The Giver, the gifts and the go-ahead
Please read Matthew 25: 14-30, I Corinthains 12: 1-11 and Romans 12: 6-8 and then pray: Almighty God, I ask that you will open my eyes to see, embrace, and use the gifts you have given me to the praise of your name. Strengthen my faith in your calling upon my life today, for Jesus’ sake, Amen.
Would you like some good news, good news for you and good news for the Church, the body of Christ? Here is the very good news:
We have different gifts according to the grace given us.
That good news from the apostle Paul was delivered by Phoebe to the Christians in Rome, (16:1) to every single member of the Church. This is not just for the leaders, but for all who are now “in Christ” and part of “His body.” (4-5) The gifts are for “each one.” No member is left out. No-one is gift-less. By grace, gifts have been given to each one with the appropriate measure of grace and faith to use them.
Behind every gift there is a giver. So, we start by focusing on the One who gives out gifts to the members of the Church – the Church in Rome – and our Church – and every Church. The gifts are given by the Head of the Church – who is Jesus Christ. Our Lord’s Headship over the Church is stressed numerous times in Paul’s letters. Take these two verses in Ephesians and Colossians as examples;
And God has placed all things under his feet and appointed him to be head over everything for the church, which is his body, the fullness of him who fills everything in every way. (Ephesians1:22-23)
And he is the head of the body, the church; he is the beginning and the firstborn from among the dead, so that in everything he might have the supremacy. (Colossians 1:18)
In Ephesians 1 we are told that Christ is head over everything for the Church. He is in charge. Jesus heads up everything – and that of course includes gifting. Jesus is the Head, the brains and supreme intelligence behind the operating of His Church. Gifts flow from the Head – Jesus – into the various members of his body, just as life-giving sap flows from the Vine to the branches.
Now this giving of gifts to the Church began in earnest after the glorious and triumphant ascension of Jesus. It is the ascended Christ who pours out all the gifts upon his people. (READ Ephesians 4: 7-13)
When Jesus ascended on high 40 days after his resurrection (exalted to the right hand of His Father – Philippians 2:9) he began giving gifts to His people. This began at Pentecost. This was always the intention and the plan of God to further salvation for all nations. The pouring out of the Spirit from the Father and the Son – and with the Spirit – the gifts and graces of the Spirit. The Church, the body of Christ, just 120 people at that time, (Acts 1:15) needed to be equipped with the promised gift and baptism of the Holy Spirit and with all the gifts of the Spirit. On that historic and momentous day down came the Spirit who had been promised and along with Him came the gifts, which is why within seconds you have the speaking in tongues phenomenon. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:4) The key Pentecost text in relation to the giving of gifts as well as the Spirit is that famous prophetic text from the prophecy of Joel:
In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy. (Acts 2: 17-18)
The descending of the promised Spirit – and with Him – the distribution of the gifts. The Spirit is the One in the Triune Godhead who decides who gets which gift/gifts – and He delegates them accordingly. From our Corinthians reading today we heard this important message: (READ 1 Corinthians 12: 7-11)
I hope you notice that concluding comment in Paul’s teaching; All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he gives them to each one, just as he determines.
To summarise and conclude this part of the teaching with regards to gifts in the Church;
- The ascended Jesus sends the promised Spirit and gifts down to earth upon his body, his people, his Church.
- The Holy Spirit distributes the gifts as he sees fit – as he determines.
- All Christ’s people receive a gift or gifts through the precious Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit gives you a gift and the faith and grace needed to use it.
Next question – which is vital to understand. What is the purpose of the gifts which the Spirit gives to the Church? Why are the gifts needed and why do they need to be used by all Christians? The answer to this is twofold; the gifts are needed firstly to build up and strengthen the body – the Church. And secondly, they are given to strengthen and empower the Church’s mission and evangelistic outreach to the world.
Two other points needed to be made about these gifts and the Church are this. Firstly, these gifts will need to be used right up until the second coming of Christ. The parable from Matthew makes this plain, as do other parts of the NT. (1 Corinthians 1:7, 1 Peter 4: 7-11) And secondly, the point I made as strongly and as I could last week, is that you must be part of a local body of believers to use your gifts. The gifts do not work in isolation. The gifts cannot work in isolation. They are for the building up of the body – not for the building up of a believer who feels they do not need to be part of a church. To use your gifts – you must commit to a local church. You can only use them in community – not out on a limb. To quote John Wesley once again: “There is nothing more unchristian than a solitary Christian.”
Now we are ready to address the gifts which Paul is guided to list in Romans 12. This is not an exhaustive list. There are other gifts as I Corinthians 12 and other parts of the bible reveal, but I believe Paul lists these gifts because they are in essence – the most practical ones – and as I have said all along – Romans 12 concerns the practical living of the Christian faith within the Church and the world. On this occasion, Paul is more interested in teaching about the practical gifts and less about the supernatural gifts. He deals with those supernatural ones in 1 Corinthains 12 largely because they were being misused and abused – especially the gift of speaking in tongues. In Romans, it is mainly the practical gifts, although there is a touch of the miraculous with the gift of prophecy, and all these practical gifts require the power and the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, who is the Wind in the Church’s sails. He is the divine breath in the body. These practical gifts are not lesser or inferior gifts. They are vital – and must be exercised obediently and in love. All are charismatic gifts.
