The Variety of Gifts Given

Transcript

GR 2258
11-22-2020
The Variety of Gifts Given
Romans 12:7-8; Selected Verses
Gil Rugh

We’re going to look into the book of Romans, chapter 12. We’ve moved through the doctrinal section, as we usually divide Paul’s writings. He usually starts out using the doctrinal foundation, then he talks about how that applies to our lives. That’s what’s happening in Romans 12. Remember, he started chapter 12, I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice…” Because remember what he unfolded, and the gospel concerning the death and resurrection of Christ in Romans 6. We were identified with Christ and His death, burial, and resurrection. We’re raised with a new life, and that life now belongs to God. We’re not our own; we were purchased with a price. How are we to live? And in Romans 12, where else to start out but on the recognition of the new relationship we now have? We’ve been identified by the Holy Spirit with Christ in His death, burial, and resurrection. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 13, puts it clearly, “For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body…” the body of Christ, the church, the bride of Christ. So what he’s talking about in these opening verses of chapter 12 of Romans, in the application of our salvation, we must first realize the new relationship we have with God and the children of God. To enable us to function in an effective way, the Spirit of God gives each of us as believers a spiritual gift that fits the analogy of a body. So that, if you’re a hand, if you’re a foot, if you’re an eye, an ear, all the parts of the body go together; but there is a unity and a harmony. That’s a perfect place to start, if you will. Of course, because that’s where the Spirit of God directed Paul. But stop and think. If the church doesn’t have it together, what about the rest of our life? It’s like your family. You expect it to work in harmony together. It’s like our body. It’s put there to work in harmony together. So first of all, to recognize how we fit now in our new life in Christ… Now it’s just not God and me, we’re in this together and alone. No. It is God, and us, together with other believers. We are all in this together, to bring honor to Him.

We’ve worked through some of these spiritual gifts and are ready for verse 7. We exercise each of our gifts in accordance with the provision God has made for us. I’ll say something about how we recognize our gifts as we draw this section to a close, but we begin to function, and it becomes evident where we can be most effective in serving the Lord as part of the body of Christ. We’ve talked about some of the gifts. The gift of prophecy was in verse 6, and we also looked at permanent gifts and spiritual gifts, particularly the gift of tongues, the ability to speak a foreign language you hadn’t learned. But we’re picking up here with verse 7 again on the gifts that he’s given. First look at the end of verse 6, if prophecy was your gift, you exercised it according to the proportion of your faith. And that happens when you’re trusting in God and being used of Him in a certain area. If serving is your gift, then you function in serving. Why would you say this? Because you realize these spiritual gifts are given out by God, and we noted this in an earlier part of our study of the spiritual gifts, to each one by the Spirit. That was emphasized in 1 Corinthians 12, for example. To each one, this manifestation of the Spirit is given. Your ability to exercise a spiritual gift as an essential part of the body is an indication that the Spirit of God dwells in you. That’s why a person who claims to be a believer, but does not feel the necessity to be part of a local church, raises serious question whether they’re a believer. The manifestation of the Spirit dwelling in you is that you function as part of the body. When one chooses not to function as part of the body, he’s just denying the work of the Spirit in his life. So something’s wrong. It’s a very important area.

So, along the way, you don’t have to recognize this. When I trusted Christ, I didn’t know, but I recognize now that I have the gift of being a teacher of the Word. No, that’s over time, and part of that is developing in the picture of being immature, growing to maturity. Paul uses that in the context in Ephesians 4, of the spiritual gifts growing to maturity in Christ. Perfection, completeness. You see the analogy of the baby that’s born. Each part has a place to play and to fill in the body, and that will develop over time. What happens? Christ is the head of the church, and just like the head of the body, my hand begins to function according to the instructions of the head, and that’s the way the body of Christ works, in harmony and unity.

