Christian Community - About Spiritual Gifts

Scripture passages regarding Spiritual Gifts
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
1 Corinthians 12:28
Romans 12:6-8
1 Peter 4:10
Ephesians 4:7-11

I have always loved the idea of team, and the dissection of team into its unique parts.
During the summer of 1967, our family was on vacation at Daytona Beach. One afternoon, my dad took me to see the new Lee Marvin movie, "The Dirty Dozen." I fell in love with that movie - the idea of 12 unique personalities coming together for a mission many considered failed before it began. The idea of "team" just resonated with every cell of my being.

In 1991, when we moved to Lexington, I served as publisher-editor of what was then The Dispatch-News, the county's oldest publishing newspaper. I inherited parts and built with others a "Dream Team" news operation. In three years, we won more than 30 awards for news coverage, layout and design, and editorial writing. Working with that team made coming to work a lot of fun, and many of us remain great friends today. We all brought specific personalities, skills, temperaments and personalities to the table. And, we recognized it and embraced it.

My Vicki and I are blessed to have four sons. I would have loved to have had a daughter, but the Lord gave me this "team" of boys. Each is so incredibly different in personality and temperament, and yet they love and care deeply for one another. When we gather around the kitchen table for a meal, each brings his own wit and personality to the mix. No television show or movie could ever be that entertaining.

Maybe you can imagine how excited I am about the relaunch of our class in 2014, especially as we consider the "sum of the parts" within Christian Community. I love the idea of everyone being different, and everyone bringing themselves to the community, and the community being stronger because of every individual’s contribution. (And, it's even okay if we disagree on some things).

But, I want to state and state again that Christian Community is different than any other community. It trumps them all. Does your life reflect that? As a believer, it should and you should be challenged accordingly. The Christian Community is a supernatural organization comprised of individuals who are spiritual beings acknowledging this supernatural condition. I know, it's mind-boggling, but it's true. You and I are simply dust in the wind here on this Earth - this life is a page within the larger book of our supernatural, spiritual existence. And, as Community, we have little precious time to do all we can to point many others to faith. To do that it requires a lot of individual parts working together as one.

Now, we come to spiritual gifts. The Holy Spirit within each believer - God in reality - brings gifts to believers. These gifts allow believers to love and serve within the Christian Community so that the whole can impact the Kingdom. As we dive into an examination of specific gifts over the next few weeks, I want put forward a 30,000 foot view of spiritual gifts and some reminders.

1. Spiritual Gifts are supernatural empowerments given by the Holy Spirit to the followers of Jesus so that followers can do the work of building up the Christian Community  and extend the Kingdom of God throughout the world. The Holy Spirit owns and dispenses gifts (1 Corinthians 12:7, 11 – “given to each of us so we can help each other.” And, “It is the one and only spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”) We are the stewards of these gifts – the managers and protectors of them. (1 Peter 4:10) – (“God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”)
2. Spiritual Gifts are not natural talents or professional skills. They allow one believer to minister to other believers within the body. Many people err by trying to translate spiritual gifts into what they do well professionally or within hobbies. My No. 1 is Exhortation. Webster's Dictionary defines exhortation as “strongly encouraging or urging someone to do something” but as a spiritual gift it means “Those who exhort stay focused on helping people maximize their own potential and live from within their own gifts and skills. They build confidence in others.” Can you see the difference?
3. Strengthening the body includes encouragement and comfort. So, almost all gifts are shadowed by encouragement and comfort. So, don’t be surprised if your gifts come around to the same end-game – encouraging and comforting others. Encouraging others can be corrective, as in, "Let me encourage you to treat your family with more respect."
4. Spiritual gifts should work together, complementing each other. They must be used – framed – in love, and if not used in love they will be abused and cause trouble in the body. Love, when used with gifts is like oil in a machine. Love makes all the parts work well together. Believers must love one another.
5. What kind of ministry do you enjoy the most and which shows the most fruitfulness? That probably indicates your giftedness. If you enjoy teaching and find that people are edified through your teaching ministry, it is likely that the Holy Spirit has given you a gift of teaching. If you find that the Lord puts people in your path who are ready to surrender their life to Christ, you probably have a spiritual gift of evangelism. If you enjoy inviting people to your home, either for a meal or to stay, you probably have a gift of hospitality. Spiritual gifts will not be a chore. My lowest is Compassion. That doesn't mean that I am hard-hearted toward the misery of others. But, those with the gift of Compassion hear about a need, drop everything and respond to it. That's not who I am. When I hear about someone in the hospital, I find myself saying, "Should I go see them or just let them rest?" Those with the gift of Compassion don't ask that question - they just respond with no expectation.
6. Spiritual Gifts can also have a witnessing effect on non-believers. People will “know us by our love.” 2 Corinthians 5:20, “So we are Christ’s ambassadors; God is making his appeal through us. We speak for Christ when we plead, “Come back to God!” While the gifts are first and foremost for strengthing the community, unbelievers are always watching.
7. Gifts can be received upon conversion, but are often received at various moments subsequent to conversion. It’s believed that Timothy (1 Timothy 4:14) was gifted when he was commissioned by the church to begin his ministry. “Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received when the elders of the church laid hands on you.”
8. Pastor, preacher, author A.W. Tozar wrote, “No one ever received the Holy Spirit’s power without knowing it. (Keys to the Deeper Life). A creed of power without the experience of power is worthless. It is a Biblical necessity that believers discover and move into the arena of spiritual giftedness. You can't really call yourself a follower of Jesus and ignore the giftedness of the Holy Spirit. Spiritually, you would be at odds with yourself and probably implode.
9. A spirit-filled life is evidence by the fruits of the spirit in Galatians 5:22-23. “The Holy Spirit produces fruit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” These qualities are produced by the Holy Spirit, and demonstrate the Spirit is in control of a believer’s life. People are always wondering about the evidence of spirituality, and the fruits give us that.
10. Other evidence of being filled with the Holy Spirit is a fruitful ministry. In Acts 1:8, Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would give power to His witnesses – introducing others to Jesus. I believe a follower's life will always point people to faith in Jesus. The person who dies having never influenced another person toward faith would be unable to make a compelling case of his own faith . . . regardless of what else they did on this Earth. The Holy Spirit wants us to have a holy life for effective service. The good news is that exercising your gifts, whatever they are, will empower you to influence others for faith.
11. I believe exercising gifts will be an emotional thing. Exercising gifts will always involve a sense of joy, and may involve tears and even laughter. 
12. Discovery of spiritual gifts must be a spiritual experience. The Holy Spirit will reveal His gifts in our lives. However, diagnostic instruments can help us uncover what God has given. These diagnostics, however, should not be confused with personality tests. That would be degrading of giftedness.