I do not have the time to explain the nature of these seven gifts listed in Romans in detail, so what I propose to do is to give you succinct definitions of each one – and then focus on just three in a little more detail, with the requisite application for our lives and our Church fellowship. I am indebted to Revd Dr Mark Stibbe and his excellent book “Draw near to God” for these extremely helpful definitions. However, I will supply one definition myself, only because Mark Stibbe leaves this one out of his book.
Here are the definitions of the gifts – and we begin with prophecy. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.
Prophecy (Romans 12:6, 1 Corinthians 12:10) an anointing in which a person is enabled to communicate God’s will to a church through a vision, dream, picture, scripture, message, or impression. It often involves a predictive dimension.
I will return this gift in a few minutes to further elaborate.
Serving (Romans 12: 7a) an anointing to serve the Lord and his Church in all manner of practical ways through a whole variety of gifts and talents. (my definition)
I will return to this gift also.
Teaching (Romans 12:7b, Ephesians 4:11, 1 Corinthians 12:28) an anointing in which a person is enabled to expound and apply the Word of God in such a way that the listener is impacted by a sense of revelation, and then personal transformation.
This is one of the main gifts the Spirit gave to me as a very young man. It began in a simple Sunday School setting, grew quickly into teaching in house groups, and grew much further into teaching and preaching to the whole gathering of God’s people. This gift, like all gifts, matures and grows over the years. If we use it, we grow in it and in its blessings. If we do not use it, we lose it. “For everyone who has will be given more, and he will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him.” (Matthew 25:29)
Encouragement (Romans 12:8) an anointing in which a person is led to say or write something which builds up a fellow Christian in faith.
This is one of the most underrated gifts, but one which has the potential to catapult Christians on the receiving end of encouragement to new heights of faith, hope, and joy. Barnabas who was nick-named the encourager is a good biblical example of this gift in operation. (Acts 4:36) This is a gift I frequently seek to share amongst the many people I work alongside in the gospel. I am glad and I am grateful to the older, wiser Christians who took the time and made the deliberate effort to encourage me as a young Christian seeking to understand and implement the gifting the Spirit had given to me.
Giving (Romans 12:9) an anointing in which someone is especially motivated to give of self, time, and/or money for the work of the Church.
The Spirit’s voice speaks to us to challenge us to go “the extra mile” in faithful giving and sacrificing.
Leadership (Romans 12:8, 1 Thessalonians 5:12) an anointing in which a person is given the ability to lead people in such a way that they want to follow.
I will return to this in a moment.
Mercy (Romans 12:8) an anointing in which a person is moved by divine compassion to acquire and to give aid to the poor, the suffering and the oppressed.
Some people are called and pulled towards serving in mercy ministries; foodbanks, soup runs, working with the homeless, addicts, debt counselling, caring for the most vulnerable and frail and weak elderly or disabled. Christians continue to lead the way in this type of ministry in our society today.
Let me now return to prophecy, serving and leadership. Prophecy – an anointing in which a person is enabled to communicate God’s will to a Church through a vision, dream, picture, scripture, message, or impression. It often involves a predictive dimension. Prophecy is obviously one of several speaking gifts, but as we study 1 Corinthians and Acts, we see that this is a particularly important gift because of the way it has the effect of building up and strengthening the Church in the its faith and mission. Paul describes it as one of the “greater gifts” which we must seek because it is so valuable within the armoury of the Church. It seems to be a gift that is given and used by individuals are who deeply committed to prayer and listening to God, and who are committed to understanding the Scriptures. All prophecy must adhere to Scripture. Prophetic words can often be simple but powerful words of encouragement or exhortation to the Church. They are often linked to new vision, new ventures, new opportunities to grow and develop as Churches. (Acts 13: 1-3) May I give you a specific example?
After we had used LYCIG in 2021-22, and as I was discerning all the material we had shared together, the Lord seemed to lift-up the necessity for our Church to especially focus on seven areas where we must seek to grow. These were Evangelism and Discipleship, Prayer, Pastoral Care, Fellowship, Children’s and Youth work, Compassionate Outreach, and Communication.