So, if serving is your gift, be involved in serving. This removes any jealousy, any envy. Any selfish motivation should be removed, because this is simply what God in His grace has bestowed upon me. The word serving, we’re familiar with it, it’s the word we bring over into English as a deacon, in translating our Bibles. We just transliterate it over, deaconia[RG1], deacon. You can see we just brought it over into English. It meant a servant, and it was used often of service of a lowly kind, a humble kind of serving. We won’t turn to some of the examples, but it was used of Peter’s mother-in-law, who, after Christ healed her, she began to wait on them. Luke 4:39, that word “waited” on them, to serve them, is our word. It’s used of Martha in Luke 10:40. Remember, she complained to Jesus. She had to do all the “serving” alone, and that’s the word. The serving. What was she doing? She was taking care of the needs of the people that were there, preparing the food and doing all of that. It’s used in Acts 6, and we usually pick up the concept of deacons from Acts 6 and the opening verses, of providing food for the widows. Remember there was a disagreement that non-Jewish widows seemed to be getting left out because the church was primarily Jewish in that time. So it’s used of them. But keep in mind, this isn’t saying that lowly, humble service should not be beneath us. Come back to Mark 10. I do want to look at this one with you. Mark chapter 10, verse 45, is a verse I’ve referred to, “For even the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve…” So here it’s used of the very work of Christ, and I certainly wouldn’t want to think of myself above and too important to do what He came to do—to serve, “…and to give His life a ransom for many.” So it’s used of Him.

Come over to Romans 15. We will get here eventually, but in Romans 15, look in verse 8. And here, this is in the context of appreciating one another. Note verse 7, “Wherefore, accept one another, just as Christ also accepted us to the glory of God. For I say that Christ has become (and here’s our word) a servant to the circumcision on behalf of the truth of God to confirm the promises given to the fathers, and for the Gentiles...” So Christ was a servant to Jew and non-Jew alike, but he’s talking here about that special gift of serving. We are all to be servants. This would be basically the same as what is called the gift of helps in 1 Corinthians 12:28. He refers to the gift of helps. He doesn’t mention the gift of serving, but the concept would be the same. What is serving? You’re doing whatever is necessary to help in different areas. So it seems that would be the same gift that is called helps in 1 Corinthians 12. It’s just things that encompass all those things that are necessary for the body to function as it should. We understand that. So many things go on in a family, our human family. There are just basic things necessary for the family to function, so that’s true in the body of Christ. There are some members of the body of Christ who are especially gifted. They just have that sense of what should be done here, and how it could be done, and they’re ready to step up and do it, and it’s an essential gift. Sometimes I’ve had people joke, I know what you’re going to say. I have the gift of serving, right? Helps. So that’s not so important. Remember, that’s what Christ came to do. The Spirit says that’s the unique place I have given you in the body to bring greatest honor to Me, and to contribute to the body, becoming mature in their relationship to Me. What could be more important? So it is a very effective gift.

All our gifts are means of serving. So in all these gifts, it’s not like, “This isn’t my gift; I’d never do it.” We all do it, a variety of things, and that’s true of the gifts. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 12. In the early years of our church body, because there were few people of our local church, everybody did a little bit of everything, even though each one that was there was specially gifted in an area. Obviously there were things that needed to be done that you got involved in doing and helped doing. As 1 Corinthians 12, verse 4 says, “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries…” That word translated ministries is our word servant, serving. There are varieties of ways of serving, “…and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God…” So you see it is encompassing. This is true of all the gifts. “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.” A variety of ways of serving, but the same God. The same Lord, and then the same God. Varieties of effects, of workings. The gifts are means of working. That word effects, of working. They involve activity. They involve doing. So you could say all the gifts are ways of serving in the body because they contribute to the body, but there are those who particularly have the gift of serving.

Maybe one other passage, so you see the connection of some of these. In 1 Peter 4, verse 10, “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another...” And there we are. That’s our word again. Serving one another. So all the gifts are a way of serving. “…as good stewards of the manifold (multifaceted) grace of God.” Important that we appreciate our gift and use our gift and all our gifts. Because why? This is a good steward. This is something God has entrusted to me that I will give an account for, and this is a stewardship of His grace. It’s not to be wasted. But then note what he says in verse 11, where all the gifts can be said are a way of serving the body. “Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, (to do so as one who is speaking) the utterances of God…” So if your gift is in the area of speaking, like an apostle was, a prophet was, a teacher was, or an exhorter is, as we’ll see shortly; you do it speaking the utterances of God. Speaking gifts are gifts that involve the communication, the giving out and giving forth of the word of God.

Whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies. It seems that he divides the gifts there between the speaking gifts and the serving gifts. Of those, speaking gifts are a way of serving the body, obviously, also. But he seems to make two broad categories here. The speaking gifts, and you concentrate on that, and then the others, and they concentrate on the various areas there. He’s already said in verse 10 these are all ways of serving, but you could classify them into those that concentrate on the verbal communicating of the word of God. It could even be written, as Paul did teaching through his letters. Or, it could be involved in one of the other areas that he classifies as serving.

Come back to Romans 12, verse 7. “…in his serving…” If your gift is serving, concentrate on that realm of ministry as it becomes clear. You don’t say, ‘Well, I don’t do anything because I don’t know what my gift is.’ You do a variety of things, and you see where something is needed, where there is a need. ‘Well, I don’t know where I fit the best, but I could help with that area. I can be involved there.’ We learn and grow and appreciate, then over time we’ll become more aware of where we are the strongest. The end of verse 7, “…or he who teaches, in his teaching...” There are those who have the responsibility of communicating the word of God. They don’t originate the word as apostles and prophets did. By originating I mean they aren’t human instruments through whom God gives His Word. I have no new revelation to give to you, as a teacher of the Word, or the other teachers that we have. A teacher’s responsibility is to concentrate on his gift of teaching, devote time to study, to preparation, so that they can communicate clearly and in an understandable way to God’s people. A gift is an ability in the body, and to be a teacher is not just to love to study the Word, enjoy studying the Word. It has to involve the communicating of the Word in a clear and understandable way, to help people understand it. The Word is clear, and every believer has the Spirit and can read it. But that doesn’t mean God intends every believer do it on their own, because God has gifted some to help explain it, clarify it. So their gift is teaching.

I remember a professor who was in charge of admissions at a seminary, and I’ve shared this, but his concern was that too many of the men who were coming to the seminary were not gifted for the area of pastoring and teaching, but they liked to study the Word. Well, we have to be careful. That doesn’t mean we all shouldn’t love to be in the Word. But a teacher is going to concentrate more on that. We have to be careful. Because if your gift is teaching, it’s expected you will spend more time in the Word, more time working through the Word, so that you can give a clear explanation of the Word. Someone whose gift is serving, is going to be spending the bulk of their time in other areas. This is where we have to appreciate each other’s gift and not look down and say, ‘I certainly would have a better grasp of theology and an understanding of the Word in this area than they!’ Well, they probably do a lot better job in the area of their gift than I do. It’s like the body. Each part of the body has to appreciate what the other part of the body is doing and contributing. So, that attitude.

Ephesians 4:11 talks about apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. This will probably be the gift, a similar gift. I think there may be a difference with the pastoring; it’s closely connected to teaching there. It’s not the same gift, but it’s closely connected. So I think it’s possible a person can have the gift of teaching but not pastor-teaching. Pastor and teaching. Our earlier Greek grammars used Granville Sharp’s rule [RG2]in Ephesians 4, but more recent studies have reminded us that Granville Sharp’s rule does not apply to plural nouns. Pastors and teachers are plural nouns, so it’s not equating. Granville Sharp’s rule connects two words in a certain grammatical construction, so there’s no point in me mentioning. But pastors and teachers are closely related in Ephesians 4, even though they are not equated. So, a pastor and teacher may be a little different. A pastor, you’re aware, is used of elders, interchangeably with an elder. It’s a shepherd. Elder or overseer would also be connected to the gift of teaching. We’re blessed with a multitude for the size of our body. We’re blessed here with great teachers. It goes on from the youngest age up through the oldest age. We have it going on in our Bible study hour and Sunday mornings. It’s going on now, it’s going on in the classes for young people as we’re here in the Word together. We have home Bible studies. It goes on in a variety of settings. Now this doesn’t mean that no one else ever opens the Word in conversations in that. But, the teaching will go on with those gifted.

