Presented, July 10, 2005 am
GIFTS ACCORDING TO OUR ABILITIES
Romans 12:6-8
A couple of weeks ago, a lesson was presented Sunday night dealing with the text in particular. Paul was calling for unity and for all brethren to work together, as a body, fulfilling your individual responsibilities. Having said this, he mentions a number of “gifts” that he calls upon them to use.
In the New Testament, the term “gifts” often has reference to miraculous abilities that were needed as the church was in its infancy and the word of God was being written. Because we have the completed word, such gifts have been “done away” (1 Corinthians 13:8, Jude 3). In the text we want to examine this morning, while there may have been a degree of such in some of the gifts mentioned, you will find this list for the most part deals with God-given abilities that we all possess to some degree or another. And the call of this passage is that whatever abilities God has given us, we need to develop and use them.
With that in mind, today we want to examine the gifts mentioned by Paul in our text and talk about our need to develop whatever abilities we have.
I. We All Have Gifts
a.
There is something each of us can do.
Romans 12:3 speaks of each of us having a “measure of faith”.
We are all different, having differing abilities given to us by God. In fact,
everyone is unique and will NOT have all the same abilities as someone else.
One thing we need to guard against is expecting everyone else to be just like
us. While there are things that we can all do, there are other things not
everyone else can do. And of all the things we do, even those are accomplished
with varying abilities.
b.
God knows what we can do and has a part for us.
1 Corinthians 12:18 says God has placed us in the body just as He wants us.
Ephesians 4:16 speaks of every part doing its share which causes growth of the
body.
He expects us to do our part – cf. Matthew 25:15. We will answer for our
stewardship.
c.
Whatever we do, it must be according to the abilities supplied.
In the list of our text we find the results of their abilities. Excellence is
ALWAYS expected.
1 Peter 4:10-11 – If anyone speaks, …
II. The Gifts Given to us
a. Prophecies –
i. The word has reference to a servant of God who was guided by the Holy Spirit in revealing God’s word for Him. At times they foretold the future, exposed hearts and present conditions and at other times they simply presented God’s message to that generation. The apostles and others during the first century were given this ability through the laying on of the Apostle’s hands (Acts 8:15).
ii.
We live in a time when prophecies have ceased. We have the word of God
in its completed form (Jude 3, 1 Corinthians 13:8-12) and thus we don’t need
prophets.
In this list, this is the ONLY gift that is not still in use. BUT some
liken it to preaching the gospel - Which is presenting the completed message of
God to our generation. Preaching is giving “the sense” (Nehemiah 8:8) of the
text and proclaiming the good news of the gospel of Christ.
iii.
Let us prophecy in proportion to our faith. Another way of saying this
is according to our abilities.
NOT everyone can be a preacher. First, God has placed restrictions on who can
preach publicly and to whom.
Some do not have the ability or the drive that is needed to effectively give
your life to this work. There are others who are blessed with natural ability.
Paul wrote 3 letters to preachers from which we can learn much about the work
involved.
EVEN among preachers there are different abilities. Some are more effective at
reaching the lost and starting churches while others find their strength in
building up the saints, or maintaining churches. There are different styles
that are effective in different parts of the country or world and in different
types of congregations. A preacher needs to figure this out.
b. Ministry –
i. The word means to serve. It can have either a physical or a spiritual implication.
ii.
We are ALL servants and expected to be such. What does it mean to be a
servant? It means to serve another. Being a servant means you understand, IT’S
NOT ABOUT YOU!
We all have the ability to serve in one way or another.
iii.
Mark 10:42-45 – we are all to be servants.
Galatians 5:13 – “through love serve one another”
1 Peter 5:5 – speaks of submitting to one another
iv. Loving your Neighbor is a command repeated several times in the New Testament – Matthew 22:39 – the second greatest command, Romans 13:9 – all commands summed up in this, Galatians 5:14 – all the law fulfilled & James 2:8 – the Royal Law
v. There are many different ways to minister to others.
