SETTING OUR HEARTS TOWARD USING OUR GIFTS
Posted by Pastor Greg Allen on June 20, 2021 under 2021 |
Bethany Bible Church Sunday Message; June 20, 2021 from Romans 12:3-8
Theme: We need to set our hearts toward using our gifts to serve the body of Christ.
(All Scripture is taken from The New King James Version, unless otherwise indicated).
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We’ve all done our best to keep in touch and to keep on ministering to each other. It’s really been a joy to me to see how we’ve worked hard to do that throughout this difficult time. But now—this morning—one of the most important dimensions of our service as the body is being restored; and we are now able to minister to one another in person—face-to-face—once again.
This is truly a happy day! It seems like a very good day for us to recommit ourselves to what it means to be a functioning church family. And for that reason, I ask that you turn with me to Romans 12.
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Romans 12 marks an important turning point in the Book of Romans.
All through much of this letter, the apostle Paul carefully and systematically laid out the doctrine of what it means to be declared righteous in the sight of God by faith in Jesus Christ. He showed that we are all sinners who stand guilty and condemned in the sight of a holy God. He showed that none of us could ever be righteous in the sight of God by keeping the law; because the law condemned us. But he then went on to show that God, in mercy, sent His Son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins. Now, we stand 100% righteous in God’s sight by faith in what Jesus did for us. There is now therefore no condemnation for those of us who are in Christ Jesus. God the Father has put His Holy Spirit in us who unites us to Jesus and to each other, and who also empowers us to live righteously in His sight and who seals us for the day of glory. Nothing will ever separate us from the love of God which is in Christ Jesus. In Christ, we are as certain for heaven as if we were already there.
Now; such a doctrine demands of us that we put it into daily practice in living a new life. We must rise up and—in practical terms—live like what God has made us to be in Christ. And that’s what Paul affirms in Romans 12. In verses 1-2, he wrote;
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2).
The only proper thing for you and me to do, in response to all that God has done for us in Jesus, is to lay ourselves on the altar and give ourselves to Him as living sacrifices. We don’t just present ourselves to God as a living sacrifice once; but we are to present ourselves to Him as living sacrifices continually—in an ongoing way—in every area of life.
And that would include our life together as a church family—the body of Christ. The very first thing that Paul wrote after urging us to present ourselves as living sacrifices—the very first area of the practical application of that principle that he mentions—is found in verses 3-8:
For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness (vv. 3-8).
Many of us have been seeking to do this throughout our time of separation. I praise God for the many ways we’ve been able to keep in touch, and to minister to one another, that would not have been available to us just a few decades ago. But now, as we are getting back together again in person, we need to look carefully at these words and earnestly recommit ourselves to what they tell us.
As the Holy Spirit is teaching us through the words of the apostle Paul, we need to set our hearts—in a new and fresh way—toward using our gifts to serving each other in the body of Christ.
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Now; this passage speaks about ‘spiritual gifts’. These spiritual gifts are not the same thing as ‘talents’; because a ‘talent’ can simply be a mere human ability. Rather, the spiritual gifts are called ‘spiritual’ because they are special endowments that the Holy Spirit gives to each individual believer—just as He sovereignly chooses—that empower them to fulfill their ministry to the church family. I take it by faith that every one of us in this church family, who have believed on Jesus and have been redeemed by His blood, has already been gifted in some way by the Holy Spirit to serve an important need in the functioning of the church family. It may be that those gifts are undeveloped, and perhaps not yet fully recognized; but they are nevertheless there.
The way that the apostle Paul put it in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 is like this:
There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all (1 Corinthians 12:4-7).
The Holy Spirit hasn’t given me the same gifts that He has given you; and He hasn’t given you the same gifts that He has given me. After all, if we all were exactly the same, we wouldn’t be a whole body. We’d only be one body part that was multiplied over and over. But He has distributed a variety of gifts to each of us—the specific gifts that we need from each other; so that when we all work together as we should, we function like a body; and provide together what we need in each other.
Now; we haven’t been together in person for quite a while. And maybe the gifts that the Holy Spirit has given to us for each other have grown just a bit rusty from lack of use. But those gifts have all still, nevertheless, been given. And now that we are back together again, it’s time that we recommit ourselves to think rightly about the gifts that God has given us—and to how we need to minister to each other through them.