The next gift is a speaking gift as well. “…or he who exhorts, in his exhortation…” And you’re familiar with the word exhortation because it’s the word that’s used of the Holy Spirit. When I send the Comforter to you, the [RG3]Parakaleo. Kaleo is the word ‘to call’; para is a preposition that means ‘alongside of’. The Holy Spirit is the one who comes alongside of, and if you look in a Greek lexicon or dictionary, it carries the idea of encouragement, comfort, admonishment, and entreaty. I see people here with this gift particularly helpful in bringing people and encouraging them to action on certain things. Exhorters take the Word and they show, ‘Here’s what needs to be done here. Let me encourage you to do this.’ They’re good at bringing the Word to bear on special situations and circumstances. Some pastor friends that I’ve had over the years, I think are gifted in the area of exhortation. They usually spend less time on the explanation of the text than on encouraging you to do something, to act on that text. ‘Here’s what you ought to be doing. Here’s how you ought to carry it out.’ That kind of thing. Which happens at a personal level because it carries the concept, that word, to come alongside of, to do this. They may do it more publicly, giving forth the word of exhortation.

Let me just read you some passages. I won’t have you turn there right now for time. But 1 Thessalonians chapter 2, verse 11, says you are to exhort “…as a father would his own children…” So that gives you the idea. Compares it. A person who is exhorting, you exhort as a father would his own children. In 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse 2, you “…exhort, with great patience and instruction.” Very important, these words are not just giving your personal advice. This is bringing the Scripture to bear on a situation. So you exhort with great patience because you will deal with somebody who needs encouragement, needs comfort, needs some direction maybe, in their life. ‘I want to go on from here. I’m stuck. I don’t need just an explanation of the passage!’ But this person gifted could help you see how you could apply this and work through your situation. You do it with great patience and instruction, when it’s done with the Word. We’ll emphasize that in a moment.

In Titus chapter 2, verse 15, Paul says you “…speak and exhort and reprove with all authority.” So you can see there’s overlap here. At times, when I’m teaching the Word, I’m probably exhorting as well. A person who’s exhorting is using the Word, so they may be explaining how the Word fits in their situation. But exhortation is a particular gift, unique and distinct. These all function together. It’s not important we draw a fixed line here like I want to know, is my gift exhortation? And then I’m not going to do the teaching. And if teaching is, I’m going to be careful I don’t exhort. No, that’s not it at all. So there is similarity and there’s overlap in the way the gifts are used. All true exhortation, though, has to be using God’s Word properly. So, it’s different than giving advice or how you think it ought to be done. A person with the gift of exhortation is showing from the word of God.

We’re in Romans, come back to Romans chapter 15, verse 4. And this is in a context to see this becomes a reoccurring theme through these chapters, applying the doctrine that we had in the first 11 chapters. Chapter 15 opens up, “Now we who are strong ought to bear the weaknesses of those without strength and not just please ourselves. Let each of us please his neighbor for his good, to his edification. For even Christ did not please Himself...” So we can’t be selfish. Verse 4, “For whatever was written (because he just quoted from the Old Testament Scripture a reminder) in earlier times was written for our instruction, that through perseverance and the encouragement (there’s our word, translated encouragement here, exhortation) of the Scriptures we might have hope.” So this person is gifted in bringing the Scripture to bear on a particular situation and circumstance to give comfort. Maybe to give direction, counsel. It would be that kind of gift. Very important in the body. Requires a knowledge of Scripture.

Come over to Titus chapter 1. First and Second Timothy, then Titus. Chapter 1, verse 9. And this is regarding overseers or elders. They are to be “…holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching…” Note that. “…holding fast the faithful word which is in accordance with the teaching…” Holding on to the word of God as it is properly taught. “…that he may be able both to exhort (and there we are) in sound doctrine and to refute those who contradict.” So elders are involved in exercising this. It doesn’t mean they have all the gifts, but again, it shows the overlap. Those who have these gifts in the different areas, even though others of us may function in those verses, and we all function in a variety of ways, those with these gifts, if I can put it this way, set the pace in the body. They are the ones that bring the real strength to the body in those areas. We are used of the Lord in those areas because we are all used in a variety of ways, but those with the gift, for example, of exhortation, they will be the most effective, the most skilled, if you will, because they are the ones gifted by the Holy Spirit. But by virtue of the fact we’re God’s children and we’re used of Him in a variety of ways, it’s not just, ‘I don’t do anything but my gift.’ So, that’s true with the gift of exhortation. But you see here, those who are going to exhort have to have a good, solid grasp on a correct understanding of the Word and be able to join in refuting those who contradict. Because how are you going to direct and comfort and lead people along the right path if you don’t know what’s wrong? And when you recognize it’s wrong, you oppose it. You refute it. This may be where they come down to provide personal help. They come alongside of in a more personal way. A person struggling with this, maybe they’re being led astray. They come in to help them see the error. They have a way of relating and doing it that is more effective than just normal.