1. Some have physical abilities while others have mental or educational abilities.
2. We need to serve our brethren, as well as our neighbors and the lost. We serve them in different ways.
3. The rest of the tasks mentioned all involve serving one another.
vi. Whatever abilities you have to serve God and others, do it.
c. Teaching –
i.
In a sense, we all have a responsibility to teach. 1 Peter 3:15 – can
you do this?
Matthew 5:14-16 we all teach by example, etc.
Most of us can do a better job than we are doing right now – Hebrews 5:12
ii.
But some have more abilities and responsibilities than others.
James 3:1 is a strong warning against many teachers
Titus 2:4 - Those who are older NEED to teach the younger
Much of what Paul wrote to Timothy & Titus applies to teacher in a more formal
setting.
iii. We have different abilities and opportunities to teach. There are some who can teach a certain person better than anyone else. There are also different styles that appeal to different people.
iv. It is an ability that needs to be taken seriously and we need to find our limitations. For many, there is only one opportunity to teach and if we “blow it” a soul will be lost. It is possible to do more damage than good in teaching.
Prtesented, July 17, 2005 am
GIFTS ACCORDING TO OUR ABILITIES – 2
Romans 12:6-8
Last week we began a study of this text. Time did not permit the completion in a thorough enough manner so today we continue our study of this text. We noted that in this text Paul is calling for the brethren in Rome to work together in the same fashion as a body. Rather than meaning we all have the same functions and abilities, he notes the opposite – we are all different. We are in the body of Christ the way Christ wants us. We noted that EVERY ONE OF US has abilities and we need to develop them to their fullest. If a church is to thrive it depends one every part doing its share to its fullest potential.
We began to notice the list of “gifts” Paul mentions in our text. While we noted there could have been some degree of direct guidance from the Holy Spirit in some of these gifts, most of them have practical application that applies to every one of us to one degree or another. Our goal is determine what our abilities are and then strive to develop them so that God will be pleased.
Last week we noted the following “gifts”
· Prophesies – one who delivered the message of God in times before the written word was available. While today we do not have this gift anymore (1 Corinthians 13:8-12) we do have some who have the ability and responsibilities to preach the word – that is delivering the message of God’s written word. We also noted there are different abilities in this.
· Ministry – a word that simply means to serve. We pointed out that we are ALL servants (Galatians 5:13). But we have different abilities in the capacity of our service. Whether it be physical or spiritual abilities (more often than not the word is used to describe spiritual works such as preaching (Colossians 1:23-25, 2 Timothy 4:5), or whether it be our abilities toward the lost and/or our brethren.
·
Teaching
– There is a sense in which we are all teachers –
example, giving the answer for our faith. But there is another sense in which
all cannot be teachers (cf. James 3:1). In some instances, you are physically
limited by the word of God and others you simply do not have the ability. We
noted that some cause more damage than good because they try to teach in a
capacity they are not capable of or have developed into.
AFTER the lesson, someone pointed out to me a different way in which some have
the ability to teach. Within the family, parents have an awesome responsibility
to “train up a child in the way he should go” (Proverbs 22:6). As parents we
CANNOT take this responsibility lightly. We must teach our children the
importance of the Lord’s church as well as serving God within the home (cf.
Deut. 6:6-9). We have the power to see that they learn to study at home and
pray throughout the day. WE can show them what it means to put God FIRST or we
can by our example teach them that God gets what is left over. Fathers can
teach their children (both boys and girls) the godly role of a husband and
mothers can teach their children (both sons and daughters) the godly role of a
wife. This is certainly an example of, as our text says, “he who teaches, in
teaching”.
We now continue with this list noting the rest of these “gifts”
III. The Gifts Given to Us (continued)
a. Exhortation –
i.
The word exhort means to call near, invite or invoke (Strong’s);
It is beseeching with a stronger force than simply asking. Vine’s notes of this
word that it is always prospective, meaning looking toward the future in
contrast to comfort which deals with the present.
It is the ability to build up and strengthen one another.
ii.
Again, something we all need to be doing.
