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After affirmation of the all members being joined together as one working body, Paul reviews a select number of Body Gifts and Individual Gifts. The selected Body Gifts review the succession order of the work of the Apostle, Prophet, and Teacher. The order is not a ranking order of impor-tance; instead the succession order demonstrates how the works of these gifts follow behind each preceding gift. The Individual Gifts can come after the preceding work of the Body Gifts.

Gifts that follow the succession order allow the Church Body to receive the full benefit of the Gifts of the Spirit.

by Pastor Del Phillips

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you

ignorant - I Corinthians 12:1

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ICorinthians 12:27 – Now are ye the body of Christ, and members in par-

ticular. 12:28 – And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondar-

ily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings,

helps, governments, diversities of tongues.

Summation of Gifts :

In the midst of the divisions and schisms among the Corin-thian believers Paul asserts that they are “now” one body. Many appeals and arguments have already been articulated in respect to the particular members of the church becom-ing one spiritual working body. When people take on the task of problem solving sometimes they become absorbed with the task of solving a problem instead of taking action that will bring a resolution. The best remedy for resolving division and conflict is to put into practice the instruction that has already been given and become one “now”.

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Discerning of Spirits is an Individual intuitive Gift. It is the spiritual ability to indiscriminately know and judge what is spiritually true and make that truth known to a an-other member part of the body. Note: the word spirit comes from Greek word “pnuema” which means “current of air”. To discern spirits is to know what direction something or someone is flowing in or from what direction it originated.

Divers Tongues is an Individual speaking Gift. It is the spiritual ability to speak or prophecy the words of the Torah in other languages unknown to the speaker but known to another member part of the body. *study ref: *Ex. 19:1-10/ ICor. 14:1-40

Note:

The Day of Pentecost is apart of the Jewish celebration of Firstfruits (Lev. 23:10-15), including in this celebration is the reading of the Torah as it was first done at Mt. Sinai. God established His first covenant with the exiles from Egypt before the would enter into the Promised Land. The people were required to respond to every word they heard God speak. (Ex. 19:1-10) The words of God are said to have appeared before each man and woman as a flame of fire. (Ps. 29:7) It is believed that the word of God went forth unto the “mixed-multitude” (Ex. 12:38) and was heard by everyone in the surrounding area.

Psalm 68:11 teaches that “Every single word going out from the Omnipotent was split up into seventy languages.” Psalm 29:7 reads, “The voice of Yahweh hews out tongues of fire.” It was understood by Jewish folk of 2000 years ago, that a “tongue as fire” had presented itself to each person at Sinai, to ask if he would accept the Covenant. Those present were from all seventy nations, a "mixed multitude."

Interpretation of Tongues is an Individual speaking Gift. It is the spiritual ability to Cantor the words of the To-rah *study ref: *Ex. 19:1-10/ ICor. 14:1-40

Note:

The same conditions exist in the celebration of Firstfruits in the account given in Acts 2:1-12, the term tongues of fire / interpretation of tongues is a Hebraic expression that represent the distribution of the word of God through out the land to be heard by all men. (Ps. 68:11) This would make the day of Pente-cost in Acts chapter two a replica of the event that took place at Sinai to dis-tribute the “Torah” or “Word of the Lord” to every nation and tongue.

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Now concerning spiritual gifts, breth-ren, I would not have you ignorant.

- I Corinthians 12:1

Spiritual Ignorance

The translated text for verse one actually reads: “Now con-cerning the spirituals brethren, I would not have you ig-norant”. Ignorance of the “spirituals” is the focus of this chapter in Paul’s letter to the church at Corinth. We know that in using the term ignorant that Paul cannot mean that the church of Corinth is unaware of the “spirituals”, because in chapter one verse seven he acknowledges the fact that Corinth comes behind in no gift. The word ignorant in this text means to ignore. Paul is challenging the church of Corinth because they are ignoring the purpose and intent of the “spirituals”.

Spiritual gifts for the Corinthians have become a badge of honor to exalt the gift recipient instead of the gift giver. They see the gifts as spiritual decorations to be worn for ad-miration perhaps so others might be inspired to become like them.

