Use of Spiritual Gifts, Part 1

The Day of Pentecost You know, the Day of Pentecost, as we all realize, commenced the beginning of the New Testament Church. The spiritual Israel of God began, the called-out ones of God. Why has God called us out of this world? Why are we sitting here today? Why don't we have the main auditorium over here with 10,000 people sitting there, or 100,000 or 300,000? You all have Chattanooga. For what purpose has God called us?

Why now and not later? Because we know the majority of people are going to be called later, but God has called us now. It was on this day that God sent the Holy Spirit to dwell in man.

And we today are the spiritual temple of God. In the Old Testament, God dwelt in the temple, and His glory, His power could be shown. And He dwells in us today. He walks in us. He lives in us. And as the Bible says, Jesus Christ lives within us. Let's go over to the book of Acts in Acts 1 and verse 8. Acts 1, and we'll read verse 8 here.

We find that Jesus Christ made a promise to His disciples. And in looking at this promise, you realize that it applies to us likewise. In verse 8, He said, So we discover that we would receive power when we receive that Holy Spirit. So God is sharing with us His power. He is the Almighty God, as the Bible says. And as the Almighty, there is no more greater power in the universe than the Almighty God. And God dwells in you if you have His Spirit. He dwells in me.

I want you to notice that God gave that power to His church, to His disciples, and here, to start with, to the apostles and the 120. He gave it to them so that they would be witnesses of His. He gave them that power in order to do the work, to witness, to go to the nations. You might remember a scripture we used to quote almost seemed like every Sabbath, Matthew 24.14.

That this gospel of the kingdom will be preached in all of the world. Why? As a witness to all nations, and then the end shall come. So even in the end time, you find that the church has the obligation, the duty, the responsibility to preach the gospel to the world. This is not the only reason the Spirit was given. It is eternal life. And when God gave His Spirit to come to dwell within man, He placed within us the gift of eternal life.

It's not complete yet, but it's the beginning. God imparted His very nature. In 2 Peter, chapter 1, beginning in verse 2, we find that when you and I receive God's Spirit, it does something for us. Let's notice it. It says, So we're talking about the Holy Spirit. His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life.

To what life? Well, to eternal life. To live an abundant life now, a superior life now, by following His ways. That pertains to life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue, by which have been given to us exceedingly great and precious promises. That through these, you may be partakers of the divine nature, having escaped the corruption that is in the world through lust. So we discover that God's very divine nature has been placed within us. We know that God has given to us the fruit of the Spirit, that God gives us His Spirit when we were baptized.

But we seldom stop to think that the Spirit of God also imparts spiritual gifts to us. Not only the fruit of the Spirit, but spiritual gifts. And we never give much thought in that way. This is what we want to concentrate on today. Hopefully everybody's gotten a handout. If you didn't get a handout, you need to wave your hand. We'll ask our deacons to pass those out to you. Eva doesn't have one up here. We need to make sure that there are enough copies of these. We can probably give each one, too. But we all need a copy as we go through the sermon today.

We know that, as I said, that God promised to give us the fruit of the Spirit. The subject of spiritual gifts is not one, quite frankly, that we in the Church have talked about much in the end time. It's something that we've known. You read over. I think that I gave a sermon on it not too long ago.

But yet the Church as a whole has not officially taken up the topic and discussed it. And yet at the last General Conference of Elders that we had, this was the main theme of the General Conference. And I want to pass on to you some of the information that we garnered there and take a look at it.

Brother, what are spiritual gifts? If I were to ask you the question, what is a spiritual gift, would you be able to define what it is? Let me quote from three or four Bible dictionaries. Westward study of the Bible says this. The purpose of the impartation of these gifts, so it is a gift that God gives to us, was that they might be established both in their Christian character and in their service.

So it is something that God gives to us to help us to establish our Christian character as well as to serve others. Nelson Bible Dictionary says, these are special gifts bestowed by the Holy Spirit upon Christians for the purpose of building up the Church. So it is to build up the Church, to establish the Church, to stabilize the Church. Erdmann's Bible Dictionary said it is used primarily in two ways. Number one is a general reference to God's free or special gift of grace.

