Distinctives of the Christian and Missionary Alliance of the Philippines
CHURCH ORDINANCES
CHURCH ORDINANCES
Ordinances of the church are ceremonies or practices that are ordained (ordered, decreed) by God in the bible.
The Alliance
Lesson 9
SPIRITUAL GIFTS
IN THE CHURCH
In order for
every Christian member of a congregation to function as he should in building
up the church, each believer is given one or more spiritual gifts. These are not natural talents which all
people have, but special spiritual abilities given by God to His children. They are to be used for the benefit of the
Body of Christ “so that in all things praise may be given to God through Jesus
Christ…” 1Peter 4:10,11. Therefore every
believer needs to discover and develop his spiritual gift(s). In this way he not only becomes aware of
where he fits into the group, but also what his special ministry is as he works
together with other believers.
I.
Scripture teaches
the importance of spiritual gifts in the ministry of the church.
A. In Ephesians 4:1-16, after discussing the
importance of the fruit of the Spirit in the lives of Christians and necessity
of unity in the congregation, Paul lists the key offices in the church.
1.
What fruit of the Spirit is mentioned in verses 1-3?
2.
How is unity among the believers to be preserved?
(vs.3)
3.
How does Paul describe this unity in verses 4-6?
4.
According to verse 7, who has received what?
5.
What key positions in the life of a
congregation/denomination are identified in verse 11?
6.
For whose benefit are people with the necessary
spiritual gifts appointed to these offices?
In order to achieve what result? (vv.12-14).
7.
In verse 15, what fruit of the Spirit is mentioned
in connection with spiritual maturity?
8.
Why do we need to know where we fit in the body of
believers? (vs.16)
Although every
Christian has a special ministry for which God has gifted him, and the least
noticed member is just as essential as the most prominent, in verse 11 Paul
does mention certain positions as more prominent in relation to the building up
of the Body of Christ. These positions
are separate, distinct offices in the Church.
1.
Apostle
The meaning of
the apostle is a person or a messenger. In the New Testament they were the
individuals used to lay the foundation of and establish the Church –
1Corinthians 4:9-17. The did not serve a
local church, but their authority extended throughout all the churches. Their ministry included the witness of signs
and wonders – 2Corinthians 12:12
An Apostle has a
special ability of leadership over other spiritual leaders (such as pastors and
lay leaders), and his authority is recognized and accepted by those he
leads. Often he is a pioneer with great
vision of what is to be done. God uses
him, along with the evangelist and prophet in founding and establishing
churches.
2.
Prophet
Christians in the
early Church did not have the benefit of the New Testament Scriptures that we
have today, so prophets were of great importance in proclaiming God'’ mind and
will. They encouraged and strengthened
the believers – Acts 15:32, and were more forthtellers
than foretellers, although they also
did this upon occasion – Acts 21:10,11.
This person
speaks God’s message with authority and “his words have power to build; they
stimulate and they encourage…” – 1Corinthians 14:3 NEB. All genuine prophecy is always in conformity
with the teachings of Scripture.
3.
Evangelist
An evangelist has a special ability to give the Gospel message with
great effectiveness so that people come to Christ and receive salvation. In the New Testament evangelists worked with
the apostles in planting the Church everywhere.
Even though every child of God is expected to share his faith with
others there are those with a special gift of evangelist. Evangelists also inspire other Christians
with a burden for the lost and help equip them in the ministry of evangelism.
4.
Pastor/Teacher
In this portion Paul
groups pastor and teacher together. The
root meaning of the word pastor, here,
is to protect, with the title of shepherd coming from it. These people have a special ability to
provide day-by-day care for the flock of God – leading them, feeding them from
God’s Word and protecting them from spiritual danger – Acts 20:28,29.
Teachers are vital to
the health and growth of the church.
They have a special ability to understand and explain God’s truths to
others and apply them practically to everyday life. They are the ones able to explain the great
doctrines of the Bible in such a way that people will understand and learn.
