Your Spiritual Gift and its Exercise in this Church

Introduction and Review of Guided Discussion Format

0:02 The following message was delivered on Sunday morning, July 11th, 1999, in the Adult Sunday School class at the Trinity Baptist Church in Montville, New Jersey. Now let me take just a moment to explain what I'm doing standing here in front of you in this adult class and not Pastor Lamar. Most of you know that he is completing this weekend several weeks of vacation with his family. God willing, he will be returning tomorrow and his wife and the girls will be staying on for a couple of weeks with relatives there in the Atlanta area and returning in two weeks' time.

0:45 And we judge that with him away, it would be unwise for any one of us to try to pick up the study in the London Confession in which he is leading us. And so I have been assigned the class for these two Lord's Days and judge that it would be good to...

1:03 to engage in a guided discussion on what I personally believe is a very vital subject, always a vital subject, but particularly for our assembly at this point in our life together. And let me take just a few moments to review how I lead a guided discussion in this adult class, the subject matter we are wrestling with, a brief overview of where we went last week, and then we will pick up and continue that guided discussion. In these guided discussions, when I ask a question, it is not a rhetorical question. It is a bona fide classroom question, and so you are encouraged to raise your hand to be recognized to respond to that question.

1:46 We do request that members only respond, and not because we suspect if you are not a member that you would have something to say that would be embarrassing to you, and contrary to what we believe, but I will be able to recognize that I am a member. Thank you. Thank you so much. Thank you.

Subject and Review of Previous Class

2:03 you by name, and it does give that honor to the members and an opportunity to contribute in their class. And then if you have contributed and another question is asked, please pause for a moment. Some of you have quicker minds than others, and in honor, prefer one another in love and give others of your brothers and sisters opportunities to respond. And we do regard it appropriate in the responses that you women should feel free to respond as well as the men. Now, the subject for these two classes, your spiritual gift and its employment in the life of the church. I tried to make it very personal, not spiritual gifts and their employment in the church, but your spiritual gift or gifts and its or their employment in the life of the church. And I take up this subject realizing that in two guided discussions in an adult class, we cannot approach being exhaustive, but I hope to sow some seeds that will germinate in the area of reflection, earnest study of the word of God, provoke discussion among yourselves and study, and perhaps in days to come, several messages that may address

3:24 this matter in a more formal way. Well then, thank you. And with that introduction and review of what we're doing and how we pursue it, let me review what we took up last week. Question number one was, what are the four major passages dealing with the subject of spiritual gifts in the epistles of the New Testament? Passing over the Gospels, what are the four major passages in the epistles? And you as a class did identify those four passages. They're found in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4. Question number two was this. After giving a brief overview of those passages, we took up this question. What dominant concept is present in three of those four major passages on spiritual gifts? And again, you as a class identified that dominant concept is the concept of the church as being Evil. This is aün of your right . And I feel that you were able to thoroughly discuss the kneevel of the main concept, вечer

4:27 body. In three of the four passages, the three Pauline passages, he does not address the subject of spiritual gifts without setting front and center the concept that the church is constituted a body in its union with Christ and in sharing the very life of Christ the head. Then question number three was, what is the central issue involved in this concept of body? And we had many strands of input from you, and then I suggested that this might well collate that input and the major biblical teaching with this statement. A body is a diversified, multifunctional, but unified organism. There is diversity, there is multiplicity of functions, but there is unity, and it is not mechanical, it is organic, living unity. And then we were working through question number four when we ran out of time. Question number four was, what are

5:37 the leading principles in these four passages? And starting in the Romans passage, you as a class came up with the first three. Number one, each member of the body has received some gift or gifts. And this was clearly established from Romans 12.3a and 3c, Romans 12.6a, 1 Corinthians 12.7, and 12.17.

6:05 And then also from Ephesians 4.16 and 1 Peter 4.10. God puts no paralyzed parts in his body, and God puts no luxury parts in his body. So every member placed in the body by the spiritual gifts of Christ is a member of the body. And this was clearly established from Romans 12.3a and 3c, Romans 12.6a, 1 Corinthians 12.7, and 12.17.

6:22 Sovereign activity of God, placing his spirit within that person to make him or her a living member of his body. He puts no paralyzed parts into his body, no non-functional parts, and he puts no luxury parts in his body. All the parts have function as they share in the life of Christ the head. Then the second major principle we saw in these passages was this, that each member in the body has a gift or gift of God. And this was clearly established from Romans 12.3a and 3c, Romans 12.7, and 12.17.

