The Special Gifts

Lord, as we come together to receive instruction from your word, our prayer, Lord, is that we would not be forgetful hearers, but doers of your word this morning. And understand, Lord, the implications of your word to our life. We thank you, Father, for the opportunity to come and open your word and to hear you speak. And, Father, our prayer this morning is that all of us would begin to understand more about the gifts that you have given to the church. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

If you have been with us for any length of time, you know that we are in a series talking about spiritual gifts. This is our fourth in a seven-part series dealing specifically with God's gifts to the church. If you have not been with us the previous three weeks, we would encourage you to pick up the tapes so you begin to understand because there is a progression that happens one upon the other.

And today we want to talk about the special gifts. They're special not because they're any better than all the other gifts, but because they are gifted men that God has given to the church. Last week we talked about the purpose of spiritual gifts. And we put spiritual gifts into four categories. There are the special gifts, the speaking gifts, the support gifts, and the sign gifts. The sign gifts were given for the specific purpose of endorsing apostolic ministry. The support gifts were given for the express purpose of enabling the ministry. The speaking gifts were given in order for people to explain the scriptures to others. And the special gifts are given because they are to equip the saints for the work of ministry.

If you were with us last week, you know about those purposes specifically as well as generally. And so this morning what we want to do is look at those special gifts.

Now if you'll notice on your outline there's about a million points that are there. I'm sorry for that. I've tried to condense 15 typewritten page notes into one 45 minute sermon. If I can do that, well, the gift of miracles is in existence today. So I'm going to go through this as broadly as I possibly can to explain to you the special gifts, these gifted men that God has given to the church for the express purpose of equipping them, the saints that is, for the work of ministry.

If you have your Bible, I would encourage you to turn with me to Ephesians chapter 4. We will begin here and we will end here. Ephesians chapter 4, beginning with verse number 7: "But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, When he ascended on high, he led captive a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men. Now this expression, he ascended, what does it mean except that he also had descended into the lower parts of the earth? He who descended is himself also he who ascended far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things. And he gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists. And some as pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ."

Before we get into our outline, two things I want you to notice. First of all, is that there are five gifted men. Ephesians 4, 7 says that God gave gifts. He gave freely gifts to men. But he gave gifted men, apostles, prophets, evangelists, and pastor teachers to the church. So they're special gifts because they were given to the church for the express purpose of equipping the saints, mending the saints, tying the saints together, mending the holes within the body. So that those people are equipped for ministry to do the work of the church. That's why God gave gifted men.

Four of them. Some believe there are five: apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers. According to 1 Corinthians 12:28, teachers is listed alongside of apostles and prophets. I think the pastor-teacher is not to be separated. The reason being is because of the grammatical structure. It's called the Granville-Sharp rule. And that is, when there are two nouns, preceded by the definite article "the," and the conjunction "and" separates them, and there's no definite article before the second noun, the two are equal. It's a very basic principle in Greek grammar, and therefore it's the pastor-teacher. So it's the pastor who is the teacher.

We'll talk more about that when we understand this gifted man, the pastor-teacher that was given to the church, along with the evangelist, the prophet, and the apostle. So I believe there are four gifted men given to the church. Some add teacher because of 1 Corinthians 12:28. I know I could argue with that. That could very well possibly be.

Number two, the thing I want you to understand is that I believe that the gift of apostle and prophet are still in existence today. The majority of Bible translators say they are not, and I want to tell you why they're not. They are not because the function of the apostle and prophet was threefold. If you have your Bible over in Ephesians chapter 2, it tells us what those functions were, at least one of them. Ephesians chapter 2, verse number 20 it says "having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone." The first function of an apostle and a prophet was to lay the foundation. They themselves were not the foundation, although you could say they were. They laid the foundation, and they laid it through divine revelation.

So the second function of the apostle was revelation. Ephesians chapter 3, verse number 5, concerning the mystery of Christ, "which in other generations was not made known to the sons of men as it is or as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets in the spirit." So, the apostles and prophets not only laid the foundation, they laid it through direct revelation. God spoke through these men. And as God spoke through them, he revealed the divine truth, and that's how we got our Bible.

On top of that, there was confirmation. If you read 2 Corinthians 12:12, Paul talks about the signs of an apostle. We talked about those last week. Hebrews 2, verse 4. Mark 16, verses 17 and 20. Acts chapter 8. We'll look at Philip the Evangelist in a few moments. That there were certain signs that accompanied these apostles and prophets that confirm their message. So the third function of the apostle and prophet, number one being foundation, number two being revelation, number three being confirmation. There were signs that confirmed the apostolic message.

