Looking at the Gifts

Big Idea: Recognize the diversity and interdependence of spiritual gifts for the church's growth and mission.

After St. Paul's Cathedral in England was completed, architect Sir Christopher Wren gave a tour to the King of England. As the King walked through this edifice, he didn't say anything. After emerging, he turned to the expectant architect and said, "It's awful, artificial, and amusing."

This would strike us as a pretty terrible blow if we were the architect, wouldn't it? Actually, it wasn't a problem at all. The architect was thrilled because, at that time, "awful" meant awesome, "artificial" referred to a work of art, and "amusing" indicated amazing. So what the King really meant is that it is awesome, a work of art, and awe-inspiring. No wonder the architect was pleased.

It just goes to show how much words can change their meaning after time. And that is within the English language in just a few hundred years. Consider trying to understand words as the author meant them 2,000 years ago, not 300 years ago, and in ancient Greek, not modern Greek.

That's the sort of problem we run into when we talk about the spiritual gifts. We lack sufficient linguistic information to be certain about what the gifts truly are. So we've had to draw upon the experience of people who have seen these gifts operating. And it is probably wise to adopt a less than dogmatic stance on some of these gifts. I'll explain this to you as we go along.

This is one of three challenges we face as we examine specific spiritual gifts. Another problem is the classification of these spiritual gifts. The Scriptures mention between 22 and 27 different gifts of the Spirit, depending on interpretation. Some people have tried to classify them to make them easier to remember. Gothard, for instance, classifies them as motivation, ministry, and manifestation gifts. Ray Stedman from California, who built a big church around the concept of body life ministries, talks about gifts, workings, and manifestations.

The only problem is, the Scriptures themselves do not naturally lend themselves to any sort of classification. The three major lists of gifts, from Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Corinthians 12, are not complete. Not one of them contains all the gifts that are mentioned in the Bible. Secondly, they are partially overlapping. Some of the gifts are mentioned in all three lists. Some of them are mentioned in two, some only in one. Some spiritual gifts are mentioned in other Bible passages that don't primarily focus on them.

The New Testament focuses more on the diversity of the Holy Spirit, the giver of gifts, rather than classifying the gifts themselves. And along with that, the richness of the body of Christ, to whom these gifts have been given. God has given us a wonderful variety of spiritual gifts, reflecting His diverse grace, as stated in 1 Peter 4:10.

Then you also have the question of cessation: Have some of the gifts ceased? Some would argue that the gifts of apostleship, tongues, prophecy, and so on no longer apply today. Others argue that all gifts are available. For this morning, at least, I'm going to entirely sidestep this problem to focus on the big picture.

We want to focus on action rather than analysis in response to these challenges. So I want to give you some working definitions this morning. A working definition is for someone who eventually grows tired of complex discussions and simply wants to understand the issue to get on with what needs to be done.

This morning, we won't dot all the i's and cross all the t's. We'll just get to the point where we can get on with the job and put it to work. I want to give you sort of a starting block in which you can place your feet and begin running. You might disagree with me on some of my positions. That's okay. I’m not here to argue; I approach this topic humbly and don’t claim to have all the answers.

The Gifts

Now, I'll cover 21 of the gifts this morning. I obviously won't have time to cover all of them in depth. I'll vary my emphasis based on the need. The ones that need explanation, I'll explain. The more obvious ones I'll touch only with passing comments. Where possible and where appropriate, I'm going to mention individuals you may know who are demonstrating these gifts. As the saying goes, a picture is worth a thousand words. In this case, a person is worth a thousand words.

The purpose will not be to glorify these people, because they can't really claim credit for their gifts anyway. It will simply be to flesh out real-life examples of this in our own congregation and beyond. I also want to avoid slipping into lecture mode. I want to focus on describing our church rather than having a detailed, intellectual discussion about the gifts. Somewhere in here, everyone fits in. So see this as descriptions of people in this particular church. Imagine ourselves as a diamond that sparkles in different ways. That's the purpose this morning.

Apostle

The first gift I want to mention is that of Apostle. It's used in 1 Corinthians 12:8 and Ephesians 4:11. Do apostles still exist today? In the narrow sense, no. An apostle must have (1) seen the resurrected Jesus personally and (2) been specifically appointed by Christ. In that sense, Paul appears to have been the last person made apostle.

But in a more general sense, the New Testament has three verses in which the word apostle is used in a broader sense. For instance, Philippians 2:25 says, "But I think it is necessary to send back to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker and fellow soldier, who is also your messenger [apostle], whom you sent to take care of my needs." So some today would use apostle to describe someone who is an effective church planter or a significant missionary pioneer. Network describes apostleship as "the divine ability to start and oversee the development of new churches or ministry structures." These people are extremely rare, although they do exist. We only have to think of some of our missionaries who are gifted in pioneering and church planting. I am very cautious about attributing the gift of apostleship to anyone due to the confusion between its narrow and general meanings.

