We are studying the subject of spiritual gifts. We have looked at the temporary foundational and sign gifts. Now we are looking at the permanent edifying gifts. There are nine permanent edifying gifts. Last week we looked at the speaking gifts, teaching and exhortation. Today we want to study the seven ministry gifts. These nine gifts are very important; your gift is made up of one or more of these nine.
Recognizing our spiritual gifts can make service for God a real blessing instead of a burden. Let me try to illustrate.
A group of animals decided to improve their general welfare by starting a school. The curriculum included swimming, running, climbing and flying. The duck, an excellent swimmer, was deficient in other areas, so he majored in climbing, running and flying, much to the detriment of his swimming. The rabbit, a superior runner, was forced to spend so much of his time in other classes that he soon lost much of his famed speed. The squirrel, who had been rated "A" as a climber dropped to a "C" because his instructors spent hours trying to teach him to swim and fly. And the eagle was disciplined for soaring to the treetop when he had been told to learn how to climb, even though flying was most natural for him. Point- when you use the gifts God gave you you'll be effective for Him. When you try to function in an area where you're not gifted you'll be ineffective and unhappy. We need to understand and function within our area of giftedness.
The first one that we want to look at is the gift of MINISTRY.
Romans 12:7 (NKJV) or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching;
When someone joins the military we say they are "in the service." By this we mean that he is serving his country. When a man goes into the ministry we say he is in "full time service." This is meant to indicate that his life vocation has now become the service of God. The same thought is contained in the gift of ministry, the prevailing thought is that of service. The word ministry in Romans 12 is diakonia which could be translated service, serving, waiting.
Godet says of the gift of ministry, "An activity of a practical nature exerted in action, not in word." We can see by this that the gifts of the Spirit reach down into the practicalities of church life. Diakonos is used of the office of a deacon. This is a gift that you would want deacons to have.
Acts 6:1-4 (NKJV) Now in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplying, there arose a complaint against the Hebrews by the Hellenists, because their widows were neglected in the daily distribution. 2 Then the twelve summoned the multitude of the disciples and said, "It is not desirable that we should leave the word of God and serve tables. 3 "Therefore, brethren, seek out from among you seven men of good reputation, full of the Holy Spirit and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business; 4 "but we will give ourselves continually to prayer and to the ministry of the word."
This is an example of practical service, taking care of widows.
This gift relates to the totality of the practical needs of the local church. It is a task oriented gift, with the service directed to the institution. The spiritual gift of ministry is the special ability that God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to identify the unmet needs involved in a task related to God's work, and to make use of available resources to meet those needs and help accomplish the desired goals.
I believe this is one of the most needed, and therefore, one of the most common gifts the Spirit gives. People with this gift do everything from cleaning the church, to setting up a class room, to working in the nursery, mailing tapes, and making sure everything that needs to get done does.
If this is one of the more common gifts of the Spirit why don't we have more servants in the church? Selfishness! When we walk in the flesh we block the ministry of the Spirit.
The gift of ministry is a beautiful gift that is absolutely necessary for the progress of the body of Christ. Please don't ever underestimate the necessity of loving service. Some believers have this spiritual gift, but we are all to be servants.
1 Peter 4:10 (NKJV) As each one has received a gift, minister it to one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.
Mark 9:35 (NKJV) And He sat down, called the twelve, and said to them, "If anyone desires to be first, he shall be last of all and servant of all."
We are all to serve each other, but some people have been especially gifted by the Spirit for service. I am personally very appreciative of all the people in this ministry who use their God given ability to serve. There are many people who go unnoticed, faithfully serving the Lord through their spiritual gift.
1 Corinthians 16:15 (NKJV) I urge you, brethren; you know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints;
Devotion to service is a great devotion to have.
The gift of HELPS.
1 Corinthians 12:28 (NKJV) And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.
This is the only reference to this gift in the NT. People in our world tend to strive after the illusion of self-sufficiency. We do not like to be indebted to others, yet the Scriptures are clear, we are all interdependent. This is the whole point of 1 Corinthians 12:14-27. As surely as the physical body is dependant on the help of each part, so also is the church. This is where the gift of helps comes in. The word helps comes from the Greek word antilepsis, (an-til'-ape-sis) which is a compound of anti= in exchange, or in front of. And lambano = to take or lay hold of so as to support. Helps literally means, "to take a burden off of someone else and place it on yourself." In Acts 20:35 the same Greek word is translated support, it is a supporting gift, a helping gift.