Hebrews 3:13 – exhort one another while it is called “today”. This text notes
it is something we ought to do right now because of concerns for one another as
brethren. As we have opportunities, we need to look
Hebrews 10 24-25 – as we come together we exhort one another. Consider the
world we live in, we need to encourage one another. “One another” is an
expression used to describe many of the ways we ought to act toward each other
as brethren.
iii.
But some have more abilities than others in this. There are some with a
natural ability to say the right thing to encourage those who need it. But we
can all be an encouragement to one another. The question is: Are we fulfilling
our responsibilities in this?
There are some who because of circumstances or position need to exhort
2 Timothy 2:4 – preachers are to preach the word, …, reprove, rebuke and exhort
1 Timothy 5:1 – In dealing with an older man, exhort him rather than rebuke him.
(There are times and situations where only YOU have the ability to handle them.
You may be best suited to exhort a family member, or someone who has done
something. Do it!
Titus 1:9 – Elders are to “exhort and convict” those who contradict
iv. Exhortation could be something as simple as welcoming one another before and/or after services or saying, “I’m praying for you.” Or it could involve extensive study as you are dealing with some problem or fault that a brother is overtaken in.
v. Whatever the case, we need to exhort one another with the ability we have been blessed with.
b. Giving –
i. We all need to give. 1 Corinthians 16:1-2 applies to all brethren.
ii. Some can give more than others. Paul was specific with Timothy as to instructing the rich to give more (1 Timothy 6:17-19). AS you have ability, you need to give.
iii. ALSO, giving is much more than money. There is time, our talents & skills, etc.
iv. Paul noted in our text that in whatever you give, it is to be done with liberality (KJV -simplicity – not with a double motive). Paul said, “God loves a cheerful giver” (2 Cor. 9:7)
c. Leading –
i.
There are many texts where specific groups of leaders are mentioned (Eph.
4:11; 1 Corinthians 12:28, etc).
With leadership comes great responsibility –whether speaking of elders,
preachers, teachers or others.
ii. Not everyone can be a leader in the sense the word is used here (but we all lead by example). Elders have certain qualifications, as do deacons and even preachers.
iii. Let it be with diligence. Leaders set the tone for the work. If there is to be unity it starts with the leaders. If we are to grow it starts with the leaders. And as a rule, the degree of diligence determines the degree of growth.
d. Mercy –
i.
We are all expected to be merciful. The word means to have compassion or
pity on another. Other words associated with this include compassion and
kindness.
WE are all here because of God’s mercy –1 Peter 1:3
Note Matthew 5:7 – Blessed are the merciful… Also James 2:13
Colossians 3:12-13 – we are to put that one
ii. We show mercy in a number of ways. By being willing to forgive one another, showing compassion and concern, by being patient with each other, by not assuming the worst of one another, by helping them with their needs.
iii. Paul said, let it be done with cheerfulness. When it comes to our brethren, we ought to count it joy to serve them and be there for them. We WANT to help them in whatever way we can, even if it means we have to sacrifice. That is true mercy.
IV. How do I find out what my gifts are?
a.
We need to find out what we can do.
Far too often, we do not reach our potential because we do not take the time to
find out what we are actually able to do.
b.
First, give it a try.
Often we don’t do more because WE DON’T TRY! We have decided that we can’t do
something and we are satisfied where we are at and doing what we do the way we
do it. Such is limiting your potential.
DON’T give up after one try. That is what many do. Keep working and see how
you improve.
c.
Second, take a spiritual
inventory of your life.
2 Corinthians 13:5. Take some time and consider what you are good at. Notice
your strengths and weaknesses. Build on your strengths and strengthen your
weaknesses. What do you enjoy doing? How can that be applied to your
spiritual service to God? We’ve noticed several “gifts” in this lesson and some
ways to apply those things.
d. Ask others. Sometimes, an external opinion can help you. Ask the elders and those who are around you the most and know you best. Tell them to think about it and give you an objective answer.
Thus we can see some of the abilities Paul called us to look for and develop in our lives. What about you? Are you developing your abilities to the degree you ought to? Are you the asset to the body of Christ here that you ought to be? If not, may this lesson exhort you to take a close look at where you are and determine to do better starting today.
Based on a lesson by Mark Copeland