Prophets

What is the role of prophets? Prophets are mentioned again in 1 Corinthians 12:28 and Ephesians 4:11. If a prophet is seen as someone delivering binding messages from God, that role no longer exists. The canon of Scripture is finalized. But I believe the gift of prophecy in the New Testament is distinct from this. The New Testament suggests that prophets do not have the same authority as Scripture. For instance: Acts 21:4 says, "Through the Spirit they urged Paul not to go on to Jerusalem." This was a prophecy that Paul chose to ignore. The New Testament gift of prophecy involves discerning and communicating a message from God, rather than inspired revelation. Not canonical revelation, but when an urgent request to pray for missionaries in Nigeria leads to discovering they were in an accident or spiritual conflict at that time. At other times, when preaching, a preacher-teacher may experience a special unction to communicate things he hadn't planned. Some would say that this is the gift of prophecy. Some believe that those who boldly confront evil and sin, like Charles Colson and Ken Campbell, possess a special gift. They might have this sort of gift.

Evangelist

I hardly have to mention evangelist, mentioned in Ephesians 4:11. While everyone shares the responsibility to spread the Gospel, some individuals have a unique ability to effectively communicate it to non-believers, leading to faith responses. According to 2 Timothy 4:5, Timothy was an evangelist. For an evangelist, sharing their faith is almost as natural as breathing. Whereas most of us share our faith from time to time, an evangelist can't help but share their faith almost daily.

Pastor-Teacher

How about a pastor-teacher? The root word for pastor is shepherd, and a pastor is someone who cares for his flock, feeds the flock, and protects his flock. And usually, the pastor commits himself to one flock, and cares, feeds, and protects them. You could define it as a long-term responsibility for the spiritual welfare of a group of believers. Elders, by the way, would function as pastors – there is no scriptural difference. Some of our deacons, who provide spiritual oversight, would qualify. A New Testament shepherd does not frequently change congregations. They commit themselves, as pastors, elders, or small-group leaders, to a long time to serve the same group of people. You don't have to be called a pastor to have this gift. In our congregation, Steve Smith and Bob Fukumoto are examples of individuals who show pastoral gifts, even though they aren't currently serving as vocational pastors.

Teacher

The gift of teaching is closely related to the pastoral role, as seen in Ephesians 4, but is mentioned separately in 1 Corinthians 12:28 and Romans 12:7. A teacher effectively explains and applies God's Word, leading to greater Christ-likeness in listeners. It is not only a knowledge of God's Word, as many people have a knowledge who cannot teach. It is the ability to clearly communicate God's Word, leading to life-change in the lives of students. People like Charlie Hynds and Dawna Haywood have exhibited this gift in abundance here.

Encouragement

Then there's encouragement, mentioned in Romans 12:8. The word for encouragement comes from "paraclete," the same term used for the Holy Spirit, meaning to come alongside and support. It was used in classical Greek of exhorting troops who were about to go into battle. It is the ability to deliver truth that strengthens, comforts, or motivates those who are uncertain or discouraged. You know this sort of person – one who is sending notes and cards, phoning just when we need it. I've noticed that there are many of these people at Richview – people like Lori McMurray and Joan Marshall. They always seem to be encouraging others within the church.

Leadership and Administration

I'm going to put together two of the gifts: leadership and administration. Leadership is mentioned in Romans 12:8. Administration is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:28. They are distinct but related ideas. To lead means to preside or have the first place. It means a person who stands before to speed up the process. In other words, the leader is someone who has a grasp of the big picture – where the people they are leading are going to be five or ten years from now. They have the ability to communicate those goals to the people they are leading, so that people spontaneously follow. You don't have to hang around Joe Tullo for long to know that he has this sort of gift and is using it in the church.

Administration, however, is a nautical term. It is used of a helmsman, or someone who steers the ship. You can draw a distinction between the captain, who knows the big picture of where the boat has to be in five days, the conditions they will face, and so on. But the helmsman takes the wheel and maneuvers the boat through the details. Administrators may not be visionaries, but once given instructions, they will manage the details effectively. They love to make lists and tick them off. You can depend on them to follow through. Individuals such as Arlene Rawson or our office administrator, Janis Percy, come to mind. Both are needed if the church has to accomplish its mission. A church with an administrator but no leader can operate efficiently but will lack purpose and direction. On the other hand, if all you have are leaders but no administrators, you'll know where we have to go, but we'll never get there. Both leaders and administrators are necessary.

Service and Helps

Another pair of gifts that are related but distinct are service and helps. Helps is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:28; serving in Romans 12:7. These are doing gifts – they're task-related. Helps refers to engaging in acts of kindness and assistance to support others effectively. Service likely refers to a personal ministry aimed at helping others, specifically addressing their physical needs. Both serve the same purpose in the body: empowering individuals to complete essential tasks, which helps meet others' needs and allows them to use their talents more effectively. By using their gifts, they free up others to use their gifts. The difference comes in the area of motivation.