1 Thessalonians, you’re close here. We’ll back up and pick it up. 1 Thessalonians 4. Here he’s talking about the coming rapture of the church. Look at verse 18 of 1 Thessalonians 4, “Therefore comfort one another with these words.” And you could have it translated exhort, encourage, because that’s the range of this word. Encouragement, comfort, admonishment, entreaty. So those are just some of the guidelines on a gift like that.

Come back to Romans chapter 12, verse 8. You exhort, you do it in your exhortation. “…he who gives, with liberality…” Giving. Now again, all believers give. We all contribute, we all want to give. But those with the gift of giving are going to again, if I can say this, lead the way. Be the ones that contribute in a way that will strengthen and, as I’ll say in a moment, give a pattern to follow. Because you know what, when we’re not gifted in an area, but I want to be as effective as I can in all the areas I can because I want to be a well-rounded, mature believer, I learn from those who are gifted in these different areas. I watch some and say, ‘My, they are really effective at that. I want to learn from them how better to do this.’ So the gift of giving. This is a supernatural ability to give in a greater way of your material resources. You do it with liberality. I think that’s the meaning here. I think it can be literally, with simplicity, without ulterior motives, but it seems in the context here, that he’s talking about the liberality. The exercise, like he has said with the other gifts, you concentrate on your gift. You concentrate on doing it liberally. If you look in 2 Corinthians chapters 8 and 9, Paul speaks of this gift and he challenges the Corinthians in their giving. But those with the gift of giving are going to step up and lead the way. All the giving contributes. If I remember correctly, we’ve had special projects. About half of it comes from larger gifts, if I can put it that way, and half of the giving comes from those who give not as largely. Does that mean they didn’t give? They may have given what they had.

I think there’s something we may miss here. We’re sometimes afraid, we don’t want to do it with showiness, but there is an example to be followed. Go to Matthew 6. Let’s just give both sides of this and compare Scripture with Scripture. Matthew 6, verse 1, “Beware of practicing your righteousness before men to be noticed by them; otherwise you have no reward with your Father who is in heaven.” So when “…you give alms, (to the poor) do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be honored by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full. But when you give alms, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing that your alms (giving) may be in secret; and your Father who sees (what is done) in secret will repay you.”

And then He goes on to pray, don’t be like the hypocrites who pray to be seen by men. Go into your closet, but that doesn’t mean we never pray together or we never pray publicly. We don’t carry it to that. But we sometimes say, well then, I want to be sure nobody knows, would have any idea what I give. And we wouldn’t want to mention that some people give maybe more generously than other people. But if that’s their gift, we ought to expect it and recognize it. There have been occasions, quite frankly, where I have approached individuals who I thought had the gift of giving and said, I need you to step up. I need you to do more and to stretch beyond so that this could be done. I don’t tell them they have to do it, but I challenge them. Why not? I mean I want to recognize the gift and this is their opportunity and they have. And it’s been a blessing and a blessing to us. So, I don’t think it has to be secret, not any more than all our prayers have to be secret. But this is true with any of our spiritual gifts.

Come over to Acts chapter 4. If you do it for showiness like, ‘I’ve prepared this message and my preparation is for this, I hope the people are going to get the idea that I’m a pretty good preacher. And they are blessed to have me preaching the word.’ No, wait a minute Gil! I think you are way off track. Well, my first thought should be, Lord, I want to explain this passage in a way that will be honoring to You. Lord, don’t let me say things that should not be said or to say things in a way that would not be honoring to You. Lord, I want to be sure that to the best of my ability I understand it. That’s the way I want to come, but I have to do it publicly. When it comes down to it, when it comes here, it shows the attitude of my heart in doing it, and that’s true with all the gifts. Why should my gift, oh it’s fine for Gil to use his gift in front of everybody, but if your gift is giving, keep it secret and keep it to yourself. Well, there’s something to know someone has the gift. I mean I’ve had people say, so and so, they just have the gift of showing mercy. They were such a comfort and help to me during the trouble. Well, that’s an encouragement to the whole body.