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The spirituals have become corrupted in the possession of city built upon physical beauty and grandeur. In name “Corinth” was a term used for ostentatious or ornate elabo-rate beauty. The entire city was known for its visible orna-mental décor. Now the believers in Corinth were modeling the attitude of the city and ignoring the true intended pur-pose of their spiritual gifts.

The Gifts

Personal gifts we often exchange are usually given based on three common factors: the quality of our relationship with a person, their personal desires or needs, or what we believe fits their personality. Spiritual gifts are not given to meet these requirements. The basis of these gifts is to fulfill God’s express purpose. Everything that God has created was created for His pleasure and for His glory. (Rev. 4:11) Spiritual gifts are not given to believers as a reward or as evidence of spiritual superiority. The word used for gifts in the study text comes from the Greek word “Charis of Charis-mah” which is the derivative root for the word “Grace”. We could correctly translate spiritual gifts as “spiritual grace” that we are given as a gratuitous, undeserved, en-dowment from God. We have been empowered because of grace not because we are great.

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sage for a single occasion.

Word of Knowledge is an Individual speaking Gift. It is the spiritual ability for one member part to speak and give instruction/information on a subject matter that could only be revealed by the spirit of God that causes another member part of the body to take action. Note: this gift is illustrated as a single “word” of wisdom indicating it is a single mes-sage for a single occasion

Faith is an Individual speaking Gift. It is the spiritual (super-natural) ability to believe God on any matter and to speak the word of faith with confidence and boldness to an-other member part of the body.

Healing is an Individual demonstration Gift. It is the spiritual (super-natural) ability believe/produce physical, emotional, or spiritual healing for another member part of the body. Note: this gift is illustrated as a plural “gifts” of healing indicating using one ability, (one individual), to heal many types of sickness or disease.

Miracles is an Individual demonstration Gift. It is the spiritual (super-natural) ability to be used to demonstrate the “dunamis” power and presence of God on the earth to a another member part of the body

Prophecy is an Individual speaking Gift. It is the spiritual ability to foretell the works of God in the earth and in the life of a another member part of the body.

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outside agent to survive.

The Church Body is uniquely designed to also be self-regulating, self-sustaining, and self-healing. The spiritual Body of Christ does not require the aid or assistance of for-eign outside agents for its survival. The Individual Gifts should be used to survey the needs of the body parts and then provide whatever is needed to keep the body regulated, sustained, healthy, and whole.

The human anatomy is so self-regulated that the need of one body part can trigger a response from another body part in an entirely different location of the body. For exam-ple, the foot is designated to provide standing support to the other body parts that tower above the foot. The foot also has the power to move the body from a standing posi-tion and take steps for walking. Before the foot can take a step the body survey must determine what is needed and what is required to complete the task. The body cannot move forward without being able to see where it is going. The foot cannot see. It does not have the gift of sight. The foot was not designed to see how to move forward. The eye gift must provide what the foot gift does not have to allow the body to execute the task of walking. The foot naturally concedes to ability of the eyes to lead and the eyes naturally defer to the foot to move the body forward. The Individual Gifts are distributed to individual body parts to allow each body part to serve and support another body part for the benefit of the whole body.

Word of Wisdom is an Individual speaking Gift. It is the spiritual ability for one member part to speak words of di-vine counsel that reveal and confirm the plan of God to an-other member part of the body. Note: this gift is illustrated as a single “word” of wisdom indicating it is a single mes-

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For I long to see you, that I may im-part unto you some spiritual gift, to the

end ye may be established – Romans 1:11

God’s Intent

What is God’s intention for giving us “spiritual grace”? The gift is an impartation. In Romans 1:11, we find two impor-tant terms used in Paul’s declaration that will help us un-derstand the intended purpose of God’s gift. First we must understand that a gift is bestowed upon the believer. Paul uses the term “impart”, which means to give over, bestow, or put upon someone with the hand. Using this word Paul puts emphasis on the fact that a spiritual gift is something that must be put upon someone. The gift is not something that can be earned or purchased by someone who wants it. It must be given, it must be bestowed. Natural gifts can be conveniently be purchased whenever we feel we deserve to be treated with something special. Spiritual gifts require us to wait for the gift giver. The second important term de-fines the intent for which the gift is given: “to the end ye may be established”. The Greek word for established used in this verse is “sterizo”. This term means to settle and turn in a resolutely in a certain or fixed direction. Spiritual gifts are given to turn the believer in a fixed direction towards

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the intended purpose of God. Without spiritual gifts or grace, believers have no spiritual mission or ministry. We would be saved from our sins without any further specific purpose.

