But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. (Ephesians 4:7)
What marks the Christians life as truly Christian? Is it right living? Is it the adherence to certain religious teachings? Is it the living of a high moral or ethical standard? Is it the doing of good works? Are these the things which make the Christian life truly Christian? As Christians, it should go without saying that we should have a clear understanding of what makes Christians Christian.
Hopefully, by now you are saying that none of the things that I listed is the unique mark of the Christian life. Good works are wonderful, but the Christian life is more than good works. A high morality is desirable, but the Christian life means more than living by high ethical standards. An understanding of the teachings of Christ is needful, but the Christian life is more than an academic endeavor. What marks the Christian is Christ. The true and undeniable mark of the Christian life is the presence of Christ in that life. We read in 1 John 5:11-12: “And the witness is this, that God has given us eternal life, and this life is in His Son. He who has the Son has the life; he who does not have the Son of God does not have the life.” Again, we read in Romans 8:9b: “But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Him.” What makes a person a Christian is Christ living His life in them.
Now let's shift our thinking to the church. What is it that marks a church as distinctively Christian? It should be obvious that what is true on the individual level is true when applied to the church. The same thing that marks a Christian also marks a church. The presence of the living Lord Jesus Christ is what makes the church a true church. The church is essentially a spiritual organization. But it is very easy to lose sight of that.
Unfortunately, many view the church as essentially social in nature. That's because the church is people. And while we must emphasize that the church is people, not programs or buildings, we must be careful not to make the church merely people. The church is people filled with the presence of Christ. As such, it has a social component, but the social is guided by the spiritual presence of Christ in the midst.
Far too many people do not understand this. To them, coming to church is merely an opportunity of gathering together with their friends. They see the spiritual or religious exercises as obligatory but not absolutely necessary. They may not say that directly, but the fact that they are never changed by them is compelling evidence. But the church is not merely a place to meet with one another, it is a place to meet with God. That does not mean that the social aspect is unimportant. But church cannot be reduced to that. Otherwise there is no difference in the fellowship we enjoy at church meetings and the fellowship that takes place in a bar. For fellowship to be Christian, Christ must be central. And if Christ is central, then when we meet one another we will in fact be encountering Christ in one another.
We need to rediscover the spiritual nature of the community of the King. We need to understand how we fit into this community.
All of us want to make a contribution in life. There are many things that can be done in our society in which we can make a difference. But what we're talking about is church. How do we contribute in church? Isn't there something deeper than merely attending services and giving money --- or even consenting to serve on committees? What makes the service you give truly Christian? Is Christian service that which is done for Christ or that which is done by Christ? Do we simply decide what we will do for the Lord, or are we allowing Christ, who lives in us, to empower and direct what we do? Functioning in the spiritual community of the church must be by the power of the living Christ manifested through our lives. The church must function in a spiritual realm by spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts demonstrate the activity of God in our midst. So it is important for us to understand and discover our spiritual gifts. As we do, we as the church will begin to live in a spiritual dimension where the presence and power of God will be realized.
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. (4:7)
As Christians, the chief resource we have is grace. This grace is the sufficiency which God imparts and which empowers us to live for Him. This grace is manifested in our lives according to the measure of Christ's gift. Christ has gifted all of us so that His church would be able to manifest His presence.
There is no doubt that in the early church believers were taught that they had not only been forgiven but that they had been gifted for service. New converts were taught that God had equipped them with a spiritual gift or gifts which they were responsible to discover and exercise. The apostle Peter writes in 1 Peter 4:10: “As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 12:7: “But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” So we see that all of us have been gifted by God. And it is extremely important that we discover what these gifts are and begin to use them because the value of our lives as Christians is determined by the use we make of what God has given us.
We might do well to define spiritual gifts. Spiritual gifts are not natural talents and abilities. Often, people think they are one and the same. It is true that natural talents and abilities are given to us by God. But talents like musical ability, artistic skills, athletic excellence, and the like are not spiritual in nature and can be possessed by non-believers. And it doesn't necessarily mean that when a person possessing one of these natural talents becomes a believer that God will use that person spiritually in that area. Spiritual gifts function in the realm of the Spirit and bring the blessing of God to others.
A person may have a natural talent for teaching, but not possess the spiritual gift of teaching. If asked to teach a Sunday School class, they may be able to impart the information and knowledge of the subject matter to the class, but the teaching would lack the power to bless and advance the students spiritually. A spiritual gift ministers on the level of the Spirit. A person may have tremendous musical ability to sing or play well, but if hearts are not touched there may be no spiritual gift in operation. Technical excellence does not equal spiritual power. We have all heard excellent voices which left us unmoved and at other times listened to those with lesser skills and had our hearts set ablaze. On those rare occasions when technical excellence and spiritual power combine, it is indeed wonderful. But the two are not synonymous. And we need to understand that.