6:52 He has a personal obligation to engage in sober self-assessment concerning the identification of his or her gift or gifts. And Romans 12.3 is the watershed text that teaches that. I say to everyone among you, not to think of himself more highly as he ought to think, but to think so as to think soberly according as God hath dealt to each man a measure of faith, and then he launches in to identifying some of the gifts which God confers upon his people and which are to be recognized by sober self-assessment. And then we had occasion to note that the two great quality controls upon accurate self-assessment are humility in the heart, not to think more highly than we ought to think, and the quality control of the body of Christ.

7:51 The mandate to self-assessment does not come to lone range of Christians who are out on a mountain somewhere gazing at the stars, having ecstatic communion with God, and by prayer and fasting, discovering their gift, they come down from the mountain and say, lucky church, lucky world, here I am. No, it's in the concept, context of a living relationship with the body that we are to engage in sober self-assessment. And you see, the concept of body so closely aligned to the treatment of gifts is crucial. And as I said last week, I want to repeat again this morning, it is a blight on the church when people think they can engage in sober self-assessment cut off both from humility in the heart and the quality control of the body of Christ. God never intended it should be that way. Then the third.

8:51 The third principle we saw in those passages was that each member is to give himself to a love-motivated, Bible-regulated, spirit-empowered employment of his gifts for the good of the body. And we looked at the major passages. It is to be love-motivated. 1 Corinthians 13 is tucked right in the middle of those two major passages on spiritual gifts, indicating that apart from love being the motivation, the motive, we are nothing should we speak with the tongues of men and of angels, have faith to make mountains play leapfrog with one another. Without love, we are nothing. They are to be Bible-regulated. 1 Corinthians 14.

9:38 Here are the gifts of prophecy and the gifts of tongues and people at Corinth saying, when the Holy Ghost comes on me and I have this gift, I can't do anything but give then to it. Paul said, no, no, no, no. You've got a zoo. They are at Corinth. Unbelievers come among you and they'll think they've walked into a loony bin. They'll think you're mad. Let's sort this out. So many prophets each time you gather. And the prophets must be male prophets. The women are not to be speaking the authoritative word of God. Tongue speakers must check to see if interpreters are present. They are to be Bible-regulated in all of their use. And then they are to be spirit-empowered.

10:21 That's the emphasis of 1 Corinthians 12, 4 to 11. By the Spirit, by the Spirit, by the Spirit. Peter says it this way, the gifts are to be exercised in the strength which God supplies, and then it is all to be for the good of the body. Ephesians 4.16 speaks of the body making increase of itself through that which every joint supplies, an increase made in love.

Adding to the Third Principle: The Glory of God

10:49 Now that's a review of about... 50 minutes of our wrestling together in guided discussion. I did encourage input, and I'm thankful for those of you who either spoke to me personally, spoke to me on the phone. One case, a letter was sent to me this week giving some input. And I'd like to add to that third principle this little phrase suggested by one of the sisters who wrote to me this week.

11:14 Each member is to give himself to a love-motivated, Bible-regulated, spirit-empowered employee. The employment of his gifts for the good of the body. I'd like to add the phrase that this sister suggested, and ultimately to the glory of God. And then she pointed out that this is the emphasis in the 1 Peter passage. Now let's turn there. I've been running through this review in the interest of time. I've not asked you to turn to any of the passages. But please turn to 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 10.

11:48 According as each has received a gift. Ministering it among yourselves as good stewards of the manifold grace of God, if any man speaks, speaking as it were oracles of God, if any man ministers or serves, ministering as of the strength which God supplies, to what end? Here's a purpose clause. In order that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, whose is the glory and the dominion forever and ever.

Principle Four: Appreciating and Encouraging Others' Gifts

12:22 So that third principle, some of you taking notes, may I encourage you to add that little phrase, each member is to give himself to a love-motivated, Bible-regulated, spirit-empowered employment of his gifts for the good of the body and for the glory of God through Jesus Christ. Now, for those of you that did your homework assignment and tried to see in these four major passages any other message, please turn to 1 Peter chapter 4, verse 10. Major principles relative to spiritual gifts. Did you see one, two, or three or more major principles that ought to be put in this list? Yes. Cliff? All right. And where did you get the concept that we must, what did you say, must improve, give it back again? All right. All right.