So God extends His grace to us. That's a gift. He forgives us. He's willing to overlook our sins. And then, secondarily, more frequently, it's used by Paul as a designation for specific spiritual gifts, which are special endowments to be employed in service to the Christian community. Well, here's the Christian community in this area. And God will give us all gifts to be able to serve, help, build up, strengthen, stabilize this community and this local congregation.

One other one, the new Bible Dictionary says the purpose of these charismatic gifts is primarily the edification of the Church, to edify the Church, and secondarily, the conviction and conversion of unbelievers. So they can help in that, likewise. Now, why are they called spiritual gifts? Well, because they are spiritual in nature. They're not physical gifts. You give me a candy bar. That's a physical gift. You give Mother's Day gifts. That's a physical gift. You give a child a birthday gift. That's a physical gift.

You give feast gifts. Those are physical gifts. Spiritual gifts are of the Spirit. They are imparted by the Holy Spirit. They come from God, and they are spiritual in nature. You don't receive these by your own effort. They are given to you by God. Now, with all of that as sort of a background, to whom does God give spiritual gifts? Can you expect to receive a spiritual gift?

Does God just say, Okay, here's somebody over here. He's special. I'm going to give him a gift. Is that the way God does it? Let's notice in 1 Corinthians chapter 14. We'll begin in verse 1 here. 1 Corinthians chapter 14 and verse 1. Pursue love and desire spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy or speak or preach. Desire spiritual gifts. So is it wrong to desire a spiritual gift? The answer is no. He says so right here. The word desire means to be deeply committed to something, with the implication of an accompanying desire to be earnest, to set one's heart on, or one's intent upon.

So it's not wrong to go to God and ask for spiritual gifts. It also means to be zealous of them, to be zealous. Now, in 1 Corinthians 14 verse 12, says, Even so you, since you are zealous for spiritual gifts, you have that zeal. Let it be for the edification of the church that you might seek to excel. The word edification means to build up. So we want spiritual gifts to build the church up, not to aggrandize the self, not to puff the self up, not to walk around and say, well, look at me.

I've got a gift. No, it's to help everyone else in the church. Let's turn back here to chapter 12, and I want you to notice in chapter 12, beginning in verse 6, we read there are diversities of activities in the church, but it is the same God who works all in all. God is the one who works in us. Back up to verse 1. Now, concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that you were Gentiles carried away with these dumb idols.

However, you were led. Therefore, I make you known that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus a curse. No one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. So God gives a diversity of gifts, but they all come from the same Holy Spirit. There are differences of ministries. That word means services to serve, but it's the same Lord.

There are diversities of activities, but it's the same God who works all in all. Now, in Romans 1, verse 11, Paul told the Roman church, He says, I longed to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift so that you may be established. So Paul felt that he could impart to them some spiritual gift, that he would be able to establish them.

The word establish means to make steadfast in mind or to strengthen, or as a low-nida Greek lexicon says, to call someone to become stronger in the sense of more firm, unchanging in attitude or belief, to strengthen them and to make them firm. Brethren, why do you think we get up and speak? It's not to hear our own voice. We hope that when we sit down, that you've learned something, that you become stronger in the faith, more convicted to do what is right, motivated to serve God.

And so this is what the Apostle Paul was talking about here. And so it means to make or to strengthen, to make firm. Over here in chapter 12 and verse 6 of the book of Romans, Romans 12.6, we read this. Having gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, according to God's grace, in other words, according to His benevolence, His gift, what He gives to us, that is given to us, let us use them.

And then it goes on to enumerate what some of these gifts are. So gifts will differ. God distributes gifts to the members of His body, He edifying to build up the Church. He is the one who gives out the gifts. He's the one who determines those gifts. In chapter 12 of the book of 1 Corinthians, 1 Corinthians 12, and I want you to notice here, verse 30.

