Chapter 36
Unwrapping Your Spiritual Gifts
Romans 12:6-8
Romans 12:6-8 is about spiritual gifts. After 11 chapters of Christian doctrine, after 11 chapters of telling us things we should know, in Romans 12 Paul transitions to Christian duty, telling us things we should do. He tells us to present ourselves to God (v.1). He tells us to not allow the world to shape us but to shaped from God's Word (v. 2). He tells us to be humble (v. 3). And in verses 6-8, Paul tells us about spiritual gifts.
I want to answer the basic questions about spiritual gifts from the Bible in today's message.
Question #1 - The Definition
What Is A Spiritual Gift?
We often use the word "gift" today to refer to intelligence. Some schools have "gifted" classes, meaning that the students in that classroom are above average scholastically. (By the way, I think that all the kids at DBC are "above average"). But when we refer to spiritual giftedness, it does not mean that the person is exceptionally intelligent.
Nor is a "spiritual gift" the same as a "talent". At times the word is used like that, too. We hear someone who has a beautiful voice or someone who is unusually accomplished on a musical instrument and we say, "He has a gift" or "She is a gifted musician." Talents are the result of our physical birth, our first birth. Something in gene pool happened which gave that person a particular propensity toward athletics or art or music or singing, etc. Talent is not restricted to Christians. Unbelievers have natural talents, too. There are rock musicians that are just as talented musically as any Christian. So when we speak of spiritual gifts we are not referring to natural talents. (Christians take their natural talents and use them for the Lord but that is not a spiritual gift).
So what are spiritual gifts? At the moment you are saved, at the moment of your salvation, you received the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit indwelled you, Romans 8:9. When He came into your life, He brought gifts. The are called in the Bible, the "gifts of the Spirit" or "spiritual gifts." Spiritual gifts are divine enablements for spiritual service. In other words, the Holy Spirit enables you to do something which will help the Body of Christ to more effectively serve the Lord. Since they are gifts of the Spirit, since they are "according to the grace that is given us" (v. 6), spiritual gifts belong to believers only. Unbelievers may be talented but only Christians have spiritual gifts. The first birth, your physical birth brought talents. Your second birth, the new birth, being born again brought spiritual gifts. Your gift may or may not work in connection with your talent (musical talent + gift of ministry; preacher who stutters).
The Bible also indicates that every Christian has at least and possibly more than one spiritual gift, see I Peter 4:10. If you are a Christian, you have a spiritual gift. You need to unwrap you spiritual gift(s), see what they are and use them for the glory of God and for the edification of the church.
Question #2 - The Description
What Are The Spiritual Gifts?
There are 3 categories of spiritual gifts. Ephesians 4 contains a list of gifted men. Apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastor/teachers. There are no longer apostles or prophets (they were foundational according to Ephesians 2:20) but there are evangelists and pastors. An evangelist is not the guy with ten suits and ten sermons but really more like a missionary. These men, evangelists and pastors are God's gift to the church.
The second category of spiritual gifts are miraculous gifts which are listed in I Corinthians 12. During the early foundational, apostolic era of the church there were some supernatural sign gifts (tongues, healings, miracles) which God gave temporarily until the completion of New Testament. The Bible clearly refers to them as temporary in nature, I Corinthians 13:8ff. When you plant a new tree in your front yard, you generally have to support it with stakes and ropes until the root system has been firmly established in the ground. Thereafter, you take out the stakes and untie the ropes and the tree stands alone. That's what the miraculous gifts were like. Until the canon of Scripture was complete, God temporarily gave miraculous gifts to Christians.
Romans 12 deals with the third category of spiritual gifts - the motivational gifts. There are seven motivational gifts listed in the three verses of our text. Let's consider them individually. We must remember first however, that these gifts are the tools with which the individual Christian ministers and serves the whole body. Just as a human body has many organs, the body of Christ has many members, vv. 4-5. Each member has a unique function in the church and the gifts are how you function. Thus, you use your gift, not for yourself, not for your own edification but for the edification of the whole church. I Peter 4:10-11 says that we minister to one another with spiritual gifts.
The gift of prophesy, v. 6. There is a difference, I believe, between the prophet and the gift of prophesy. The prophet could foretell the future. The gift of prophesy is the ability to boldly proclaim God's truth. Those who have this gift have a great ability to discern right from wrong and a boldness to point out wrong. Those with the gift of prophesy are concerned for the church's purity. Those with this gift are often razor sharp. They can cut to the quick. They must be careful to not offend. We need this gift in the church. We need those who are concerned about the purity of the church and who are bold to point out right and wrong. If you have that gift then use it but be careful to do it in the power of the Spirit and not in the flesh - otherwise you will offend others.
The gift of ministering, v. 7. This is the same gift that I Corinthians 12:28 calls the gift of "helps." The gift of ministering or helps, is the ability to serve others. This person is unusually very unselfish and usually doesn't want any recognition for what they do. Those with the gift of ministry are concerned with the church's activity. They cannot stand to be pew sitters. They want to be involved, active and involved in the church life. They must be careful not to over-committed. Those who have this gift have a hard time saying "No." They have a heart the size of Alaska. If you need help, they want to help. They are good at starting but struggle with finishing. We need this gift in the church. We need those who are concerned about the church being active. If you have that gift then use it - but be careful of over-commitment.
