Serving Successfully Among the Saints, Part 1b

How is it I am to use the gifts God has given me in the body of Christ? How is it I am to decipher what my spiritual gift is? What are the spiritual gifts? And how is it I am able to put them into practice on a regular basis so I can be used of God in the body of Christ to help build up? That body, so it matures to Christ's lik. People have asked me many times: how is it you do what you do? How is it you prepare for what you do? How do you prepare? I can't tell them because I don't know. It truly is the gift of the Lord.

I don't know how I do what I do. I know I can't do anything else. My family reminds me of that whenever I get out of tool at home. The other day I came walking in with a toolbox, and Drew says, Whoa, get out of the way, Dad. Got a toolbox. Go, run, hide. Get the children, save the dog. You know, when I ever get my tools out, you never know what's going to break. See, you got to be careful. Not much I can do. And I can't explain how it is I do what I do, but I never dreamed I'd ever be doing what I'm doing today.

And yet, that's what the gift of the Spirit is as it works in and through an individual. That's how it happens. Understand this: elders have this gift, they must be apt to teach. 1 Timothy 3 speaks of the elders being apt to teach. If you were to go to one of our elders and ask them to explain to you our doctrine, they would be able to take you step by step by step. Through what we believe and why we believe it. That's why over in Titus 1, verse number 9, it says that the elder is able both to exhort in sound doctrine and refute those who contradict.

That's what an elder is supposed to do, right? He's got to be able to explain what it is we believe and why we believe it, and why it is we don't believe what other people believe. And be able to take you through the Word of God and defend the faith. That's important. So an elder must have this gifted. Now remember, the teacher doesn't mean that this person stands up in front of a whole bunch of people and teaches. No, it's a one-on-one teaching. It's a one-on-two teaching, it's a one-on-three, one-on-four, and so forth.

It can be in front of a big classroom or a big assembly, but it doesn't necessarily have to. Show itself that way. It's the ability to show people what God's Word says, to clarify the truth system and sincerely. That's important. Hebrews 13, 7 says that we're to remember those who led you and spoke the word to you. 1 Thessalonians 5. 12 says that we are to appreciate those who have charge over you and have given you instruction. That's important, isn't it? Why? Because they're teaching you the word of God.

In the Bible, we don't have the time, but you can look at Ephesians 4, verses 13 and 14. In Titus 1, verses 9 to 16, a lot of the emphasis of the teacher is to warn people about false doctrine and those who contradict the truth. That's a lot of what we do, right? We want you to understand what God's word says so you don't fall into error. Now, the teacher. And the one with the gift of prophecy are equipped by the gifted men of the church. It's important to understand that the gifted men of the church, apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor-teachers.

Equip the saints for the work of ministry. Turn over to Ephesians 4 for a second. Verse 11. And he gave some as apostles and some as prophets and some as evangelists and some as pastors and teachers. Now some believe that apostles and prophets are no longer on the scene. I don't think that's the case. I think apostles big A, prophets big P, yes, are no longer on the scene because the foundation of the church was built upon what? The foundation of the apostles and the prophets. But there are apostles, that is, those who are sent.

All right. We have one in our own assembly. He. Fills out the form of the apostle. He is a sent one, sent to plant churches and to grow people in the word of the Lord. And to understand that there are those with the gift of prophecy. There are all those who are pastor-teachers and those who are evangelists, gifted men given to the church. It says this: First of all, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ.

Now, they are given to the church to equip the church for the work of service. Now, how does the church become equipped to serve? Turn over with me, if you would, to 2 Timothy chapter 3, verse 16. All scripture is inspired by God. And profitable for teaching, reproof, correction, training, and righteousness, that the man of God may be adequate, what's the next word, equipped for every good work. So, gifted men are given to the church to equip the saints for the work of ministry. How are saints equipped for the work of ministry?

2 Timothy 3. Verse number 16 and verse number 17. Scripture is given to equip the man of God that he might be able to do his service. So, gifted men use the scriptures to equip the saints to serve. Now, the word equip, kart, is a word that means to mend. It's used of the mending of nets. So what happens is that men of God, gifted men, give them to the church, are designed to mend the saints. Mended saints are ministering saints. And when ministering saints who have been mended minister, the church now becomes mature.

