Treasures New and Old

Exercising Our Spiritual Gift(s) – Distinctions in Gift Lists

The first article of this series provided us with a “waterfront” of verses and some expansion of what those verses mean as regards to spiritual gifts. The second article had us look closer at the way some people look at the spiritual gifts. Most folks simply take all of the various gifts and place them into a long list as if there are no differences between them. Let’s first list those gift names under their respective locations:

Let’s examine the first list in Romans, chapter 12:

Romans 12:1-21:

I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service. And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God. 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 soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching; Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that showeth mercy, with cheerfulness. Let love be without dissimulation. Abhor that which is evil; cleave to that which is good. Be kindly affectioned one to another with brotherly love; in honor preferring one another; Not slothful in business; fervent in spirit; serving the Lord; Rejoicing in hope; patient in tribulation; continuing instant in prayer; Distributing to the necessity of saints; given to hospitality. Bless them which persecute you: bless, and curse not. Rejoice with them that do rejoice, and weep with them that weep. Be of the same mind one toward another. Mind not high things, but condescend to men of low estate. Be not wise in your own conceits. Recompense to no man evil for evil. Provide things honest in the sight of all men. If it be possible, as much as lieth in you, live peaceably with all men. Dearly beloved, avenge not yourselves, but rather give place unto wrath: for it is written, Vengeance is mine; I will repay, saith the Lord. Therefore if thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink: for in so doing thou shalt heap coals of fires on his head. Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.

All of the exhortations in verses 9 through 15 are both addressed to everyone and to each individual gift.

Verse 9: For example, the prophet tends to see black and white in the world. It is either right or wrong in accordance to God’s Word. Therefore, he/she is not to judge with hypocrisy or feigned reasoning, perhaps to placate a rich believer when they sin, or to avoid a matter in Scripture when preaching because several in the local body may have done a thing (like divorce). He/she is to tell it like it is!

Verse 10 describes the attitude of the server (ministry). Servers may tend to prefer to serve only certain people who complement them or encourage them to the neglect of others also needy in the church. Paul warns against this as he tells the server to be affectioned to all the saints and to honor all the saints.

Verse 11: A teacher can be boring as he/she digs through facts and examples and antidotal material, etc. Exciting to the teacher, but is dry sometimes to the student. He/she must be fervent in their spirit, recognize that they don’t serve themselves in their research and study, but that they serve the Lord and His church.

Verse 12: An exhorter can be a very special gift of the body. He/she comes alongside the various folks in the church and will be a comforter to them or a stern master of needed. He/she rejoices without jealousy with those who have done well. They also know when to give a soft rebuke or a word of hope to those who are suffering. The exhorter is to hang in there with a believer when perhaps so many others have removed themselves from that person for some reason or another, helping to restore that person to Christ.

Verse 13 speaks to the giver gift. A giver is to apply his/her gift with simplicity; no complicated charts, no quid pro quo, no elaborate tests to see if those he/she gives to is worthy. A giver is moved by two things: hospitality and distributing to the needs of the Body of Christ.

Verse 14: The ruler, administrator, or organizer gift is often ignored or misunderstood, and therefore, somewhat persecuted in the church. He/she has the gift of seeing what needs to be done, who is best equipped to do it, and organize the work accordingly. Some don’t like that; they wonder who put Jonesy in charge, and, oh, by the way, once everything is organized, why aren’t they doing anything? So the exhortation is the organizer is to bless those who misunderstand and mistreat them. Management is a tough job!

Finally, verse 15 is clearly to the one with the gift of mercy. A mercy is to be cheerful but also be able to comfort those in pain. Weep with them. Rejoice with those that are rejoicing!

This particular list has been labeled as Motivational Gifts. They are what motivates us no matter our position in the church or calling outside the church. Those who call these motivational gifts believe that one of the seven will stand out above the others in each of our lives.

Maranatha Emanuel!

May God bless you all!

Bro. Joe

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