Gifts & Fruit 1
Gifts Galore from Father, Son & Holy Spirit
Lord we pray that you would speak to us by your word: let it be
rich in its anointing, deep in its fulness, and powerful in its
application.
Romans 12:3-8, Ephesians 4:11-16 1 Corinthians 12:3-8.
In this series we are seeking to open ourselves afresh to the
difference the Holy Spirit makes, what He does, and how his
unique touch creates the Body of Christ. We will look at His Gifts
and Fruit, plus the gifts given by Father & Son. I am into myth
busting at the moment so let me start immediately: we have
tended to talk as Christians about the Holy Spirit (and using
weird titles like Holy Ghost has not helped) as if He is separated
from the Body of Christ, and that he does His thing
independently and that only special Christians, like Pastors, get
His help but ordinary men and women can’t expect His gifts and
presence because they are not holy enough. This is just not true:
it’s a lie of the enemy of our soul and the sooner we realise it the
better. When Jesus returned to the Father in what Christians
call the Ascension, He and the Father released a part of
themselves, the Holy Spirit, to continue the work of Jesus and to
form His Body on Planet Earth. The Father, Son & Holy Spirit
were totally one so all their combined creative energy went into
this final stage in the story of the Redemption of God’s Children:
Pentecost was the immediate result and mission impossible
became mission possible as the daily increasing number of God’s
people (followers of the way), were mobilised, gifted and graced
to take the gospel of grace to the ends of the earth. Notice I
don’t mention the Church, as it was simply a consequence of this
mission not the reason for it!!
Now at the this point I must mention that some Charismatics
seem to suggest that it all about the Holy Spirits work from
Pentecost onwards and that the Father & Son are just bit
players: this is a most unhelpful assertion and one that clearly
does not hold up to the evidence, nor accord with our
understanding of the Trinity working in perfect harmony. Whilst
the Holy Spirit’s work is unique in bringing gifts and graces, words
and wisdom, prophetic insight and convicting grace, it is utterly
linked to the Fathers purpose and the Son’s work.
Also at this point I must mention those who are wedded to an
understanding of Priesthood or Ordination giving a chosen few
selected by Jesus a Premier Division role in the Kingdom of God,
whether as pope, cardinal, bishop, minister, priest or pastor, or
any of the New Church equivalents! Now whilst it is preferable to
have order in the Body of Christ, it is not good or helpful to have
control and it is that religious control that has spoilt the
beautiful Body of Christ since it was institutionised in the fourth
century and still spoils it today. Whilst we need these people
gifts to help form direct and shape the Body for its continuing
mission we must never confine its development to a quasiprofessional religious cast. Just focusing on Jesus leads to trying
to live like Him without the power to do so and the understanding
of the Big Story of God it all fits into.
But of course there are also those who reject the supernatural
(that’s not going to happen in my church) work of the Holy Spirit,
and hang loose to any direction from the Jesus shaped people
gifts to the Church (it’s between me and God), and want to
persuade us that we need simply to respond to God, the Father, in
our own way. Privatised relationship, individually tailored is yours.
Cutting out the Jesus angle is useful: for God can be whatever
you want Him to be. Cutting out the Holy Spirit is also essential
for I don’t want anyone telling me what to do, or who I could be.
Well I want to tell you this morning that if you want to see the
Living God operating in your life and once again filling and forming
the Body of Christ then you must open yourself up to the gifts
galore that the Father, Son & Holy Spirit have given and still
continue to give to the whole Body of Christ: not just one part of
them but the whole package: so lets look at how Paul described
that package right at the beginning of the Early Church. We will
look at the seven natural or motivational gifts given by the
Father, the five people or ministry gifts given by the Son, and
the nine spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit, and you will hear
my profound conviction that only when all are working in perfect
harmony (like the Trinity) is the Body of Christ at its most
effective and fruitful. By the way: none of these lists are I think
complete in that they are simply a starting point and Paul’s
observation: there is no doubt a case to add others these days
but for this morning and for this series I will stick to the ones
mentioned.