And that's what Paul says in Ephesians chapter 4. He says, For the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building of the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith. And to the knowledge of the Son of God to a mature man, to the measure of the statue which belongs to the fullness of Christ. Am saint is a ministering saint, and a ministering saint is a mature saint. That's how it works. So, gifted men given to the church are given design to preach the word, to give the word of God to people, because that equips the saints for the work of service.

That makes the saints adequate for every good work. 2 Timothy 3:1 and 17. And when those mended saints now have the ability to minister, you see, you can't minister until you put together, right? If you're fragmented, you can't minister. And what puts you together is the Word of God. So when God's Word puts you together and you become, in God's mind, in God's eyes, a whole person. You are now able to minister your gift. When you minister your gitt, the whole body now becomes mature. When you don 't minister your gith, you hinder the maturity of the body as a whole.

That's why you're so valuable to us. So, if you're coming and sitting and not doing anything in the church, you're hurting the body of Christ by not helping it mature. So, you need to make sure you get mended so you can minister. Because mended saints minister, and ministering saints mature the saints. And that's how the church functions. And that's what it's all about. And the teacher and the man with the prophecy are equipped for their service because the pastor teacher, because the evangelist, the apostle, and the prophet are equipping them to do their service.

So they go forth and speak the word of God. They amplify the truth. Now they now clarify the truth. Follow me? Good. Number three: the gift of exhortation.

If prophecy amplifies the truth accurately and authoritatively, if Teaching clarifies the truth systematically and sincerely, then exhort specifies the truth. Compassionately and clearly. The gift of exhortation specifies the truth. Romans chapter 12, verse number 8. It says it this way: He who exhorts in the exhortation. The one with the gift of exhortation is to exhort according to the exhortation. That is, the word of God. Again, it is a speaking gift. And therefore, if you're going to exhort someone, The word is parak'o, which means to comfort or to help or provide strength.

The gift of exhort is the strengthening gift, it strengthens people's lives. And that's what exhortation is. It is the ability to draw close to individual people in time of need, counsel them accurately with the Word of God. And pers them to take courage in the face of something they must do, or assuring them to take comfort because of something that has happened. It is the gift of strengthening. That's what exhort does. This person is not one who necessarily proclaims the facts of God, nor is this person the one who digs around searching under every nick and cranny to find out all the truth about God.

This one simply comes alongs of someone and exhorts them or encourages them, instills strength in them because he knows the Word of God enough to speak the Word of God to them. Remember Psalm 119, verse number 50. It says this: This is my comfort in my affliction, that thy wor has revived me. The one who exhorts is the one who is the comforter. The one who comforts must use the Word of God because it's the Word of God that revives a man. Verse 52, I have remembered thine ordinances from of old, O Lord, and comfort myself.

A man is comforted by remembering the ordinances of God. Verse number 76, Oh, may thy loving kind comfort me according to thy word to thy servant. Verse number 92, it says this. If thy law had not been my delight, then I would have perished in my affliction. I will never forget thy pre, for by them thou hast revived me. I am thine. Save me, for I have sought thy Precepts. Verse number 107 says this: I am exceedingly afflicted. Revive me, O Lord, according to thy word. Lift me up, establish me, comfort me according to the Word of God.

The one who has the gift of exhortation takes the Word of God. Shares it with the person who's suffering, helps them understand what God says, what God's perspective is on the issue, and instills courage and strength in the life of that individual.

That's the gift of exhortation. It's the gift of strengthening. We know that God Himself is the Comforter, 2 Corinthians 1, verses 3 to 7. Ten times God is called the Comforter. All right, so God is the God of comfort. Over in Acts 15, by the way, this is my favorite verse. Let me read it to you.

Acts 15, verse number 31. And when they had read it, they rejoiced because of its Exhortation. That is, when the Word of God is read, they rejoice because it exhorted them, it encouraged them, it brought comfort to their lives. And Judas and Mosia, also being prophets themselves, encouraged or exhorted and strengthened the brethren with a what's the next phrase? Lengthy message. Isn't that good? That's a great verse. That's my favorite verse. You know, if you want to encourage somebody. You want to really instill strength in somebody?

Give them a lengthy message. Send them a tape, boy. A 60-minute tape. No, that's not what I'm saying. I'm saying this: the point being is that Judas and Sidas used the word of God. In people's lives, to instill strength in them, giving them what God's Word has said. Peter said at 1 Peter 5 to the elders, I exhort you, I encourage you, I want to give you comfort, I want to come alongside of you so that you know what the responsibility of your position is so you can fulfill it in the lives of people who are suffering.

