Many Gifts, One Spirit
Romans 12:1-8
I appeal to you therefore,
brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as
a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your
spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern
what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect. 3For by
the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of
yourself more highly than you ought to think, but to think with sober
judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has
assigned. 4For as in one body we have many members, and not
all the members have the same function, 5so we,
who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually we are members
one of another. 6We have gifts that differ according to the grace
given to us: prophecy, in proportion to faith; 7ministry,
in ministering; the teacher, in teaching; 8the
exhorter, in exhortation; the giver, in generosity; the leader, in
diligence; the compassionate, in cheerfulness. Romans 12:1-8
This week we continue our exploration of our call
and the gifts God gives us for ministry.
Two weeks ago, we reflected on our individual calls—those
places where our great happiness and the world’s great need
intersect. Last week, we
discussed what spiritual gifts were and were not. We defined spiritual gifts as
those special attributes “given by the Holy Spirit to every member
of the Body of Christ, according to God’s grace, for use within the
context of the Body”—not to be confused with talents, spiritual
fruit and those roles that all Christians are called to fulfill. Today, we will talk about ways
to discern your own spiritual gifts.
How many of you have ever tried to put a piece of
furniture together from a kit? Then
you know that feeling of being totally overwhelmed as you open the box
and pull out all the pieces and wonder how all those bits and pieces
can come together into something useful and, hopefully, sturdy. At this point, some may wonder
why you didn’t pay the store to assemble it! Others look at the pile of
pieces and delve into putting the piece of furniture together. Other, more analytical types,
count all the pieces and check the instructions to make sure they have
everything they need before they begin.
Some look at step one and begin working, assuming that they
have all the pieces they need. But
in every case, that pile of material will never become a piece of
usable furniture until you put in much work. It is messy, time consuming,
sometimes frustrating, yet ultimately satisfying work. And when you are done, you can
step back and know you’ve accomplished something.
Discerning a call to ministry and identifying
your gifts to fulfill that call is very much like the process of
putting together a piece of furniture from a kit. Like the handyman or
woman bringing home the box from Lowes, we generally enter into this
process excited about the end result.
Then we open the box and pour everything out and feel
overwhelmed. This is the
point in which you may feel like running to the pastor or the nearest
book on Spiritual Gifts saying, “Please just tell me what to do!” And unfortunately, this is
where many just stop and walk off and never finish the project.
So today, I am going to share some steps that
Peter Wagner recommends in his book, Discover Your Spiritual Gifts,
but before I do I need to begin with a disclaimer. Discovering your spiritual
gifts is a messy endeavor. At
some point, you have to look deep within yourself and at your
relationship with God. You
have to step out in faith and risk failure. You have to accept that you may
make wrong assumptions but trust that God will lead you through it. And the end result is that you
will discover what God has uniquely gifted and created you to do and
you will receive great joy as you partner with God to do something
that will make a difference in this world!
Step one: Explore
the possibilities. As I
mentioned last week, the Bible lists 25 spiritual gifts and there is
no reason to assume that there are not others. Paul has three lists and each
lists adds new gifts and then in other places he refers to still other
gifts. So, I believe that
Paul never intended his lists to encompass all the possible spiritual
gifts, but they give us a place to begin to explore our gifts. So one of the best places to
begin exploring your possibilities is the Bible!
On your handout, you will find a list of
Scripture that discuss Spiritual Gifts. The first three scriptures
listed are the scriptures I am using for this sermon series. As I mentioned each list adds
new gifts and doesn’t discuss others, but each time Paul really
delves into talking about spiritual gifts he uses the image of the
human body with its many different parts, all of which are necessary
for the healthy functioning of the body as a whole. In other words, we need you and
we need your gifts. Furthermore, you need us and you need our gifts. We are most healthy when we
work together for the sake of God!