1 Corinthians 12, 30. Do we all have the gifts of healing? Do you all speak with tongues? Do you all interpret? Well, of course not. Not everybody has the same gift. But he goes on to say, but earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way. And what is that more excellent way? It's the way of love. So he's not putting down gifts.

He's just saying, you know, if you're going to desire gifts, desire the best ones. Or, as the margin says here, the greater ones. The ESV translation says it this way. But earnestly desire the higher gifts, and I will show you a more excellent way. And he goes on to show in chapter 13. But you can even allow your body to be burned. You can give everything you have to the poor. You know, you can have every gift that there is. You can move mountains. If you don't have love, you're nothing.

So love is the major thing that we focus on. But yet the Bible does talk about spiritual gifts. 1 Peter 4.10. Let's notice in 1 Peter chapter 4 and verse 10. As each one has received a gift. Now notice it says, each one, so each one of you, has received a gift. Minister it, in other words, use it to serve one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. These gifts come from God's grace, His benevolence, His willingness to share, His attributes with us, His power with us, His goodness, His wholesomeness with us.

So these gifts, then, are spread widely through the Church. What spiritual gifts are listed in the Bible? And where are they listed? Well, if you'll take the handout I gave you. Chart number 1. Biblical list of spiritual gifts. Romans chapter 12. I won't read through all of these. You can see the Scriptures. 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4, 1 Peter 4. Lists the spiritual gifts. Let me just highlight some of these.

Prophecy. Ministry. You see that not all of these are mentioned in every place. But some of them do, some of them don't. Teaching or teachers. Exhortation. Giving. Ruling. Governments. Showing mercy. Words of wisdom. Words of knowledge. Faith. Healing. Gifts of healing. Miracles.

Discerning spirits. Tongues. Interpretations. Apostles. Helps. Evangelists. Speaking. So, all of these are gifts that God has given to his Church. The reason why I thought I'd give you this handout, because there's no way I could cover all of these with you. And for you to remember them. But this is, I think, an easy chart that's taken from Baker Encyclopedia of the Bible.

That will help you to see these and see how they all correlate with one another. Now, these can be divided into three categories. Notice chart number two on the back. Chart number two. These can be divided into three categories. Sign gifts. Service gifts. Perfecting gifts. Notice sign gifts. These are the ones that you'll find when the early New Testament Church started that the Apostles went out, performed signs and wonders. God used sign gifts at that time, signs and wonders, and special gifts to be able to attract an audience. Discernment of spirits, miracles, healings, speaking in tongues, interpretation of tongues. Right along with perfecting gifts. Now, these perfecting gifts are in the Church today.

Apostleship. Well, we may not have an apostle, but they have been gifts that God has given to His Church. Prophecy inspired preaching, evangelism, pastors, shepherds, teachers, wisdom, knowledge. We have these in the Church. And then service gifts. These are gifts that likewise reside in the Church today. I've heard people say, well, God hasn't given us gifts today. Well, if you look at these three categories, one category may not be emphasized right now. It will be at some point in the future. But right now it's not being emphasized. It was in the first century. But if you look under service gifts and perfecting gifts, you will see that these are obviously undoubtedly in the Church today.

Service gifts are administrations, leadership, exhortation, faith, giving, helps, service, mercy. So don't let anyone tell you that there are no gifts in God's Church today, because there are a number of gifts that are obviously displayed. Let's notice in Ephesians chapter 4, beginning in verse 11, you'll notice that God gave. God's gift to the Church, as it says here, He gave some as apostles, some as prophets, some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers.

Now, pastor and teacher, the construct there in the Greek is what's called the Granville Sharp Rule. And for those of you who don't remember the Granville Sharp Rule, it means when these two are linked together, they're talking about the same person. So the man who is a pastor or a shepherd should also teach you. He's a shepherd. He looks after you. He shepherds you. He also teaches you.

Now, why has God set the ministry in the Church? For, now I want you to notice certain words when you read through, I've circled these in my notes, for the equipping of the saints. To equip the saints, to help you, to give you the proper equipment, the proper tools, proper knowledge, proper understanding, so that you would know how to live, what to do, how to act. And then, for, what? The work of service. Our ministry, as some translate, but for the work of service is what it means. That we serve. We all serve in different ways.