Many believers live as if they have no specific purpose, as if they are simply awaiting their departure for the first rapture flight to heaven. There are believers become enamored with the work of their own hands and are absorbed with pursuing personal accomplishment. Every gift given to every believer is intended to be used to fulfill God’s purpose for our life.

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ICorinthians 12:8– For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to

another the word of knowledge, by the same Spirit; 12:9 – To another faith by

the same Spirit; to another gifts of healing, by the same Spirit; 12:10 – To

another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discern-ing of spirits; to another divers kinds

of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues

Individual Gifts (service, examine, repair par-ticular parts of body):

The Individual Gifts listed in ICorinthians are gifts desig-nated to respond to the individual needs of the body. Using the human body as an example of how the individual gifts work to keep the Church Body whole and healthy is fitting because the anatomical structure of the human body is the most amazing example of perfection in all of God’s creation. The human body is a self-contained micro-universe of cells, nerves, and tissue that do not require assistance from any

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Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led. Wherefore I give you to un-derstand, that no man speaking by the

spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed: and that no man can say that Jesus is

the Lord, but by the Holy Ghost.

- I Corinthians 12:2-3

Our Spiritual Past

Sometimes we must be reminded of our past to get us prop-erly focused on our present task. Paul recalled how the Co-rinthians were once carried away with the God’s crafted by their own hands. Great skill and craftsmanship went into the construction of their Gods. No expense was spared in using the finest gold and jewels for the decorum of their idol temples as a monument to their God’s which attracted travelers from around the world. The idolatry of the Corinthians was an example of how men are influenced to worship the work of their own hands.

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Paul had to remind the Corinthian church how dull their senses were in the past. The influence of our own work makes us numb to the work of God. We cannot recognize that Jesus is Lord when we are carried away with our own human accomplishments. We can only confess Jesus as Lord by the Holy Ghost speaking in us not by anything that we can do or accomplish.

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of a whole body has led to self-endowed subdivisions break-ing away from the general church to create their own brand and preference of ministry. Body parts may despise and discriminate against one another but because they are joined together in Christ they cannot be spiritually survive if they are separated. Spiritual body parts cannot survive being separate from other parts of the Church Body no more than a physical body part can survive being separated from the human body. Break away ministry branches are spiritual anomalies and the branches should be encouraged to re-connect to the spiritual body.

The secondary problem that follows when body parts are discontent with their placement is the body will attempt to diminish the role of the whole body to one diluted single function. Every body part has a unique assignment in the Church Body. In ICorinthians 12:17, Paul challenges the church with respect to what would happen if the whole body were to function as a single gift. If the whole body func-tioned as an eye; how could the body hear? If the whole body was an ear; how could the body smell? The signifi-cance of an individual gift is only relevant in the contrast mixture of other gifts. If the whole body has only one gift the ability to meet the diverse needs within the body is greatly diminished.

The natural and spiritual body benefits from the unique gift each body part furnishes. Every body part has a designated gift function and the body needs the function of every desig-nated gift.

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way for the presence of great spiritual ignorance. This paradox explains why Paul opens this section of the Corin-thian letter with the words: “Now concerning the spiritual gifts, brethren I would not have you ignorant”. The evi-dence convincingly points against the brethren at Corinth for being divisively ignorant.