Christian Community - Sum of the parts

Bunt Strategy With A Man On First
The Catcher fields it if he can get it other; otherwise, he calls out to get the lead runner at second or the hitter at first.
The Third Baseman breaks toward home. If the bunt goes to anyone else, he hustles back to third.

The Pitcher covers third base if the third baseman plays the bunt.

The First Baseman holds the runner at first and breaks toward home.

The Second Baseman covers first base.

The Shortstop covers second base.

The Left Fielder, on a ball down the first base line, backs up second. If the play will be made at first, he starts toward third in case he's needed to cover the base.

The Center Fielder backs up second base.

The Right Fielder backs up first base.

All nine players are moving; all nine players have a specific job to do. No one can be a spectator. A player who chooses to be a spectator isn't really a part of the team, and his inclusion on the roster is a lie.

The church at Corinth had problems. Members of the church had started playing politics with one another, condemning some for not being “Christian enough” and using their spiritual gifts to manipulate others into doing this or that. The Apostle Paul uses his first letter to the Corinthians as a condemnation for all of this pettiness. And, within this letter, he writes chapter 12 to talk about spiritual gifts and the valuable role of each member within the Christian Community. (Read and Study 1 Corinthians Chapter 12)

The Christian Community, as we have discussed, is the gathering of believers – you must be a confessing follower of Jesus – who advance the cause of Jesus. It is not a group of church-going friends who gather to tailgate together, oh, and someone remembers to say the blessing. It can be that provided these church-going friends are also confessing followers of Jesus and the tailgate is seen as a means to an end: How can we use this to spread the gospel and make disciples?

The Christian Community is not limited to the formal church meting under a Main Street steeple or in a renovated grocery store. The Christian Community can be a Sunday School class, a men's group, a women's group, families that come together for worship and discipleship across church affiliations. As a Sunday School class, we are a Christian Community, purposefully advancing the need for people to know Jesus.

When you came to know Jesus – if you have – as your Savior, the Holy Spirit invaded your mind, body and soul as a literal (and very real) presence. God came to live within you. For me, that's just so unbelievably humbling, especially when I consider the places I have taken Him and the things I've done to the temple in which He resides. A human conscience was replaced by the authentic Whisper of God. Do you hear Him? If you don’t, that should be telling about your journey with Jesus. A believer will hear from the Holy Spirit through encouragement, blessing and conviction of right and wrong. Do you listen? That should tell you about how closely you are following Jesus. The more we reject the Holy Spirit's compelling, the more miserable we will be.

