AAEVS - Practicing Discipleship (Part 4)

Spiritual Gifts

Now we turn to a more outreach perspective of Discipleship and look at how we interact with each other and the community at large. First, we will look at how each member of the church works out his or her gifts to God's glory.

As the Spirit develops us into a body and sanctify us, He works in us a certain skill or talent. Then He empowers us to perform it to His glory and our joy.

Scripture does not explicitly give an assessment to evaluate what our gifts are. Rather, it seems to assume that we have a sufficient way of knowing what they are. Thus it appears that the problem is that we complicate the "gift-searching" and fret over unscriptural expectations.

Nevertheless, we still struggle over what our role is in the church; to start somewhere, let's look at what roles Paul gave in Romans 12:6-8,

Proclamation:

If you rejoice in God's word and have a burden to see Jesus lifted up in the church and in the community, you probably have the gift of prophecy (as in 'forth-telling.') This is given so that the congregation and the world would always be reminded of the will of God and that they would conform to His vision. The preacher is admonished to perform his gift in the proportion of faith; this means that his preaching should match the amount of faith that Abraham had in the word of God.    

Service:

If you want to take charge of the vision and maintenance of the church for God's glory, you probably have the gift of ministry. This is the Kingdom way of leadership prescribed by Jesus. The admonition to servants is that they disciple themselves in regards to their service.  

Teaching:

If you want to see the followers of Christ to be instructed in His ways and attitudes, you probably have the gift of teaching. A big part of the Great Commission is to disciple the nations, teaching them in the culture of Christ. Likewise, the admonition to teachers is that they disciple themselves in regards to their teaching.

Exhortation:

If you are aware of the seriousness of sin and the joy of holiness, you probably have the gift of exhortation. This is given so that the church would consistently forsake sin and pursue Christ; they would rebuke when sin and stubbornness is rearing its ugly head and encourage when faith is waving. The admonition to those who exhort is that they preach to themselves what the Word says.

Giving:

If you are constantly blessed by God with wealth and wish to support the cause of Christ, you might have the gift of giving. This is given so that the ministers of the gospel would be able to work more efficiently and that the church would engage in bigger ministries. The admonition to givers is that they give generously without attachment or in dire circumstances.

Leadership:

If you have a vision and a desire to shepherd the congregation and want to take responsibility for their welfare, you might have the gift of leadership. This is so that the church despite not having the visible presence of Jesus would be lead and protected. The leaders are admonished to work hard and fervently in their ministry.  

Mercy Ministry:

If you have compassion on the less-fortunate members of your community and wish to alleviate their distress, you certainly have the gift of mercy ministry. This is so that the Kingdom would be further established and victorious. They are admonished to enjoy doing their ministry.  

If we need more "signs" that we have been given a particular gift of any sort, just remember that it will be in harmony with what God said in His word. It is foolish to think that the Spirit would give a calling in Scripture and then give a gift contrary to that calling; that would be blasphemous to His character. So obeying Scripture, first and foremost, is our gift and calling.

Hospitality

Our Lord, even when He had no place to lay His head, welcomed visitors to Him; He provided for their physical and spiritual needs. Now seated in heaven, He calls us to display appreciation of the presence of one another and of those who seek to understand Christianity. There are two spheres to show hospitality: one is the church and the other is the home.

In the church, we display the generosity of our Father to humanity. Here our conflict with our fellow humanity ends and we learn to be complete as our heavenly Father is complete. No matter what evil things religion or ideology of our potential visitor has done to Christians in this century or over the last, we should welcome him or her as God's command to us is to gather the strangers that are in our "gates." (Deuteronomy 31:12)

In the home, we display the love of Christ to fellow believers. Here our fellowship expands beyond Sunday and brotherly love grows. For a broader perspective, John Piper has some good notes about hospitality:

Lavish Giving, Loving Guests, Living Christ

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/lavish-giving-loving-guests-living-christ

Strategic Hospitality

http://www.desiringgod.org/resource-library/sermons/strategic-hospitality

According to Scripture, hospitality should addicting and enjoyable. That comes only by the Spirit.