The gift of helps is the special ability that God gives to some members of the Body of Christ to invest the talents they have in the life and ministry of other members of the Body, thus enabling the person helped to increase the effectiveness of his or her spiritual gifts. As an illustration look at:
Exodus 17:8-13 (NKJV) Now Amalek came and fought with Israel in Rephidim. 9 And Moses said to Joshua, "Choose us some men and go out, fight with Amalek. Tomorrow I will stand on the top of the hill with the rod of God in my hand." 10 So Joshua did as Moses said to him, and fought with Amalek. And Moses, Aaron, and Hur went up to the top of the hill. 11 And so it was, when Moses held up his hand, that Israel prevailed; and when he let down his hand, Amalek prevailed. 12 But Moses' hands became heavy; so they took a stone and put it under him, and he sat on it. And Aaron and Hur supported his hands, one on one side, and the other on the other side; and his hands were steady until the going down of the sun. 13 So Joshua defeated Amalek and his people with the edge of the sword.
Aaron and Hur were there for support. As Moses held the staff of God above his head with both hands it symbolized Israel's total dependence on the power of God. Aaron and Hur did not take the staff from Moses when he got tired, they simply aided him by supporting his hands. Aaron and Hur simply supported their leader, but what would have happened without their support? Support ministries are vital!
Philippians 2:25-30 (NKJV) Yet I considered it necessary to send to you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow worker, and fellow soldier, but your messenger and the one who ministered to my need; 30 because for the work of Christ he came close to death, not regarding his life, to supply what was lacking in your service toward me.
Epaphroditus nearly died but he would not stop serving Paul's needs. With help like this it's no wonder Paul was so effective for the Lord.
The person with the gift of helps can use it to aid a teacher, elder, deacon, or any one with a need.
The gifts of ministry and helps are very similar, but I believe they are distinct gifts. Helps seems to be directed toward an individual where ministry is directed toward the service of the institution, more than the individual.
C.H. Spurgeon said of helps, "It strikes me that they were not persons who had any official standing, but that they were only moved by the natural impulse and the divine life within them to do anything and everything which would assist either teacher, pastor, or deacon, in the work of the Lord. They were the sort of brethren who are useful anywhere, who can always stop a gap, and who are only too glad when they find that they can make themselves serviceable to the church of God in any capacity whatever."
The gift of ADMINISTRATIONS:
1 Corinthians 12:28 (NKJV) And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.
The word administrations is the Greek word kubernesis, (koo-ber'-nay-sis). It comes from kubernao meaning, to steer or to guide. The word has nautical overtones, it refers to the pilot who steers the ship.
Revelation 18:17 (NKJV) 'For in one hour such great riches came to nothing.' Every shipmaster, all who travel by ship, sailors, and as many as trade on the sea, stood at a distance.
The word shipmaster is the Greek kubernetes, (koo-ber-nay'-tace). And in Acts 27:11 kubernetes, it is translated, "master of the ship." So the word refers to someone who pilots a ship, someone who charts the course. We get our English word cybernetics from kubernesis. Cybernetics is a science that studies the brain relative to its governing of the body. So cybernetics refers to piloting, it refers to how the brain pilots the body.
Ezekiel 27:8 (NKJV) "Inhabitants of Sidon and Arvad were your oarsmen; Your wise men, O Tyre, were in you; They became your pilots.
In the LXX the word "pilots" is kubernesis. So Ezekiel says the pilots were wise men. So piloting a ship was connected with wisdom.
Kittle says of administrations, "The reference can only be to the specific gifts which qualify a Christian to be a helmsman to the congregation, i.e., a true director of its order and therewith of its life. The importance of the helmsman increases in a time of storm."
This is the God given ability to be a helmsman within the local church. Some translate the term governments. Those with this gift enjoy organizing, overseeing business matters, dealing with details and generally making sure the work of the local church runs smoothly. I believe that Rich Nemec has this gift, he keeps the elder board organized and running smoothly.
If I have this gift I don't have much of it. I thank God for those who have it and use it. God is glorified in a smooth running local church.
The gift of RULING:
Romans 12:8 (NKJV) he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Many combine administration and ruling, but this word in the Greek has a different connotation then that of administration. I think that this is a separate and distinct gift.
The word ruling is the Greek word proistemi, (pro-is'-tay-mee) from pro = before, or in front of and, histermi = to set or make to stand. Literally, "he that is placed in front."
