28 January 2007

INTRODUCTION
Illustration - The Dead Church
A man once visited a pastor to say that he wanted to join his church. But, he went on to explain, he didn't want to worship every week, he wasn't interested in Bible studies, in attending fellowship events, in visiting the sick, in witnessing to non-Christians, or serving as a leader or teacher.

The pastor thought a moment, commended him for his desire to join, but told him that the church he was looking for was located in another section of town. The pastor then kindly gave him directions to the other church and wished him well. When he arrived at the church, the man came face to face with the logical result of his own apathetic attitude. There stood an abandoned church building, boarded up and ready for demolition.

Church Health: We judge health in funny ways - like having a tan, or having nice clothes. The health of a church like MountainView is not determined by the skill of our musicians, by the speaker's fire or eloquence, by the extent of our programs, or the cutting edge technology that we use - that's just having a tan. The health of a church is dependent on each person walking in obedience to the Word and the Spirit and then serving each other in multiple ways.

PAUL STRESSES UNITY
In Ephesians 4:1-6, Paul emphasizes that believers - from every language, race, and culture have been unified into one family, one group, one body. Christian presidents, and Christian plumbers are in the exact same group, and there are no levels. We have one God and Father, one Saviour, one Spirit, and one salvation. Paul says in verse 3 that we must endeavor to keep the unity of the Spirit.

PAUL STRESSES DIVERSITY
But just as our bodies have many parts, even so the body of Christ has many parts. And the parts have different functions. What part you are and what function you have is determined by Jesus Christ. Verse 7 - "But to each one of us grace (help) was given, according to the measure of Christ's gift." Each one of us believers has been given a gift - a special ability, a special tool - to serve others.

CHRIST GIVES US TOOLS TO BUILD EACH OTHER UP
Verses 8-10 are parenthetical, but basically it says that Jesus sent these gifts to the church after He ascended to heaven. We know that after Jesus ascended, He sent the Holy Spirit to indwell and enable every believer. Therefore, these gifts - these special abilities - that Jesus gives to us as believer are called "the gifts of the Spirit" or "spiritual gifts."

There are three lists of spiritual gifts given in the New Testament: 1 Corinthians 12:4-11, 27-31; Romans 12:3-8; and Ephesians 4:11. Since these lists are not identical, it may be that Paul has not named all the gifts that are available. The miraculous gifts have passed off the scene in the first century.

Ephesians 4, verse 11 starts us off. Note that these are gifts, not offices. In the early church, there were people like Paul with the office of Apostle - they had to have seen Christ and received revelation and authority from Him such that they could write the Scriptures. That's not what's here - these are gifts, and it doesn't even say these are for men only. Paul says they are given to believers to equip other believers for ministry.

Take the Spiritual Gifts Inventory

1. You have been wired by the Holy Spirit to be sent out by the church to minister in cross-cultural settings, i.e., you are a wired to be a missionary. You have an overriding desire to take the gospel where it is not available; you love moving into different cultures; you love to research and understand the cultural reasons why people do the things they do; you don't mind being the only person who looks or speaks like you in a crowd; you experience great fulfillment in winning people to Christ, discipling them in the faith and starting churches. When you speak, others are deeply convicted to join you out in the field as a result of your excitement for what you are doing. You train and equip others for evangelism and discipleship so that even more people can be reached. You have the gift of apostle.

2. You have been wired by the Holy Spirit to proclaim God's truth with boldness and passion so as to convict hearts and change lives. You typically see things as black and white, not a million shades of gray. You feel compelled to act as the conscience for society or the church. You call sin what it is in a direct and firm but loving way. You expose error, alert believers to secular ways creeping into their lifestyle (like racism, materialism, immorality, humanism), and clear up confusion. You desperately want to inspire life-change, and motivate people to turn away from sin and apathy. Normally large groups do not cause you to be quiet. You love the Scripture and memorize portions of it to use as ammunition when you speak because you trust in the power of God's Word over your opinions or those of others. You respect but don't spend much time in deep theology - you want clear and simple truth, shot straight, and practically applied to issues of purity, marriage, family, education, and politics. Your fire is contagious, and you can launch people out of their apathy to join you in exhorting others to righteousness. You have the gift of a prophet.