And so, because God is no longer laying the foundation, the foundation has already been laid, therefore, God is no longer giving direct revelation. Therefore, there is no need for a confirmation of those people because the confirmation now is the revelation that has already been given. There is no longer the need for the apostle and prophet, therefore, the evangelist and the pastor-teacher have taken over their place. And that's a legitimate argument. I'm not against that. That could be very well true.

Yet, on the other hand, I believe that the gift of apostle and a prophet still exists today, and I'm going to tell you why as we go through the outline this morning. And we want to begin to articulate some of the distinctions between the apostle, prophet, evangelist, and pastor-teacher. When we're done with that, number two, we want to assess self-examination. That is, we want you to see whether or not you believe God has called you to be a gifted man to the church. And number three, we want to apply some recommendations. That is, we want you to be able to understand what God wants you to do, whether you're a gifted man or whether you're not a gifted man to the church. Because there's application for all of us who are here today.

So, what I did this past week was rewrite my entire sermon so that it's more of a preaching time as much as it is a teaching time so I can exercise my prophetic gift. And help you understand that there's more than just rote memory as, well, this is the gift, this is how it's used in scripture. And let me illustrate it for you. Go on to the next gift, and go on to the next gift. I want to be able to help you understand that there's application to your life as well. And that's where point three comes in.

So, number one, as we articulate the distinction this morning, I want you to first of all look at the word apostle. That's the first gifted man to the church. I want to identify the gift, then I want to illustrate the gift for you as best as we possibly can. So, in terms of identifying the gift, if you just put two words down: "sent forth." Just put those two words down. Apostle is someone who was sent forth.

And the reason I believe that this man still exists today is this. Number one, there are what we call primary apostles. And the primary apostles, first of all, are located in Hebrews chapter 3, verse 1. Jesus Christ himself, right? He is the apostle and high priest of our confession. So Jesus Christ is the ultimate sent one. He was the one who was sent forth, correct? He is the ultimate messenger. Jesus Christ. The key apostle.

If you read Matthew chapter 10, verses 2 to 4, it lists the apostles. These are the apostles. And we know them: Peter, James, John, Andrew, etc., etc. And so those men are the apostles. They are the collective "we" that John speaks about in 1 John 1:3, who heard and saw the manifestation of Jesus Christ. And so we know that one of the signs of an apostle was that he was to witness the resurrection of Jesus Christ. You read Acts 1:22 when it came time to choose between Matthias and Barsabbas, they cast lots. And one of the qualifications was that they had to have seen the resurrected Jesus Christ.

So, therefore, you had the primary apostles being the 12, plus Jesus Christ plus the Apostle Paul. Romans 1:1, Galatians 1:1, and many other passages of scripture talk about the Apostle Paul being just that, an apostle of the Lord Jesus Christ. They are ones who are sent forth. They are messengers of Jesus Christ. They were sent forth specifically by Jesus. Jesus God hand chose them and sent them forth. God hand chose the Son, sent him forth. God hand chose the twelve, he sent them forth. God hand chose Paul and sent him forth. Those are the primary apostles.

Yet, on the other hand, 1 Corinthians 15, verses 5 to 7, it says that when, as a result of the resurrection, Christ appeared to the apostles, verse number 5, and verse 7 says— no, I'm sorry. He appeared to the 12, verse number 5 of 1 Corinthians 15, and that he appeared to the apostles, verse number 7 of 1 Corinthians 15. So, who are the other apostles that he appeared to other than the 12? Well, we know from Acts 1:22 that at least one of them was Barsabbas because he had seen the post-resurrected Christ. And who else did he appear to? We don't know, but he appeared to at least 500 other witnesses.

But there are other apostles that are named. And let me name a few of them for you. Number one is Epaphroditus, Philippians chapter 2. He's called an apostle. Barnabas, Acts 14, verse 4, he's called an apostle. Titus, 2 Corinthians 8:23. James, the Lord's brother, Galatians 1:19. Andronicus and Junius, Romans 16:7, and Timothy and Silas, 1 Thessalonians 2:6. Those were all called apostles. Those were all sent ones. Yet none of them wrote scripture. But they're called apostles. They're secondary apostles. They were not sent forth by Jesus Christ because they saw him and he chose them. They were sent forth as messengers from the church of Jesus Christ. And they recognized them as ones to go out and represent Jesus Christ our Lord. And so they were representatives of Jesus Christ by being sent forth. You follow me?