We all don't serve the same way. You might remember in 1 Corinthians 12 it talks about if the body were an eye, or where would be the hearing. If we all did the same thing, we all performed the same function. If the body were just an eye, big eyeball up here. See a lot. That's it. Couldn't talk, couldn't walk, couldn't stand up, roll around. That'd be about it. Well, obviously, when you look at the human body, human body, different organs provide different activities.

I walk with my legs, I grab with my hands, I see with my eyes, I hear with my ears, I taste with my mouth. They all have different functions, different activities, and so it is within the body. So that's what 1 Corinthians 12 is talking about.

That God has placed us in the body as he sees fit. Notice also for the building up of the body of Christ. That's why God has set the ministry there. Help build up the body of Christ. It says, until we all, notice those words, we all, everybody here, attain to the unity of the faith.

So God is concerned about unity and the knowledge of the Son of God to a mature man, a complete man, one who grows, develops, and to a mature man, to the measure, the stature, which belongs to the fullness of Christ, till we come to be filled with God's Spirit and nature and character, just like Christ. As a result, again, notice those words, as a result of all of this, we're no longer children. Toss here and there by waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, and by the craftiness of deceitful scheming.

We ought to grow mature to the point where we're not easily misled, misdirected, deceived, carried off into false doctrine. But speaking the truth and love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him who is ahead, even Christ, from which, from whom the whole body being fitted and held together by what every joint supplies. So what every joint supplies, what all of us supply to the body, that helps us to be fitted together, to be held together, to be strengthened according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love.

So how are we going to have growth in the body? How are we going to grow? How are we going to mature? How are we going to be a stable church? How are we going to be such that when people walk into our congregations, they say, I love it here. This is where God is. These are God's people. This is where I want to be. You see, that's what people should see when they see us and they see you. Back up to verse 4 here in Ephesians 4.

Verse 4 says, When Christ was resurrected, ascended on high, sent back His Holy Spirit, He has given gifts to men. Now this He ascended, what does it mean, but that He first descended into the lower parts of the earth. He came here as God in the flesh, as a human being. He who descended is also the one who ascended far above the heavens, that He might fill all things.

He Himself gave some to be apostles. So again, we find that He gave spiritual gifts. Part of those gifts are the ministry that He has given to us. Now, let's go over here to 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 28. 1 Corinthians 12 and verse 28. God has appointed these in the Church. Now the word appointed here means to assign to a particular task, function, or role to a point to designate. To give a task, too. So God has appointed certain ones in the Church. He's given them assignments, duties, responsibilities. First, apostles. Second, prophets. Third, teachers. After that, miracles and gifts of healings, helps, administration, variety of tongues.

Are all apostles? Are all prophets? See, we don't all have the same gifts as you see back here in verse 18. Now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body as He pleased. So God has put us in the body. You might want to be an eye. And God says, you're the liver.

You might want to be a joint. And God says, no, you're an earlobe. He's the one who puts us in the body as He pleases. He puts the body together, not us. And so we have to recognize where we are in that body. So why does God give spiritual gifts? They're given so that we can serve others. And as verse 7 says here in 1 Corinthians 12, But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the prophet of all, to prophet everyone else, not again to aggrandize yourself, but to help others.

God gives gifts to build the Church, and the Church grows through those spiritual gifts. In the first century, God used sign gifts, miracles, signs, wonders to help build the Church. Notice in Acts 14, we could spend the whole sermon reading examples through the book of Acts, how God healed people, performed miracles, signs, and wonders. But notice just a couple of summary statements. Acts 14, beginning in verse 1. And it happened in Iconium that they went together to the synagogue of the Jews, and so spoke that a great multitude, both of the Jews and the Greeks, believed.

But the unbelieving Jews stirred up the Gentiles and poisoned their minds against the brethren. Therefore, they stayed there a long time, speaking boldly in the Lord, who was bearing witness to the word of His grace, granting signs and wonders to be done by their hands. So God performed signs and wonders to back up their ministry, to show that He was with them, that He was working through them.