The reference is to any place of superintendence within the local church. This gift is not exclusive to elders, but elders would normally have this gift.
1 Thessalonians 5:12 (NKJV) And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labor among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you,
The words "are over you" are the Greek word proistemi, (pro-is'-tay-mee).
1 Timothy 3:4-5 (NKJV) one who rules his own house well, having his children in submission with all reverence 5 (for if a man does not know how to rule his own house, how will he take care of the church of God?);
1 Timothy 5:17 (NKJV) Let the elders who rule well be counted worthy of double honor, especially those who labor in the word and doctrine.
All these words rule are from proistemi. So the gift of ruling should belong to the elders but it doesn't stop there. The church is far too complex to function with everyone serving and no one ruling at all levels.
There are some churches with the philosophy that one man rules the entire church. We call them monolithic monsters. The gift of ruling belongs to many in the church. We need leaders at all levels. Put a group of people together and tell them to do something and watch the person with the gift of ruling take over. The reference in Romans 12:8 is in the middle voice which in the Greek takes action to itself. Thus the one with this gift has the capability of taking over or taking the lead in a particular matter or situation.
My wife has this gift, as a matter of fact many women in this church have this gift. I first realized that Cathy had this gift when we took over 150 children to Chuck-E-Cheese for lunch. They knew we were coming and yet when we got there it was total chaos until my wife took over. The manager was a woman and she suggested that we put all the children back on the bus. My wife thought that was a foolish idea and she went into action, she had those employees moving and in no time everything was running smoothly. When it came time for desert, the ice cream machine was not working right and the kids were getting impatient standing in line. My wife suggested to the manager that she send somebody to Highs to buy ice cream, which she did. I just stood there amazed. Those women who have this gift are to use it among women and children, but not over men as 1 Timothy makes clear:
1 Timothy 2:12 (NKJV) And I do not permit a woman to teach or to have authority over a man, but to be in silence.
The words have authority over are from the Greek word authenteo, (ow-then-the'-o) to act of oneself, i.e. (fig.) dominate:--usurp authority over.
Within the local church all members are equal, but in God's sovereign plan some have been equipped to lead and some to follow. And between the sexes, men are to lead.
I think that the gifts of governments and ruling are separate gifts. They can be possessed separately or together. Some people have both, some have only one of them, and some have neither. I want to mention one more use of this word proistemi; it is found in:
Titus 3:8 (NKJV) This is a faithful saying, and these things I want you to affirm constantly, that those who have believed in God should be careful to maintain good works. These things are good and profitable to men.
The word maintain is proistemi. Christians are to lead the world in good works, they are to be out in front of the world as far as good works are concerned.
The gift of MERCY:
Romans 12:8 (NKJV) he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
The word mercy is eleeo, (el-eh-eh'-o) it is the outward manifestation of pity. The verb signifies a feeling of sympathy with the misery of another, especially when manifested in action. This is a gift symbolizing the very character of God himself.
Psalms 103:8 (NKJV) The LORD is merciful and gracious, Slow to anger, and abounding in mercy. 11 For as the heavens are high above the earth, So great is His mercy toward those who fear Him; 13 As a father pities his children, So the LORD pities those who fear Him.
God is merciful and compassionate, full of pity. Mercy is extended to men in relation to misery, which is a result of their situation. It looks not on what a man deserves but what he needs.
Showing mercy to the poor honors the Lord:
Proverbs 14:31 (NKJV) He who oppresses the poor reproaches his Maker, But he who honors Him has mercy on the needy.
You can see from the Scriptures that mercy is related to human misery.
Matthew 17:15 (NKJV) "Lord, have mercy on my son, for he is an epileptic and suffers severely; for he often falls into the fire and often into the water.
Matthew 15:22 (NKJV) And behold, a woman of Canaan came from that region and cried out to Him, saying, "Have mercy on me, O Lord, Son of David! My daughter is severely demon-possessed."
Philippians 2:27 (NKJV) For indeed he was sick almost unto death; but God had mercy on him, and not only on him but on me also, lest I should have sorrow upon sorrow.
The gift of mercy is the ability to sympathize with and to suffer alongside those who fall into grievous affliction. To come alongside the poor, the sick, the destitute, the orphan, the widowed and those in prison and minister to them. You might not be able to give them anything except for your compassion.
Romans 12:8 says to show mercy with cheerfulness. We are to joyously offer sympathy to the sufferer. Some of you are gifted in the area of mercy. The Spirit of God has given you areas of ministry such as hospital visitation, convalescence homes, and shut ins, the poor and the needy, outreach ministries to alcoholics and unwed mothers. The people with this gift are the gut (visera) of the body, (heart).