I went away on retreat to pray about this and spent 2-3 days with my father-in God Russ Howell in N Wales. We were talking and praying about LYCIG and these seven areas. During the night Russ was given a picture by God of a galleon-like ship sailing on the high seas. God directed him to the unusual fact that the ship had seven masts with great sails. He shared the picture with me, but not before looking on the internet to see if such a ship even existed. He came across an image, and the image was of the ship he had seen in his picture/dream. Here is it. We continued to pray, and both felt that God was sharing a prophetic word through this picture. Seek to grow in the seven areas and as you do so the mighty Wind of my Spirit will catch the sails of Christchurch that you might do exploits for me and my glory. This is but one example of how a prophetic word can work to bring confirmation, hope, faith, and direction to the mission of a local Church. Could God use you to bring a prophetic word to this Church at some point? Are you listening? Remember Acts 2: 17-18!
Let me say an important word about serving. If it is serving, let him serve. (12:7). This is a general term which can include all manner of service within and on behalf of the local Church. Christians can serve faithfully through musical gifts and talents, through prayer ministry, through effective administration and organisation, through construction and practical maintenance (works week); through hospitality, through pastorally caring, through teaching children and inspiring young people; through artistic gifts and craft and making and distributing clothing and gifts. The list goes on and on and on. God seeks to inspire and anoint many within the body of His Son to serve in humble ways and in ways which enable the wellbeing, growth, and service of the Church to the wider world. All serving is to be done in the and with the humility, meekness, and compassion of the Head of the body – Jesus Christ. How is the Spirit motivating and equipping you to serve? How have you contributed in the past? How might you serve now and as Christchurch moves forward with fresh vision?
And now leadership; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently. This may refer to the overall leadership of a Church, or as part of a team, or leadership over one aspect of the life of the Church – like one of our seven areas, mentioned in the earlier prophecy. For example, if you lead Children’s/Youth, do it seriously and diligently.
Leadership in the bible generally includes two ideas. The first is leadership through example and character. Leaders must be examples of faith and integrity – otherwise there is no pattern to follow and respect. Leadership through the example of strong faith and faithfulness. Secondly, leadership through “leading the way,” in vision and direction. You can obviously see this in the life of Moses, Joshua, Ruth, Daniel, the apostle Peter, or Mary Magdalene.
Leadership at Christchurch is done by individuals and through the teamwork of Church Council and through myself as the called and appointed Minister of Word and Sacraments. People here should aim and aspire to lead by their example and by their participation in furthering vision and growth. We welcome men and women into leadership positions, and potentially young people too. Back to Acts 2:17-18. Romans 16 reveals a list of named individuals, including 16 women, and starting with the bearer of the letter to the Romans, Paul’s trusted friend, Phoebe. When Phoebe arrived in Roman with this vital letter, her commission from Paul was to read it to the Church and if necessary to explain it. Her gifts would have included teaching. But then are the outstanding couples, Priscilla, and Aquila (3) who we hear a lot about in Acts, and the lesser-known Andronicus and Junia (7), who we are told have suffered for Christ and been outstanding in apostolic ministry, in the planting and developing of Churches. Men and women leading together with their respective gifts.
I find the Priscilla/Aquila couple especially interesting. Why is Priscilla always mentioned first? This is most unusual in what was clearly a strongly patriarchal society. Because she probably took more of a lead in the Church than her husband who focused more on their tent-making business. Both led in the Church, but she did more, whilst her husband earned the money for her to do what she was called to do? That could quite easily have been the scenario. It makes sense. (Read Romans 16 v 1-7)
I came on to a leadership team at the age of 19. People can begin to lead at different periods and stages of their lives, but all must lead with the servant heart of the Master and Head – Jesus – and all must seek to work with others in harmony as much as possible, to build up the Church and to further the promotion and sharing of the great gospel of Jesus and his Kingdom.
Finally, and this is perhaps the most important point which Paul emphasises at this point in his letter as he writes about this diversity of gifts. Whatever your gift/s – and you will have at least one, use it, and use it now, without any further delay. There can be no laziness or laid-back attitude in the Church. I believe the word God wishes me to especially convey to you all today is the same word Paul used to encourage a young leader by the name of Timothy to whom he wrote 2 letters. Fan into flame the gift God gave you. (2 Timothy 1:6) Begin to stoke up the fire of the Spirit’s anointing upon you – and get to work within the Church. What gift do you need to fan into flame? Where do the flames need to be seen and felt and demonstrated through your personal service within Christchurch? Get out the bellows, stir up the flame!
There is also here in Romans 12 a sense of permission giving. Let them do it! Let them get on with it! Set them to work and encourage the use of their gifts. Do not hold people back! Let them move in the anointing they have been given! Let faith and action grow together within your Church! If it is serving – then let him/her serve. If it is encouraging, then let him/her encourage. Release all the potential in Rome, in Christchurch, in all Churches! Go-ahead – use your gift. As well as this permission giving, there is also a sense of accountability – both to the Church who is being served and to Jesus who is the sole Head of the Church. This part of Paul’s letter is a call to action – it is a call to use gifts, including latent ones. Fan into flame the gift of God in your life. Action stations from now on until the Head of the operation returns in power and glory, or until you are taken by Him to be with Him! Amen!
Revd Peter J Clarkson (10.8.25)