Unfortunately, while Paul lays out several lists
of gifts, he doesn’t define them very well. For instance, if you are an
exhorter, you should exhort. What
in the world does that mean? Consequently,
you will need to read and study extensively to truly understand what
each gift might mean. Classes
and workshops on Spiritual gifts are a good place to start, but you
can’t stop there. It
will take you much longer than 8 hours to discover your spiritual
gifts and learn how best to put them to work. But these classes provide a
great way to begin the process.
Another way to explore spiritual gifts is to
spend time with gifted people. Luckily,
for all of us, we don’t have to look far. Take time to get to know and
talk with people who seem to not only be gifted but to know what their
gifts are and are not. You’ll
recognize them because they are the folks who are busy doing God’s
work, but who don’t get burned out or frustrated because they know
what to say “yes” to and what to say “no” to.
Take this as an invitation to get to know others
in the congregation better. Sit down next to them at Wednesday night
dinner. Find a new place
to sit during worship so you can meet new folks. Talk to those gifted folks
around you (and remember we all are!) and talk about each other’s
spiritual gifts! In doing so, you’ll learn more about each other and
about yourself!
The second step is to experiment with as many
gifts as you can. Begin
with that place where the world’s greatest need and your greatest
joy intersect and try different jobs related to that passion. Next week and for two weeks
after, we will have a sheet, which we are calling Living Beyond Yourself, which
will give you the opportunity to indicate places that you would like
to serve at New Life. Take
this as an opportunity to try out new places of service related to
your passions. Try
stepping out of your comfort zone and doing new things. Don’t worry too much about
choosing the wrong thing. You aren’t marrying any particular job! Think of it as dating different
areas of ministry to find the RIGHT ministry for you. But remember, like dating,
sometimes you will have to give it some time to see if it is a good
fit or not!
One of the things, we are learning as a
congregation in this process of identifying and putting spiritual
gifts to work is that some folks are discovering that they are not
serving in the areas where they feel God has called and gifted them to
serve. In the weeks to
come, you will see some folks move from one area of service to another
and while that is a bit frustrating for those of us who don’t like
change, we have to remember that what we are doing is seeking to
follow what God wants each of us individually and New Life
collectively to do for the Kingdom of God and that is more important
than our desire for things to remain the same!
Finally, take advantage of the wonderful
spiritual gift inventories that are available. They will help you identify
where your gifts might lie as well as areas where they can best be
used.
The third step is to examine your feelings. When you are doing what God has
uniquely created you to do, you will feel joy and peace! Now, I’m not saying it is
always fun and never frustrating.
Ministry is generally frustrating—after all you are dealing
with broken, sinful humans, including yourself! But people using their
spiritual gifts enjoy what they do because God created their
temperament and gave them the gifts to do it.
I started to say that when you are using your
spiritual gifts that you won’t experience burn out, but that is not
necessarily true. Anyone can get burned out on a job when a couple of
things happen. First, when they neglect their own spiritual, physical
and emotional needs. Remember
even God took the Sabbath off! Spiritual
gifts are meant to be used in connection with a vibrant, active
relationship with the giver of the gifts. Cut the gift off from the
giver and you’ll burn out!
Yet another reason folks get burned out is that
they take on parts of the job that others are supposed to do. Be wary when you hear yourself
say, “But if I don’t do it, no one will!” Remember, God has called and
gifted someone for all that needs to be done. When you take on a job that God
has not called you to do (even when it affects the job God has called
you to) then you are depriving someone else of their God-given job—a
job they will do better than you!
When you find yourself in that position, ask someone else you
think has the appropriate gifts to help.
Sometimes, you may find that you even have to leave a job
undone! In the process,
you may discover then is that either the job didn’t really need to
be done or you’ll discover the joy of watching someone new step up
and discover their God-given gift!
Now at this point, you may ask: “But aren’t you the one who
said that if you feel God is calling you to something and you are
comfortable with it then it probably isn’t God?” Let me clarify what I
mean by that statement. I
am not saying that God will always call you to do something that seems
crazy and illogical. Some
of you know your gifts and have talents and abilities related to those
gifts. In those cases, your calling will seem natural. However, in all callings from
God there appears to be a point in which our talents and abilities
seem to be inadequate and we have to lean on the power of God to do
the job. And at that
point, our discomfort may not feel good at all. But when we are doing what God
calls and gifts us to do, we get comfortable with that discomfort
because we discover that when we step out in faith, God takes what we
have to offer and does something remarkable with it and we discover
great joy and peace.