13:31 And then it's our responsibility as members of the body to perfect it through the exercise.

14:04 And that's the way that reflects greater sensitivity of the original. It is for the perfecting of the saints unto service work or work or works. I'm not sure. I don't have my Greek text in front of me. Works of service. So the perfecting of the saints is unto their work of service within the body.

14:24 So the concept then of each believer giving himself to the ongoing cultivation and development of his gifts for the good of the body, that's very helpful. That's not one that I have in my list. That's why we have a guided discussion. The teacher learns as well. All right. Someone else. You saw something that you thought was a major principle. We'll hold off and see where we can fit that in the list of things.

14:51 All right. One more that I had in my notes last week and then another one that in working back through the material I saw. I think it's a major principle. Major principle number four is that each member.

15:07 Each member is to appreciate and encourage the recognition and exercise of the gifts of the other members of the body. Each member is to appreciate and encourage the recognition and exercise of the gifts of the other members of the body. There's no copping out of the body because of diversity and there is to be no exemption of ourselves from exercising. Our gifts because of that diversity. This seems to me to be the emphasis of first Corinthians chapter 12. Let's turn there for a moment. One of the major sections in first Corinthians chapter 12.

15:51 While I am still not sure precisely what the apostle is driving at when after establishing that in one spirit verse 12 we are all baptized into one body made to drink of one spirit verse 14. The body is not one member. Many. I'm not quite sure what he's driving at in this next session. If the foot shall say because I'm not the hand I'm not of the body. Is it not therefore not of the body. If someone says well I am not that person with his particular function does the mere saying of it change reality. That much is clear. And the obvious and the answer to that rhetorical question is obvious. If suddenly my hand could think and speak and say I'm a hand. I'm not a nose.

16:44 Therefore because I am this in the identity of this living organism because I'm not that I'm not of the organism my hand merely saying it doesn't determine reality. Reality is my hand is my hand. Now how that fits into the whole scheme of things. I've pondered this passage and prayed over it and I'm not quite sure at this juncture precisely what the apostle is emphasizing. But it is clear what he's emphasizing when we come to verse 21.

17:11 The I cannot say to the hand. hand I don't need you the eye is functioning beautifully it's seeing accurately the optic nerve is sending signals to the brain and it says then to the hand who I'm doing great here all by myself seeing reality I don't need you well what happens when the hand sees that an object is flying toward the face and needs protection suddenly the eye knows it needs the hand it may go a period of time without any conscious need of the head but it's immediate and present consciousness doesn't determine reality the eye needs the hand the eye sees that the child is falling and the parent wants to rescue it from danger it needs both hands attached to active arms desperately and immediately so Paul enlarges on that concept let's look at it there but now they are many members but one body the eye cannot say to the hand I don't need of you or again the head to the feet I don't need of you I can think without toenails yes but when the brain thinks dangers behind you feet move feet move fast suddenly the head knows it needs the feet this is the imagery Paul is using and then he goes on to say nay much rather those members

18:36 of the body which seem to be more feeble or necessary and those parts of the body which we think to be less honorable upon these we bestow more abundant honor and And our uncomely parts have more abundant comeliness, whereas our comely parts have no need. But God tempered the body together, giving more abundant honor to that part which lacked, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care one for another. And then he seems to move into an emphasis not so much upon the exercise of gifts, but upon the sympathy of all the members as they relate one to another, each one seeking to keep the other in optimum health so that there may be the efficient exercise of each of its distinct parts. So the concept, then, that I've tried to capture in this principle, each member is to appreciate and encourage the recognition and exercise of the gifts of the other members of the body. And surely that is true in the Ephesians 4 passage, as Cliff has quoted it, Pastors, teachers, and with the apostolic influence being embodied in the Scriptures as well as that of the prophets, evangelist is a moot question. Are there still evangelists?

19:54 I'm not about to go into that, but these gifts are given for what purpose? For the perfecting of the saints. Well, that means the saints will recognize those gifts as they are deposited in those people who possess them, and they will recognize and encourage the exercise of those gifts for their own good. For their own benefit, for the benefit of others, just as those who have gifts of teaching and pastoring will recognize the gifts that Christ has deposited in the other members of the body, and will encourage the recognition and exercise of those gifts within the body.