There are several lists of spiritual gifts found in Scripture. One is found in Romans 12. There the Body of Christ is compared to a human body made up of many members with different functions. In Romans 12:6-8 we read: “And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the portion of his faith; if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching, or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.” Here we see gifts of prophecy, service, teaching, exhortation, giving, leading, and mercy.
Another gift list is found in 1 Corinthians 12. There Paul emphasizes the variety of God's work in our midst. In verses 8-11 we read: “For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one in the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.” Here we see the gifts of the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues.
Farther down in that same chapter, in verse 28, we read: “And God has appointed the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then the gifts of healing, helps, administrations, various kinds of tongues.” So here we see additional gifts, such as apostles, prophets, helps, and administrations.
In Ephesians 4, we see gifted people. In verse 11 we read: “And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers.”
I do not believe that these gift lists are intended to be exhaustive. But they are certainly intended to be instructive. At least these gifts should be operative in the church of Jesus Christ. But there is some indication of the variety of gifts and their use found in 1 Corinthians 12:4-7: “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. And there are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.” There are certain basic gifts, but a multitude of ways God chooses to use those gifts. Like faces, each is different though all have essentially the same elements. We all have a nose, two lips, two ears, two eyes, two cheeks, a chin and hair. Well, at least some of us have hair. But every face is different. No two are exactly alike. Even in identical twins, there are subtle differences. And so, two people having the same gift may employ it somewhat differently. The other gifts a person possesses may impact how the gifts are used. Additionally, a person's passion and temperament will impact the use of a gift. For instance, a person with the gift of teaching may have a passion for children. To put that person teaching adults would be the wrong move. There is great variety in spiritual gifts and how they are used.
God is in charge of this variety and He determines the gift or gifts you have. He also determines the gift mix in each individual local church. In fact, because He gives us different gifts, He encourages our unity by creating an interdependence in the church. We are a multi-membered body where each member needs the other. Aren't you glad that there are those within the church who have the gift of teaching? How about the gift of exhortation? Do you ever need to be encouraged and challenged to be all you can be for the Lord? I certainly do. What about the gift of mercy? When you've been beat up all week and you come bruised, bleeding and hurting --- aren't you glad to see someone with the gift of mercy? When you're confused and don't know what course of action to take, what you need is someone with the gift of the word of wisdom. You don't want just another stale opinion. You need to hear from God. When you're confused, you need a word of wisdom --- God's wisdom. And so it goes. We need one another. And we need to discover our gift because others need us.
How do you discover your spiritual gifts? How do you begin to open the door to this new world of fulfillment and usefulness? It's actually fairly simple.
At this point we can use our natural abilities to instruct us. How did you discover that you were artistically endowed, or musically talented, or athletically skilled? You probably began with a process of trial and error based on some sort of desire. You had a desire and then tried something. Or you tried something and developed a desire. You liked it. You might have watched someone do something and pictured yourself doing it. Somehow you developed a desire and followed that desire. Many times God works just that way. It is a misconception to think that following the Lord means that He will lead you to do something you don't want to do. More often than not, He creates a desire in your heart first.
So begin with the Bible. Study the lists of spiritual gifts you find there. Find what you are drawn to. Then ask God to show you how you can try those gifts.
Then see what happens. Watch for improvement and development as you would in developing a natural ability. Evaluate whether God is blessing this attempt. You might find that you have made a mistake. That's fine. But you may find that God begins to use you in that area. You may find as you use this gift more and more that you are more comfortable and confident. You may experience a new vitality and new power in your life by exercising this spiritual gift.
A final test is whether others recognize the gift in you. As you begin to function in the area of spiritual gifts, others will begin to affirm what they see in you. In fact, others may see your gifts long before you do. So make use of the wisdom found in a multitude of counselors.
Some people say, “If God wants me to have a particular gift then He will show me.” And then they proceed to do absolutely nothing about it. But there is no if. God has a gift for every single one of us. All of us have a gift or gifts and a place of service in the church. There's no gift of pew warming and no retirees in the family of God. In fact, if you truly find your gift, you will never want to retire. I'm so impressed with people like Billy Graham. Attending the Crusade this week I was reminded that he is getting older. Now he is 75. And yet, he is still going strong for the Lord. I suppose he will retire from his ministry when he is transferred to heaven. I think of my dear mother, who at 82 is still teaching a Sunday School class in her church. May God give us all grace like that to find our gifts and never quit giving, so that others can be blessed and our lives can continue to count for the Lord.
God desires to manifest the activity of His Spirit in your life by spiritual gifts. If you do not already know what gifts you have, will you pray that God will reveal those gifts to you? Will you ask Him to place not only the desire but the will to do something about it in your heart? Will you begin to discover and use, and to help others discover and use the gifts God has placed here in this body of believers? Will you be open to what God can do in your life? As we open ourselves up to the gifts of the Spirit, God will be able to work in our midst in a mighty way.
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