So look in Acts chapter 4, at verse 36. “And Joseph, a Levite of Cyprian birth, who was also called Barnabas by the apostles…” We know him by the name Barnabas and his association with Paul in ministry. “…also called Barnabus by the apostles (which translated means, Son of Encouragement)...” So, he was particularly an encourager. “…and who owned a track of land, sold it and brought the money and laid it at the apostles’ feet.” Well, that was a pretty showy thing to do, but he’s credited with it because he came with the right attitude, the right desire. Later Ananias and Sapphira in the next chapter as it flows on, they’ll do some giving, but they just were looking for some recognition and honor. So, I want to be careful. I have no problem that we acknowledge the gift of giving and some people give exceedingly generous. I don’t know the individual giving. I’ve known on certain occasions of certain people and sometimes they have talked to me about it. Sometimes I’ve talked to them about it, but I don’t think it has to be a secret. I don’t think there’s any problem with the body knowing we have certain individuals in our body who have the gift of giving and they give generously. Here he’s recognized. It’s recorded in Scripture. Ananias and Sapphira are going to be struck dead. So want to be careful about quoting Matthew 6 and say, well, keep your giving secret. Then you’d have to say, keep your praying secret, but the bible does talk about praying in public. The men are to pray everywhere lifting up holy hands. We just want to be careful that we don’t misuse Scripture, misunderstand it. The gift of giving is an important one. We benefit from it in the body and we appreciate that.

Come back to Romans chapter 12, verse 8. The next gift is the gift of leading. “…he who leads, with diligence...” Some of these gifts are more directed. Your giving ought to be with liberality. If you have the gift of giving, don’t say you have the gift of giving and you give like Scrooge. No! If you have this gift, if you are going to have the gift of leading, you have to be diligent, I think that connection with the gift of this word. And there’s a variety of words used in this kind of context of providing leadership. You are standing before people. You are providing the direction. God gives gifts to leadership, so leaders can lead. It’s a gift not appreciated in the body. Sometimes one of the discouragements of the ministry over many years, is how quickly people just reject the leadership. The Holy Spirit provides leaders, appoints them, and people think nothing of disregarding them and treating them as nothing.

It’s back to gifts and the leading of God. “…he who leads…” God gives some people to provide leadership for the people. The word here means to lead, to manage, to be in charge, to oversee, proistemi. The gift is used in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, verse 28, and it’s called administrations. It’s a different word; that word that’s used in 1 Corinthians 12:28 means piloting a ship, but you can see the same idea. Just like we have words that are synonyms that you can use a different word. Certain dictionaries will give you the synonyms that would be different words, but carry the same idea. Someone who is managing, who is in charge, who is overseeing, who is piloting a ship, to use a different word, but carrying the same idea. And that’s in the context of the gifts, where here Paul used that word. Democracy is not God’s plan. I have a background in churches that were democratic. Everybody had a vote and that’s how decisions were made. Everybody voted. But that’s not what God set up. We saw in Acts chapter 20, verse 28, the Holy Spirit has appointed the elders in the church at Ephesus. They have the responsibility. He’s gifted the leaders. We have them not just on the Board of Elders, but we have men throughout our congregation who have the responsibility to lead and exercise leadership. That covers all the areas in the ministry. Christ is the head. We’ll get to this when we get to chapter 13. This pervades God’s creation so that when you rebel against leaders that God has appointed, this is an act of rebellion against God. We have to stop and think about that. We know nothing of ‘I don’t agree with them!’ so we’ll rebel. I’ve shared with you, I’ve had people come to me from other churches to talk about something they don’t agree with about their leadership. I’m not an elder there. I’m not a leader in that congregation. It doesn’t matter what I think about their decision. Is it something specifically in conflict with the word of God? Then you should go talk to them about it to see if they have misunderstood the Word. Usually it’s some personal thing that they just disagree with. They don’t think that’s the decision that ought to be made. Well, God didn’t put you in that position, so I guess God doesn’t care what you think about it. You better get home and submit.