The New Testament Church was a union of Jew and Gentile believers. The differences within their cultures created di-vision and inequity in their relationship with each other. The early Church needed to eradicate the discrimination between Jew and Gentile in order to homogenize all believ-ers as one in Christ. Paul uses the human anatomy as a point of reference to describe how the union of many sepa-rate parts makes a whole physical body. In ICorinthians 12:13, he illustrates how Jews and Gentiles are both bap-tized, (immersed), into the same body.

He further argues that a body part cannot be separated from the body by simply declaring it is not a part of the body. There was discord in the church because Gentile body parts were competing to assume the gift function of Jewish body parts and vice-versa. Body parts are set into the human body and they are not interchangeable. A foot cannot exchange places with the hand or an eye exchange places with an ear. The same is true with the spiritual body; every believer must use their gift in the place where God has set them in the body.

Jews or Gentiles in the Corinthian church that were not sat-isfied with their gift placement wanted to use their gift in alternate areas of the body more desirable to them. When they were admonished to remain in their set place some member parts would declare they were no longer a part of the body. The idea that Body parts can survive independent

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Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us…

-Romans 12:6

Now there are diversities of gifts but the same spirit

- I Corinthians 12:4

Diversity of gifts Types, Administration, Operation,

Types - In this passage we discover that we have gifts that differ according to “the grace” that is given to us. We have already learned that we are empowered because of grace, Paul now leads to us understand that all gifts are universally distributed through grace but each members of the body is given a gift that makes us distinctively different.

The word diversities used in ICorinthians in the Greek language actually means “distinction”. We must learn the

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value of being one or united; but we equally must under-stand and respect the importance of not all being the same. Oneness is not to be mistaken for sameness.

We often eliminate the opportunity for unique expression of gifts that God has planted in the body because we overlook the gifts that don’t mirror our expectation of sameness. There is an implied expectation for other member parts to be identical to our own individual likeness. We don’t want other gifts to make us feel uncomfortable in the way that the gift presents itself. This prejudice causes many gifts in the body to inactive; and over-all makes the body less distinc-tive and more typical.

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ICorinthians 12:14– For the body is not one member but many. 12:15 – If

the foot shall say, Because I am not the hand, I am not of the body; is it there-

fore not of the body? 12:16 – And if the ear shall say, Because I am not the eye, I am not of the body; is it therefore not of the body? 12:17 – If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were

the smelling? 12:18 – But now hath God set the members ever one of them

in the body, as it hath pleased him.

Individual Gifts (service, examine, repair par-ticular parts of body):

The church at Corinth was blessed with great gifts but they were also plagued with great division and competition con-cerning the use of Individual Gifts. Division and infighting are directly related to the misuse and misunderstanding of the “spirituals”. The absence of spiritual knowledge makes

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tive strength of the whole body. The end goal the eternal Body Gifts is to make one perfect man; one complete un-ion among all the body parts. The work that Christ left be-hind was making all believers as one in faith, one in our knowledge of God’s son, and one in the mature stature of Christ. This is the final work of Christ in the life of every believer so we will no longer be like children tossed to and fro with every wind of doctrine. That was our status when Christ left the earth. The eternal Body Gifts are given to the church to make the whole body strong. Making the whole body strong keeps the spiritual body healthy in order to pre-vent single body parts from straying off in the wrong direc-tion.

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Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us…

-Romans 12:6

Now there are diversities of gifts but the same spirit

- I Corinthians 12:4

Administration – The administration of gifts refers to how gifts serve the body. Each gift is distinctive in how it serves the needs of the body. How each gift serves is based upon what the body needs. The body should not adjust for the needs of the gift, the gift should adjust for the needs of the body. A ministry gift should naturally find its place based on where it is needed not based on where the gift wants to function.

In Proverbs 18:16 the wisdom of Solomon teaches us that “a man’s gift will make room for him and bring him before great men”. When our attention is focused on what the body needs we will discover that our gift will naturally make room for us to serve the body.

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There are needs in the body that are un-met because people are not looking for opportunities to serve. There are more people that want to be served then there are people that are willing to become servants. The single purpose of having a ministry gift is to serve the needs of the church body.