2 Corinthians 12, verse 12. Paul says, You can just read through the book of Acts, and you'll see how God used the apostles to heal, perform signs and wonders, perform miracles. The church started off in the first century with a big bang. Big bang. The other one wasn't too big. Big bang. So we had the church starting at a gallop, 3,000 converted in one day. Pretty soon it was 5,000, and the church started to be persecuted. But everywhere they went, they went preaching, and God backed them with signs and wonders. And you'll find that God multiplied the church. In Acts 2, here again we come back to the day of Pentecost, Peter cites a prophecy here.

And I want you to notice one thing about this prophecy, even though he cites it as an example of what was going on at that time to everyone. This is a prophecy for the last days. This is a prophecy for our time. Beginning here in verse 16, and this is what was spoken by the prophet Joel. It shall come to pass, in the last days, says God, that I will pour out my spirit on all flesh. Your sons and your daughters shall prophesy. Your young men shall see visions.

Your old men shall dream dreams. And my men servants, nor my maid servants, I will pour out my spirit in those days. And they shall prophesy. And I will show wonders in the heavens above, signs in the earth beneath, blood and fire and vapors of smoke.

The sun shall be turned into darkness, the moon into blood, before the coming of the great and awesome day of the Lord, the time of the day of the Lord, which is in front of us. And it shall come to pass that whoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. So we find that supernatural activity will be going on, supernatural signs in the heaven, and God promises to give supernatural gifts in the last day. Brethren, we are told to be knowledgeable of spiritual gifts.

In 1 Corinthians 12, I've already read this, the Apostle Paul says, now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant. I would say the same thing that Paul did. I don't want you to be ignorant of what spiritual gifts are and how God wants us to use them. Paul made it clear, I should say, to the Corinthians that understanding spiritual gifts would help them in understanding the nature of the Church and their individual roles within the Church. Now, Ephesians 4.12 tells us something. Let's go over to Ephesians 4 and verse 12.

It says again that God has set the ministry in the Church for the equipping of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ. That the ministry is set there to help equip God's people for functions of service, for ministry is what works of service is what ministry means, and to serve. If everybody does his part, you do your part, I do my part.

Verse 16 tells us, From whom the whole body again, joint and knit together by what every joint supplies, in other words, every one of us supplies something to the body, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body. Growth of the body, spiritual growth, maturity, but also growth. Numbers, people coming in for the edifying of itself and love. How come we said at one time when we were having some difficulties, why would God call anybody now to come into this mess?

Why would God call anybody now? If we are doing our part, then we become a flytrap, so to speak. We become a magnet. We become a beacon of love, of God's way of life that will attract. So, if I could summarize spiritual gifts or divine abilities or endowments that enable individual members of the body to make a significant contribution to the welfare, growth, and development of the Church, of the body of Christ, just as individual organs in the body contribute to the welfare of the body, and each one has a different function.

The stomach has a different function from the heart, and the circulation system has a different function from the ear. They all have various functions. Now, spiritual gifts do not appear to be the same thing as natural talents. There are such things as natural talents. What is the difference between talent, skill, and spiritual gifts? How do you differ? Individuals can be talented, like Carolyn Preeb here. She's got a lovely voice and can sing. She has a natural talent that God has given to her. But natural talent doesn't always equate with spiritual gifts. God can take a natural talent and enhance it, make it even more, and amplify it, so to speak.

God reserves spiritual gifts for those who are part of the Church, part of the body. Natural talents are with a person at birth, something generally you're born with. And spiritual gifts are given following baptism. Natural ability may be transformed and enhanced by the Holy Spirit. And you'll find that God gives us spiritual gifts. Let's notice if you'll take your chart again, chart number three. The difference between talent, skills, and spiritual gifts. Natural talents are given by God through parents. Given at birth, to benefit people in general can be enhanced and developed by the individual.

