| introduction
to the City's Gate |
Section
2 - the
vows IV - C |
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IV.
Commitment to
the Church as a Family (continued)
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Vow 4: "Do you promise to
support the church in its worship
and work to the best of your
ability?” |
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C. " ... to
the best of your ability.”
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| This part of
the vow leads us to the topic of spiritual gifts. To some, it
is a mystery only for the initiated; for others, it is a topic to be
discussed and dissected with zeal. Needless to say, this makes for some
confusion surrounding the issue. Discussion
of and attention to spiritual gifts is a recent phenomenon in the church,
probably within the past 25 years. We
will consider the topic in two dimensions:
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1.
The vertical dimension:
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| The New Testament specifically mentions
spiritual gifts in four places: Romans 12:3-8; 1 Corinthians 12:1-13,
27-31; Ephesians 4:7,8,11; and 1 Peter 4:10-11. The term comes from the Greek work charismata,
which has the idea of a gracious bestowal.
Whatever else they are, their name necessarily implies a
"giving," and in this case they are given by God. The use of
gifts is everywhere assumed, but rarely is it commanded.
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 | In 1 Corinthians 12 the only imperative is in v. 31, "earnestly
desire the greater gifts." This command is picked up in chapter
14, re: the proper use of tongues and prophecy.
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| In Romans 12 the words "let him use" are added to the text, the
emphasis being on the comparison of vs. 4-5.
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| The Ephesians 4 passage is purely descriptive.
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| 1 Peter 2 does have an imperative: ministering. This passage
classifies gifts into speaking and serving. |
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| In accord with the New Testament concept of the
fullness of the Spirit, his work in every believer is emphasized. There is
no suggestion, however, that a gift is static in a believer, similar to
eye color and shoe size. |
| The lists of gifts are not the same in the
above passages, and the relatively infrequent mention of gifts in the Old
Testament contains different workings. Therefore
the charismata should not be
limited to these lists. |
| No instructions whatsoever are given as to
"discovering your spiritual gift/s." Therefore it would seem
reasonable that we not waste time and energy trying to do so. |
| No mention of charismata
is to be found in the book of Acts. When you read about the
preponderance of gifts in the church at Corinth, it becomes remarkable
that Luke says nothing about them. Then again, for Luke the Holy Spirit is
the gift who has been poured out on the church by the risen
and exalted Jesus. Acts is the
account of what Jesus continued to do through the Holy Spirit. So, in the
Acts numerous ministry activities are mentioned, some of which are named
as gifts elsewhere in the Scriptures.
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| So then, spiritual gifts are specific
enablements by the Holy Spirit for the purpose of ministry.
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2.
The horizontal dimension:
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| The New Testament does contain many specific
commands about ministry within the church. They are best seen in the
exhortations which include the words "one
another." |
| Christ is more pleased when we concentrate on
ministering to one another, through these specific commands, than if we
focus on exercising a spiritual gift. In Paul’s instructions for
spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12-14, we read, “Since you are eager to
have spiritual gifts, try to excel in gifts that build up the church
(14:12)" and, “All of
these must be done for the strengthening of the church (14:26).” This is how we become means
of grace to other believers. |
| These commands are specific enough to direct us
in ministering to one another, but general enough to allow for various
means of fulfillment. Paul wrote,
"God works in us to will and to do his good pleasure."
Obviously he works differently from one believer to the next, so
this suggests a different plan of ministry for each person. |
| God will give you the gifts that are
necessary in order to perform whatever ministry he works in you to do.
If God has put some burden on your heart, that is likely the
beginning of a spiritual gift, especially if your burden is in response
to a "one another."
And if he has worked in you to want to do something, then he will
also work in you to perform the same. This is the work of the Holy Spirit
in you, the greatest gift of God; this is your spiritual gift for the here and now:
next year it
might be something different.
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