So they too, to a degree, are apostles because they're called apostles. So I believe that apostles are still a gift today. In fact, this is how I would define an apostle. It's those whose greatest desire and most effective ministry is moving from place to place in order to begin and establish local churches. I believe that the apostle is our modern-day missionary. That's what I believe. The apostle in the New Testament was a broad term. The prophet was more localized into the church. The apostle was a broader individual who went to different kinds of churches.

And the apostle and his ministry is spelled forth in Acts chapter 14. Turn there with me, if you would, with Paul and Barnabas. Acts chapter 14, verses 21 to 28. We know that Barnabas and Paul are both apostles because they're called that in verse number 4 and verse number 14 of Acts chapter 14. So it says in verse number 21: "And after they had preached the gospel to that city and had made many disciples, they returned to Lystra and Iconium and to Antioch, strengthening the souls of the disciples, encouraging them to continue in the faith, and saying, 'Through many tribulations we must enter the kingdom of God.' And when they had appointed elders for them in every church, having prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord in whom they had believed."

That tells you a little bit about the work of the apostle. They would go and they would develop leadership and they would appoint elders and they would strengthen the saints. They would help lay a foundation and they would build upon that foundation by teaching and strengthening the disciples that were there. That's the gift of the apostle. That's a gifted man given to the church in order to help build and strengthen people. He's one who is sent.

Second of all, the prophet. Two words "sent forth" to characterize the apostle for the prophet to "speak forth." He's one who speaks forth the word of God. In fact, I would define it this way. The prophet are those whose primary task is to proclaim God's truth to others in behalf of God without compromise. Resulting in edification, exhortation, and comfort for the believer and conviction of the non-believer. We'll talk more about that next week when we talk about the gift of prophecy.

Now just because you are a prophet or you have the gift of prophecy does not make you a prophet. Paul in 1 Corinthians 14 talks about the primacy of prophecy. Because it edifies the entire church, because it's a public proclamation of the Word of God. And so you've got to understand that the gifted man is the one who makes that his normal lifestyle. He is the one who prophesies. Not revelation, but reiteration of the truth. There's a difference there. There is no longer God giving revelation to people. But he has prophets who reiterate the truth of that revelation. And so the gift of the prophet, the gifted man today, what he does is he reiterates that truth to people.

Acts 13:1, the prophets and the teachers, Barnabas being one of those. Simeon being one of those. Over in Acts 15:32, there's Judas and Silas, who by their lengthy message strengthen people. Did you get that? Who, by their lengthy message, strengthen people. Now, I don't know if you can draw by inference for that a short message, does it strengthen them? But it says through their lengthy message, Acts 15:32, as prophets, they strengthened people. They spoke forth the word of God.

Now there's a difference between prophecy and teaching. Those with the gift of prophecy, those who are prophets, are public proclaimers. Those with the gift of teaching aren't necessarily public proclaimers. They can do it one-on-one. They can do it in a small group. But who has a gift of prophecy? The prophet, he does it publicly. He also has an emphasis on the urgency, on the challenge to adhere, to apply the message. The teacher's emphasis is on the knowledge of the message, the understanding of the message, and the systematic training of that message. And we'll talk more about that next week as we contrast prophecy and teaching.

But the prophet is one who publicly proclaims. He's a public proclaimer of the gospel of Jesus Christ. He wants people to understand who Jesus Christ is.

And so I believe that the gift of apostle and prophet still exists today, mainly because there's no verse that says that they cease to exist. Second of all, there are secondary apostles in the scriptures that are listed that spoke forth the word of God and went from church to church to strengthen the saints. And so I can assume then that those are our modern-day missionaries and people who have the gift of prophecy who proclaim the word of God on a public platform.

Also, 1 Corinthians 12:28 says that God has put in the church first apostles, then prophets, or first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then healings and miracles, etc., etc., etc. So there is an appointment that is given to the church, and teachers and apostles of prophets are included in that category. And so those gifted men have been given to the church to equip the saints for the work of ministry.

And I believe that that apostle is that modern-day missionary who goes. His specific purpose is to go and plant churches. His specific purpose is to go and train people. He goes, he lays a doctrinal foundation. He teaches people about who Jesus Christ is, builds them up in the faith, plants churches, goes on again to another place, and establishes those people in the faith. That's what the modern-day apostle is. And the prophet is the one who publicly proclaimed the truth with an emphasis on urging people to move towards obedience in Jesus Christ.