20:35 This is part of Hebrews 10.24. We are to provoke one another unto love and good works, and certainly one channel of good works. It is the recognition and the exercise of our God-given gifts.

Principle Five: The Sovereignty of God in Gift Distribution

20:51 I didn't question on that principle that I've tried to isolate as number four. All right, then, principle number five. It's one that stands on the face of the Romans 12 passage, the first Corinthians 12 passage, particularly verses 7 to 11 and Ephesians 4, the beginning of the subject of the gifts. There's one other major principle that I think it's so obvious we assume it, but it's good to recognize it and to identify it and to state it as a major principle in this whole subject of spiritual gifts.

21:35 Anyone have an idea what we might be fishing for? Ron? All right, pastors and teachers have a unique responsibility. In what respect, Ron?

21:59 Okay. All right, so in terms of the body functioning in a healthy way, those in places of pastoral leadership have an unusual responsibility upon them. Is that what you're saying, Ron? All right.

22:14 Certainly a vital principle. It's not the one I'm fishing for. I'm not saying it's irrelevant. All right.

22:21 It's a principle we've not yet identified, and it's crucial in this whole subject. Let's see if I can tease it out of you by reading, particularly from 1 Corinthians 12, in the interest of time. Verse 7. But to each one is given, the manifestation of the Spirit to profit with all.

22:42 Verse 11. But all these work the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each one severally, even as he will. Verse 28. And God has set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets.

23:04 Got a clue as to what I'm fishing for? All right, Paul? Yes, and he distributed them how? According to what we think he ought to do, or we might like him to do, or according to his own sovereign will.

23:26 All right, it's the latter or the less. Yes, so this is the way I put the principle down on my notes. Each member is to recognize the absolute sovereignty of God in the distribution of gifts within the body. Each member is to recognize the absolute, sovereignty of God in the distribution of the gifts within the body.

23:51 We go back to the Romans 12 passage as well. I say through the grace given to me to every man among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but think soberly according as God has dealt to each man a measure of faith. And again, in verse 6a, having gifts, differing according to the grace that was given to us. Now, if this is a deep, settled perspective, not a theological concept to which we point and say, yeah, I believe that, big deal, let's get on the more important things.

24:32 But if within the body, as individual believers in a context of humility, with the quality control of the body of Christ giving its input, each member seeking to discern, cultivate, exercise his gift, motivated by love, regulated by scripture, empowered by the spirit, to the motive of the good of the body and the glory of God, recognizing the gifts of his brethren, what practical effect will this principle have if it is more than mere theological concepts, or if it is more than a mere theological concept? This principle that the absolute sovereignty of God is operative in the distribution of gifts, what practical effect will that have, Rich? All right, it'll cut the nerve of pride, it'll feed the springs of contentment with what God has given, rather than having carnal ambition for something God has not given. Now, how will it cut the nerve of pride? Can you think of a text that addresses that head on?

25:53 It's in Corinthians. Anyone think of it yet? What have you that you have not received? Why do you glory or boast as though you had not received it?

26:13 What do you have? 1 Corinthians 4, 7. Who makes you to differ? What do you have that you did not receive?

26:23 Now, the answer to the first two questions, all of you know, every believer knows. Who makes you to differ? God does. What do you have that you didn't receive?

26:33 Nothing. But if you received it, why are you glorying as if you had not received it? Why are you acting as though it's something you've generated, you've created, and you can look at your creations and say, ain't that great? You see, it cuts the nerve of pride in terms of any gift or gifts that God gives.

26:52 And it will also feed the springs of holy contentment. Now, we do know that 1 Corinthians 14 says we are to desire spiritual gifts. It is right to pray that God might increase our giftedness. It is right to plead that God will enable us to cultivate certain gifts.

27:11 But at the end of the day, there must be a sense of contentment with who and what God has made us and our particular function within the body. And then it will also be a death blow to another wretched sin, which, if it is not kept dead by the power of Christ's cross, can wreak havoc in any congregation. Yes, Lynn? That's it.

27:34 Envy. That green-eyed monster. What is envy? Envy is the inability to rejoice in what another has.

27:42 Until I have it, I can't be content. And what is generally joined to envy is an evil spirit resulting in evil words and attitudes to the one who has the thing I want. If I can only bring them down, that's the language of envy. Envy is never content to be a disposition stewing in the heart.