So lets look first at the Fathers Gifts and for that we go to
Romans 12: How does the Father manifest himself out of His
world and into our world today? Answer through these natural or
motivational gifts. In verse 3 Paul says to each is given a measure
of faith, which I take to mean that to each human being at least
one of these gifts is given. For the Jesus gifts you must be born
again, for the Spirits gifts you must be filled with the Spirit, but
for these natural fatherly gifts all that’s necessary is that you
have been created by Him: that’s most everyone by the way
(unless you are an alien)!! These seven gifts you will see all around
you not just in Christians but also in every human being. They are
Serving (such people are always doing something for others and
not shouting about it: they have grace to serve), Teaching (such
people know truth from error, everything is logical for them, as I
speak now they will be analysing me: they have been given grace
to teach others), Leading (they have the ability to organise
things, to get all involved, to make long range plans: they have
been given grace to lead), Showing Mercy (that’s a real gift of
relating to people’s ups and downs, sharing joy, weeping with
them, asking what’s wrong? They have been given grace to be
merciful), Encouraging (they are always positive, affirming
others, ‘you’re going to make it: they have been given grace to
encourage), Prophetic (this is not the gift of prophecy but it is
the grace to see things before they happen: grace to see beyond
the immediate) & Giving (they are always generous and always
focused on others rather than self: they have been given the
grace of generosity). Every human being has one of these
personality types because God has created each one of us and
left his stamp upon us. We are all created in the image of God and
have His fingerprint on us. When we are born again these natural
gifts are quickened supernaturally!
Now lets move to the Gifts Jesus brings: so how does Jesus come
out of His world into our world to manifest himself: answer Jesus
forms himself in this world by giving people gifts. People gifts
because Jesus was a person!!
Apostles: who work across the whole Body of Christ pioneering
new work, taking the gospel to new places and peoples, and giving
the whole Church leadership to keep it Jesus shaped.
Prophets: who again work across the whole Body of Christ
bringing God’s now word to His people to keep the Church faithful
to its core task of being Jesus shaped.
Evangelists: who again work across the whole Body of Christ to
bring the good news about Jesus and the offer of a renewed
relationship through the cross with Father God. They want
everyone to know Jesus and every aspect of His life and fullness.
Pastors: who whilst looking after defined groups of believers in
congregations are always wanting everyone to look to and rely
totally on Jesus and become more like Him.
Teachers: who help the whole Body of Christ to understand the
gospel and tell their story with confidence to others. They also
are gifted to refute error and keep the balance of grace and
truth which is Jesus shaped.
So these precious people gifts are to equip you and me to look
more like Jesus. So the Jesus gifts are given to form a Jesus
shaped Body here on earth (John 3:30 I must decrease and He
must increase). Such gifts are recognised by the Body of Christ
and not claimed arrogantly by the person.
Finally how does the Holy Spirit manifest Himself: through His
gifts, which come from Him to you and me whenever we need
them. He gives up nine specific gifts: Wisdom, Knowledge &
Discernment (Gifts of revelation), Healing, Faith & Miracles
(Gifts of power) & Prophecy, Tongues and interpretation (Gifts
of inspired speech). So the Holy Spirit comes out of His world
into this world so we can know how much God loves His people:
when someone prophesizes, it is the HS speaking through a
person so that you can hear him, when someone speaks in tongues,
it is the HS expressing worship to the Father and to Jesus
beyond mere words, and when there’s a word of knowledge that’s
the HS telling me information that I have no other way of
knowing.
Each of the nine gifts all for all Christians at all times but from
experience I would suggest to you that they are given specifically
as you and I stand outside the limits of our flesh and start to
trust God, move by faith, and do the things that Jesus did:
exciting stuff!
Let me recap: for the Holy Spirit gifts you need the fullness of
the Spirit, for the Jesus gifts you need to be born again and for
the Fathers gifts you just need to be created by Him. You will be
at your most fruitful and most satisfied in your Christian life
when you are moving in your gifts: by as said at the beginning the
problem so often is the Church.
Churches who just use the Spiritual Gifts talk endlessly about the
Holy Spirit and seek Revival, but when the new wine comes its all
spilt, all the energy, expectation and excitement is wasted
because there is no wine skin to hold it (no organization or
structure).
Churches who just use the Jesus Gifts change the Institution
back into a Body: they manifest the Body of Christ and that’s
good. But they hinge around the anointed preacher, evangelist or
teacher. They equip everyone but they don’t include everyone.
They are guru based and in the end they default to the guru and
the guru is not Jesus.
Churches who just emphasize the Fathers gifts are well
organised, have great admin and well run finances. They are great
at delivering programmes but not a person: Jesus! They become
dead institutions: the natural gifts only being emphasized.
What God wants is the fullness of the Godhead manifesting itself
in the Body of Christ. He wants the 5 Fold Jesus gift ministries
raised up in this hour, He wants the Holy Spirit to fill and work
through all of us (Wine poured into new wineskins), and all of this
should be built on the natural gifts of the Father (Grace realised
and quickened by the spirit) as a godly foundation.
Our God is an extravagant experiential God and He delights to
give good gifts to His children: so why would we choose powerless
and ordinary lives when we can receive the fullness of God and
have Jesus shaped lives and continue to be part of the unfolding
Story of God.
Pastor David
April 12th 2015.