Thirdly, the evangelist. The evangelist. One word. These guys are the obstetricians of the church. They are the obstetricians of the church. The word evangelist is used three times in Scripture. Acts 21:8, Philip, what? The evangelist. 2 Timothy chapter 4, verse number 5, Timothy was to do the work of an evangelist. And Ephesians 4:11, God has given gifted men to the church, that is, evangelists. So three times it's used in Scripture. Philip's illustration. It's identified by those whose life passion is to go and tell people about Jesus Christ and win them over to the Lord. That's what they want to do. That's their heart's passion.

Now, understand this: that there are gifted men given to the church, that is, evangelists. Who go and publicly proclaim the word of God either in a public arena or in a private arena. In fact, turn with me over to Acts chapter 8 and we'll look at Philip. Philip the Evangelist seems though he's the only illustration of scripture that we have that's listed as the evangelist. In Acts chapter 8, verse 4, it says, "Therefore, those who had been scattered went about preaching the word. And Philip went down to the city of Samaria and began proclaiming Christ to them."

My friends, that's what an evangelist does. An evangelist doesn't get up, tell story after story after story after story, throw a few Bible verses in, and then draw anybody to come forward for an invitation. That's not an evangelist. An evangelist preaches the word of God. And that's what Philip did. He did it publicly as well as privately. Because if you read down in Acts chapter 8. His encounter with the Ethiopian eunuch. It says in verse number 35, "and Philip opened his mouth, and beginning from the scripture, he preached Jesus to him."

An evangelist preaches Jesus. He can do it in a public setting. He can do it in a private setting. But his sole passion is to lead people to Jesus Christ. His sole passion is to tell people about Jesus Christ and train other people so they too can be equipped to tell others about Jesus Christ.

Now 2 Timothy 4:5 says that Timothy was to do the work of an evangelist. I'm not sure Timothy was specifically an evangelist. But he was to do the work of an evangelist. And my friends, all of us are to do the work of an evangelist. One of the members of our church told me this morning that on the 19th hole this past weekend, he and his friend had a chance to lead a guy they played golf with to the Lord. That's doing the work of an evangelist. And all of us are called to do that.

But there are specific people, gifted men, given to the church who have the gift of evangelism. And they go and what they do is they have a passion to tell people about Jesus Christ and train other people how they too can do that.

So the evangelist, he is the obstetrician in the local church. Ah, but the pastor-teacher, he's the pediatrician in the church. He's the pediatrician. The obstetrician, the evangelist, he births people. The pastor, teacher, the pediatrician, he grows the people. That's how it all functions together.

And so you have the pastor teacher located in Ephesians chapter 4, verse number 11, and that's the only place the word poimen is translated pastor and all the other times of scripture it's translated shepherd. But the gifted man to the church is the pastor-teacher. His function is as a shepherd is centered around teaching. The illustration is Acts chapter 20. If you have your Bible turn there with me, if you would for a moment, please.

Acts chapter 20. And when in a few months when we talk about leadership in the church and we talk about elders and pastors in the church, you'll realize that all pastors are elders and all elders are pastors, biblically speaking. You can't be an elder and not be a pastor, and you can't be a pastor and not be an elder. And you know that because there are three words in the Greek used to describe the elder, the bishop, and the pastor. And in Acts 20, verse 17 and 35, in 1 Peter 5:1 to 4, those three words are used interchangeably to describe the same man. And we'll talk about that in weeks and months ahead.

But in Acts chapter 20, you have Paul telling the Ephesian elders these words in verse number 28. "Be on guard for yourselves and for all the flock which the Holy Spirit has made you overseers, to shepherd," same Greek word, "the church of God which he purchased with his own blood. I know that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock. And from among your own selves, men will arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away the disciples after them. Therefore, be on the alert, remembering that night and day for a period of three years, I did not cease to admonish each one with tears. And now I commend you to God and to the word of His grace, which is able to build you up and to give you the inheritance among all those who are sanctified."

A pastor-teacher, a gifted man given to the church whose primary purpose is to stay within the local church. Whose heart's passion is to train and develop people for the work of the ministry. And that's what the pastor-teacher does.

Those are the gifted men that God has given to the church. Now, how do you know whether or not you're a gifted man? How do you know whether or not you go to a church where there's a gifted man leading in the church? I don't think that there ought to be anyone who's called, quote, the senior pastor in a church who is not a gifted man given to the church. And I'm going to explain that to you in a few moments. That's why we have so many churches in America that make so very little impact, is because we have men leading them that are not gifted men given to the church. And there's a big difference.