“…he who leads, with diligence…” with earnestness. The pressures of leadership are great. One of my great privileges has been to work with elders in this church who are diligent in their leadership and leaders in other areas. And when the church gets under attack, they have to be earnest in their leadership, stay the course. That’s the problem with democratic churches. You’ve got to get everybody to vote. God didn’t organize Israel that way. He didn’t organize the church that way. So, it’s simple. God has appointed leaders. You can’t shun the responsibility. One of the difficulties of being in leadership is the pressure that comes with it. We have a variety of leaders in a variety of the areas and there’s always pressure with it and there are always people who want to complain about that they don’t do it right. You know we appreciate, none of us do. That doesn’t mean leaders don’t make mistakes. I’ve found people that come to me, in many years past, who sat in my office and said we’re leaving. We don’t agree with the elders, but we’re not going to argue with you doctrinally. Is there a doctrinal issue or is there not? I’ve had some who have claimed there was a doctrinal issue, but I couldn’t get them to return my calls. Don’t they care about me? They say that I’m off doctrinally, but they won’t sit down with me and explain why I’m off doctrinally? Doesn’t the bible say if you see a brother overtaken in a fall? I’ve called on the phone and said would you please call. I don’t want to argue with you. I would appreciate you explaining to me why you’re saying I’m doctrinally off track because if I am, I’d better correct it. Phone never rings. Why? We get in these areas, we appreciate one another. Sometimes to back up and say that was their responsibility. I’ve sent men from my office back to their church saying what? From what you’ve told me you don’t have a particular doctrinal area and you’re not the elder or you’re not in the leadership position there. Go back home. Thank God He’s appointed leaders to make those decisions. You’re not one of them so just submit and move on with your ministry in your life. If we do, the body can function. If we don’t, we’re out of connection to the Head who is Christ. It’s just going to get worse. Just like our body. When a part of my body no longer obeys the instructions of the head, as they are given, I’m in trouble. If it can be fixed, it needs to be fixed; and in the spiritual body it can be fixed. Get in line with the Word. So the leaders are important in the body.

Come over to 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. We should look at a couple of other verses. We’re almost done here. We have one more gift. In 1 Thessalonians chapter 5, look at verse 12. And you see encouragement preceding this, verse 11, “Therefore encourage one another, and build one another up, just as you also are doing.” But keep doing it and do it better. “But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work. Live in peace with one another. And we urge you, brethren, admonish the unruly, encourage the fainthearted, help the weak, be patient with everyone.” This is what we do as a body. We don’t give up on each other. We appreciate one another. It’s important to recognize the leaders. They are diligently laboring, but they are human. They are not perfected either. They probably make mistakes. I can look back over my years of ministry and say I might handle that differently than I did. I wish I hadn’t gotten into that the way I did. I wasn’t as prepared to handle that. You always think that. People are gracious. As long as it is not contrary to the Word those decisions become subjective.

One of my Puritan friends, and he’s a friend been dead for 400 years. He writes a book and says one thing we’d never divide over, discipline issues, because there will always be a certain subjectivity to it. And the leaders will have to make the decision that they believe is right in the case. So, this passage in 1Thessalonians. Come over to Hebrews chapter 13, verse 7, “Remember those who led you, who spoke the word of God to you; and considering the result of their conduct, imitate their faith.” Warned about not being carried away by varied and strange teachings as he moves on. Come down to verse 17, “Obey your leaders, and submit to them; for they keep watch over your souls, as those who will give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with grief, for this would be unprofitable for you.” It’s not profitable to disobey the leaders that God has appointed. When they come to stand before the Bema Seat to give an account, it won’t be good. Well, they didn’t listen. So, we want to take these things seriously.