28:06 Envy breaks out in an effort to deal negatively with the person possessing that which I envy, his position, his gifts, whatever else it may be. So this is critical then, within the body of Christ, to recognize the absolute sovereignty of God in the distribution of the gifts within the body. The Ephesians 4 passage underscores that as well. When he ascended on high, Christ that is, he gave gifts unto men, and he gave some.

Defining the Nature of a Spiritual Gift

28:37 Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. Alright now, oh boy, time is getting on with us. Several last questions that had to do with what I've tried to reduce to this vital question. What is the nature of a spiritual gift as we're talking about it in this class?

28:56 And as we see them identified in the scriptures. What is the nature of a spiritual gift? Would anyone want to venture, not a formal definition, but at least a poor man's, layman, laywoman's description. What is a spiritual gift?

29:20 Get your thinking caps on. No one's bold enough yet to venture. Yes, Ethan? Alright, any talent or what was the other term you used?

29:40 Alright. Okay, so that any gift or talent which if used will help others to be more conformed to Christ, that's a spiritual gift. You want to agree with Ethan? You want to disagree?

30:00 You want to add or subtract to that venture? To identify spiritual gifts? Yes. Mm-hmm.

30:17 Yeah, the question is, is it something that they would have to learn? You mean to acquire it or to cultivate it? Mm-hmm. Alright.

30:41 But I think I know where you're going. And that fits in with what I've got here on my notes as one aspect of that. So that's helpful, alright? Someone else ready to stick your neck out?

30:52 I mean stick your tongue out. After you've raised your hand. And not your tongue at me, but your tongue to form words. Alright, let me throw out what I hope will be helpful, that in one sense we can look at certain of these passages and say this, that a spiritual gift is a supernatural endowment of an ability or function in no way necessarily related to natural endowments.

31:22 A spiritual gift is a supernatural endowment of an ability or function in no way necessarily related to natural endowments. Now can you think of some of the gifts listed in Corinthians and Romans and again in Ephesians 4 that are supernatural endowments of ability or function in no way necessarily related to natural endowments? What gifts would fit that? How about the gift of prophecy?

32:01 The gift of prophecy is an endowment from God in which the prophet becomes an organ of revelation. He receives revelation, he communicates it. Now God can give that gift even to a dumb donkey. And he did.

32:22 Balaam's donkey became a prophet. Spoke the word of God to the mad prophet. Paul was among the prophets, prophesying. The Spirit of God came upon him, had no necessary relationship to his character, let alone to any fitness for the prophetic office and function.

32:46 It's a supernatural endowment of an ability or function in no way necessarily related to natural endowments. The gift of tongues. On the day of Pentecost, when the Spirit of God came, they all spoke in other languages as the Spirit gave them utterance. God didn't stop and say, now let's do a test here to see which of you has unusual facility in languages.

33:08 Some of us have a more native facility in the acquisition of languages. God didn't do that. The Spirit of God came upon them and they all spoke in languages that they had not necessarily acquired in the ordinary way with no obvious, nothing in the text to indicate that there was any reference to natural endowments. Gifts of healings is mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12, the working of miracles.

33:33 Certain spiritual gifts recorded in the New Testament were supernatural endowments of ability or function in no way necessarily related to natural endowments. Now, they may have been related. A man may have had a native gift of gab and the Spirit of God came upon him, possessed it, sublimated it, and made him a prophet. But he may not have had a natural gift of gab.

33:57 But he may not have. I say, if God can make a donkey speak his words, God can take someone naturally a stutterer. Can he do that? Yes, he can.

34:12 All right, so that's one form of spiritual gifts. Now, we are using the term here and we find it used in the Scriptures in some of the explicit passages, as we'll see, as well as the analogy of faith, the general teaching of Scripture. Here's the sense in which we're using the term spiritual gift. It is a gift of natural endowment enhanced and empowered by the Holy Spirit.

The Broader Definition: Giftedness and Service

34:42 A gift of natural endowment enhanced and empowered by the Holy Spirit. Listen to the question submitted by one of the members. This was the one submitted by one of the sisters. This is one question I'd like to have answered.

34:57 In the Romans 12 passage, Paul sets forth several gifts that seem to me to apply to everyone in the church. Now, let's look at them. Romans chapter 12. Let's have the passage in front of us.