Somebody has musical ability if they practice real hard. They may become an opera singer. They may be able to learn to sing. Learn skills or learn by us. You can learn sometimes. Learn throughout your life to benefit people in general. Spiritual gifts are given via God's spirit, independent appearance.

Given following baptism at a time of God's choosing. If one were to walk into an area, let's say, God asked me to go to Zulu land. I don't speak Zulu. I hardly speak English. God wants me to speak to the Zulus. At that moment, He better give me Zulu because I'm not going to speak to them or He better give them understanding in English, one or the other. So that we can communicate with each other. So there are times that God will give a gift. The spiritual gifts are given to benefit the Church. Natural and learned abilities can be enhanced by God's spirit. So again, we find that there's a difference in the talent, skills, and spiritual gifts.

I wanted to make sure that you understood what the difference would be. Now, what's the difference between spiritual gifts and the fruit of the spirit? Spiritual gifts and the fruit of the spirit. Both spiritual gifts and the fruit of the spirit are necessary for us to be productive, effective members of the Church or body of Christ.

Every Christian is expected to display all of the fruits of the spirit. Not one of us in here has God's spirit are not expected to display those fruits. But every Christian is not expected to display every gift of the spirit. To differentiate, we might say the fruit of the spirit is shown in what we are.

What we are. While spiritual gifts are shown in what we do. One is what we are, our character. The other is what we do. The fruit of the spirit are inward characteristics of a converted person's heart and indicate what we should do. Spiritual gifts are tasks oriented or functions or roles that God has called us to do.

I am a teacher and a shepherd. I have been called to do that. So that is a task, that is a responsibility, that is a duty. But love, joy, peace, patience, those things are... I should exhibit those. You should exhibit those.

The fruit of the spirit is essentially reflected in our attitude. Spiritual gifts are aptitudes. One is an attitude, the other is an aptitude. The fruit of the spirit are a natural product of an intimate, close, and obedient relationship with God. The fruit of the spirit reflects how close we are to God, our relationship with God. We are walking and talking and praying and fasting and studying.

And we have this relationship with God. Spiritual gifts are given when we become and grow as disciples of Christ. So both of these are necessary for us to be effective servants of God. Look at the fourth chart I have given you. The differences in the fruit of the spirit and spiritual gifts summarize what I have covered here so far. Fruit of the spirit are what we are. They are attitudes such as love, joy, peace. They are byproducts of a healthy relationship with God, necessary for the effective service of a member of the body and for spiritual growth and development. Spiritual gifts are what we do. Their aptitudes, service, help, leadership. Their supernatural endowments of God through the Holy Spirit necessary for our most effective service as a member of the body.

I thought those charts might help you. I'm sure you're getting all this down studiously in your notes. But this will help you to remember what we're talking about. In the few minutes we have left, remember there were three categories of spiritual gifts. Sign gifts, perfecting gifts, and service gifts. I'd like to finish the sermon today by us focusing on the service gifts that God gives to His Church. These are the ones that many of us sitting here have and possess. We could go around the room and I could point, well, this individual has this gift. Or you might say, no, I have this gift.

And you would have a particular gift. Again, we have all been chosen by God as 1 Corinthians 12, 18 says that we have not been randomly placed in the body of Christ by chance. We have been put in the body. It's been fitly framed together. We've all been chosen for a specific purpose. And God gives us gifts to fulfill that purpose. In Romans 12, 8, Romans 12, verse 8, let's notice here. Let me just back up to verse 6 again and I'll read just a few verses because many of these are mentioned here.

It says, having gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith, in other words, inspired preaching, teaching. Our ministry, meaning service, let us use it in our serving or ministering. He who teaches in teaching, he who exhorts in exhortation, he who gives with liberality, he who leads with diligence, and he who shows mercy with cheerfulness. Let's begin with the gift of leadership, our leading. In this passage here it says, one who leads, and it lists this as a spiritual gift. The word translate is from the Greek word meaning to stand before or to lead or to attend to.