Let’s go back to the last gift I just mentioned. It’s the gift at the end of verse 8, “…he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” We all want to be merciful and compassionate. There are some people that are just so good at that. And I want to learn from that, but I want to be better at it. But they lead the way. They’re the ones that you want to come to see you in the hospital. You know, years ago I made a hospital visit. I wasn’t normally making them, but I knew this person and I wanted to go see them. But afterward they said to me, you know, when you walked through the door, I almost had a heart attack. I thought, oh no, Gil’s here, I’m dying, I’m gone. Certain people have the gift of mercy. They can just enter into a person’s feelings and empathy and understanding and yet maintain the proper distance to be a comfort and help, show their mercy, comfort. It is a gift and they do it with cheerfulness. And I have to remember that, because with the gift of mercy, you’re often going to be in difficult situations, hard situations. People going through painful, unpleasant things. You have to maintain a cheerful spirit. When I would go to the hospital and walk into a room, I’d walk out and say, Oh Lord, I thank You that I’m not that person in that bed. That’s not the gift of mercy. But I can comfort them with the word of God. I admire people that have that gift. One thing you do, you try to get people around you who are gifted in ways that you are not. You can contribute to one another and that’s why we want to appreciate one another in the body. Every believer here has something to contribute that’s necessary. Because God knows what this body needs and who will bring that and know who’s gifted to fit that need. And so, we want to appreciate everyone. We want to help others in their gift. Maybe there is something I can do to help them as they exercise their gift and supplement that, and be part of it because we are all part of one another.

So to wrap it up. How do you find your gift, to know what it is? Look around. You see areas that could be improved. Now be careful. You can be sitting there thinking, well, I could preach better than you. Well, the opening is not here, but you could see areas that could be improved. That doesn’t mean you can step into it, but you might be able to contribute in the area. What needs are being expressed? A variety of things could be done. In the early days of our church I was the person here, so when I came in on Monday morning I cleaned up. I thought, well, people may come in, there’s papers all over the place, the vacuum needs to be run, the chairs are scattered everywhere. So I thought, well, that’s what I should do on Monday. I should clean up the place. Empty the waste baskets and make sure the restrooms are clean. There were other people that came in other times of the week, but they may not get there until Friday. So you do what needs to be done. That doesn’t say, well, I wouldn’t do that. Well, why not? Am I not to serve the body? So what needs are there? Look at what you would like to do? What would I enjoy doing? You know, I could do that. Well try it. Do others notice a strength in where I am functioning? They might express it. We really appreciate you being involved here. It’s such an asset. I just want to thank you for being involved the way you are in this area. Other people should recognize your gift. They will. They will encourage you. I just don’t want to sit down on a chair and say, oh here’s my gift. I’ve shared with you how I thought maybe my gift was evangelism. I love doing that. I still enjoy doing it, but as I examined myself I don’t think that was where my greatest effectiveness was. So, I have to back up and adjust. God, You don’t make mistakes. Maybe what I thought, was not where I would best fit. So look, see. The important thing is you get functioning. There’s something you can do. Well, I’ll start with that there’s a need for cleaners. I’ll get involved. Maybe my gift will be serving. That’ll be one way I can do it. If not I’ll help meet a need during that time and I’ll learn something about the body here and maybe I’ll see another area I want to move to and that’s the way the body goes. God has put us all here. We know we all fit. Sometimes we are adjusting, and learning, and new people come in. They have to adjust and see where they can fit. They come in and say, ‘This is a big church. I guess they don’t need me here. Probably everything is covered.’ God doesn’t make mistakes. A big church has big needs. Little church has littler needs. So, if He’s directing you here, you are here because you think this is where I want to grow and learn the Word. It means this is where the Lord wants to use you. We can all be encouraged by that.

Let’s have a word of prayer. Thank You, Lord, for the simplicity of Your word. These wonderful, deep serious truths yet explained in Your word with simplicity, clarity. How blessed we are to know we belong to You! Lord, You just not saved us and planted us, to be an individual some place. You saved us and placed us into the body of Christ. Appointed us a place in a local church so we could contribute. A contribution that is needed, that’s necessary. It’s part of Your plan to bring the local church to further maturity, to grow up into Christ who is the Head. To be more like Him, the beauty of His character to characterize us not only individually but as a body of believers. May we be careful when implementing these truths at every opportunity. Bless the week before us. Lord, as we go out to represent You, in a variety of ways, in a variety of places, may we be faithful in serving You wherever that is, whatever that entails. We pray in Christ’s name, amen.
[RG1]06:27
[RG2]Not sure what this is. 18:57
[RG3]20:29