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Pastor they are shepherds that lead sheep to spiritual pas-tures where they can feed. As a Teacher they are shepherds with a rod and staff to discipline, correct, and instruct the sheep so they can learn the right path to follow. As Pastor and Teacher the Body Gift must be used to nourish and nudge the sheep. Pastors are not just expected to lead sheep to the water for nourishment but to nudge them with the rod of instruction to get the sheep to drink.

Perfecting –These gifts have a specific assignment, “for the perfecting of the saints; for the work of the ministry; for the edifying of the Body of Christ. The word “perfecting” is Katartismos in the Greek which means: “to arrange or set I order”. The eternal Body Gifts are responsible positioning the body parts and the body ministry in its proper place. Each gift is used to help maintain the spiritual order of the Church Body. Every believer must understand where and how they are fit into the church body. When body parts are out of place the ministry of the church is dysfunctional. The church cannot do the work of ministry when it is dys-functional. If the church is not doing the work of ministry then the church has no purpose. Without fulfilling its pur-pose the church simply becomes a gathering place instead of an assembled body of believers. The church is assembled to do collectively what cannot be accomplished by a single individual. Collectively the church is called to complete and finish the work that Christ began. The work cannot be finished if the church is dysfunctional and out of order.

These Body Gifts also help build up or edify the Body of Christ. The Church Body is made stronger when every part becomes stronger. The church can be no greater than the sum strength of all of its parts. The strength of the church is not in the ability of one single body part but in the collec-

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Apostle’s voice establishes order in the Church Body and helps drive the church in the right direction to conquer spiritual and natural territory in the earth. The intent of the apostolic ministry is to push the church to carry the King-dom message to places where it is unknown or not estab-lished. The Apostle is the great seed planter. The Apostle’s ministry gift will plant seeds, ideas, and designs in the thoughts and minds of believers; and others may come later to cultivate, water, and nourish those things into fruition.

The Prophetic gift is listed in both gift sets to place em-phasis on the necessity the spoken word for the immediate and eternal needs of the Church Body. As a ministry office the Prophetic gift is constant voice speaking to the eternal needs and direction of the church. The Old Testament Prophets were known as advisors to Judges and Kings. The voice of the prophet brings Godly counsel to those who have been given leadership and oversight in the church.

The Evangelist is the preaching gift to Body. Careful ex-amination of scripture would off-set the current day view of the Evangelist as someone that goes out from the Body to preach to the lost. The instructions to minister to the lost are given to individual believers not to a specialized group of preachers. Sheep are responsible for giving spiritual birth to more sheep. Paul admonishes Timothy to do the work of the Evangelist in the church because of those who were giving their ears to listen to tainted doctrine. (IITim 4:3-5) The Evangelist is called to preach and re-preach to the Church Body to keep them mindful of the truth that has saved them.

Pastors and Teachers are Body Gifts that are inter-changeable. They are both responsible for the ongoing spiritual maintenance and development of the Body. As a

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Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us…

-Romans 12:6

Now there are diversities of gifts but the same spirit

- I Corinthians 12:4

Operations – The operation of ministry gifts is a term used for articulating the outcome or concluding effect of ministry gifts. God uses various gifts to achieve very spe-cific outcomes. The end results of gifts operating in the body are not random or left to chance; but instead the out-comes are based upon what God is doing specifically in the life of every believer. Every gift operates by the same Spirit and the objective of every gift should be to serve the body so that the body can to reach its full spiritual potential.

Every gift has the same objective as described above but every gift does not end with the same results. The end re-sults will vary because of how God chooses to work in the each individual event. Even the results of the same gift in operation may vary from one case to another. We should

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not measure the results of one gift against another. Results are the outcome of God’s will not mans will or because of man’s ability. God is sovereign and His results are sover-eign; they cannot be changed and often cannot be ex-plained.

The Operation of the Spirit also reflects the literal strength, might, and power that are used to achieve the end results. The volume or amount of power

demonstrated by one gift may differ from another, but it does not mean that one gift is less powerful than the other. The active power or energy source is the same for all gifts but the manifestation of that power will different among the gifts.

