The essence of this presentation
is to expressly point out how spiritual gifts impact the Church of Christ. Now,
numerous passages show the purpose of spiritual gifts to be the effect they
have on the Body of Christ:
1 Corinthians 12:7 - "Now
to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good."
Ephesians 4:12 - "to
prepare God's people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be
built up"
1 Peter 4:10 - "Each
one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others..."
Ø As
you can read in these bible references, spiritual gifting is not for personal
benefit or selfish gain. Rather, the gifts are for the benefit of the body of
Christ.
Ø When
properly exercised, spiritual gifts will contribute to the overall health and
growth of the church. Remember the truth of Ephesians 4:16 which is written in
the context of spiritual gifting:
Ø From him the whole body, joined
and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in
love, as each part does its work.
Ø When
the gifts are not properly exercised, the church will miss out on these
benefits and effects.
1. EXPERIENCING THE FULLNESS OF GOD’S
LOVE
Ø Spiritual
gifts are part of the very nature of God, given to us for Him to use to fulfill
His purposes in our lives and on the earth.
Ø In
Paul's letter to the Ephesians Church, it clearly explained the purpose of
spiritual gifts. God gave spiritual gifts:
for
the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of
the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge
of the Son of God, unto a perfect [complete] man, unto the measure of the
stature of the fullness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children,
tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine by the sleight
[fraud] of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive;
but speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the
head, even Christ (Eph. 4:12–15).
Ø As
we use our spiritual gifts, the Body of Christ will be edified, unified, and
matured; we will avoid deception by Satan and by wicked men; and we will grow
in Christ.
2. The Church Is Designed to Function
in Harmony
Ø The
Body of Christ is meant to function in the same manner that a physical body
functions: “The body is one, and hath
many members, and all the members of that one body, being many, are one body .
. .” (I Cor. 12:12).
Ø The
unity and interdependency of the body is an example of how spiritual gifts
influence the Church.
Ø “The
idea that the Holy Spirit unifies the church is also evident in the fact that ‘strife
. . . disputes, dissensions, factions’ (Gal. 5:20 NASB) are desires of
the flesh that are opposed to being ‘led by the Spirit’ (Gal. 5:18, cf.
v. 25). The Holy Spirit is the one who produces love in our hearts (Rom. 5:5;
Gal. 5:22; Col. 1:8), and this love ‘binds everything together in perfect
harmony’ (Col. 3:14). Therefore when the Holy Spirit is working
strongly in a church to manifest God’s presence, one evidence will be a
beautiful harmony in the church and overflowing love for one another”.
3. Each Member of the Body Is Given
Spiritual Gifts
Ø Solely
as the result of His choice, God gives each of His children one motivational
gift at salvation, and He bestows the ministry gifts and manifestation gifts as
He pleases. God Himself strategically places the members of the Body of
Christ—with their variety of God-given gifts—in the Body.
Ø Ideally,
these members do not function independently as servants of God; rather they
function as a healthy, contributing member of the Church: “Now hath God set the members
every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him. . . . And the eye cannot
say unto the hand, I have no need of thee: nor again the head to the feet, I
have no need of you” (I Cor. 12:18, 21).
4. The Fullness of God’s Love Is
Expressed in the Gifts
Ø If
one Christian possessed all of the spiritual gifts, he would be self-sufficient
and have no need of the other members. Yet God has deliberately given us
different gifts: we need each other.
Ø As
each believer responds to needs according to his particular spiritual gift, and
as God allows believers to serve Him in various roles of spiritual service, the
Body of Christ can experience the fullness of God’s love.
5. Neglected Gifts Diminish the
Church’s Effectiveness
Ø If
we do not accept and obediently use our spiritual gifts, which are expressions
of “the
manifold grace of God” (I Peter 4:10), WE NEGLECT GOD’S WORK OF GRACE IN OUR LIVES.
Ø We
will “fail
of the grace of God” (Hebrews 12:15). God forbid that we would make
that choice!
6. The Gifts Give Direction and
Purpose in Life
Ø Knowing
that each of us has gifts that are valuable and needed in the Body of Christ
gives us purpose in God’s kingdom.
Ø As
we demonstrate the love of God through gifts that He gives us, we can
experience personal fulfillment and great joy: we can experience purpose in
life. As we mature in our understanding of spiritual gifts and learn to be
channels of God’s power as He works through them, we are equipped to bear
abundant fruit in the kingdom of God.