Serving Successfully Among the Saints, Part 3b

The gift of giving. This gift is extremely, extremely unique. Listen, if you had this gift, this gift is demonstrated in a variety of ways. We think of the gift of giving, what do we think of? Money, right? Whenever you hear the word give, you think of dollar signs, cha-ch money. Well, that's part of it, but that's not the whole thing behind it. And so you need to understand the word because in it is the key element of what needs to happen. Back in Romans chapter 12, verse number 8. It says, He who gives with liber.

If you have the gift of giving, you do it in one realm. Single-mindedness, liberality, new-heartedness, I guess, would be a very good way to translate the word. The word did, meaning to give, has The accent met did, which means to do more than just give, but it has the idea of imparting something or sharing something of yourself. And it's used in a variety of ways. You can read Luke 3:11, where it talks about giving someone your clothes. In Romans:, it's translated imp, where Paul would say, I want to impart to you some spiritual gift.

Over in 1st Thessalonians chapter 2, verse number 8, again it's translated imp when Paul said, We not only came to share with you the gospel, but impart to you our lives as well. It's the giving away of myself, not just my resources. It's an attitude of wanting to relinquish what I have to meet the needs of those who have need. It's the ability to give your material goods and financial resources with joy and eagerness without any motives that would benefit you. If you have the gift of giving. Not very many people know it, but God does.

Because you want to give, but not necessarily be recognized. Recognition is not part of the gift. You just like to give. You like to do it anonymously. You like to do it continually. And you're not too interested. In fact, you almost embarrassed that people know what you did. I'll give you a few examples of that. Over in 2 Corinthians chapter 8, Paul is writing to those at Corinth. He says in verse number 1 2 Cor 8: Now, brethren, we wish to make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, that in a great ordeal of affliction, there Abundance of joy and their deep poverty overflowed in the wealth of their liberality.

For I testify that according to their ability and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, begging us with much entreaty for the favor of participation in the Support of the saints, and this not as we had expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.

Paul was using these people as an example of their willingness to give and their begging to be able to give out of their pover for the benefit of others. Boy, that's amazing to me. Paul would say over in the book of Philippians, the fourth chapter, the fifteenth verse, he said this. And you yourselves also know, Philippians, that at the first preaching of the gospel, after I departed from Macedonia, no church shared with me in the matter of giving and receiving, but you alone.

They were able to share with him. They were able to give to him. And that's the idea behind the gift. That it's a willingness to share. I like what Ephesians 4 says. Verse number. 28. It says, Let him who steals steal no longer, but rather let him labor, performing with his own hands what is good, in order that he may have something to share with him who has a need. Do you know one of the reasons we work is so that we might share with those who have a need? You know, one of the reasons God gives you a raise at work, so you can share more with those who have a need.

For those of you who have been out of a job and God gives you a job, He gives you one so that you can share with those who have need. S, we think that we have a job, we go to work so that we can take care of our family and meet our needs. And you know what? You need to do that, right? But there's something else that we can easily miss. God gives to us so we can give to others. Not necessarily money, but however we can come alongside of them and meet whatever needs they may have. And that's what the gift of giving is all about.

It's the ability to give with great joy. Over in Romans chapter 12, verse number 8. It says that when you give, you give with liberality or single-mindedness or single-motive or with great enthusiasm. You want to give in such a way. That there is a joy that characterizes your life. Listen, when you have the opportunity to meet a need and you can do it, and you begrudge that opportunity, you don't have the gift. But when there comes a need and you have the opportunity to meet it and you really want to do it, you got the gift.

You got the gift. And you see that as a habit pattern in your life, you want to be able to touch the needs of people. And you know what? You're not looking for any recognition from it either. In fact, you would almost rather not be recognized. Over in 2 Corinthians 9, verse number 7, what's it say? It says that we, when you give, it says that each one Do or give just as he has purposed in his own heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, but for God loves a cheerful giver. God loves a cheerful giver.