Consider the fact that the electrical power or energy that is transmitted into your home does not vary from room to room. The power that energizes the appliances in your kitchen and demonstrates more power does not come from a different electrical grid than the power that simply turns the lights on in your bedroom. You don’t need the same demonstration of power in the bedroom but it does not mean there is less power available in the room. The power coming into the house originates from the same source but each room of the house has different needs.

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behind work that is not yet completed.

The text makes it clear that Christ gave gifts to men. The emphasis on how these offices and responsibilities are con-ferred upon men reflects the oversight authority that Christ has upon the Church. The ministry offices that preside over the Church are given they are not elected.

Giving gifts to men was the end result of Christ “leading captivity captive”. This is a folklore term in reference of a defeated army that is forcibly paraded before his captor. This reference is in-tended to symbolize the victory of the resurrected Christ and the procession of the captured enemy now parading be-fore God’s throne. All the plans and the works of God’s enemies have been captured and annulled. During the cap-tivity procession the victor would take the spoils confiscated from the enemy and divide them among the army of sol-diers that went to battle on behalf of their King. Christ giv-ing gifts to men is type of dividing the spoils of a defeated opponent. These gifts were given to further the work of God’s Kingdom.

Ephesians 4:11 intentionally uses the term “some” in de-scribing the distribution of the eternal service gifts. Some is not intended to imply a restricted selection; in contrast it actually is a Greek pronoun that means to include all gen-der types. Understanding the use of this term would elimi-nate the debate over whether men and women can be used in the service represented by these gifts.

The Apostle Gift: Apostle means ambassador; one who is assigned to represent. The Apostle is the official ambassa-dor of the gospel and the Kingdom message. This ministry gift is used to establish the work of God in the earth. The

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– That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and car-ried about with every wind of doc-trine, by the sleight of men, and cun-ning craftiness, whereby the lie in wait to deceive;

Body gifts (service eternal needs):

There are five Body Gifts that Paul identifies in this letter to the church of Ephesus. These gifts are often considered to be the official ministry offices that preside over the New Testament church. A ministry office represents a set, per-manent, or ongoing assignment that a person is given in the Church Body.

The Body Gifts in the book of Romans are used to service the immediate needs in the Body and they are not con-stantly in use. The service gifts in Ephesians are a life time calling to serve the ongoing eternal needs of the Church Body until Christ returns.

The distribution of these gifts corresponds with the depar-ture of Christ from His ministry here on earth. This helps to place emphasis on the disciple’s responsibility to finish the ministry that Christ began; this is the intended purpose for these gifts. Upon His departure it was imperative that Christ would empower men to continue ministry in His ab-sence. It is at the height of His ascension that the text illus-trates Christ gave gifts to men. This illustration signifies transition. Christ is departing at the height of His earthly assignment; His task is finished, but notably He is leaving

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But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.

- I Corinthians 12:7

Everyman gifts

The great personal quest of many believers is to understand what God wants to do with their life. We often ask: “has God given me any special gifts, talents, or abilities”? To be-gin our quest to answer this question we need to clarify the differences among these three terms.

Ability is a reference to personal skills. There are people that are born with natural abilities in the arts, sports, or lit-erature. There are others that come into the world with an aptitude for math, science, or business. These are abilities that are birth given or skills that are developed through training and education.

The word talent is used differently in today’s language than it was used in its Latin and Greek origin. In application the word talent was used as a reference for weight or measure. A talent was an object that had a known weight. In the mar-

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ket place a person that wanted to exchange material goods for money or to trade one material item for another needed to know the weight their goods in order to determine their value. The talent was used to determine the weight of an-other object and subsequently establish a market value for that object. In some of the later Latin uses the word “talent” would find the terms “inclination, leaning, will, desire” attached to its definition. From these the terms the word talent has evolved to imply natural abilities that a person “leans to-ward”.

Abiding by the original definition, we should use the word talent as a reference to how we weigh or measure our re-sponse to the task or assignment God has empowered us to fulfill. The servants in the parable of the talents were judged for how they made use of the talents given to them. (Matthew 25:15) The illustration portrayed in the parable demonstrates how the profitable servants used the talents to gain more talents. If the talents are objects used for measuring and weighing, then gaining more talents means that the talents would be used to weigh and measure the servants value in their master’s kingdom. The teaching principle in the parable is about increase not ability. How we increase our usefulness, accessibility and availability, in God’s kingdom work is what is expected of God’s servants.