Which is related to the next step, evaluate your
effectiveness. If you are
using your gifts where God wants you to be, you will be effective. If
your gift is evangelism, your witness, in words or deeds, will bring
people to Christ. If your
gift is teaching, people will be changed by what they learn from you. If your gift is helping, others
will be helped by your service. This
is not—as Paul would remind us—a reason for boasting about our
abilities. We are
effective because we are faithful to God’s call and, as a result,
God works in, through, and at times despite us!
Now that’s not to say there won’t be times
that we doubt our effectiveness. The
Bible contains story after story of people doubting their
effectiveness in ministry only to discover that God was using them
even when it appeared they were failing.
One of the things I have discovered is that just when I am
about to give up and throw in the towel, I’ll receive some form of
confirmation that I am doing the right thing! God is good and when we
are faithful, God will not let us stay discouraged long. And quite honestly, most of the
time when I get discouraged it is because I am expecting the wrong
thing.
That leads to the final step, when you are using
your spiritual gifts, you can expect confirmation from the body of
Christ. Because the body
needs what you are doing, the body will confirm the gift they see in
you. This is one of the
reasons that the ordination process for clergy begins with the local
church. We believe that the congregation should be able to judge the
gifts and graces of its members. So
listen carefully when someone says that they learn from you or they
are inspired by you or something you did impacted their lives. I suspect that some, in the
name of humility, refuse to acknowledge their gifts so they don’t
have to use them! I
suspect many others fail to recognize and use their gifts because they
refuse to hear the confirmation of their brothers and sisters in
Christ and refuse to recognize the grace that God has given them!
This also means that each of us has the
responsibility to share with others when we see their spiritual gifts
at work or when we sense a place where God may be calling them to
serve. Don’t hold back
from sharing when you think someone has a spiritual gift. As you learn
more about spiritual gifts, you’ll be able to recognize them in
others. When you
do—share!
Finally, don’t forget the most important part
of this process—Prayer! Prayer
isn’t step 1 or step 6
because it should be a vital part of every step in the process. Pray for God to reveal your
gifts and for God to show you where to serve. As you explore and experiment
with spiritual gifts, ask God to reveal your gifts to you and to
others. As you examine your feelings and evaluate your effectiveness,
ask God to help you see things truthfully. Ask God continually where
God is calling you to serve and what God is calling you to do. Don’t forget to pray
constantly for God’s direction, but also don’t forget to work the
steps especially if you feel God is not answering your prayer for
direction. Maybe God wants
you to get out the instructions and get to work first!
As I mentioned earlier, at the end of the month,
we will have another Serving From the Heart Workshop. As a congregation, our goal is
to get 80% of our active membership trained in spiritual gifts by the
end of 2009! That is a big
goal, but one we think is important for a couple of reasons. One, you will be happiest and
most effective when you serve using your God-given spiritual gifts. Consequently, since the gifts
are given for the building up of the body, we will be a healthier more
effective congregation if you are serving using your gifts Second, as you learn more about
spiritual gifts you will be able to recognize those gifts in others
and help them find their appropriate place of service.
And while there are many spiritual gift
inventories out there, we want to encourage you to participate in Serving from
the Heart because it will allow you to explore all five steps I
mentioned today. Granted 8 hours is not enough time to completely
discern God’s will for your life and your service, but it is a great
way to begin the process.
Today, let’s end where we began with the words
of Paul to the church in Rome:
I appeal to you therefore,
brothers and sisters, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as
a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your
spiritual worship. 2Do not be conformed to this world, but be
transformed by the renewing of your minds, so that you may discern
what is the will of God—what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Romans 12:1-3
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