In understanding what that means, so I want to give you six things, six elements that help you understand whether or not a person is gifted in this area, that he's a gifted man given to the church. The first one is located over in 1 Corinthians 12:28. The very first one is that if you're a gifted man given to the church, you are called by God. You're called by God. 1 Corinthians 12, verse number 28 says, "And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, gifts of healings, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues, etc., etc."

The appointment does not refer to the grace kind of gift. It refers specifically to a divine appointment. God has called you to that position. God has appointed apostles. He has appointed prophets. He has appointed pastor-teachers. He has appointed elders to the church. And so you know that you're a gifted man given to the church because God has called you.

"You say, Well, how do you know God's called you, my friend?" If you ask that question, God hasn't called you. Simple as that. If you have to ask the question, "Well, how do you know God's called you?" He hasn't called you. Because you know. Psalm 32, verse number 8, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way which you should go. I will counsel you with my eye upon you." Psalm 48, verse 14, "Our God will guide us until death."

My friend, if you're a gifted man to the church, you are consumed with the word of God. And if you are consumed with the word of God, you know God is telling you what to do. And God is speaking to you through his word. He is leading you, he is guiding you, he has called you. So if you have to ask the question, "Am I called?" you're not called to be a gifted man of the church.

Paul over in Galatians chapter 1 said these words. Galatians chapter 1, verse number 1. "Paul, an Apostle not sent from men, nor through the agency of man, but through Jesus Christ and God the Father who raised him from the dead." Verse number 15. "But when he who had set me apart even from my mother's womb, and called me through his grace, was pleased to reveal his Son in me, that I might preach him among the Gentiles."

My friends, there is a call upon your life that is given to you by God, which he leads you into the ministry. And you know it. It was Charles Spurgeon in his book, "Lectures to My Students," who said this: "How may a young man know whether he is called or not? That is a weighty inquiry, and I desire to treat it most solemnly. Oh, for divine guidance in so doing. That hundreds have missed their way and stumbled against the pulpit is sorrowfully evident from the fruitless ministries and decaying churches which surround us. It is a fearful calamity to a man to miss his calling, and to the church upon whom he imposes himself. His mistake involves an affliction of the most grievous kind."

If you desire doing anything other than ministering in the church with people, God has not called you to be a gifted man. In fact, if you desire to do anything else other than that, then you ought to go do that. And save the church of Jesus Christ lots of grief.

Now, I don't mean to be harsh or negative or anything like that, but our churches today are full of people who are in a role of pastor-teacher, who are in a role of an evangelist, who would rather be doing something different, whose desire and energies are put elsewhere. Building houses, doing all kinds of things, extracurricular activities, because that's where their heart's desire really is. And they would do the church and the Lord a favor by going off and doing those things and being witnesses for Him out there. Than being in the church trying to train and equip people for the work of ministry when in reality that church isn't going nowhere doing nothing. You're called by God you had that calling you had that consuming passion to minister in and among and with God's people and for God.

Number two, how do you know you're a gifted man? You are compelled to preach and teach God's Holy Word. You are compelled to teach and preach God's holy word. 1 Corinthians chapter 9, verse 16. Paul said, "This: For if I preach the gospel, I have nothing to boast of. For I am under compulsion, for woe is me if I do not preach the gospel."

My friends, if you're a gifted man to the church, you have a compelling desire. A compulsion to preach and teach God's word. That consumes every aspect of your life. And Paul says that he was under compulsion to preach the gospel, and that if he doesn't, he would be cursed by God because he wasn't doing what God had called him to do.

Those who are gifted men of the church realize the enormity and the magnitude of their ministry, and realize that if they don't do what God has called them to do, that woe is me. Jeremiah said this way over in Jeremiah chapter 20, verse 9. "But if I say, I will not remember him or speak any more in his name, then in my heart it becomes like a burning fire. God has spoken, and if I hold it inside, there's going to be a burning up inside of me. I've got to get it out, and in order to get it out, I've got to speak forth. And because God has sent me to speak, I'm going to do it," Jeremiah says.

And if you're a gifted man to the church, you have a compelling desire to preach and teach God's holy word. If you don't have that desire, you're not a gifted man to the church. And Paul says that he was a steward over in Colossians 1:25. "That I was made a minister according to the stewardship from God bestowed upon me." And if you have that compulsion, it's because God has somehow gripped your life and called you into the ministry, and you know it.