The Holy Spirit, in some supernatural way, that my feeble mind can't easily wrap around, uses an individual’s passions, hobbies, skills, personality and even temperament. The Holy Spirits brings gifts to each person, and these gifts allow the believer to love and serve within the Christian Community. These spiritual gifts are motivational gifts. For example, someone with the gift of Giving would help the Christian Community make wise decisions to prevent waste; would find joy by figuring out effective ways to manage valuable resources so that the community could impact more people for Jesus; they have a heart for giving and want to give to as many as possible; and they tend to shy away from public recognition. They are Servant Ninjas.

Provided by the Holy Spirit in concert with our uniquely made personalities, spiritual gifts are never chores. They are the Holy Spirit’s way of using the wonderfulness of an individual’s creation to serve the Christian Community and impact the world for Jesus; not just to do good stuff – but to see people come to salvation that only faith in Jesus can provide.

Do you know your spiritual gifts? Are you exercising them to discover the joy that God has for your life through serving others? Just like the baseball players moving on a bunt play, everyone in the Christian Community has a job - has a role to play - exercising spiritual giftedness.

In 1 Corinthians 12:12, Paul writes, “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all of its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ.” I love the verses in chapter 12:14-21, where Paul uses parts of the human body as an analogy of each part's value to the whole body, and why it is ridiculous to compare body parts and claim one as more important to the whole than the other. He also celebrates individuality, writing, "v. 17, If the whole body were an eye, how would you hear? Or if the whole body were an ear how would you smell anything?" We are each wonderfully made (Psalm 139:14)."

In 1 Corinthians 12:20, Paul writes, "Yes, there are many parts, but only one body" and in 1 Corinthians 12:27, "Now all of you together are Christ's body, and each one of you is a separate and necessary part of it." He goes on in chapter 13 to write that all of the Christian Community's work is 'governed' by love for one another and especially those who don't know Jesus.

I am the oldest of four children. A total of five years separates me and my two brothers. Then, a decade after my youngest brother, Russ, was born, my sister was born. She grew up largely as an only child, not really remembering when Tim and I were at home, and not sharing a lot of childhood life experiences with Russ. But, for me, Tim and Russ, we were all in it together, and we each had and have very, very unique personalities, skills, hobbies and temperaments.

Both of my parents worked from high school to retirement. And, so my brothers and I had to share in all of the household chores. We cleaned bathrooms, we cleaned the kitchen, we dusted the house, we vacuumed the floors, we did laundry, we cut the grass, we washed windows, and we did all of these chores on a weekly basis as our respective roles in the larger family system. We weren't paid to do them; we did them as members of the family community. 

We became good at different things. I became good at keeping us on a schedule, and I loved cleaning the bathrooms. I enjoyed seeing things go from nasty and chaotic into shining and orderly. Tim was the multi-tasker, he had the vision to see how several jobs could be performed with minimal energy. Russ was the detailer – when he dusted, he got down and into the baseboards. It's funny - I still see some of these personality traits in myself and each of my brothers today.

We learned that our contributions to the household caused the household to work more efficiently. There was more harmony at home because our parents were less stressed. There was a pride in that we are all in this family – together. My parent never fussed about taking us places, or buying us a milk shake. I can tell you that my greatest champions and my greatest encouragers were my parents.

We did not have a Leave It To Beaver family, by any means. We had some very hard, hard economic times in the 1970s. But, we had joy because we each poured into life together. I still chuckle out loud, remembering dinnertime conversations that left us all - even my parents - howling with laughter. I confess that conversations and language veered into the PG-13 / R rated categories at times, and that's the household Vicki and I have, too. After dinner, we boys shared in the cleaning of the dishes and the kitchen.

My dad would joke, “You boys are going to make a someone a good wife one day.”

My mama would say, “We are not going to raise pitiful men who can’t clean their own home or wash their own clothes. I want them to lead their families by example.”

Within the Christian Community, what is your role? What position are you playing? What contribution are you making to the whole body? How has the Holy Spirit gifted you for service within the Christian Community? These are valuable questions that must be answered by every member of the Christian Community.

In 2014, every member of this class will be a contributing member. Some will have assignments that occur every Sunday. Some will have big one-time assignments during the year. Some will lead mission trips, some will bring refreshments, some will visit hospitals and funeral homes, some will be callrf to bear the deep pain of others – taking off work to stand in the gap, some will teach, some will go out and serve in the church as our missionaries to the church, some will make chicken casseroles for the sick and hurting, some will lead parties, some will open their homes for small group Bible studies, and some will lead us in prayer. But, everyone – every single member – will have a job, and all those jobs will be known. 