So if you're going to lead, you should lead from the front, not the back. That's always a good principle. Charge, and you should be out there leading the group. This has nothing to do with this, but I remember I was back in grade school, and one time we decided to have a mud ball fight. And we, I guess we went off the school grounds. There were some woods back behind the school. And we got these two different groups, about, I think, half the school was there. On one side we had a group, and the other there was a stream in the middle.

And I remember distinctly saying, okay, guys, let's go get them. Charge! And I ran down that bank, up the other side, but nobody followed me.

I must have been hit with 20 mud balls. And I had to explain that to the teacher when we got back in school. Well, to lead means to lead. And a leader, remember Jesus Christ gave the definition of what a leader should be like. What did he say? If you want to be great, become a servant. So a leader should lead in serving. A leader should lead by example. It doesn't always mean he's up there barking orders out. Now, there are times when a leader might have to correct, and you'll lead in that way and say, well, look, brethren, we're doing this wrong. We need to straighten up here and fly right and do what we should be doing. But generally he's going to lead by example, by service, and he's going to lead by motivating people, having a vision. He's going to be like a conductor of an orchestra. The conductor has to be in charge, but he's up here and he's trying to get everybody together. You've got a beautiful orchestra with the violins and the oboes and the fiddles and the wind instruments and the percussions, all of this synchronized harmoniously. And he's directing it. It produces beautiful music. And that's the responsibility that God gives to those who have responsibilities to lead, to produce beautiful music within a congregation. Now, a second gift in verse 8 here is exhortation. Exhortation. It means the act of exhorting, encouraging, and comforting. In the Greek, the word means literally a calling to one's side, to one's aid. You come alongside. You remember the Olympic story of the runner who pulled a hamstring or whatever it was, muscle, and his dad came out on the track and helped him across the finish line. Well, that's what it's talking about. Somebody's having a problem. Someone has a difficulty. And you come alongside and you exhort. You aid. You assist. You encourage. And you have the ability to encourage. This gift supplies the ability to encourage comfort and challenge others in a right way, to motivate people, to affirm, to support them, to reassure them.

As it's been said, teacher explains what and pursues the truth. An exhorter encourages, responds, explains how, and then encourages. So he encourages. So I can look around this room and I can see a number of exhorters, people who are good at exhorting and encouraging, holding other people's hands and helping them. In 1 Corinthians 12, 28, it talks about helps, helpers, or helps. In the Greek, this word originally meant to receive the receiver of remuneration, but came to mean to render assistance or help.

You remember in Romans 16, verses 1 and 2, Paul wrote about Phoebe. In verse 1, he says, I commend to you, Phoebe, our sister, who is a servant of the church in Caesarea, that you may receive her in the Lord in a manner worthy of the saints, and assist her in whatever business she has need of you.

For indeed, she has been a helper of many, and myself also. How many people do you help? See, she was one who helped others, and even helped the Apostle Paul. And this seems to be the gift that he's talking about here, and helping. It is somebody who is unselfish, who meets the needs of others, who assists them, helps them. And this person is typically an unselfish person, capable of giving gifts to others and helping others behind the scene. You may not know anything about it. I remember a gentleman in a church that we pastored at one time. I didn't know anything about this, but months later I found out that there was a widow whose car broke.

One day he just showed up with a used car, but he had bought a car for her. He was able to do that. Somebody's car was about to run off the tire, the rubber was off the tire. He showed up one day with four tires, put them on the front porch, and rang the doorbell, and left. He'd bring groceries over. Nobody ever knew this.

He never said anything about it, but it was something that he did to help people. He was able to, and so therefore he did it. Another gift is administration, or governments, as the King James Version says. Administration in New King James Version, 1 Corinthians 12, 28. This word means steering, or piloting, such as the captain steers the ship, pilots the ship. In Acts 6, we have the example of deacons being chosen in the early New Testament church, because there was a need for what? To administer the daily food to the widows and to the needy.

And that was being neglected. So they found individuals who could administer that. And so we have deacons, deaconesses within the congregation to help serve. But it's not limited to them. There's nothing that says that you can't serve. You can't jump in and serve. Can I help? This is a spiritual gift that provides an organization with the glue that it needs to get things done. It's also, administrations allow for things to be done, as 1 Corinthians 14, 40 says, decently and in order.