35:09 Romans chapter 12. Paul seems to set forth several gifts that seem to me to apply to everyone in the church. Specifically, exhortation. Look at verse 8.

35:26 He that exhorteth to his enemy, exhortation. And this note from this member says, well, in Hebrews 3.13, exhortation is mandated of all believers. We are to exhort one another day by day, lest any of you be hardened through the deceitfulness of sin.

35:50 Notice giving in verse 8. He that gives, let him do it with liberality. And at the end of the verse, he that shows mercy. And in this note, this member notes that all Christians are under obligation to give.

36:07 And all Christians are under obligation to show mercy. And the point that this sister makes is that most of the others listed in Romans and in 1 Corinthians and Ephesians are definitely present in some Christians, not all. My conclusion regarding the three I mentioned is that Christians who are said to have those gifts have a heightened ability over others in performing exhortation, giving, showing mercy. I'd appreciate your comments on this, Pastor.

36:37 Well, my comments are that I believe this is an accurate perception of what the Bible sets before us. A spiritual gift is any ability or capacity, however acquired. Now, here's where we come to the more formal definition. A spiritual gift is any ability or capacity, however acquired, by which the biblical warrant to serve the church and promote the fulfillment of its God-ordained functions is accomplished.

37:10 A spiritual gift is any ability or capacity, however acquired. Some may be acquired primarily by a divine endowment. I can think right now, and the man's face comes before me, a man who by temperance was very retiring, very shy. In any social situation, he was the foot shuffler with his face down and mumbling almost into his shoes.

37:38 Very reticent, very socially retiring, almost painfully socially awkward. But when the Spirit of God came upon him and endowed him with a gift of utterance, and I shall never forget when I first saw this, seeing this guy stand in the street corner with me in Stamford, Connecticut, all of the shuffling was gone. All of the face down and the shoes was gone. All of the mumbling and almost incoherent speech was gone.

38:08 And he stood erect, bold as a lion with a fluency of utterance that anyone who appreciates what preaching is would covet. That did not come by painful, slow cultivation. It didn't come by natural acquisition taking rhetoric 101 and speech 102. It was a divine endowment.

38:35 The Spirit of God came upon a man and loosed him to preach the Word. However, I know of others who went from the shuffling, mumbling stage by painfully slow degrees to where they have become competent communicators in general and of the Word of God in particular. Now, which one is more gifted? Well, neither.

39:02 You see, if we take this definition, a spiritual gift is any ability or capacity however acquired and in whatever combination of acquisition. It may be 90% divine endowment and 10% prayer and pains and practice. I like that. I better write that down.

39:20 Prayer and pain and practice. It wasn't in my notes. It may be 90% prayer and pain and practice. And prayer and pain and practice.

39:30 And 10% endowment. And at the end of the day, it doesn't make a bit of difference. If it is a gift, a capacity, that within the boundary of the Word of God can serve the church and promote the fulfillment of the God-ordained functions of the church, its own edification and its own propagation and its own advancement in evangelism, that's a gift. And we don't need to sit around saying, well, I don't know whether this is something that came 80% when I was scrambled together in my mama's womb and 10% in my development.

40:05 You don't need to sit around trying to figure out the percentages. Soberly assess. Do you have a gift? Then it's to be exercised.

40:15 Motivated by love, in the power of the Holy Spirit, according to the teaching of Scripture, unto the good of the church and unto the glory of God. A spiritual gift is any ability or capacity, however acquired, by which, with biblical warrant, we can serve the church and promote the fulfillment of its God-ordained function. And I encourage you to go back on your own and put that definition to the test with the list of gifts in Romans, Corinthians, and in Ephesians. And I think you'll find that, for the most part, it fits, and I've gone back over the passages.

Illustration: The Mechanic's Gift

40:59 I'm satisfied that, though this may not satisfy the technical theologian, I hope it's a helpful working concept for you as God's people. Now, let's look at an example. Here's a man who, when he was scrambled in his mother's womb, was given, by predisposition of sovereignly arranged genetic composition, good eye-to-hand coordination and a temperament that, from the time his mama can remember, he had an inclination to love Lego sets and things mechanical. All right?