The gift of teaching, v. 7. The gift of teaching is expressed by those who have the inner compulsion to research and learn. Teachers like to study and learn. They have the ability to explain deep and complex truths in clear and simple language. Those with the gift of teaching keep the church anchored to the Word of God. They are always bringing up the Bible! The weakness of this gift is that it tends to be more theoretical than practical. Teachers have a hard time with being practical, with putting God's truth into flesh and blood reality. Thus, they can come across as cold and uncaring, not warm and personal. We need this gift in the church. We need those who keep up anchored to the Bible. If you have this gift then use it - but make it real not just theoretical.
The gift of exhortation, v. 8. The exhorter is the encourager. He or she is the person who is always optimistic, who always sees good and who tells you about it. The exhorter is the motivator in the church. This person makes the church want to move forward and helps them believe that they can get to a higher level. The weakness of the exhorters is that they can be unrealistic and overoptimistic. We need this gift in the church. We need motivators who constantly encourage us. If you have this gift then use it - but make sure that it is coupled with reality.
The gift of giving, v. 8. The gift of giving has to do with the generous person. The giver may be a very prosperous person, successful in making and managing money. He or she may even be very frugal on a personal basis.
But when it comes to the work of the Lord, the Holy Spirit has gifted this person at giving. The giver brings to the church an attitude of unselfishness, of selflessness. The church needs that spirit. The weakness of a those with the gift of giving is alluded to in this verse. Paul says, "Let them give with simplicity." The idea of that word is single-mindedness, with complete sincerity. In other words, give without expecting anything in return. Generous people are often presumptuous. They presume that others are just as generous as they. The proper exercise of this gift is giving without expecting anything in return. We need givers in the church. We need those who teach us by their example to be unselfish and generous. If you have this gift then use it - but be careful to do with simplicity.
The gift of ruling, v. 8. The gift of ruling is called the gift of "governments" in I Corinthians 12:28 and "administrations" in I Corinthians 12:5. This is the organizer, the administrator. This person keeps the church on target to accomplish its goal. He or she knows how to delegate, how to give jobs away and not micro-manage. If the church is going to operate "decently and in order" then the church needs this gift. Sometimes the exercise of this gift is missing from the church because of a lack of diligence on the part of the person who has it. The text tells those who possess this gift to do with diligence. Don't get frustrated and impatience and give up. You need unremitting perseverance. Sometimes those with this gift don't take the time to explain the process of accomplishing the goal to others. We need this gift. We need those who can keep us goal oriented. If you have this gift use it - but be careful to be diligent.
The gift of mercy, v. 8. The gift of mercy refers to those in the church with caring compassionate hearts. They are the sympathetic, tenderhearted ones. They help the church keep its focus on hurting people. They help the church overcome that spirit of judgementalness. They help bring balance to the church. The weakness of this gift is that always seeing sympathetically the failures of people can make you a sad and depressed person. Those who have the gift of mercy are urged in the text to exercise it with cheerfulness. We need this gift in the church. The church needs the balance that comes from the merciful. The church needs to see people and to have eyes of compassion for their hurts and needs. If you have this gift then use it - but don't let it steal your joy.
(Read the two sheets of responses by gifted people).
Can you see how the church needs all of these gifts to be balanced? We need those who keep us pure, those who keep us active, those who keep us Biblical, those who keep us motivated, those who keep us from being selfish, those who get us goal-oriented and those who keep us caring about hurting people. It takes the exercise of all these gifts for us to be fully functioning body of Christ.
Question #3 - The Discernment
How Can I Know My Spiritual Gift?
You are not going to learn to swim or to ride a bicycle by attending a seminar or reading an article. Likewise, discovering your spiritual gift come from wading in and doing. Get involved in ministry. Start doing it all and see what God blesses. See what stirs up your passions. See what others in the church say you are good at. The whole point of this passage is for you to use your spiritual gift. Just do it!
Question #4 - The Dangers
What Do I Need To Be Careful About Concerning Spiritual Gifts?
A quick list ...
1. Beware of pride. I Corinthians 12-14 warns us that spiritual gifts are not trophies to show off ("My gifts better than you gift"), toys to play with, weapons to fight with, but tools to work with. They are not for you, I Corinthians 12:7; I Peter 4:10-11. They are for the edification of the body and for the glory of God. Besides you didn't have anything to do with what gift you got. God decided and graced you with your gift. You have nothing to brag about. It was all God.
2. Beware of over-analysis. When we learn about kinds or categories of people, we tend to analyze and compartmentalize people. ("Here comes Miss Mercy." "He is such a prophet!") Actually, all of us are spiritual snowflakes, spiritual fingerprints, everyone is so unique, so a blend of unique gifts. We all have a different SHAPE. View people as individuals not a gifts.
3. Beware of neglect. We may not have a gift but that does not lessen our responsibility in that area. I may not have the gift of evangelism, but I am still commanded to do the work of an evangelist. I cannot excuse myself out of responsibilities to be a bold prophet, a teacher, an exhorter, a giver, a helper, a ruler or a merciful one.