The gift of teaching
is often coupled with that of pastoring, enabling the pastor/teacher to understand,
explain and apply God’s Word to the lives of his flock – Titus 1:9.
B. Romans 12:3-8 deals with the principal
functions in the life of the church and the spiritual gifts given by God for
ministry within the congregation. Every
member is apart of the functioning of a congregation and exercises his
spiritual gift(s) as an active participant in the life of the church.
1.
With what attitude are spiritual gifts to be used?
(vs.3)
2.
This attitude is a result of what? (vs. 1,2)
3.
How does the example of a human body illustrate the
importance of using the gifts of the Spirit? (vv.4-6)
4.
How are each of the spiritual gifts mentioned in
verses 6-8 to be used?
5.
Having expressed the need for humility in the use of
spiritual gifts (verses 3), in verses 9,10 what fruit of the Spirit does Paul
emphasize?
In addition to prophesying (verse 6) and teaching
(verse 7), in this chapter Paul lists five other gifts needed for the
proper functioning of the congregation.
Service (verse 7)
The Christian with this gift has a
special ability to see areas of need in God’s work and be of help in practical
ways to meet them. These individuals are
particular blessing in the church because of their positive response to help
when needed.
Exhortation (verse 8)
This can also be translated as encouragement. although all Christians
are to encourage one another – Hebrews 10:24,25, this gift is a special ability
to minister through advising, comforting, counseling and in encouraging others
to actively trust God and follow His Word.
Giving (sharing) (verse 8)
All Christians are to contribute to
the needs of the church and those in need.
However, some are given a special ability to contribute materially to
the Lord’s work and other people in need – unselfishly, generously and
joyfully. The exercising of this gift is not dependent upon the financial
resources of an individual.
Leadership (authority) (verse 8)
This is a special ability given to
certain Christians to plan for God’s work and communicate those plans to
others, guiding a motivating them to work together in accomplishing their
objectives.
Mercy (kindness) (verse 8)
Although mercy is a facet of the
spiritual fruit of kindness which should be seen in the life of every believer
– Luke 6:36, this gifts is a special ability to empathize and feel great
compassion for those suffering from various problems and to demonstrate that
concern by acts of kindness and comfort.
C. 1Corinthians 12 gives us some examples of
how the Holy Spirit provides for the needs of the church through gifting its
members. The majority of the spiritual
gifts mentioned in the Bible are found in this chapter.
1.
Although there are different kinds of spiritual
gifts, who gives them? (vv.1,4)
2.
Although there are different ways of serving in the
church, who is served? (vs.5)
3.
Although there are different abilities and kinds of
workings, who is the source of power? (vs.6)
4.
How does verse 7 shows us that the gifts of the
Spirit are not only for certain Christians? For whose benefit are they given?
There were problems in the Corinthian church because of
misunderstanding concerning the functioning of spiritual gifts among the
believers. One of these was exaggerating
the importance of the more spectacular gifts (particularly that of speaking in
tongues), and considering them as the mark of spirituality. This resulted in pride. Those with such gifts felt superior, causing
some others to be envious or discontented and perhaps not use their equally
necessary though less noticeable gifts.
Also, those who possessed what seemed to be the more exciting gifts
appear to have been given places of prominence in the church, excluding those
who did not possess those gifts.
5.
How does Paul correct these misunderstandings in
verses 12 to 26?
6.
How do these verses apply to us today?
7.
What are we forbidden to do? (vs. 21)
8.
How must we act? (vv.25,26)
9.
How does this prevent division and dissension among
believers?
10. How does
1Corinthians 13:1-3, show us that the fruit of the Spirit is necessary for
spiritual gifts to be used effectively?
11. In relation to
the degree of importance in the functioning and building up of the church, whom
has God appointed in first place? In
second place? In third place? (vs. 28)
Additional gifts
mentioned in 1Corinthians 12:
Wisdom (verse8)
God gives certain Christians a special
ability to speak and act wisely. These
individuals are gifted with spiritual insight and understanding of God’s will
in various situations, and how to follow the right course of action. They are able to diagnose and solve problems.