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Look again with me at our passage in Romans 12. As is so often the case, our right action for our Lord begins with right thinking. And so, the first thing that it tells us is that …
1. WE NEED TO THINK OF OURSELVES AS INTERDEPENDENT.
In verse 3, the apostle Paul wrote, “For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”
Paul began by speaking of ‘the grace’ that had been ‘given’ to him. And that’s how he spoke of the role that God had given to him as an apostle of Jesus Christ. He counted it a great privilege to be called by God to preach the gospel of Jesus; which is why he often spoke of it as a “grace” that God had given him. But it was a role that carried along with it a great deal of spiritual authority. And he made full use of that authority in instructing the people of God how they were to conduct themselves toward one another. You might say that Paul began these words of instructions about spiritual gifts by making use of the very gift of apostolic authority that God had specifically given him.
And what he had to say, in the exercise of that authority, applied to every one of the believers in the body of Christ. He told them not to think more highly of themselves than they ought to think. No believer should ever think that he or she doesn’t need the spiritual gifts of others in the church. No believer should ever suppose that he or she can ‘go it alone’. No believer should ever imagine that he or she is adequate in and of themselves to live without the ministry of the body of Christ. Instead, they are to think “soberly”—that is, in a sound-minded and modest manner—“as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith.”
That phrase “as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith” is an important one. In the context of this passage, it means that no single one of us has been given by God the full ability to stand independently from the rest of the church family in our faith. We have only been given a ‘measure’ or ‘a portion’ of what is needed—specifically suited to us—so that we end up mutually dependent upon one another in the full experience of our faith. If we isolated ourselves from the rest of the body and became a spiritual hermit, our faith wouldn’t necessarily die. But it would certainly not be vibrant and healthy in the way that God wants it to be.
Even so seemingly-powerful and independent a saint as the apostle Paul included himself in that need. Even he recognized that he only had ‘a measure’ of faith; and that he felt a sense of interdependency with other believers. In fact, he wrote at the very beginning of this letter;
For I long to see you, that I may impart to you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established—that is, that I may be encouraged together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me (Romans 1:11-12).
Isn’t that wonderful? God has—by design—only dealt to each of us a ‘measure’ of faith so that our faith must be mutually practiced in order to be whole. Paul stressed this point, in a practical way, in another passage—in Galatians 6:1-5—when he wrote;
Brethren, if a man is overtaken in any trespass, you who are spiritual restore such a one in a spirit of gentleness, considering yourself lest you also be tempted. Bear one another’s burdens, and so fulfill the law of Christ. For if anyone thinks himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceives himself. But let each one examine his own work, and then he will have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another. For each one shall bear his own load (Galatians 6:1-5).
The ‘law of Christ’ that this fulfills, by the way, is the new commandment out Lord gave us when He said;
“A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another” (John 13:34-35).
The only way that we can truly love each other as we should—as Jesus Himself intended—is by a ‘mutual’ experience of interdependency of faith.
So, dear brothers and sisters in Christ; the first thing we need to do in order to renew our use of the spiritual gifts toward one another is to change our thinking. We need to cease thinking that we can experience the fullness of the Christian life all on our own; but to remember instead that we are designed by God for an interdependency of faith—so that you make up what I need in my measure of the faith, and I make up what you need in your measure of the faith.
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Now; a second thing that we need to do is not only to renew our thinking, but also to renew our habits. Paul goes on to show that …
2. WE NEED TO KEEP CONNECTED AS A BODY.
If our faith is intended by God to be mutually interdependent, then—obviously—we need to keep in close connection to one another. Paul went on, in verses 4-5, to offer an analogy that is familiar to us all. “For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another.”
I received a very personal illustration of this last summer. I was making dinner one night, but I made the mistake of using a very sharp kitchen appliance while watching TV. A potato slipped out of my hand; and in trying to grab it, I sliced a very large portion of one of my fingers clean off. I felt personally just how connected my body was; because even though I cut off a portion of my finger, my feet became very involved and began to dance. My lungs also joined in.
Now; I was in a very helpless condition. My wife could not drive me to the ER; and I really wouldn’t be able to drive myself safely. But it just so happened—in the providence of God—that one of the members of the church was outside tending to one of the church flowerbeds. That was really a remarkable thing because that was early on in the pandemic, and hardly anyone had been to the church property for some time. My wife called for her; and she came in and drove me to ER. And what’s more—forgive me if this is just too gross—before we left, my wife also found my fingertip and put it in a zip-lock baggie for me. The nurse practitioner masterfully sewed my finger-tip back on. Just last night, my wife asked me how the finger was; and I told her that it is completely restored and all the feeling is back. It was a vivid illustration to me of how the body needs—if you’ll pardon the expression—to ‘stay connected’.
It’s only by that connectedness in the body of Christ that the gifts are able to be administered to one another effectively. Paul explained this in a marvelous way in another passage—in 1 Corinthians 12:12-26—when he wrote;
For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many. If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body,” is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be? But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you”; nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it (1 Corinthians 12:12-26).