41:37 So God put him together with very strong predisposition to be interested in and capable in the area of mechanics and all the things that go together. So as he developed, his interests were cultivated in that area, and by the time he's 20 years old, he's a first-rate mechanic, he advances in his career, and at age 28, God is pleased to save him. And he's incorporated into a biblical church, and he begins to understand that he's not only there to get blessed and to grow, but he's there to serve. And now he says, Lord, how can I serve?

42:13 And it's like the Lord says to him as he said to Moses, what is that in your hand? Well, I've got a set of mechanics tools. And what is around them? Brothers and sisters in need.

42:23 They can't trust the mechanics that they go to, or maybe they can't afford to pay first rate. He's not looking to, he's not encouraging people to think that because he's a brother that they can get their mechanical services for free, but in his spare time, what does he want to do? He wants to serve Christ and his people. So he makes known to the deacons, says, look, if there are people you're aware of that are financially pressed and have needs, listen, nothing I'd love more than to take part of my day off on Saturday and give them a break job, to put a new tie rod on the front end, to replace their struts or their shock absorbers.

43:02 And what does he do? He takes this naturally inquired, genetically programmed combination of things and he lays them out for the service of Christ and his church. Can we find a biblical identification for that precise gift? You'll nowhere find it.

43:21 Mechanic is a gift. You might want to subsume it under gifts of helps, but that's questionable. But you see, that becomes a gift with which he can serve the body of Christ. He may seek to use that as a bridge of evangelistic contact with neighbors.

43:40 It is a gift. It is an endowment. Now a spiritual gift because he's a spiritual person indwelt by the Spirit, motivated by love to serve God's people to their good and to God's glory. Amen.

Illustration: The Ballet Dancer and Bar-Bouncer

43:57 And there is nothing in the scriptures that would say that such an avenue of service contradicts any biblical principles. Now, the problem is here's someone whose predisposition, the way they were put together in their mother's womb in their early days of development, they became obsessed with ballet. And all her life she dreamed of being a ballet dancer. Someday being able to perform on the stage of the Metropolitan Opera when one of the major ballet companies comes during the off-season from the operas that are performed there.

44:38 They do perform ballets at the Met. So I think I'm not mixing my forms of art. Now, this person gets wonderfully converted, comes into the church and says, well, the only gift I have is standing up on my toes in a tutu. And I desperately want to serve God's people.

45:01 And so she comes to the elders and says, can I start ballet classes for all the girls in the church? Now, we've got a problem here. Because we've said that a spiritual gift is any ability or capacity, however required, by which we can with biblical warrant serve the church. Then we have to sit down and perhaps help instruct this woman that the disciplines of ballet would be helpful to pass on to the young girls in the church.

45:28 The sense of aesthetics and sensitivity. But do we want to encourage the promotion of the immodesty, the preoccupation with thinness? And I know what I'm talking about. This is not something I've conjured up in my own mind.

45:46 The obsession with the thinness makes bulimia and anorexia epidemic among ballet dancers. So then we have to ask, you see, is this a natural endowment with acquired abilities? Now this person, we've got to ask, does it have a biblical framework for its expression? You see, here you've got a guy that he's a bar-bouncer.

46:16 And he gets saved. And he wants to use his bar-bouncing ability to the glory of God and the good of God's people. We can't tell him, you go around punching out people in the name of the Lord. It doesn't work.

46:28 So, you see, this whole concept, once you open the door and say, well, a spiritual gift in the sense in which we are speaking of it in this broadest sense, any ability or capacity, however acquired, it's crucial that we qualify by which we can, with biblical warrant, serve the church and promote the fulfillment of its God-ordained functions. Well, we've got about five to six minutes left. I've tried to throw out that teaser definition to make you think and wrestle with this. Now, interaction.

Interaction and Encouragement for Gift Recognition

47:05 Additions or corrections to the secretary's report. Questions growing out of this, or comments. Yes. Yes.

47:27 That's where we come back to the matter of body. And within the body, the commitment to seek to cultivate meaningful interpersonal relationships that we get close enough to say, look, it's clear to me as I've interacted with you and I've observed you, that you seem to have an unusual facility in this area. Now, Mary, Harriet, John, Peter, have you ever thought that God may be giving you some peculiar endowment in that area in order to, and that way we can help provoke one another to love and to good works? Especially if people are clothed with humility, they're not pushing themselves forward, there are times when they need a gracious, sanctified nudge.