The things are done decently and in order. And so we have a lot of people in the congregation. We need more who are willing to step in and serve in that way. In Romans 12, verse 7, it talks about ministries or service, those who serve. The act of the gift of serving or ministering to others. This is a gift where an individual is willing to give of their time, maybe on their knees, or through effort, on selfish acts of kindness.

It sets them apart in a dramatic way. Again, this is something that Jesus Christ promoted when he talked about leadership. If you want to be great, he said, serve. Wait on tables. Help others. It is the attitude that we are to have. You might remember in 1 Corinthians 15, or 16, I should say, beginning in verse 15. You can go through the Bible. You can find all kinds of outstanding examples of some of these gifts being displayed. Here was the household of Stephanus, the first fruits of Arcadia, and they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints.

That means to the service of the saints. They serve the saints. This is what we should be doing. Another gift is faith. In 1 Corinthians 12, 9. The word here for faith comes from the normal word for faith, meaning firm, persuaded, conviction, belief, faithfulness. All of these are different ways of translating this. Is there a difference between the gift of faith and the fruit of faith?

Remember, faith is a fruit, but it's also a gift. I think there is. You go back to Hebrews 11, and you compare the examples that are given there, men and women of faith. They had the same extraordinary amount of faith to obey God and to do things. There seems to be where God will actually give additional faith above and beyond what a person might normally have just through his spirit. This gift is a divine enabling by God to have extraordinary confidence and unwavering belief.

When Jesus Christ cast out demons, he didn't doubt, he didn't wonder if God will help me this time or not. He absolutely knew, and God was with him. In Romans 12, to show mercy, we're told, with cheerfulness. Not showing mercy with grudgingly, but to be cheerful. This word, mercy, is translated from the Greek verb meaning to feel sympathy for with the misery of others.

And it also implies great empathy and compassion. A person who has empathy, who understands you, what you're going through, who feels as you feel, who understands and has compassion. People of this gift of mercy are those who understand the needy, the lonely, the widows, the widowers. They bear the burdens of other people.

They can endlessly and patiently help and serve those individuals. They express love and kindness and mercy and compassion on those people. Then we have giving here in verse 8. This is describing giving in a way that reveals something beyond the ordinary giving expected. It says, he who gives liberally. And the word gives here means to share with someone or to impart to someone. Isn't that what the widow did when she gave her two mites again? Barnabas, we find early on, sold land, brought all the money and laid it before the apostles' feet in Acts 4. So you and I can give. Jesus Christ talked about the law of giving.

Back in Luke 6.38, he said, Give and it will be given to you, good measure, pressed down, shaken together, running over, will be given under your bosom. For what measure you measure, it will be given back to you. You see, there are those who will. And I remember growing up working for someone who was like this. You know, just give them... you didn't want to heap up and do this, shake the basket.

You know, you just make sure it looked like it was full. But to shake the basket, make sure it was full of peaches, and you pile them on top and say, Here, take it. I've gone to farmers before. And they'll say, A dozen ears, ear of corn. They always give you 13. And then sometimes they say, Oh, here, take another dozen.

And they're liberal. They just give. Those people will be blessed by God. There's a living principle of giving that we're talking about here. So, brethren, God has given His Church gifts of service to help one another also for the preaching of the Gospel. We need to ask God to show us what our gifts are. Show us the gifts that He's given us. We might ask God to give us gifts. Our local congregation would grow mightily if we stirred up the gifts that were within us.

The Apostle Paul had to tell Timothy, Stir up the gift that was given to you through the laying on of hands. We need to stir up the gifts that God has given to us. God gives us gifts for stability, for service, for love of the local congregation, and for the Church as a whole. Anyone who walks into our congregation should immediately, automatically be attracted by the genuine love, the genuine attitude, and approach of every member within that congregation. We should be a beacon to those around us. Remember what Jesus Christ said about the future, that if we now are faithful in a little bit in what He's given to us, then in the future He will give us authority over much, the whole universe.