"For through the grace given to me I say to every man among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think; but to think so as to have sound judgment, as God has allotted to each a measure of faith. For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness."
Romans 12:3-8
"Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the dumb idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you, that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus is accursed"; and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills." (vs.28), “And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.”
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
"But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, "When He ascended on high, He led captive a host of captives, And He gave gifts to men." (Now this expression, "He ascended," what does it mean except that He also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is Himself also He who ascended far above all the heavens, that He might fill all things.) And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. As a result, we are no longer to be children, tossed here and there by waves, and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, by craftiness in deceitful scheming; but speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in all aspects into Him, who is the head, even Christ, from whom the whole body, being fitted and held together by that which every joint supplies, according to the proper working of each individual part, causes the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love."
Ephesians 4:7-16
"The end of all things is at hand; therefore, be of sound judgment and sober spirit for the purpose of prayer. Above all, keep fervent in your love for one another, because love covers a multitude of sins. Be hospitable to one another without complaint. As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Whoever speaks, let him speak, as it were, the utterances of God; whoever serves, let him do so as by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."
1 Peter 4:7-11
Point Number One.
Stay humble.
There is no pride to be gained by your spiritual gift.
Point Number Two.
Let the Spirit drive.
You should always be in the passenger seat in this arrangement.
Point Number Three.
No amputee parts.
Your spiritual gift is not meant for your own edification, it joins you to the body in order to "cause the growth of the body for the building up of itself in love"
Point Number Four.
Not for the self-centered.
You can't be selfish and be exercising your spiritual gift in the Spirit at the same time.
Often when I say that all fleshly effort has to be abandoned in order to walk in the Spirit, it results in the misconception that abandoning fleshly effort leads to sitting back and doing nothing. Nothing could be farther from the truth. Walking in the Spirit doesn't mean doing nothing, it just means that the "why" of what you do gets a radical overhaul. It means that you will stop exercising your spiritual gifts
in your own strength,
for selfish reasons,
for personal gain,
for your own edification,
for the boosting of your pride,
for being seen by others,
for acknowledgement,
for praise,
for position,
for your own good,
your own satisfaction,
your own righteousness.
Instead, you'll be exercising your gifts
in God's strength,
to serve others,
to cause others to grow,
for another's honor,
by God's grace,
with diligence,
cheerfully,
for the common good,
in love,
to equip another for service,
to see maturity in another,
as a good steward,
that God may be glorified.
Outstanding insights!
ReplyDelete