And so, dear brothers and sisters; here’s another thing that we must do. If the measure of faith that God has given to us makes us—by design—interdependent upon what each of us makes up for the other, then we must recommit ourselves to staying connected to one another. We must have the kind of relationships with one another that make it possible for our spiritual gifts to serve each other. We need to touch bases with each other, to call or write to each other, to spend time with one another, and to pray with each other. It’s still a little hard to do with the restrictions that remain; but we need to do what we can—and keep on doing it more as the weeks and months roll on.
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And there’s still one more thing that Paul urges us to do. We must commit to action …
3. WE NEED TO PUT OUR GIFTS TO WORK FOR EACH OTHER.
As Paul says in verse 6, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them …” The fact that we are interdependent with one another in our faith, and that we must keep connected to one another, suggests that it’s all so that we can put the gifts God has given to us to work for one another’s good.
Paul expressed this in another passage about the spiritual gifts. In Ephesians 4:11-12, he wrote about how the Lord Jesus gave gifts to His church;
And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ … (Ephesians 4:11-12).
Those foundational and leadership gifts—apostles, prophets, evangelists and pastors and teachers—were not given so that those leaders would do the work themselves. They were given to provide the church what it needed in order for every member to do the work of the ministry God gave to them …
till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ—from whom the whole body, joined and knit together by what every joint supplies, according to the effective working by which every part does its share, causes growth of the body for the edifying of itself in love (vv. 13-16).
That means that we all need to be doing the work—whatever the particular gift is that God has given us. In Romans 12:6-8, he went on to say; “if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith …” The ministry of prophecy doesn’t necessarily mean ‘telling the future’. The basic idea is that we speak forth a message from God. That’s the whole idea of preaching. Paul literally says, “let us prophesy [that is, preach a message from God] in proportion to the faith”; which means, ‘the faith which was once for all delivered to the saints’. Those in the church who have the gift of preaching should exercise that gift faithfully for the whole body—preaching only what is consistent with the content of the doctrine of the Christian faith. They should preach the word.
He went on to say, “or ministry, let us use it in our ministering …” To ‘minister’ means to serve through the meeting of needs. Many of us have unique abilities in various areas. It might be in music and worship. It might be in serving food. It might be in building something. Sometimes, it even includes the whole idea of leading a specific ministry within the church—something like serving as a deacon or a deaconess. Whatever it may be—if we have been given the gift of ministry, we need to put it to use in ministering to the needs of the body.
Paul says, “he who teaches, in teaching …” There are some of us within the church that have been gifted with the ability to pass on scriptural truth in an interesting and engaging and applicational way—through a Sunday school class, or through a group study, or even one-on-one discipleship. What a blessing it is to have good teachers in the church. Those who have this gift need to put it to use faithfully.
And the list goes on; “he who exhorts, in exhortation”; that is, lovingly coming alongside someone else in a counseling ministry—helping them sort out what God wants them to do in a particular situation. Or, “he who gives, with liberality …” Some of us not only have the resources to help provide for the church’s ministry or for specific projects, but also the God-given willingness and delight to do so. Did you know that the ability to give in that way is a spiritual gift? Such people are a much-needed blessing! Or, “he who leads, with diligence …” What a blessing it is whenever God provides someone in the church who has the ability to administrate well—to make sure that the details are taken care of in an honorable way! Or, “he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” This speaks of someone who has compassion for those in need. They’re gifted with the ability to notice when someone is hurting or is bearing a particularly hard burden; and they know just the right thing to say, or just the right comfort to give in order to heal broken hearts and wounded souls in the church family.
I believe, dear brothers and sisters, that all of these various gifts—and more—have been sufficiently given by our Lord to this church family. We just need to renew our commitment to put them to work.
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Now; at this point, you might be asking; “Do I have any of these gifts? How do I know what it is that God has given me to serve the church family?” Well; I don’t believe that it’s necessary for you and I to know our own gifts. Usually it’s other people in the church who can identify what our gifts are. They know by the fact that they are ministered to by what we do.
But I do have a suggestion. Simply commit yourself to do what Paul tells us to do in verses 1-2;
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God (Romans 12:1-2).
Focus on that. Make sure that the Holy Spirit has your complete surrender to Him. Place yourself on the altar. Keep holy and separate from the ungodly values and priorities of this world. And then, just simply do whatever it is that God places before you to do in His church. When you do—and you do it faithfully—you can be sure that you’ll be ministering to the body through the spiritual gift He gave you.
So; let’s recommit ourselves to do this in the weeks and months to come. And as we do, may God richly bless us with growth … together … through our ministry to one another.
EA