48:12 Proud people are always running out ahead of the pack, wondering when in the world is the rest of the world going to recognize all my gifts. Humble people often are like Moses. When God came and said, look, you're going to deliver my people, he didn't say, Lord, I wondered when in the world you're going to wake up with reality. I've been on the backside of the desert here, convinced for years I'm the man.

48:35 And God, I'm so glad you finally wised up. That isn't what Moses said. He said, you've got the wrong guy. I can't talk.

48:44 And God had to, he got cheeky with God until God finally said, okay, I'll use Aaron as your mouthpiece, but you're still going to be the one to deliver me. And generally speaking, when you find God calling people to peculiar service or to service of peculiar responsibility, they didn't run forward and say, God, I'm so glad you finally woke up to this marvelous gift waiting in the wings for his curtain call. They want to run. They want to run.

49:13 You run. Whether it was Jeremiah, Isaiah falls down upon his face and said, you know, I'm a man of unclean lips and yet filled with the vision of God. When God takes the initiative, as whom shall we send? Who will go for us?

49:29 Here am I, Lord. Take the likes of me if you can use me. So that's a very good point, Linda, that in our interaction with one another, that there needs to be sufficient personal exposure that we see one another in, these varying relationships, to encourage one another. Not to play prophet and say thou hast the gift of and I tell you in the name of the Lord.

49:52 No. I say to each man among you or each one, not to think of himself more highly but to think soberly. The onus is eventually on each one of us to seek to discern our particular gift. But thank you for that contribution.

Addressing Remaining Questions: Optionality, Assessment, Conflict

50:07 Other questions or comments? Yes, Mike? Yes, John 15, 1 and 2. Let me very quickly, in the couple minutes that remain, because these were some other questions submitted, and let me at least give a token response so the questioner will not think I overlooked them. The question was, is the exercise of our gifts optional? And I'm confident that if we had time you would come up with the right answer. No.

51:03 Romans 12 makes it clear, having discerned the gift, he that teaches, give himself to his teaching. He that exhorts to his exhortation, he that shows mercy with cheerfulness. And 1 Peter 4, as each has received a gift, ministering it among yourselves. No thought that any gift is given to be put on a shelf.

51:26 So the exercise of gifts is not optional. The question was asked, how does one accurately assess one's gifts? I would suggest prayer or the spirit of humility, seeking counsel of wise and discerning men and women, seeking the input of one's overseers. What if our assessment conflicts with others?

51:49 Well, that could be a complicated thing, but at the end of the day, these principles will resolve the issue. If our personal assessment conflicts with others, then we can't intrude ourselves into a sphere of exercising that gift if others do not recognize it. There would be the place for additional prayer, discussion, searching of the Scriptures, and then, I would encourage each of you in reflecting on this whole subject, to seek some time, if not today, throughout the week, to go back to those two parables. Remember I said we weren't going to consider the parables in looking at some of the basic principles, but I would encourage you, in the light of the things we've wrestled with, to consider the parable of the talents in Matthew 25, 14 and following, and the parable of the pounds in Luke 19, 11 and 12. And consider very seriously this truth, that when the Lord Jesus returns, the gifts given and the opportunities afforded will meet us in the way of sober accountability. And I would urge each of you, while this has only been seminal, I hope it's opened up enough of the biblical data that your own conscience will be increasingly sensitive to this matter. And as we seek more and more as a body of Christ, to function as a body, that each of us will recognize

53:18 the day is coming when our returning Lord will call us to account for both the talents and for the pounds. Whatever they are, the concept of accountability for the stewardship of gift and opportunity will meet us in the last day. Well, our time is gone. Let's pray and ask God's help in the days to come.

Concluding Prayer

53:42 Our Father, we thank You again for this time together. We thank You for Your Word. We thank You for Your goodness in constituting us a body. And how we pray that more and more we may understand what it is to function as a body with each member, understanding and fully implementing the gifts that You have given, whether those gifts have come primarily by divine endowment or by genetic predisposition, long and painful cultivation.

54:15 Lord, we express again that whatever we have, You have given, and we desire to see it exercised for the good of our brothers and sisters, for the advancement of Your Gospel and all to Your glory. Thank You for the privilege of having this time together. Continue with us throughout this Lord's Day to our good and to Your praise. We ask through Christ our Lord.

54:41 Amen.