Gifts of the Spirit “Targeting Biblical Truth”
Welcome to my article Gifts of the Spirit “Targeting Biblical Truth.”
Today in this read were going to go into the scriptures about The Gifts of the Spirit. The best way to have a solid understanding about these spiritual gifts is letting God educate us on what HIS Word has to say about this. Remember God is our instructor. He conducts what goes on in EVERYONES life. Rather a believer or a deceiver. Christ works for the greater good. If we want Christ to work for the greater good in our lives we need to study up on scripture to prepare our hearts before the world. So let’s dive into GIFTS. OF. THE. SPIRIT!
To dive in, I’m a Christian. I’ve always wondered what Gifts meant. What usually comes to mind is birthdays, Christmas, or holiday Gifts. I think of Gifts, as something we receive. After we receive it we open it. Then we open ourselves up to it. Why? We love the Gift. We received! Now think of the Gift like this? Once we have this Gift we will use it! Now let’s redirect ourselves back to this “Gift” or present we’ve received, opened, and now have, but it’s no ordinary Gift, it’s an angelical Gift. Maybe it’s a symbolic Gift? NO! It’s a Spiritual Gift! HOLY COW! A Spiritual Gift! Besides Salvation, this is possibly one of the best Gifts the spirit will ever give us, but what is even cooler, HE HAS GIVEN US! DIFFERENT GIFTS! Oh, Lord… the excitement just keeps getting better! Now… we ponder about this Spiritual Gift? Holy Lord, God, Jesus, what Spiritual Gift is this? I want to ask you to pray earnestly in your heart, while reading this note, for God to manifest HIS Spirit in you. Now that we’ve opened up this Gift, its time to use it! But are you using your Gift? Well let’s find out what Gift means in Greek in order to see how we can use our Gift!
Gift in Greek means charisma χαρίζομαι
Charisma huh, I thought charisma meant intimidating someone? Well when we opened our presents we got pretty intimidated huh? Yeah! We want to know how to use it or even see if it is useful for today?! Let’s go to scripture. Let’s see what scripture tells us about different gifts and they’re used, which ones still can be used, and exist today. Let’s ask God!
Paul addresses the different bodies of the church in Romans 12:4-8. Let’s see what he informs us about the members of the church and how they function in different congregations around the world.
For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, withcheerfulness. – Romans 4-8 NASB
So what does Paul first inform us about the church and how the church functions?
- We have many members
- Many members in what?
- One Body
- All the members of the church function differently.
Why do they not have the same “function?”
- Paul says, “We have different gifts according to the grace given to us.”
- So we have different experiences, stories according to God’s grace. Our relationships are different. So Christ will allow The Holy Spirit to use us all different in His Body. For His purpose and how He wants us to function.
Paul does tell us to exercise are gifts accordingly, but to what?
Paul gives some examples on how to biblically exercise our gifts of the spirit:
If it’s Prophecy how would we exercise that gift?
- According to the proportion of “his” faith.
- So we exercise Prophecy according to our Faith in Jesus.
If our gift is Service we practice that gift in our service to our church, or local communities.
Some examples would be:
- Greeting
- Visitation
- Cooking
- Prayer
- Teaching
- Evangelism
If it’s teaching, we exercise our gift in Teaching by “Teaching.”
Some examples would be:
- Studying your Bible, and then teaching it.
- Talking to your friends about Jesus.
- Praying for those in need of prayer.
- I believe personally it’s your lifestyle’s reflection off what The Bible teaches which is servitude, and stewardship.
If it’s Exhortation, we teaching through exhorting one another.
Examples:
- Strongly encourage or urge (someone) to do something.
If it’s Giving, give with liberality!
A great way to exercise this gift would be with”
– Kindness in your giving
– Bigheartedness in your giving
– Openhandedness in your giving
– To grant to give to one asking, let have
– To return something, you stole.
In Leadership we lead with diligence.
Examples:
– to increase, make progress
– Bring someone out of their sin
– To guide a body believers carefully, guard their hearts with Scriptural Truth.
And those who show and exercise Mercy withcheerfulness!
Explanation:
– Kindheartedness or good will towards the wretched and the afflicted united with a desire to help them.
So what do we have here?
Churches around the globe, functioning in the body of Christ.
Realize these the Churches in our world are all ONE, but different parts of the BODY of Jesus exercising their gifts across the nations and the world to make HIM known. Remember Paul told us, “individually members one of another” of what though?
One Body in Christ and individually member’s one of another
So now we have a One Body in Christ with individual members around the world. That is pretty darn cool! I’m a member of any ONE BODY THAT IS ACROSS THE WHOLE WORLD! WOW! Blows my mind! Plus that have gifts of the spirit! That every member gets to be apart of:
Prophecy
Service
Teaching
Exhortation
Giving
Leadership
Mercy
All given to us according to His grace and people wonder why they can never figure out what God’s plan is for them. Well Paul distinctively tells us here to exercise our gifts and we will work in the body of Christ! We must prophecy with our faith, serve in the church, teach ourselves the word of God, exhort one another, give back to God, give to the poor, lead others, and through all the pain and suffering love our enemies as Christ loved us. AMEN! That is how we know what God has planned for our lives.
But in order to keep constructing the church allowing the ONE BODY of Christ across the globe to function properly we must all take part in what were doing. If someone does not know where to start. Pray first and ask God for a clear pathway to his plan in your life. That happens when we first dedicate ourselves to Him. Meaning to die to ourselves, and gain Christ.
Romans 3:12 tells us this, Paul wrote,
“For through the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith.” – Romans 3:12 NASB
This begins, by not thinking highly of ourselves, but to have sound judgment! We have sound judgment by judging everything by the Word. Not ourselves, if we do think about yourselves according to biblical principles when functioning in the body of Christ.
Then 1 Corinthians 7:7 tells us this
“Yet I wish that all men were even as I myself am. However, each man has his own gift from God, one in this manner, and another in that.”
Scripture clearly lets us know we have our own gifts. Paul even wishes we could function the same, but we can’t. Because God’s grace has given us a specific task! A Specific power just for me and you! We have one gift in this manner, and another in that one.
Then, 1 Corinthians 12:4 informs us this “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit.” – Biblical truth that by God’s grace given to us through HIS grace we have been equipped with a specific gift out of these varieties of gifts through the same Spirit in ONE body to function individually for him.
1 Peter 4:10 says it best,
“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.”
Remember this, you opened that gift, it was given to you by the grace of God to function in the ONE BODY of Him (Christ) across the globe. It’s a special gift employed for serving our family as good stewards for the manifold of God. I pray the Holy Spirit has used me to open the eyes of many including myself and to apply these principles to our lives and to not be a divided body, but a united body. Paul preached so wholeheartedly on this. This is his heart for Christ, it should be ours as well.
johnmarkwilliams 