And the person with the gift of giving, they just do it cheerfully. They just love to do it. You ever met somebody like that? They're kind of, I don want to say the word strange people, they're just different. You know, they really don't hold on to Earth's possessions. Because earth's possessions aren't that important to them. But they want to use their possessions, the ones that God's given to them, and help somebody else in their time of need. Another gift that follows along with that is the next one, and that is the gift of showing mercy.

Showing mercy. Now, this is a word that. That it's from the heart. It's not that giving's not, it's not that leadership's not, or administration, or service, or helps are not from the heart. But this one. This one empathizes with the person who has the need. I guess that's a good way of putting it. They have pity. They have compassion for someone who has. A need. And the word for mercy that's used in the New Testament appears over 60 different times in the New Testament, and primarily its usage refers.

To the fact that God was merciful in our salvation. Which helps us understand a little bit about mercy, doesn't it? If you look at grace, you'll see that grace is what God does to take care of our sin.

Mercy is what God does to take care of. of our situation because of our sin. Grace is that aspect of God that de with the pos. Grace says heaven. Mercy is that which deals with the negative. For mercy says, no hell. See that? Grace is that which grants a better condition, and mercy is that which eliminates the pain of the previous condition. That's what mercy is. And so, when you look how God operates in salvation and how He is merciful to us at our greatest point of need, you can begin to understand a little bit more about the gift.

It is the ability to have immediate. Compassion for those suffering physically combined with great joy in meeting their needs. And that's the ability of the gift of mercy. It's used throughout the Gospels a lot in connection with Christ's healing ministry. You can see it in the story of the Good Samaritan and how he was able to not only see the need. We know the Levite saw the need. We know the priest saw the need. But the Samaritan not only saw the need, he felt the need. But it went beyond just seeing and feeling the need.

He met the need, right? So he picked him up. From his condition and put him in a greater place. He would bind his wounds. He would point ointment on his open source. He would risk his life. Not knowing that he himself could be injured, but would risk his life to meet the physical needs of this man who was suffering greatly. That's what Jesus did, right? And his miracles in the physical realm are symbolic of what he does in the spiritual realm for you and for me. There's a great illustration of this in the book of Acts.

Turn to Acts chapter 9 with me for a moment. Acts chapter 9. Verse number thirty-s Verse number thirty six It says, Now in Joppa, there was a certain disciple named Tabith, which translated in Greek is called Dorcas. This woman was abounding with deeds of kindness and charity, which she continually did. Deeds of mercy, mercy deeds. And she continually did them. And it came about at that time that she fell sick and died. And when they had washed her body, they laid it in an upper room. And since Lidda was near Jud The disciples, having heard that Peter was there, sent two men to him, entreating him, Do not delay to come to us.

You need to come here. Why? Because Dorcas died. So, everybody dies. Yeah, but you got to know that Dorcas is a woman who meets the needs of people. She's a great mercy giver. So, Peter, we need you. Why? Well, read on. Peter arose and went with them, and when he had come, they brought him into an upper room, and all the widows stood beside him. Weeping and showing all the tunics and garments that Dorcas used to make while she was with them. Well, why were they weeping? Because the person who made their garments was now dead.

The person who was giving them in their time of need was gone. Who now is going to meet their needs? Who now is going to extend mercy? This woman was so prominent in the early church. So, what happens? It says. But Peter sent them all out and knelt down and prayed. And turning to the body, he said, Tabitha, arise. She opened her eyes. And when she saw Peter, she sat up. And he gave her his hand, and raised her up. And calling the saints and widows, he presented her alive. And it became known all over Joppa.

And many believed in the Lord. And it came about that he stayed many days in Joppa with a certain tenor, Simon. Wow. This woman was one who extended mercy to those who had a need. That's the gift of mercy. Someone has a need, a physical need, a material need. You meet that need because you feel their pain. They're cold. You feel their coldness. And you don't just want to feel their coldness. You want to make them warm. So you do what you can to make them warm. You buy them a coat. You make them a coat.