I have not been given the Spiritual gift of mercy. I have a strong sense of justice and not a lot of mercy. I know it, and if you know me, you know it too. In our day of sentimentalism many see this as a defect, but this is how God made me. Does this mean that I can be excused from showing mercy or compassion? No! Not at all. I am not saying that.
James 2:12-13 (NKJV) So speak and so do as those who will be judged by the law of liberty. 13 For judgment is without mercy to the one who has shown no mercy.....
Do you want to be judged by God without mercy? If not, then you had better show mercy, you had better be merciful.
Matthew 18:32-35 (NKJV) "Then his master, after he had called him, said to him, 'You wicked servant! I forgave you all that debt because you begged me. 33 'Should you not also have had compassion on your fellow servant, just as I had pity on you?' 34 "And his master was angry, and delivered him to the torturers until he should pay all that was due to him. 35 "So My heavenly Father also will do to you if each of you, from his heart, does not forgive his brother his trespasses."
In this parable the man showed no mercy to his fellow servant and so God judged him without mercy. We are to be like God, we are to be merciful.
Ephesians 5:1 (NKJV) Therefore be imitators of God as dear children.
God is merciful and so should we be.
Matthew 5:7 (NKJV) Blessed are the merciful, For they shall obtain mercy.
No one is excused from being merciful, but God has gifted certain individuals with a special ability to show mercy.
The gift of GIVING:
Romans 12:8 (NKJV) he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
"Gives" is a compound Greek word metadidomi, (met-ad-id'-o-mee). Didomi is the normal word for give, but metadidomi means to super give. There are some people who are gifted by the Spirit of God to be super givers.
Now don't say, "I'm glad that's not my gift." Every believer is commanded by God to give, giving is not an option.
2 Corinthians 9:6-7 (NKJV) But this I say: He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully. 7 So let each one give as he purposes in his heart, not grudgingly or of necessity; for God loves a cheerful giver.
Galatians 6:6-8 (NKJV) Let him who is taught the word share in all good things with him who teaches. 7 Do not be deceived, God is not mocked; for whatever a man sows, that he will also reap. 8 For he who sows to his flesh will of the flesh reap corruption, but he who sows to the Spirit will of the Spirit reap everlasting life.
We are all responsible to give, but some people have been gifted to go way beyond the normal.
The text says that he who gives is to do it with liberality. That word means with sincerety or unaffectedness. It comes from the word single or simple. In other words the gift is to be exercised with one single motive. When it gives it does so because it sees a need and for no other reason. Not like Ananias and Sapphira who gave for recognition. The gift of giving is not a public gift. Giving with pretension and public display is not a gift; it is hypocrisy. The gift of giving seems to have been evident in Macedonia.
2 Corinthians 8:1-2 (KJV) Moreover, brethren, we do you to wit of the grace of God bestowed on the churches of Macedonia; 2 How that in a great trial of affliction the abundance of their joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the riches of their liberality.
Unless we think that this is a gift only for the rich let's remember that the Corinthian church was a congregation of poverty stricken believers.
2 Corinthians 8:3-5 (KJV) For to their power, I bear record, yea, and beyond their power they were willing of themselves; 4 Praying us with much entreaty that we would receive the gift, and take upon us the fellowship of the ministering to the saints. 5 And this they did, not as we hoped, but first gave their own selves to the Lord, and unto us by the will of God.
The gift of giving is the special ability God gives to certain members of the Body of Christ to contribute their material resources to the work of the Lord with liberality and cheerfulness.
I believe that John Wesley had the gift of giving. During his lifetime he lived in voluntary poverty. When he died, he left an estate of two silver spoons and a well-worn frock coat. However, during his lifetime Wesley is reported to have given $150,000 to the Lord. He was a super giver!
George Mueller of Bristol, England, sustained the work of several orphanages by prayer and faith alone. He once said, "It pleased the Lord to give me something like a gift of faith so that unconditionally I could ask and look for an answer." When he died his total personal estate was $850 dollars, but when his books were audited after his death, it was discovered that he had given a total of $180,000 to the Lord's work. This entry is most instructive. It is identified simply as from "a servant of the Lord Jesus, who constrained by the love of Christ, seeks to lay up treasure in heaven." Mueller was evidently possessed of the gift of giving.