It would appear that people with the gift of service are task-oriented people. When they see something that needs doing, they jump in and do it. They can't walk past a need without doing it. Most children don't appear to have this gift! According to wives, most husbands don't either. But if there's snow and a shovel's there, they'll do it. If tables need to be carried, they'll jump in and carry them. The person with the gift of helps may do all these things, but their focus is not on the task, but on the people they're going to help out. Their focus is to free the individual. These are not glory roles. Nobody lines up in the streets to thank these people. They are often ignored, but they are desperately needed in the congregation. I've noticed a number of people with the gifts of service and helps. If tables need to be packed away, or snow needs to be shoveled, they're there. To give two examples, Jack Caldwell and Paul Payne.

Mercy

So is this next gift, the gift of mercy, listed in Romans 12:8. It's the enablement to cheerfully and practically help those who are suffering or in need without thought of repayment. These people always side with the underdog. They are spontaneously drawn to those that others reject or find undesirable. In the kind of broken world we live in today, this is a needed gift in the church. All of us are exhorted to show mercy, but those with the gift of mercy do it spontaneously and cheerfully. They continually bring stories of how they're helping those in need. For instance, the Beattys and Shields.

Giving

Giving is the next gift, according to Romans 12:8. It's also a duty. But people with the gift of giving approach it somewhat differently. Those who do it out of a sense of duty have to work hard to learn how to give joyfully. They have a tendency to count what they give. But people with the gift of giving do not tend to focus on what they give. They often spot money-making opportunities and pursue them with the intention of giving back to God. They go by the motto, "Make all you can, give all you can." They don't give a tithe, they may give 70% or more of their income to God. It's not just the rich who have this gift; the poor widow who gave all did. It's like what Paul wrote in 2 Corinthians 8:3-4: "For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the saints." That's a beautiful description of someone with the gift of giving.

Faith

Another misunderstood gift is that of faith. Faith is a gift, according to 1 Corinthians 12:9. George Müller had this gift; he started and ran many orphanages. On many occasions, there was no food, but he would lead the orphans in a prayer of thanks for the food they were about to receive. And right in the middle of the prayer, trucks would drive up with bread and eggs and all sorts of food. It happened consistently in his ministry.

Some preachers try to guilt us into having faith like George Müller, not recognizing that his faith was likely a spiritual gift. There are three types of faith in the Bible:

• Saving faith, which every Christian has.
• The fruit of the Spirit called faith, which is the ability to live in alignment with unseen realities, as described in Hebrews 11. This should be something that is growing in our lives.
• The gift, which involves confidently understanding God's will in difficult situations and trusting him to fulfill it. This is what Müller had.

We're almost at the end.

Knowledge and Wisdom

Knowledge and wisdom are mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8. These two gifts are interconnected.

Knowledge is the divine enablement to systematize and bring biblical truth to the body. Theologians and scholars would have this gift. These are the intellectual pioneers and seminal thinkers. Knowledge and teaching together become powerful gifts in the church.

Wisdom, while closely related, is probably more specific in its application. It's the ability, given by the Spirit, to understand how knowledge can best serve the body's needs. For instance, Peter Wagner has an incredible amount of knowledge on church growth. He says that if you ask him to apply his knowledge to a specific church situation, he doesn't know how. But he has a colleague named Carl George. Within fifteen minutes of talking to Carl George, he can say, "Here are the four things that will go wrong with your church in the next year. Here's what you need to fix it." He can bring the knowledge to bear on a particular situation.

Miracles

Now I won't say much about the whole area of miracles, healings, discernment, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues. They're mentioned primarily in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. They're all together, and they all have to do with altering the normal course of nature, whether in healing, casting out demons, or discerning whether something is human, divine, or demonic in its nature. The meanings of many of these gifts are self-evident.

Many churches emphasize certain gifts, but it's important not to neglect others. Some people believe they don't exist anymore. Others believe they do exist, but need to be exercised under the guidelines given in Scripture. All these activities involve changing the natural course of events, whether through praying or praising in unfamiliar words, or in healing practices.

Celibacy

Let me quickly finish with probably the least popular gift: celibacy. It's given as a gift in 1 Corinthians 7:7. Not too many people want this as a gift. But celibacy can be defined as the God-given ability to remain single and enjoy it. According to 1 Corinthians 7, individuals with this gift do not feel troubled by the challenges of being single, particularly when it comes to sexual temptation. They find that the benefits of singleness, particularly for ministry, outweigh the drawbacks. This gift is never a standalone gift. It's for the purpose of taking some other gift of theirs and enlarging its effectiveness. John Stott, for instance, has a gift. His gift of celibacy has allowed him to share his knowledge and teaching skills for the benefit of the Church worldwide, which he might not have been able to do if he were married.

Tell me something, isn't the Holy Spirit rich to give us all this diversity at Richview? Hasn't Christ lavished on us the riches of his grace? This Thanksgiving Sunday, as we thank God for his many blessings, let’s also take a moment to appreciate the spiritual gifts he has bestowed upon our church. It would be great if everyone at Richview embraced their unique strengths and collaborated towards the common goals set by our leadership. I want you to dream it, pray for it, and make it happen. And then we will see an impact for Christ's kingdom that we've never seen before.

Adapted from a message by Sunder Krishnan, Rexdale Alliance Church