You put them by a fire. You take them into your house. You do whatever you can to ex Extend mercy to those people. That's what Dorcas did. It's a gift that involves a great attitude. In fact, listen to what it says in Romans chapter 12, verse number 8. And he who shows mercy with cheerfulness. With cheerfulness. If you got the gift of mercy. And you have the opportunity to meet a need, a physical need of someone who is suffering greatly. There's great joy in your heart to meet the need. You're always looking for another need that needs to be met because you got the gift.

And God wants to use you in that person's life. And the gift throughout the Bible appears to be one of great compassion with those who suffer physically, those in hospital. Hospitals, those in convalescent homes, those who are shut-ins, those who are poor, those who are needy. The gift is relative to the compassion of the heart. It's feeling as Christ felt great compassion for people in his innermost being. You're able to sympathize with the people. I found it humorous that there's a great contrast in the Bible between Christ and his disciples when it comes to meeting people's needs.

Over in Matthew chapter 15. It says in verse number 21, And Jesus went away from there and withdrew into the district of Tyre and Sidon. And behold, a Canaanite woman came out from that region and began to cry out, saying, Have mercy on me, O Lord. Son of David, my daughter is cruelly demon-possessed. But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came to him and kept asking him, saying, Send her away, for she is shouting after us. Now, here's a woman who has a child that's demon-possess. And the disciples say, Lord, she keeps screaming at us.

Send her away. Get rid of her. Who needs that? We like it quiet, peaceful. We don't like to be disturbed. Send her away. Verse 24, but he answered and said, I will sent only to the lost sheep of the house of Israel. But she came and began to bow down before him, saying, Lord, help me. And he answered and said, It's not good to take the children's bread and throw it to the dogs. But she said, Yes, Lord, but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from the master's table. Then Jesus answered and said to, O woman, your faith is great.

Be it done for you as you wish. And her daughter was healed at once. Our God would ask some questions to get her to understand that even though she was a Canaanite woman, his mercy extended to those who weren't of the chosen people, the nation of Israel. You have the situation over in Mark chapter 10. Mark chapter 10, it says in verse Number 13. And they were bringing children to him so that he might touch them. And the disciples rebuked them. But Jesus saw this, he was indignant and said to them, Perm the children to come to me.

Do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. Truly, I say to you, whoever does not receive the kingdom of God like a child shall not enter it at all. Took them in his arms and began blessing them, laying his hands upon them. Here was Christ in his ministry, and all these children were coming to him and they were saying, You know, get out of here. You know, the rug rats go off someplace, fellas, go play in the sand someplace. And Christ says, Hey, fellas, listen up.

Don't hinder the women or the children from coming to me. He was indignant, he was angry. Because you see, he had time for those who had needs. The disciples didn't have time for those people, but Jesus did. That's the gift of mercy. Having said that, let me remind you of what it says in the book of James.

First chapter James chapter 1 verse number 2 This is pure and undefiled religion in the sight of our God and Father.

This is what true, genuine religion is all about. To visit orphans and widows in their distress, and to keep oneself unstained by the world. True rel is demonstrated by act of mercy. To widows and orphans, symbolic of people who are in great need. Widows in great need, orphans in great need. And throughout the scriptures, they symbolize people. Who can't do things for themselves because they don't have the resources. So, what is it the true genuine Christian does? He meets that need. Because he wants to.

That's why James will go on to say in James chapter 2, verse number 13: that judgment will be merciless upon those who show no what? Mercy. So, not only is it a gift, it is something that we as children of the Lord must do. Next is the gift of discernment. We must hurry, we're running out of time. This is a unique word. It's used over in 1 Corinthians. Chapter 12, verse number 10. Verse number 10. This is what it says. It says, and to another, the effecting of miracles, and to another, prophecy, and to another, the distinguishing or discerning of spirits.