Knowledge (verse 8)
The Christian with this gift has the
special ability to discover and understand truths or facts and how to make use
of them in practical way. Sometimes this
gift is coupled with that of teaching.
Faith (verse 9)
This is not the faith necessary for
salvation which every believer has, but a special ability to confidently trust
God, regardless of hindrances and impossible circumstances. This person does not doubt at all that God
will remove mountains and work wonders –1Corintians 13:2.
Healing (verse 9)
This gifts is evidenced by the
supernatural power of God working through a person to bring healing to those
who are ill and restore health apart from others means, such as medicine.
Working in miracles (verse 10)
The Christian with this gift is used
by God to display His power beyond that which are natural-outside the laws of
nature. This gifts seems to be
associated with miracles other than healing – Mark 16:17; Acts 13:9-11.
Discerning of spirits (verse 10)
Although every mature Christian
should be able to distinguish between right and wrong, good and evil – Hebrews
5:14, and are to test the spirits –1John 4:1, certain Christians are given the
special ability to know, when necessary, whether words or actions, or what
appear to be supernatural gifts and said to come from God, are really from Him
or are of natural (human) or satanic origin.
Tongues (verse 10)
This special ability given to some
Christian to speak in a language they have never learned. Any public use of this gift must be
accompanied by the interpretation of what is said, and must conform to what
Scripture commands – 1Corinthians 14:27,28.
Interpretation of tongues (verse 10)
This is a special ability to
understand and translate the message of the one who speaks in tongues. The one who
speaks in tongues may also have the gift of interpretation.
Helps (verse 27)
This is a special ability to support
nd give assistance to others which is more than general helpfulness, and, when
used to help fellow Christians exercise their gifts, enables them to be more
effective in their ministries. The one
with this gift has a broad and range of ministry among all in the church.
Administration (power to direct) (verse 27)
The word used here is the one for
the helmsman of a ship, or the one who steers or directs a ship to reach its
destination. The person with this gift
is a good manager, is able to understand the goals and direction of the church,
and make plans and decisions necessary to keep the church functioning smoothly
and moving ahead to accomplish its goals.
II.
How to Discover
Your Gift
C. Peter Wagner
in his book, “Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow,” suggest five
steps to take to discover your gift, but emphasizes that first you must be
willing to work hard using your spiritual for God’s glory and the benefit of
your church and fellow believers. And
you must pray, asking God to guide you into the ministry for which He has
gifted you.
Step 1: Explore the possibilities.
Learn what the gifts are God
has given to the Church. Of course your
primary source is the Bible. You also
need to talk with Christians, who have discovered, developed and are using
their spiritual gifts.
Step 2: Experiment with as many gifts as you can.
Look around you and see what
needs you can find in your church. Look
too for the needs of other people. Then
try to do something to meet a need. Find
where you can be useful and then offer to help.
Be available for any jobs you might be asked to do. When you are given a job do it prayerfully,
asking the Lord to show you whether or not you have a spiritual gift in that
area.
Step 3: Examine your feelings.
God knows each of us
completely. And, because He knows the
spiritual gift best for you, you will enjoy using it.
Step 4: Evaluate your effectiveness.
God gives you a gift so you
will accomplish something for Him in the Body of Christ. If you experiment with a gift and find that
you consistently have negative results, it is most probable you do not have
that gift. If you have the gift of
administration the organization under you will function well. If you have the gift of teaching people will
understand and learn through your instructions.
Step 5: Expect confirmation from the Body.
Your gift needs
to be confirmed by other in your church.
In many ways this steps is the most important of all, because your gifts
is to be used within the Body of Christ.
For example, you may personally feel that God wants you to minister
through counseling, but if after a period of time no one asks you for help or
recommend you to others, or tells you how much you have helped them, you have
good reason to doubt if you have the gift of exhortation.
It is also good to
consult with mature Christians who know you and have observed you in your work
for the church.
