Enlightened Hope

Reviewing the Gifts Passages (from Part 2)

Now to each one the manifestations of the Spirit is given for the common good (1 Cor 12:7-11):
The message of wisdom, The message of knowledge, Faith, Gifts of healing, Miraculous powers, Prophecy, Distinguishing between spirits, Speaking in different kinds of tongues, Interpretation of tongues

In the church God has appointed (1 Cor 12:28):
First apostles, Second prophets, Third teachers, Then workers of miracles, Those having gifts of healing, Those able to help others, Those with gifts of administration, Those speaking in different kinds of tongues

Christ gave some to be (Eph 4:11-13):
Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, Teachers

Different Gifts (Rom 12:4-8):
Prophesying, Serving, Teaching, Encouraging, Contributing (to the needs of others), Leadership, Showing mercy

The Different Gifts and Serving Appointments

Now, for clarity, if we were to represent each gift by a single word, and if we do a little sorting and notice there is some overlap in the gift passages, then we can see that there are nine Spiritual manifestations given to each one for the common good(1 Cor 12:7-11) and there are fifteen God given serving appointments(Eph 4:11-13, 1 Cor 12:28, Rom 12:4-8) for the edification and equipping of the body, and for the glory of His ‘Kingdom come’ here on earth.  Highlighted in red they are…

Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Discernment, Tongues, Interpretation (1 Cor 12:7-11)

Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, Evangelists, Pastors (Eph 4:11-13)
Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, Miracles, Healing, Helpers, Administration, Tongues (1 Cor 12:28)
Prophecy, Teaching, Serving, Encouraging, Giving, Leadership, Mercy (Rom 12:4-8)

Just to make that clearer there are…

Nine Spiritual Manifestations (given to each one for the common good)

Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Discernment, Tongues, Interpretation (1 Cor 12:7-11)

Fifteen Spirit Given Serving Appointments

Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, Evangelists, Pastors, Miracles, Healing, Helpers, Administration, Tongues, Serving, Encouraging, Giving, Leadership, Mercy (Eph 4:11-13, 1 Cor 12:28, Rom 12:4-8)

With regard to the nine Spiritual manifestations…

It is my understanding and my belief and my experience, that those who are born again of the Spirit of God (John 3:5-8) will naturally or rather supernaturally manifest the nine gifts of the Spirit from time to time, through the exercising of their faith, and as the Spirit leads and directs and enables. These gifts aren’t just for the ‘super-Christians’ or the ‘wacky-charismatics’ 🙂 they are for ALL of us to build up the body of Christ for the common good.

With regard to the fifteen Spirit given serving appointments…

Now, I want to make the distinction here between the manifestations of the Spirit (given to all (who are born of the Spirit) from time to time, as faith is exercised and as the Spirit leads and directs and enables) and the specific roles or offices given by the Spirit for the function and equiping of His body.

Dr. Dale A. Robbins puts it this way…

The ministry of Spiritual Gifts originates in the New Testament, commissioned by our Lord Jesus Christ. After He established His church on the earth and ascended to Heaven, Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to equip His church with power and spiritual gifts (Greek — charismata) so that His disciples could continue to carry out His ministry objectives. While there are certain gifts of a spectacular nature that are often given greater attention, the New Testament mentions at least 21 that are provided to the church. These gifts are listed in Eph. 4:11, Rom. 12:3-7, and 1 Cor. 12:1-12,28, and are generally assigned to one of three categories, as listed below:

• Charismatic (spiritual) gifts: Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Prophecy, Discernment, Tongues, Interpretation
• Ministry (office) gifts: Apostles, Prophets, Teachers, Evangelists, Pastors
  
• Motivational (practical) gifts: Service, Encouraging, Giving, Leadership, Mercy, Helpers, Administration

I find Dr Robbins list quite helpful but it’s difficult (perhaps impossible) to define or categorise the Spiritual with mere words.  Note that the specific appointments of Miracles, Healing and Tongues from the 1 Cor 12:28 passage are not apparent in his list.  Note also that I don’t believe this list is suggesting that some gifts are Spiritual and some aren’t.  But, as you browse the list, can you see those in your church with the gift of ‘service’ for example?  Or perhaps the gift of ‘encouraging’ or ‘giving’ or ‘leadership’ or ‘mercy’ or ‘help’ or ‘administration’?  I can!  I  mean, we are all called to do all these things but there are those in your church and my church who have these specific gifts.  Just as a side note, I find it interesting (to say the least), that those with these gifts often tend to beat their drum from the perspective of their gift and say things like “If we are all better at leadership then the church will grow” or “If we acted more mercifully the church would grow” etc, etc. 🙂

Hold on a minute…

Let’s just stop here for a moment and make an observation.  Is there any ‘office gift’ missing in your church or my church?  I mean, I’m sure you have a Pastor(s) and maybe a Teacher(s) (you might be overrun with teachers 🙂 ) and, if you are really ‘lucky’ (sarcasm), you may have an Evangelist, but what about an Apostle or a Prophet?  What is an Apostle anyway? And prophet, “Oh, we have prophecy from time to time” it may be said.  No, no, no!  The ‘office’ of prophet (Eph 4:11-13, 1 Cor 12:28, Rom 12:4-8), not the ‘each one manifestation of the Spirit’ as mentioned in 1 Cor 12:7-11.  Do some homework on what an Apostle is – Here is a link.  Do some homework on what a Prophet is. Here is a link.

Why does the Modern Church have mainly Pastors and Teachers?

Would it fair to say that the church (at large) has a handle on Pastors and Teachers because these can be performed naturally instead of supernaturally? – these can be performed without faith and without the Spirits empowerment? (and then we wonder why people and churches ‘crash and burn’).

To be continued…