Thirdly, you are not only compelled to preach and teach the Word of God, you are consumed with the study of God's Word. You are consumed with the study of God's word. If you're a gifted man to the church, you want to spend your time studying God's Word so that you can accurately articulate God's Word to people. If you don't have a consumption to sit down and study God's Holy Word and spend your life investing into God's Word, you are not a gifted man given to the church.

And there are a lot of pastors today who don't spend time doing that. And I want to let you know that if you're going to do anything for God, you've got to articulate God. If you're going to articulate God, you've got to do what Paul said to Timothy in 2 Timothy 2:15. "Study to show yourself approved unto God, a workman that needeth not to be ashamed, rightly dividing the word of truth." Cutting the truth straight. If you're going to cut the truth straight so there's a path for people to walk on, you've got to spend your time studying God's Holy Word.

And a gifted man to the church is consumed with the study and the explaining of the scriptures. That's why Paul said. Over in Acts 20, verses 18 to 32. "That look, if you're going to be able to guard the flock, protect the flock, the way you do that is to give them the Word of God. In order for you to give them the Word of God, you've got to study the Word of God." You see? People need to grow. They need to be fed God's holy word. Not just milk, but vegetables, meat, and even a little bit of ice cream every once in a while. But they got to have the whole gamut so you can feed them exactly what God's holy word says.

Over in Romans 15, verse number 20, Paul said these words. "And thus I aspire to preach the gospel, not where Christ has already been named, that I might not build upon another man's foundation, but as it is written, 'They who had no news of him shall see him, and they who have not heard shall understand.'" There's that consumption. That overrules your life that says, "Man, I want to study so those who have not heard, I can lay a foundation and they can hear God, they can grow in their walk with God, and in order for me to do that, I've got to spend time studying God's Holy Word."

Fourthly, if you know that you're a gifted man to the church, you are concerned for the needs of people. You're concerned for the needs of people. The greatest need that man has is a need to know who God is. That's man's need. Because once you enter into a relationship with Jesus Christ, all your needs are met, right? Because Jesus Christ is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ever ask or think. We sang about that this morning. And so the need is for people to understand who God is and how God wants to minister in their lives and work in and through them.

And so you have a concern for the needs of people. And Paul says, "You've got to guard the flock" in Acts 20, verse number 28. "You've got to protect the flock. You've got to feed the flock. You've got to watch out for the needs as a shepherd. You've got to lead them, feed them, protect them, provide for them. That's your responsibility."

And over in 2 Corinthians 11, verse number 28, Paul says, "Look, a lot of things have happened to me. I've been shipwrecked. I've been beaten. I've been snake-bitten." He lists 23 different things that have happened to him. But there was only one that made a difference. Verse number 28: "Apart from such external things, there is the daily pressure upon me of concern for all the churches. Who was weak without my being weak? Who was led into sin without my intense concern?"

Paul had a burden. Paul had a burden that people wouldn't be led into sin. That they wouldn't be so weak that Satan could come in and destroy their lives. And his burden was for people to know God. And to understand how God wants to revolutionize their life and revolutionize their relationships and revolutionize their marriages and revolutionize every kind of problem that they come encountered with. Because he wants to grow them. He has a concern for the needs. And if you're a gifted man of the church, you have that same concern.

And fifthly, to know that you're a gifted man to the church, you are characterized by a sense of inadequacy. 2 Corinthians chapter 3, verse number 5. "Not that we are adequate in ourselves to consider anything as coming from ourselves, but our adequacy is from God." If you're a gifted man to the church, you are characterized by a sense of inadequacy. You realize that God has placed you. And any man who understands that it's God who has placed them understands that he is insufficient in and of himself to accomplish the task.

God doesn't choose you because you're a great orator. God doesn't choose you because you're good looking. God doesn't choose you because you have charisma and magnetism, does he? If that was the case, all of our Hollywood stars would come to Christ, all of our athletes would come to Christ, all of our musicians would come to Christ, and the whole world would be won to Jesus Christ. But God has chosen the foolish things of this world to confound the wise. And there's a great sense of inadequacy.

Same one that Moses had in Exodus chapter 3 when he said, "Who am I that I should go into Pharaoh and that I should bring the children of Israel out of Egypt?" How did God respond? "Certainly, I will be with thee." Gideon in Judges 6:15, "Oh my Lord, how shall I save Israel? Behold, my family is poor in Manasseh, and I am least in my father's house." How did God respond? "Surely I will be with thee." How about Jeremiah chapter 1? "Behold, I cannot speak, for I am a child." And the Lord said, "Don't say you're a child, for I am with thee." You see that?