3. You have been wired by the Holy Spirit to clearly present salvation through Jesus Christ in such a way that unbelievers consistently respond to it, and are born into the family of God. You have an overriding burden for, and preoccupation with, the lost people all around you, and you typically feel more energized in the company of unbelievers than believers. You are prone to weep when you see large crowds of unbelievers. You normally have never met a stranger, and you make friends easily. You sense the proper timing to turn a conversation to spiritual things, or to turn straight into the plan of salvation. You share the gospel naturally, freely and convincingly, and you experience great elation when an individual commits himself to Christ and gets plugged into a group of believers. You equip yourself for the biblical and intellectual objections of unbelievers, and you get excited when you discover a new scriptural idea that compliments the gospel. You can share the gospel through programs or in formal settings, but those opportunities come far too seldom, so you see your daily life as a search and rescue operation. You also have the ability to effectively equip other Christians for evangelism so that even more people can be reached. You have the gift of evangelism.

4. You have been wired by the Holy Spirit to care for the spiritual needs of a person or group, nurturing them towards maturity on a long-term basis through Bible teaching, personal guidance and discipleship. You love people, and you love being together with them. When attending an event, the event is secondary - your focus is on the group you are with. You are more person-oriented than task-oriented. You are sensitive and respond to the needs of others, and encourage others to get involved in helping someone in need. You are concerned for the "whole" person (physical, emotional and spiritual), and you try to help on all levels. You want others to succeed, and you may try to guard them from unrealistic activities or goals. You love to see life-change as people are slowly and steadily changed by your teaching of God's Word. You gently correct others in a way that they usually respond well to. You are patient, especially with spiritually wavering or inexperienced people. You have the pastoral gift.

5. You have been wired by the Holy Spirit to convey truth. You love to study and teach God's Word so that you 1) make difficult things easier to understand, 2) present truth so that it is practical and people can use it, and 3) build a biblical foundation into the lives of believers. You're an ideas person, and you generally have an opinion on most issues or theological dilemmas, and you respond to questions or criticisms confidently without being defensive. You study, analyze, and systematize thoughts, then you organize your thoughts to communicate them more logically and effectively. You use charts, diagrams, illustrations, and other means to hi-light the truth and keep it interesting, and you look for creative ways to communicate ideas. You have no fear of going deep into philosophy, history, and theology, and you dream about a larger library. You have a strong desire to communicate what you have discovered from study and preparation, and in your enthusiasm, you tend to speak too long. You have the gift of teaching.

Read Romans 12:4-7

6. You have been wired by the Holy Spirit to serve faithfully and joyfully in tangible and physical ways so that others are encouraged and the church moves ahead. You willingly invest your time, skills, and resources to make the plans of others succeed. You prefer to be behind the scenes, and will often shy away from direct attention, or feel inadequate in positions of leadership. You make yourself available and respond quickly with a positive attitude to help those who have needs, or to help the church carry out an event or ministry. You battle with saying no, and often reschedule yourself in order to help others. You may help by lending or donating your tools or personal things. You have no problem performing tangible routine tasks, but you want to know that the thing is necessary, and you dislike committees and red tape that slow down what obviously needs to be done. You love being a doorkeeper in the house of the Lord. You have the gift of service or helps. Diakonia - deacons

Read Romans 12:8

7. You have been wired by the Holy Spirit to encourage, challenge, and/or rebuke people in love on the basis of God's Word, motivating people to action. You are an analyst of people and situations, and therefore, can discern problems before others do or before those problems grow into larger ones. You patiently help others to see God's perspective on things, to develop confidence in Him, and to pursue constructive action. An empathetic motivator, you feel people's pain, but you see a clear difference between understanding bad behaviour and accepting bad behaviour. You have the unusual ability to graciously and privately reprimand improper behavior, while painting a positive and better future, so that individuals still feel loved. You demonstrate your caring by open acceptance of the person and the problem, and you typically communicate that your own sinfulness would keep you from condemning others. You follow through by supporting those who make life changes, and you reassure individuals who are confused or doubtful by helping them to see the issues more clearly. You are recognized as one to whom others freely go to for counsel, and at times, strangers will open up to you within minutes of meeting you. You have the gift of exhortation.