To another, various kinds of tongues, and to another, the interpretation of tongues. The gift of discernment. Listen, the gift of discernment is the gift. On gifts. That's what it is. It's the gift on gifts. That is, it is the gift that determines the validity of the speaking gifts. That's what it is. It's the gift of discernment. It's the ability to judge through something, to judge whether something is of the Spirit of God or of the Spirit of Satan. It's closely aligned in 1 John 4:1, when it talks about testing.

The spirits. Although there it's not used particularly in the realm of giftedness, it's the requirement of all the children of God to test the spirits. who has the gift of distinguishing spirits or discerning spirits is the one who is able to distinguish between truth and error It's the ability to give an immediate evaluation of what was spoken and the person who said it as to whether it was from God or from Satan. That is the gift of discernment. The gift of distinguishing spirits. It's a gift that helps you understand.

What is said, if it's truly from God or not. It is a check gift. It's so valuable to the body of Christ because people always come and say, Well, you know, the Lord said to me, Really, He said to you. What did He say? See? How did He say it? What did you do when he said it? Because it helps people understand whether or not that person speaking really did receive a word from the Lord. Because it's the gift on gifts. In this day and age, of all the different things that are happening in the world. One of the biggest problems in the church is is the fact that because God's word no longer is the authority that that people can go around saying well, you know, God spoke to me and God said to me and you know, God did this for me, and they just keep going on and on and on.

You think, oh, wow, man, you're man. God did that for you. Wow, man, God spoke to you. Wow, man, you must have a special relationship with the Lord, man. That's great. But did he? What does the Bible say about that? The one with the gift of discerning of spirits is able to distinguish that what the man said, is it really from the Lord? Or is it not? It's so valuable to the church. It's the gift on gifts. It's the check gift. It holds all the speaking gifts in check. These people are very valuable to the church, aren't they?

Sure, they are. Extremely valuable. A. T. Robertson said it this way: It was given to tell whether the gifts were really of the Holy Spirit and supernatural, or merely natural, or even diabolical. That's a good way of putting it. Discerning spirits. And lastly, the gift of faith. We all have faith, saving faith, if you're born again, but this is a unique gift. The gift of faith. First Corinthians 12, verse number 9 says it this way: To another, faith by the same Spirit.

The gift of faith. Pist is the word. It means to believe, it means to trust, it means to have faith. It 's used over 5 times. In the New Testament. As a spiritual gift, it appears in 1 Corinthians 12, verse number 9. And it's the ability to see what others cannot see and to trust God, listen, in difficult circumstances. That's the person with the gift of faith. They're able to trust God amidst difficult circumstances because they're able to see. With a spiritual eye, what others do not see. Abraham, of course, is called a man of faith in Hebrews chapter 11 and Romans chapter 4.

Over in Hebrews 11, we have the hall of faith, people who learn to trust their God in unbelievable situations. Stephen was a great man of faith, and when he was being pumbled with those stones outside the walls of Jerusalem. He was a man who exercised his faith to the very end, believing that his God would save him and take him home to eternity. Am adverse circumstances, he never wavered in his trust for God. All Christians, according to Ephesians 2:8, have saving faith, but not all Christians have the gift of faith.

I wish we all did, but we don't. The ability to trust God in difficult circumstances is one way, it's the ability to trust God in the face of death. Some people just don't fear death at all. That doesn't even bother them because of the gift of faith. They can trust their God. They can see what others don't see because their spiritual eye is so focused on God above. Those people, they encourage us to live a life of faith, don't they? They encourage us to live a life of trusting obedience in our God, unwavering commitment to our God, to be able to see beyond the obstacles, to see beyond the apparent difficulties with confidence that God will perform the impossible.

We all need those kind of people around us, right? You see, the reason this study is so important is because everybody in this room possesses at least one. Of the gifts. Which one do you have? You say, well, I don't have any of those. Yeah, you do. And you might say, well, no, I don't. And I would say, let me tell you something.

The Bible says you do. So you got one. You might have more than one. Might have two, three. I don't know. But you got at least one. And whatever it is, God says, I need to use you in the body of Christ.

To make the body function properly.