Jeremiah, a great prophet. Moses, a tremendous leader and prophet. And Gideon, what a tremendous leader. But there was a sense of inadequacy in their lives. They weren't able to measure up to the task. And you know that. And God says, "That's okay. I didn't choose you because you're from a wealthy family. I didn't choose you because you could speak well. I chose you. Because I want to use you. Are you willing to be used?"

And anytime you come to the point where you realize that God needs you and you are the one. God will do whatever he has to do to deal with those issues. To take down those pedestals, say, "Listen, I don't need you. I've chosen to use you. Maintain your sense of insufficiency. I am the sufficient one," he says.

And lastly, if you're a gifted man to the church, you are confirmed by other leaders in the ministry. You are confirmed by other leaders in the ministry. 1 Timothy 4:14, Paul says, "Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed upon you through prophetic utterances with the laying on of hands by the presbytery." Paul reminded Timothy of his public confirmation. In Acts 16:2, it was the leaders of that church and Paul who recognized Timothy as a man gifted by God. And they ordained him for the ministry. He was part of Paul's missionary journeys and part of Paul's imprisonment and became Paul's number one protégé. But he was confirmed by those in his church.

And if you're going to lead as a gifted man in the church, you realize that you need to be confirmed by others in the church. Acts 13, verses 3 and 4: "The Holy Spirit said, 'Set aside Paul and Barnabas for the work which I've called them to do.'" So the elders got together and laid hands on them because God had called them to a ministry. They were confirmed to that ministry. If you're a gifted man to the church, others know it. They ask you to teach. They ask you to preach. They ask you to lead. They confirm the fact that you're a gifted man. And they do that with the laying on of hands and confirming you to that vocational ministry. To represent Jesus Christ to a lost world.

So, how do I apply all this? Four principles. A last point. Number one. If you're a gifted man to the church, you need to be thankful for your ministry. 1 Timothy 1:12, Paul says, "I thank Christ Jesus our Lord. Who has strengthened me because he considered me faithful, putting me in the service." If you're a gifted man to the church, you need to be thankful for your ministry. God gave it to you. God placed you there. God wants to use you. But you've got to be thankful for that ministry. Are you thankful?

"You say, well, I'm not a gifted man to the church. I don't have that gift." There's a verse for you. 1 Thessalonians 5:18. Because the majority of you in this room today and listening by tape are not gifted men given to the church, you've got to be thankful for your ministry. "And everything give thanks, for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus concerning you." Don't be jealous of the gift of men, be zealous in exercising your giftedness. Are you thankful? We got to be thankful.

Are you thankful that God has given gifted men to the church so that you can be thoroughly equipped? Thoroughly furnished, thoroughly perfected for each good work. You've got to be thankful for their ministry to you. We are here today because God gave gifted men to the church to train and teach and develop us. So that we can exercise our giftedness in the church. Where would we be if God, in His wonderful benevolence, haven't given gifted men to the church? Who would equip the church for the work of ministry? God gave them. Are you thankful for them? And God gave you a gift. Are you thankful for your ministry? Are you thankful for your ministry? Are you zealous to serve in your ministry?

You know you're thankful for it when you're zealous to serve in it. If you're not serving in the ministry, if you're not exercising your giftedness, It could be because you're not thankful for what God has done. It could be you don't know what it is. That's a possibility. And it could be you're just not thankful because God gave you that specific gift. That you so desperately wanted. So, number one, we need to be thankful for our ministry.

Number two, we need to be mindful of our responsibility. If you're a gifted man to the church, your responsibility is not only to lead, but your responsibility is to lead by example. 1 Timothy 4:12, Paul says, "Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith, and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe." Peter said in 1 Peter 5:4 to the elders there, "Look, be examples to the flock." You've got to be mindful of your responsibility if you're a gifted man.

You see, with credibility comes believability. If your life is not credible, your message is not believable. And so you've got to live a life that exemplifies Jesus Christ. That's why so many men disqualify themselves from the pastorate. Because their lives are not lived by examples. And they are not an example in their speech, in their life, in their purity, and their faith, and their love. And they begin to disqualify themselves from leading the church because they can no longer set themselves up as a pattern to follow, as Paul followed Christ.