1 Peter 5, verses 1 and 2. It's important to understand that the church is to be given to the exhortation, isn it? Over in 1 Timothy chapter 4, verse number 13, Paul told Timothy these words. He said, Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation, and teaching. To instilling strength in the lives of people because you've explained to them, you've clarified to them the Word of God, and you have specified specifically what that need is. And you've communicated it with compassion and great clarity.

That's the gift of exhortation. It's important to note. The Bible says in 1 Thessalonians 2, verse 11, that we are to exhort as a father would his own children.

That's the mod. The one with the gift of exhortation is like a father with his children. He sets them down. It says, Let me help you understand God's perspective on this issue.

Over in 1 Thessalonians 5:14, you exhort by being patient with all men. 2 Timothy 4:2, you exhort with great patience and instruction. Titus 2:15, you exhort and you do it with all authority. Because God has given you that responsibility. So important. The areas of the Christian life in which we are to exhort one another. Are not limited to any particular problem or any particular need. The scripture indicates that we need to be exhorted in all areas. Whether to rebuke or to correct, to comfort and reassure, to motivate and challenge, or to even give specific instruction, the Bible is replete with illustrations about how we are to exhort one another.

Let me help you understand something. There is no gift of counseling in the Bible. That's not a gift. You might counsel, but it's not a spiritual gift. The gift is exhortation. Counseling is a process. The gift is exhortation. And so those who counsel must be exhorters. That is, those who counsel must be able to exhort people as to what God says on the issue, not what society says.

Not what the world says, not what some psychologist says, but what does God's word say on the issue? That's the parac. That's the one called alongside of. That's the one who comes alongside and opens the word of God and instructs. So people are revived. So people are encouraged. That's what really instills courage in people. It's the Word of God. See? And that's our responsibility. All right. Prophecy amplifies, we to hurry. Prophecy amplifies the truth authoritatively and accurately. Teaching clarifies the truth.

Systematically and sincerely. Exhortation specifies the truth compassionately and clearly. Wisdom applies the truth personally and practically. Wisdom applies the truth. Wisdom is the ability to have insight into people and situations that is not obvious to the average person, combined with an understanding of what to do and how to do it. This gift appears in only one passage in the Bible. That's 1 Corinthians 12, verse number 8. And it says these words. It says, for to one is given the word of wisdom.

That's it. That's the only place you can find in the Bible. The word of wisdom, in terms of it being a spiritual gift. It's different than the word of knowledge. The word of knowledge, listen, deals with the facts. The word of wisdom deals with the fleshing out of the facts. That's the difference. It app the truth both personally and practically. You can read about Paul in 1 Corinthians 2, verses 4 to 8, 2 Peter 3, verses 15 to 16. It speaks of the power of wisdom and the gift of wisdom that God had given to him to write the Scriptures.

And to preach the gospel. The gift of wisdom is the ability to take the truth of God and flesh it out in such a way you can apply it to people's situations so they know how to live their lives. That's the gift of wisdom. Jesus Christ is called the wisdom of God in 1 Corinthians 1:2 in verse number 30, right? See, this is where you can't say, Well, you, I don't have the gift of wisdom, so I can't be wise. You can't say that. Because Jesus Christ is called the wisdom of God. And in him, Colossians 2 says, dwells all wisdom and knowledge.

And Jesus Christ dwells where? In you, right? So you have wisdom and you have knowledge. You can't say you don't have either one of those because God dwells in you and He is both wisdom and knowledge. But there are certain people with the gift of word of wisdom. And that is, they can see a situation. Decipher it, and apply God's word to it in such a way that people practically live the word of God. That's the word of wisdom. Wisdom is a product of God's power in your life. Over in James chapter 3, James gives the characteristic of true biblical wisdom when he says these words in verse number 13.

He says this. No, verse number fifty. Sorry, seventy. I'll get it. The wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, reasonable, full of mercy, and good fruits.

Unwavering, without hypocrisy. Those are the characteristics of true wisdom. And the person with the spiritual gift of the word of wisdom exemplifies that to the greatest degree. You can read about it in the book of Proverbs, in the book of Ecclesiastes, because Proverbs deals a lot with wisdom. In the wisdom of a man. James 1 talks about the believer that if any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask of God, who give to all men how? Liberally. You see, you have no excuse to be dumb. Right? Because God gives you wisdom liberally.