I believe to my soul it’s going to be a game-changer for each of us, taking our spiritual journey to the next level. I believe that “better together” you and I can spark revival in our church and within this community. I believe God is going to lead us to shine brightly in Lexington so that men, women, boys and girls move into knowing Jesus and following Him deeply. Watch and see what God will do through us. I hope and pray - if it's God's will for you - that you will be a part of our Christian Community in 2014 and beyond.

Christian Community - We come alone

Understanding that we come to faith as an intimate, personal and lonely decision helps us better understand how the personal faith journey fits into our family and friend relationships, including marriage.

My grandmother used to love to sing the 1912 hymn by C. Austin Miles, In The Garden. Interesting, it was recorded in 1950 as a duet between Roy and Dale Rogers. You probably know the hymn, which begins with these words, "I come to the garden alone . . ." and has the familiar chorus, "And, He walks with me and He talks with me." This beautiful song almost always brings me to tears because it describes the one-on-one intimacy between a believer and the Savior. My grandmother also sang it from a place of pain, living with an alcoholic who despised the church and did not acknowledge Jesus. (My grandfather came to faith later in life and died a believer.)

Matthew 16:24-25 also points us to this individual, lonely approach to faith. "Then Jesus said to his disciples (which would include us today), 'If any of you wants to be my follower, you must turn from your selfish ways, take up your cross and follow me." To be a follower of Jesus requires:

• "If any of you wants to be my follower," implies an individual ownership of faith. Any of you.
• "You must turn from your selfish ways," implies an individual repentance that puts serving God and others ahead of selfish ambition, want and desire. You must turn.
• "(You) must take up your cross and follow me," implies a metaphorical execution of the old self, and acknowledges that the new self will face persecution from others.
• "Follow me," implies that Jesus knew this world was temporary and that He was a stranger here. Following Him, means we accept an urgency to help people meet Jesus as personal Savior and that we don't become obsessively distracted by things of this Earth.

Every believer's approach to Jesus must be . . . an individual, lonely decision. As the hymn, In The Garden, implies from the story of Mary Magdalene in John 20, she came to the tomb alone and there she encountered the resurrected Jesus. And, she believed. And, then she went to tell others about Him. More than anything, it's that "go and tell" that defines us as true, intimate followers of Jesus.

As I visit with believers, I find most don't fully understand or want to acknowledge this lonely approach to faith. Even in my own life, it's taken 50-plus years to really wrap my head around it. This is evidence that the Lord is always teaching and moving us to deeper levels of discipleship.

We don't like to think about a lonely, personal walk with Jesus because we are taught to appreciate "safety in numbers" or "being lost in the crowd" or "misery loves company." Unfortunately, the supernatural world of faith does not respect that thinking. Each of us is born alone, dies alone, and comes to Jesus alone. Each of us will face the judgement of a sovereign God . . . alone . . . unless, we follow Jesus, who took that judgement for those who call Him Savior.

I believe the horror story beyond all imagination lies in the story of the individual who dies without knowing Jesus, but thinks they do know Him, and then suddenly confronts God all alone. In panic, that individual will cry out, "Where is my wife to testify for me?" or "Where are my friends who can testify to my goodness?" or "Where is the charity that I helped?" or "Where are the people that I served?" Where are the character witnesses? I believe millions of people die each day are found as God wrote on the wall in Daniel 5, "Mene, Mene, Tekel, Upharsin" (mee-nee, mee-nee, tek-uhl, yoo-farh-sin or translated, 'You have been measured and have been found wanting." You are eternally doomed.

What the heck does all this have to do with Christian Community?

I stand at the cross alone, needing nothing but Jesus, and through that faith I can thank God for His provision of Christian Community to encourage and correct me along my faith journey. The Christian Community is the individual believer's support system for continued discipleship, and against which we can measure and find peace in the reality of our faith.

No believer will ever be completely comfortable in the loneliness of the faith journey, but the lonely faith journey is required to be comfortable in the faith community.Too many people believe following Jesus is synonymous with the church or attendance at something. No, being a part of Christian Community is impossible without the loneliness of a pre-existing faith journey.

I get some kind of cardiovascular exercise every day. During the week, I love to go out to the Gibson Road soccer fields at lunch, and walk about three miles at a brisk pace. I have discovered that these walks - often I'm the only one out there - are when I experience a worship almost beyond description. I put on my head phones and listen to downloaded Christian contemporary music and some of the old hymns that I love. As I walk, I let the music guide my worship. I pray for people I love, and I listen to the Holy Spirit as He puts people into my prayers. Sometimes, quite honestly, I am driven to tears of joy as I worship there; sometimes, I am driven to my knees in prayer and conviction. It is a lonely worship, which - for me - makes my corporate worship with the Christian Community even that much sweeter.