Paul says, "Follow me not because of who I am, but follow me as I follow Christ." Paul says, "If I'm not following Christ, don't follow me. But if I follow Christ, you follow me." And so the example is: follow the gifted men as they follow Christ. And if you can't set yourself up as a pattern, as an example to follow, then maybe you'll step down. Or maybe you're not God's gifted man to the church. But you've got to be mindful of your responsibility. If you're a gifted man, lead by example.

"What if you're here today? You're not a gifted man. What's your responsibility?" 1 Thessalonians 5. Turn there with me if you would, please. 1 Thessalonians chapter 5. If you're not a gifted man given to the church, you've got to be mindful of your responsibility as well. 1 Thessalonians 5, verse number 12. "But we request of you, brethren, that you appreciate those who diligently labor among you, and have charge over you in the Lord, and give you instruction, and that you esteem them very highly in love because of their work."

Folks, you've got to be mindful of your responsibility. God's given gifted men to the church. If you're visiting with us today and you have a pastor in your church, you have a gifted man in your church, you need to appreciate him. That is, you need to know him very intimately. You ought to get to know him. Here, Paul puts the burden on the church to get to know the pastor and the leader. While there's a burden on the leader to get to know the people as he shepherds a flock, here's the other end of the spectrum. Paul puts the burden on the people to appreciate and get to know intimately the leaders of the church. See? And Paul says, "You esteem them highly." Hebrews 13:7 says, "Remember those who instructed you in the word, imitate their faith." Your responsibility is to imitate their faith. As they follow the Lord Jesus, you follow the Lord Jesus. You imitate their faith. That's your responsibility.

Thirdly, back to Ephesians chapter 4. I told you we wanted to begin here, now we want to end here. Not only do you need to be thankful for your ministry and be mindful of your responsibility, but you need to be grateful for his humility. You need to be grateful for God's humility. Ephesians 4, verse number 8 and 9. "Therefore it says, 'When he ascended on high, he led captive a host of captives. He gave gifts to men.' Now, this expression, 'he ascended,' what does it mean except that he also had descended into the lower parts of the earth?" Stop right there with me for a moment. Think about that for a second. How could Jesus Christ ascend in order to give gifts to men unless first of all he descended into the lower parts of the earth?

I believe it makes reference specifically to Christ's incarnation, his coming to earth. Think about it for a moment: majesty amidst the mundane, our Savior in a stable. God in a womb, think about that. Deity in diapers. My friend, that's humility. He humbled himself and became obedient. And that obedience led him to his death. But the hallmark of humility is represented by Jesus Christ in his humility by coming to earth to live among us. The Creator, all of a sudden, was created in a womb. How can that be? It's the miracle of the virgin birth. It's a miracle of God. He humbled himself. He was fully man, yet fully God. He didn't have to do that.

But you know what? Right there, the Lord's Supper. We're going to come in just a few moments to celebrate the Lord's Supper. And we need to be grateful for His humility. And God says, "This is what I want you to remember. I want you to remember my body, and I want you to remember my blood. Because it's through those two things: the death of my Son and his blood that cleanses all sin, that you need to be grateful for." Are you grateful for his humility?

And lastly, you need to be joyful over his generosity. You see, because he descended, he ascended. And verse number 10 says, "He who descended is himself also he who ascended, far above all the heavens, that he might fill all things." And the text says, "And he gave." Are you joyful over his generosity? You see, he gave gifts to you, and he gave gifted men to the church. That's a generous God. He didn't have to do that. That's what he chose to do. He wants you to get to know him through his word. And so, in a very generous way, he bestowed gifts freely upon his people, as well as giving gifted men to the church to train the people.

And my friends, right now, what we're going to do is we're going to come and we're going to celebrate what God has done at the Lord's Supper. Let's bow for a word of prayer.

As we're praying and our ushers are coming forward, we want to let you know that if you have not been a recipient of God's generous giftedness, then this table is not for you this morning. That is, if you have not been a recipient of His grace and accepted him by faith in Jesus Christ. This table is not for you, this is only for those who are grateful for his humility and joyful over his generosity. And so we're coming this morning to express our gratitude and through an abundance of joy celebrate what God has done and our prayer is that you would come to the realization of Jesus Christ and what He has done for you through His work on the cross.

Father, we thank you for this time that we can come and partake of the Lord's Supper to realize, Father, that this table was given in remembrance of you. And we're here to remember, Lord, for without your descent, without your ascent, there would be no gifts. There would be no victory. You led captivity captive, Lord. You set us free from the bonds of Satan and liberated our souls. Because of the wonderful power of God. We must celebrate that, Lord Jesus. And thank you for it. In Jesus' name. Amen.