We can now focus our attention on the question: “has God given me any special gifts”? In ICorinthians 12:7, there are two key words, manifestation; which means “to reveal or make known” and profit which means “to gain an advan-tage or increase”. The definitions help us to understand that in order to gain an advantage or increase in the opportunity for all men to know God, that He will use any man or every man.

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Ephesians 4:8 – Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. 4:9 – (Now that he ascended, what is it but that he also descended first into the lower parts of the earth? 4:10 – He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things. 4:11 – And he gave some, apostles, and some prophets; and some, evangelists, and some, pastors and teachers, 4:12 – For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: 4:13 – Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man,unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ: 4:14

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The gift of Ministry is defined by service and waits to be used to serve wherever needed. The gift of teaching serves by providing instruction that helps the body to grow and spiritually develop. The gift of Exhortation serves as ready voice to build up and repair breaches and brokenness when the body has been damaged. The Giving gift will give with simplicity; which means it gives with singleness of purpose, having no intentions to receive something in return. Giving serves by specifically supplying the body with what it needs at the time it is needed. Mercy serves as the gift of compas-sion. Mercy is love in action responding to service needs without conditional requirements. The gift of ruling is serv-ing as an over-seer; to stand watch and take responsibility for what is needed without hesitation.

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Unique qualifications on the part of men are not required to make it possible for God to use men for His purpose. There are many examples in the Old and New Testament that pro-vide proof of God using people to further His divine cause and purpose that do not meet the norms of traditional qualification.

We often discount the possibility of God empowering us to do anything great for Him because we don’t believe we are qualified. Every believer must learn and understand that God has pre-qualified us for whatever He chooses to do with our life. Every man and every believer is a potential instrument for God to reach all men. In response to the question: “has God given me any special gift”, we answer, “Yes”; everyman can be used by God.

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Ministry is defined by the Greek word “diakonia”, which means “servant”. The word “Deacon” has its origin from this same Greek word. The ministry of the Deacon is to serve the body. In truth, the ministry of every Body Gift is to serve the body. In a previous lesson it was established that the Administra-tion of the gifts refers to how the gifts serve the body. The gifts listed in Romans 12:7-8 are “service” gifts. Ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, ruling, and mercy are all gifts dedicated to service the needs of the church body. Paul also refers to these gifts as “wait on gifts”, which means the gifts are to be used as or when they are needed.

Service is not a new principle in ministry. The model for Administration-Service was established by David, the sec-ond King of Israel. In IChronicles 15:1, David is preparing a place for the Ark of the Covenant that he has retrieved from the Philistines, but he must first restore the order of the Le-vite ministry. The tribe of Levi was set apart to “serve the house of God”. (Numbers 1:49-50) Only Levite hands can handle the cart that carries the Ark. David restores the Ark into the hands of the Levites. He then appoints singers and musicians to lead the tribute in honor of the return of the Ark. (IChron. 15:17-23) Until the end IChronicles, chapter 27, David continues to make new appointments of musi-cians, treasurers, door keepers, vineyard keepers, herds-man, shepherds, and rulers of the Kings substance. Each appointment represents service that must be rendered for the benefit of the tabernacle. This is the model upon which the purpose of the Body Gifts is based. Every ministry gift like every Levi appointment is intended to benefit the Body of Christ, God’s spiritual tabernacle.

Ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, ruling, and mercy are all gifts dedicated to service and should be used as Le-vite gifts to serve the needs of the church.

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The Body Gifts are listed in two sections of scripture. The Body Gifts listed in Romans 12:6-8 are gifts that are used to service the immediate needs of the Body of Christ. These gifts also have a starting point and end point, because the gift is designed to be used on an as need basis. The Body Gifts listed in Ephesians 4:11are gifts that are used to ser-vice the eternal needs of the Body of Christ. These gifts are set as a spiritual office in the Body and they will not end un-til Christ returns.