If you ask Him, all you just ask Him. And the wisdom, of course, is found in his word, the ability to commun wisdom in a situation where it is desperately needed. Remember 2 Timothy:? The scriptures are that which make us wise unto salvation, right? Wise unto salvation. Proverbs chapter 2, verses 6 and 7 says this. For the Lord gives wisdom, from his mouth comes knowledge and understanding. He who stores up sound wisdom for the upright, he is a shield to those who walk in integrity. God gives wisdom to those who walk in integrity.

God gives wisdom to those who walk uprightly because God wants people. To be wise. And the man with the word of wisdom applies that truth practically and personally to people's lives. Then comes the word of knowledge. Word of knowledge simplifies the truth sound and signific. It simplifies the truth sound and significantly. People with a word of knowledge. This is very important. Although it's a word spoken, most people with the word of knowledge are your seminary professors, your college professors.

They are the ones who write lots of books. Guys with the word of knowledge help guys like me with the gift of prophecy and the gift of teaching in our ministry. We need those kind of guys because they simplify the truth. You see, they break it down for guys like me who have a hard time getting a hold of it. And they break it down in such a way that they can write about it and put it in books. And guys like me, we read about it and understand it so we now can communicate it, so we can amplify it, so we can clarify it, so we can do it in a systematic kind of way, so you understand it.

That's the man with the word of knowledge. It's the ability to understand things which others do not know and cannot comprehend on their own. 1 Corinthians 12:9 1 Corinthians 13, verse 2, and verse number 8, it's called the word of knowledge. It's a spirit-given ability to observe biblical facts and make conclusions. It is the ability to understand the Bible. That's what it is. It's word of knowledge. There are people in our church, lots of them, with this giftedness. The word of knowledge. Some of you don't even know who they are.

I know who they are. The people in our church that I've called, friends of mine, with the word of knowledge. Pick up the phone. He said, Explain this to me. Help me understand this. I'm going to preach that on Sunday. What is your take on what this verse is saying? And they sit down and they decline all the nouns, parse all the verbs, and come back and say, you know, this is how I see what the text is saying. And this is why I see it that way. Those guys really help me out. Sometimes I can't read the books and understand, so I've got to call the guy with the word of knowledge, let him speak it to me.

And once he speaks it to me, then I begin to grasp it. And the guy with the word of knowledge is not necessarily the guy you want to be in your pulpit and preaching because they're kind of dry. You ever met those kind of guys? They're kind of dry. And unless you're really into what they're talking about, you're just leaving the back row, man. I had those kind of professors in college all the time. They were so knowledgeable. They were so up. They knew so much. And I'm thinking, oh man, you guys are way over my head.

But every once in a while, they would. Hit something to strike a tone in my ears, and I'd perk up and listen.

And boy, I grasp on what they're saying. I think, man, these guys are so smart. How do they know that? How do they get that? They got the word of knowledge. They're able to communicate it. Daniel had it. Simeon had it. He spoke forth that word of knowledge so Joseph and Mary would know about the future of their son, Jesus. Peter had it in Matthew 16, verses 13 and 17, when Christ said, Ah, Simon or Jonah, you're a blessed man because flesh and blood has not revealed this to you by my Father who is in heaven.

You know, Simon. 2 Corinthians 12, verses 1 to 7, Paul says, He had the gift of knowledge. But you know what else he also had? He had a thorn in the side. A messenger of Satan that would keep him from being puffed up because he had the gift of knowledge. Remember, the Bible says in 1 Corinthians 13 that knowledge puffs up, right?

You've got to be careful. A lot of knowledge and no love makes you a very arrogant person. And Paul said he had a built-in mechanism to keep him humble. That was the messenger of Satan designed to buffet his body with a thorn in the flesh. And it kept him humble before the Lord. These people, with the gift, word of knowledge, are so valuable to the body of Christ. Because the truth needs to be simplified, doesn't it? Put out there in a platter and say, Oh, I get it. Now I know. And they do that. People with the gift of wisdom, they take what's been simplified, what do they do?

They apply it. They apply it to their lives and those they talk to. Those with the gift of exhortation, they specify the truth, they put it to a particular need. And encourage you to continue on. Those with the gift of teaching, they clarify it systematically, verse by verse, point by point. And of course, the one with the gift of prophecy, he just amplifies the whole thing. He speaks it loud so everybody hears it because he wants them all to know it. Those are the speaking gifts. And Peter says: if you got one of those, speak the utterances of God.