given to profit the Body.
Just as in the Romans 12 gifts, man very definitely sees this
list of five ministry gifts in a “pecking order.” The apostle is greater than the prophet, who
is greater than the evangelist, who is greater than the pastor, who is greater
than the teacher. What is the logical
result? Men want the “greater” ministry. Pride demands the greater ministry. Think for a moment, when someone introduces himself
to a group of people saying, “I am a pastor,” we think nothing of it, and
instantly we hold him in a slightly higher estimation than those who simply
fill the pews on Sunday. However, if one
comes into the group and introduces himself saying, “I am a prophet,” there is
an instantaneous rejection of the man’s claim.
You can call yourself a pastor, but don’t you dare call yourself a
prophet. That’s just ego talking. Actually, what is really happening is jealousy
that rejects the notion that someone is that much “greater” than you in the “pecking
order.” How absurd it is to give freedom
to one to identify himself as a pastor or a teacher but not as a prophet or as
an apostle. It is for this reason, Paul
continues by saying:
Ephesians 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the
head, even Messiah:
These ministry gifts are largely speaking gifts. They are offices which convey the truth of
the Scripture and the revelation of the Holy Spirit to men. Paul instructs them that when they speak,
they are to speak the truth in love…denying themselves, not seeking personal
gain, promotion or honor…just simply to remain focused on the benefit their
words may have on the listener.
In 1 Corinthians 12, the manifestations gifts
are listed. In 1 Corinthians 14, we find
specific instruction regarding the function and proper use within the Body; but
sandwiched between these two chapters is 1 Corinthians 13, one of the most well-known
and beloved chapters in all the Scriptures. It is this over-familiarity with
the chapter that interferes with a proper understanding of this chapter. The church refers to it as “The Love Chapter
of the Bible;” and preachers and teachers often use it to teach on the true
nature of love. Though there is some
relevance to this chapter being used for that purpose, it is not why it is in
the Scripture. Paul did not start
writing about spiritual gifts in chapter 12, then let his mind drift off to
writing about the true nature of love in chapter 13, then regain his focus to
complete his study on the gifts in chapter 14.
No, the purpose of chapter 13 is to provide focus to the placement and
use of the gifts of the Holy Spirit within the Body of Messiah, and individual
churches in particular.
1 Corinthians
13:1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, and
have not love, I am become as sounding brass, or a tinkling cymbal.
2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand
all mysteries, and all knowledge; and though I have all faith,
so that I could remove mountains, and have not love, I am nothing.
3 And though I bestow all my goods to feed the poor, and though I
give my body to be burned, and have not love, it profiteth me nothing.
1 Corinthians 12:7 But the
manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.
Just as it is with the gifts in Romans 12 and
Ephesians 4, the gifts in 1 Corinthians 12 are seen, not so much as in a
pecking order but rather in an order of desirability. When we see others exercising gifts that
demonstrate the power of the Holy Spirit in ways that totally escape our own enablement,
the “human perspective” hauls out the jealousy and envy and pride. It moves our thinking away from the cardinal purpose
of our existence…to do the will of IAUE.
1 Corinthians 12:4 Now, there are diversities of gifts,
but the same Spirit.
This word “gifts”
is from the Greek word, “charisma.”
It is where this list of gifts gets its name as the “charismatic” gifts. It simply means “enablement of grace.” Grace is the power IAUE gives us to do His
will; so these are simply ways in which the Father has given us the ability to
do His will through the manifestation of the Holy Spirit. He uses this grace to place us within the Body
to provide the function to the Body that MUST come through us. Every one of us has a role to play, a purpose
to fulfil within the Body; and for this reason, Paul interjects into his
discussion of these gifts that they MUST operate in our lives, be exercised by
us, through love. If they are not
governed by love, they will not work properly.
They will not profit the Body as intended. They become objects for “show and tell” in
the Sunday morning worship service.
People will go “ooh!” and “ahh!” and ten minutes later, they will forget
anything every happened because the gifts that are manifested for pomp and
circumstance, or to show off, or to establish position or promotion in the eyes
of the church have no value to the church whatsoever.
All three of these lists of spiritual gifts
are given to us according to grace. All
three are given that the Body might profit from them; and all three MUST
function according to love. The moment
self enters into the equation, the profiting ceases, and we fail the grace of
IAUE. If we are not focused on the fact
our giftings are received for the profiting of the church; the “human
perspective” will enter in and we will see them as means for profiting
ourselves. Anyone who has been involved
in the “charismatic renewal” who remains alive today will tell you that the “charismatic”
fellowships through the past 50-60 years have been verbally chastised by the mainline
denominational churches as “believers gone wild” with childish and fleshly
antics. Their loveless development of
the spiritual gifts has not profited the church. Instead, their pride and immaturity has made
the gifts of the Holy Spirit undesirable to those in the church that have not
yet discovered their validity and purpose.
The gifts are not about us. They are about IAUE. Will man try to rob IAUE of His glory? Yes, indeed, man will…but we should not.
Kingdom
heart: a heart that offers no resistance to the
performance of the will of IAUE.
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