Body gifts (service immediate needs):

Prophecy begins the list of Body Gifts identified in Ro-mans 12:6. The prophetic gift is used as God’s mouthpiece to speak instruction, direction, and correction to the whole church body. The prophetic message is spoken in propor-tion to the faith and reliance the messenger has in God. The word proportion comes from the Greek word “ana-logos”, which binds together two words: “ana” which means “a piece” and the word “logos” which means “spoken word”. Together the meaning of “ana-logos” means to speak pieces or portions of something. The prophetic word will not reveal the whole of any matter; only to the portions of what God has given to the messenger to speak. This restriction keeps the messenger and the mes-sage receiver reliant to follow God and not to follow the words of a man. If men were given the ability to see and forecast the complete future no one would remain faithful to hearing God for more instructions. Incorrect use of this gift can create self-promotion because of the ability that this gift gives to men; self promotion has caused many to follow after gifted men and the words they speak instead of following after God. The gifts empower men to allow God to do great things through them; but they are not intended to make men powerful and great beyond their need for God.

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As every man hath received the gift, even so minister the same one to an-other, as good stewards of the mani-

fold grace of God.

- I Peter 4:10

There are two gifts that God has given to all men: grace and faith. Grace and Faith are universal gifts. Both gifts can be unused and under-developed; but they cannot be earned and they cannot be lost. These two gifts are intended to make all men equal and should keep all men parallel to each other.

In IPeter 4:10, the apostle acknowledges that every man has received the gift of grace and should minister the same grace to one another. The reference to minister the same actually means to reach backwards to others as if you were reaching to help yourself. The Greek word “autos” that is used here, for minister the same, implies an unconscious act. Our desire to show grace to one another should be done without thought in the same manner we would want someone to reach out to us if we were the one in need.

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Grace is universally given because grace is universally needed. The gift of grace demonstrates God’s favor towards all men. In turn all men that have received God’s grace should share this gift freely and as often as needed. We live in such a response and reward society that it is often chal-lenging to automatically respond to needs without evalua-tion. The universal gift of grace reinforces the understand-ing that men enjoy benefits and blessing from God that they have not earned. Giving us this common shared thread is intended to prevent us to assume ownership and control of ministry gifts that we did not earn and that do not belong to us.

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Romans 12:6 – Having then gifts dif-fering according to the grace that is give to us, whether prophecy, let us proph-

esy according to the proportion of faith; 12:7 – Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on

teaching; 12:8 – Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him

do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy,

with cheerfulness.

There are variable gifts in the body that are a contrast to the universal gifts of grace and faith. These gifts are separated into two categories and can be classified as: “Body gifts” and “Individual Gifts”. The “Body Gifts” are used to set order, sustain spiritual growth, and provide stability for the entire church body. Individual gifts are used to service, examine, and repair particular parts of the body in order maintain the harmony of the whole body.

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The universal gift of faith is given to every man to keep every man from thinking to highly of himself. Egotism and self-exaggeration are signs insobriety. These attributes do not represent sober behavior. Men who are not sober are not balanced. Spiritual imbalance is a result of losing the superior reference point that keeps us grounded. When men stop looking to God for support they become self reli-ant and self aggrandizing. They will also expect others to see them in the same way they see themselves.

When the influence of self-drunkenness wears off men will come to their senses and how much they need God and what little they can do without Him. The hang-over reality is that everyman has the same faith that comes from God and everyman needs the measure that God has given to them.

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For I say through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you,

not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think so-

berly, according as God has dealt to everyman the measure of faith

-Romans 12:3

The second universal gift is faith. Faith is defined as total reliance upon something or someone. The gift of faith is a stabilizer. Gifting us with faith gives us stability while we journey through the ups and downs of life. Our faith in God gives us a superior reference point to keep us grounded and secure when we face the difficult moments in life.

The gift of faith is not a talent or ability; instead it is confi-dent reliability in something that we do not need physical evidence to sustain. Our ability to believe God when facts are not present is a gift, because maintaining confidence in something when facts are not present is un-natural.