8. You have been wired by the Holy Spirit to freely give of your money or possessions, sharing cheerfully, generously, and sacrificially. You're not necessarily wealthy, only willing to give liberally according to your resources; you may generously offer your valuable skills, talents, or personal possessions without accepting payment. You see money as a means of ministry; you are financially concerned for others and God's work. You see that the purpose of money is to serve God, and you set it aside for special use. You tend to ask, "How much do I need to keep of God's money?" instead of "How much can I give of my money to God this week?" You evaluate each situation carefully, you want to know exactly how the money is being used - you don't give indiscriminately. You manage your personal finances carefully in order to give more, and when you give, you do it in such a way that the receiver feels blessed and not obligated. You always give quietly and confidentially, and often anonymously. You have the gift of giving.

9. You have been wired by the Holy Spirit to guide and organize the work of one or many aspects of the church in an efficient and orderly way. You understand ministry goals, and develop effective plans to meet those goals. You are an analyst, a problem-solver, and a manager. You're detail-oriented while understanding the "big picture." You support the leaders' vision by creating strategies (often in writing), identifying tasks, developing job descriptions, etc. You can make the church a well-oiled machine. You can see how certain people and resources can make a ministry goal achievable, or slow down and harm the process. You are a bit of a perfectionist, and normally very busy. You love smooth, orderly, efficient schedules, and professionalism. Good food should not be put on a dirty plate, and the truth of God's Word should not be presented by a half-baked, disorganized band of Christians. You plan things out, encourage group participation, and ensure group-recognition for successes. People trust you to do things well, and help out feeling that they will be part of another good story of ministering for the Lord. You have the gift of ruling or administration.

10. You have been wired by the Holy Spirit to show empathy, patience, and compassion for Christians and non-Christians who suffer physically, mentally, emotionally, or spiritually. You demonstrate Christ's love and support to those whom the majority ignores, in such a way that they are strengthened in their suffering. You share and care and are kind in your words and acts of service. You are attracted to sufferers, outcasts, and minority groups, and you see beyond physical handicaps, smells and deformities to the person inside. You feel deep compassion for these sufferers, yet you stay remarkably positive and cheerful. You engage primarily in one-on-one relationships and demonstrate acceptance and love by physical closeness and time together. You tend to attract people experiencing mental or emotional distress. You have the gift of mercy.

Conclusion - Things to Remember

• Remember that these gifts are from the Holy Spirit - He chooses what you will get, and you use them as you are filled with the Spirit, fully yielded to Him. Don't tell people off, and say "I have the gift of the prophet." Spiritual gifts always help and build others up, even when sin is pointed out.
• Spiritual gifts are not necessarily natural gifts, although the Spirit may choose to enhance your natural abilities for the Lord's use.
• How does the believer discover and develop his gifts? By praying about it, and by serving with other believers in the church - by trial and error. Jesus chooses the gifts He will send through the Holy Spirit.
• Gifts are not toys to play with. They are tools to build with. And if they are not used in love, they become weapons to fight with - pride of comparing gifts - which is what happened in the Corinthian church (1 Cor. 12-14).
• Giftedness affects your abilities, not your responsibilities. If you aren't gifted as an evangelist, that doesn't mean you don't evangelize.
• We will talk about miraculous gifts, or sign gifts, in our future study in 1 Corinthians.
• Jesus' gifts to us are wonderful things - we can use them to help each other, equip each other, encourage each other - remember, our church's health is determined by our individual relationships with the Lord and our interplay with each other. People sitting here seem fine, but may not be fine.

STAINED GLASS MASQUERADE
Is there anyone that fails? Is there anyone that falls?
Am I the only one in church today feeling so small?
Cause when I take a look around, everybody seems so strong.
I know they'll soon discover that I don't belong.
So I tuck it all away, like everything's okay.
If I make them all believe it, maybe I'll believe it too.
So with a painted grin, I play the part again,
So everyone will see me, the way that I see them.

Are we happy plastic people under shiny plastic steeples,
With walls around our weakness, and smiles to hide our pain?
But if the invitation's open to every heart that has been broken,
Maybe then we close the curtain, on our stained glass masquerade.

Is there anyone who's been there, are there any hands to raise?
Am I the only one who's traded in the altar for a stage?
The performance is convincing and we know every line by heart
Only when no one is watching, can we really fall apart.
But would it set me free, if I dared to let you see
The truth behind the person, that you imagine me to be.
Would your arms be open, or would you walk away?
Would the love of Jesus be enough to make you stay?
Are we happy plastic people under shiny plastic steeples,
With walls around our weakness, and smiles to hide our pain?
But if the invitation's open to every heart that has been broken,
Maybe then we close the curtain, on our stained glass masquerade.