The gift of FAITH:
1 Corinthians 12:9 (KJV) To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;
This of course does not refer to saving faith. Every child of God has been made a partaker of that faith, or he is not a Christian.
Ephesians 2:8-9 (KJV) For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: 9 Not of works, lest any man should boast.
You cannot live without faith. Faith is believing God, believing that he means what he says. We are all to have faith, but there is a gift of faith. This is always characteristic of all the gifts of the Spirit: they really are an increased expression in an unusual way of what everybody is expected to possess or do. We all can help each other, but there is a gift of helps. We all can give money, but there is a gift of giving as well. We all are to teach each other, but there is a gift of teaching. It is very much like a baseball team where you have people playing various positions. They are especially chosen because of the need for special skills in the positions they play, and yet they all take their turn at bat. Now everyone knows that pitchers cannot bat, but they are always put up to bat because that is part of the game. Anybody can help; anybody can give; anybody can have faith; but there is a supernatural ability above and beyond the ordinary that represents the gift of the Spirit. The gift of faith is a sovereign bestowal of the Holy Spirit. Not everyone has this gift. The gift of faith is the supernatural ability to believe God, to trust Him. Obstacles are only challenges to someone with this gift. Let me show you what I believe is an illustration of this gift.
Acts 27:21-25 (KJV) But after long abstinence Paul stood forth in the midst of them, and said, Sirs, ye should have hearkened unto me, and not have loosed from Crete, and to have gained this harm and loss. 22 And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man's life among you, but of the ship. 23 For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, 24 Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. 25 Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.
Many Christians would be down in the bottom of the ship panicking. But Paul is on deck saying "Cheer up!" I think men like Hudson Taylor and George Mueller also had the gift of faith. We may not have the gift of faith but our faith is strengthened by watching those who do.
Faith is not only a spiritual gift, it is also a fruit of the Spirit.
Galatians 5:22 (KJV) But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith,
So you may have the capacity to trust God in unusual circumstances as a result of a spiritual gift or this capacity may grow in your life as a fruit. Either way the faith is the product of the Holy Spirit's work in the life of the individual.
The more we know God the more we will trust Him, Romans 10:17. You may not have the spiritual gift of faith but you are to grow in faith as you walk with the Lord.
George Shaw says, "Faith does not always operate in the outward things. To maintain a quiet and abiding confidence through dark and stormy days; to rest contented and happy in days of adversity; to hold an unwavering trust in God when Providence is casting gloomy shadows across your path; to be able to say with Christ when on the cross of sacrifice, and when all is dark and mysterious about the soul, "Father, into Thy hands I commend my spirit," this is to have a gift of faith. To say with Abraham when the divine voice has called you to offer the child of your hopes and the son of promise, "The Lord will provide a lamb," this is the gift of faith."
To sum up what we have said, there are nine permanent edifying gifts. Two of them are speaking gifts, teaching and exhortation. And seven of them are ministering gifts, ministry, helps, governments, ruling, mercy, giving, and faith. We all have one, or a combination of these gifts. They are to be used to build up the body of Christ for God's glory.
As an illustration let's say that last week after hurricane Fran hit Carolina nine Christians went in to help out. Each of them had predominantly one of the nine permanent edifying gifts. Here is what might happen as they walked in the Spirit and exercised their gifts.
Teaching- You shouldn't build so close to the water, but if you must you should build this way... Exhortation- you can over come this, you can rebuild, here are five steps to help you grow from this. Hang in there!
Ministry- they would be helping the government workers to get the lights back on and the streets cleared.
Helps- they would be helping the people, taking food and water to those who need it. Helping patch up homes, getting people to hospitals.
Administration- alright everybody listen up, here's how we're going to help these people. First you....
Ruling- as they are digging through the wreckage.. You, go get a truck, you, take these people to the red cross tent, you make sure the gas is shut off....
Mercy- I'm so sorry this happened to ya'll, we really care about you and want to help you through this, we love you.
Giving- I don't want you to worry, what the insurance company won't cover I'll help with.
Faith- Cheer up! We are still alive and the Lord will get us through this. Remember Romans 8:28 &1 Thes. 5:16 & 18.
We're all different, and we're all needed. Let's learn to love and accept each other and work together for the glory of God. Everyone is responsible to God himself about the exercise of his gift. Some day we will stand before God and give an account of how we used our gifts to minister to the body. Therefore, my word to you is the same as the Apostle Paul's word to Timothy, his young son in the faith: "Stir up the gift of God, which is in you."
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