When you and I wrap our lives around this personal, faith journey we quickly realize that no other human being can really negatively impact that one-to-one relationship with Jesus. But, Jesus will affect all of my other human relationships. I want to close this lesson with some perspective on that and its implication for the believer's involvement in Christian Community.

Friendships
Drop the name of Jesus in your conversation with friends, and you will see a reshuffling of your friends. The name of Jesus forces a response - support, encouragement, or denial. That's part of the cost of following Jesus. Those who deny Him will also deny you. If following Jesus didn't cost my life, then Jesus' sacrifice for me would be a cheap and inexpensive grace. And, it wasn't. It was a costly grace. Jesus draws a line in the sand and forces people to react to that line. Those who can't draw the line may need to self-examine the reality of their faith journey with Him. If you can't talk about the ones you love, including Jesus, you may not really love them.

Personally, my faith journey is such a part of me that I talk about it with the same ease that I talk about my Vicki or my boys. But, I don't force the conversation; I just see an opportunity to talk about my faith and I dive into that opportunity. I let the other person react accordingly. I never give up on people, and anyone desiring to be my friend can be my friend. I never take a "nose in the air" approach to relationships. I let others choose what to do with my Jesus and what to do with me. I have found that an authentic, genuine, respectful approach to others and to my faith helps me with sharing my faith. The door also opens for me to talk about my Christian Community.

Family

My family includes unbelievers and unchurched people. I don't know that there's a difference. For me, believers will be drawn to Christian Community by the Holy Spirit alive within them. I've had family members whisper to me, "As we all get together, let's keep religion out of it . . . we don't want people to be offended" as if I'm some wild-eyed John-the-Baptist evangelist. (That's hilarious). 

When I'm with my family, I go to church. If I were in Lexington, I would go to church; if I'm away from Lexington, I go to church. If timetables don't allow church, I've offered simple devotions for those interested. I usually lead a blessing over the table. I talk about our Sunday School class and our church is doing in ministry. These are key parts of my life. Why would I not talk about them in candid conversation? Certainly, I am not a Christian bully, and I am not easily offended, but at the same time, my faith is my core and the Christian Community is the most important community of my life. How my family responds, well, I yield that to the supernatural work of the Holy Spirit.

Marriage

My marriage to my Vicki got off on the right foot. As a believer, I prayed for her before I knew her. In 1981, I prayed for the Lord to send her. He did. Because He sent her, and he desires married people to be equally yoked (2 Corinthians 6:14), she was naturally a believer, too. That equal yoking is foundational to our marriage, and made a faith approach to Christian Community very, very easy.

I know many, many married couples who struggle with the role of faith and Christian Community. The marriage started in a general, spiritual place (both believers, both unbelievers, or unequally yoked). Shifts in personal faith began to occur. A saved person longs for Christian Community; an unsaved person is not. In some marriages, the believer will resist Christian Community to preserve harmony in the marriage. I can tell  you that the believer who resists Christian Community is going to be a miserable person. So much of the non-clinical depression that I see is because the believer has resisted Christian Community and is at odds with the Spirit within them.

Because the faith journey is a lonely one, and growth is individual, I believe it's completely natural and normal for spouses to be on different journeys. Vicki and I have experienced it. She and I approach prayer differently, approach Bible study different, approach church involvement different, and personal evangelism differently. That's normal and healthy because at Ground Zero we are both believers and we both value Christian Community.

Marriage reminders:

• God loves you. God loves marriage between two believers. God does not love chaos between two believers, especially husband and wife bound in Holy Matrimony. The couple in Holy Matrimony should be comfortable talking about respective faith journeys, and should be respectful of those. I would never preach to Vicki about what her faith needs to look like. I would never be self-righteous about it, I would not use guilt trips, I would not argue about it, and I would not preach about it. But, as the coin turns, I would never let her hold back my faith journey and involvement in Christian Community. Live your faith and let it be a testimony to your spouse, your family and your friends.
• Pray every day for your spouse, especially if your spouse is an unbeliever and  if your spouse is rejecting Christian Community. Put your marriage second only to your faith journey. Be a living testimony of joy and peace for your spouse. And, be encouraged by your own deep plunge into Christian Community.
• Understand that the personal faith journey of your children and grandchildren is absolutely affected by your personal faith journey. The priority you place - and best if through your marriage - on faith and Christian Community will set an example for other generations of believers. That should be our legacy.

All of this begins with me. It begins with me, alone at the cross, alone in the garden, with my Savior.