Transcript

At a potluck one Sunday after church, someone dropped a plate full of dessert on the floor. This is how people with different spiritual gifts would respond.

Gift of service: Oh my, let me help you clean that up. Gift of teaching: The reason that it fell was because it was too heavy on one side. Gift of exhortation: It’s okay, don’t be discouraged, but next time, maybe you should let someone else carry it.

Gift of giving: Here, you can have my dessert. Gift of mercy: Don’t feel too bad. It could have happened to anyone. Gift of ruling: Jim, would you get the mop? Sue, please help pick this up. Mary, could you get her another dessert?

Gift of prophecy: I could have told you that was going to happen. Gift of evangelist: It’s good news that the dish didn’t break! Gift of pastor: In Matthew 15:27 it says, “the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table.”

All in the church have been gifted by the Lord, and we serve the Lord differently according to how He has gifted us. In this episode, we will look at the differing gifts in Romans 12 that Christ has given to His Church.

Romans 12:1-2 says, “I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that ye present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is your reasonable service.

“And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God.”

For the first 11 chapters of Romans, Paul has shown the mercies of God in us being justified by faith and in God empowering us to live for Him.

In the immediate context, we find Paul explaining how it was by the mercies of God that, with Israel set aside for a time, that God chose to have a program with the Gentiles.

As Romans 11:30-32 reads, “For as ye [Gentiles] in times past have not believed God, yet have now obtained MERCY through their [Israel’s] unbelief: Even so have these also now not believed, that through your MERCY they also may obtain MERCY. For God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that He might have MERCY upon all.”

Here we are begged in light of these wonderful mercies as explained in the Book of Romans, as an act of worship, to present our bodies a living sacrifice to God.

We are each beseeched by God to understand His mercies, and then in light of them, to offer ourselves and our lives to the Lord willingly for His honor and glory.

This is the basic desire of God that He lays down for every believer. It’s no different for you than it is for me. God wants my life, and He wants your life.

Romans 12:1-2 is the entrance into being used by God. We all enter the place of being used by the Lord with the same self-sacrifice, presenting our bodies to God in light of His mercies and yielding our lives to His service.

Verses 1-2 show there is unity at the level of commitment. These verses are God’s desire for each of us in the Body of Christ.

But then verses 3-8 show and remind us that there is great variety at the level of service, with the Body having differing gifts.

In verses 4 and 5 Paul also shows that there is oneness, because we are “one body in Christ,” but then in that oneness, there is distinction, variety, and differences,

Like a human body has many members and all members have not the same office or do not do the same thing, so the Body of Christ has many members, each with differing and important functions and gifts to carry out for the good of the whole.

A common question is: How do I know what gift God has given to me? There are surveys with questions and checklists out there on the internet you can take. There are seminars on this that address this question.

But the simplest and most basic answer to that question is Romans 12:1,2. We will never discover or know our gifts until we first live out Romans 12:1 and 2.

It’s when we make that one-time and daily decision to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice, and then in the strength of the Spirit, we live a holy, set apart, and acceptable life unto God, not conformed to the world, but transformed by the Word of God, that we will prove and test what is that good, acceptable, and perfect will of God.

And the good and perfect will of God, in this context, refers to the gifts of service, to what Paul first talks about after mentioning the perfect will of God. It is God’s will for that we discover, develop, and live by our gifts.

But we won’t discover God’s will regarding our spiritual gift if we are not living for the Lord. However, as we give ourselves as a daily, living sacrifice and serve Him faithfully, over time we’ll begin to see our gift come to the forefront.

So how does one know what their gift is? First, know that you have a gift. Second, present yourself as a living sacrifice to God and allow yourself to be used by the Lord.

And third, I believe it’s a good idea to seek confirmation from those you know and trust spiritually. Others often can see our gift more clearly than we can see it ourselves.

Romans 12:6-7 says, “Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith; Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching.”

With the gifts, they are blended with the uniqueness of each member of the Body.

You take a person, with different life experiences, a unique personality, their own strengths and weaknesses, dissimilar pasts, and different opportunities in the present, and when you get it all mixed together, every believer comes out distinct so that every one of us stands alone in the Body of Christ with a ministry that no one else can do except you.

In the list of gifts, you may see things that you do in each of them which is good, but your gift is more dominant and comes the most naturally and enjoyably to you.

First, Paul wrote, “whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith.”

Romans was written during the Acts period. And the gift of prophecy was still a gift at that time when the Word of God was not yet complete. Through the gift of prophecy, the Word of God was made known by the Spirit supernaturally and infallibly through prophets.

But this gift has since ceased with the completion of God’s Word and the revelation being fully made known to Paul for this age of grace.

1 Corinthians 13:8 reads, “Charity never faileth: but whether there be prophecies, THEY SHALL FAIL,” that is the gift of prophecies will cease or pass away.

And the gift of prophecies ceased with the completion of the revelation given to Paul, which fulfilled the Word of God.

As Colossians 1:25-26 says, “Whereof I am made a minister, according to the dispensation of God which is given to me for you, to fulfil the word of God; Even the mystery which hath been hid from ages and from generations, but now is made manifest to his saints.”

We don’t need any more supernatural revelation from prophets. We have the whole revelation of God in the Word of God.

But though this gift is no longer operating, there is a principle still for us here by the Holy Spirit listing “prophecy” first; it teaches the Church the priority and importance of God’s Word and His revelation for each of us to know, grow in, and live by.

Next, Paul wrote, “Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering.” “Ministry” is the gift of serving. It’s a support gift, a gift of practical help. It can manifest itself in a million ways. There can be all kinds of dimensions to it.

It’s seeing a need and stepping into a gap to help and give timely assistance. Those with this gift rarely have to be told what is needed. They discern needs, know how to help, have the ability to help, then do so without request, without any need for notice or credit.

Those with this gift are usually not up-front types and will likely never preach a sermon, and they don’t like the limelight, but the church could not function without them. This is a “quiet” gift. Those with it are often unnoticed and overlooked.

It’s interesting how the gift of service often takes place behind the scenes, but if it is not done, then everyone notices. Those with this gift are vitally important to the Church.

This gift is also a “high percentage” gift, meaning that a large number of people in any congregation are likely to have the gift of service.

This gift being high on the list is interesting also. The Spirit wants to highlight the fact that serving, the least public, the least honored gift is an exalted position in the Body.

To serve is to be like our Savior. Christ said in Mark 10:43-45 that: “…whosoever will be great among you, shall be your minister: and whosoever of you will be the chiefest, shall be servant of all. For even the Son of man came not to be ministered unto, but to minister.”

Doug Sparks writes: In the mountains of Taiwan, I met another Navigator missionary who said he had met Navigators founder Dawson Trotman. “I’ll never forget Dawson Trotman,” he said. “He was one of the most outstanding men I ever met.”

When asked what Dawson had said that impressed him so much, the missionary replied, “Oh, I don’t remember anything he said.” “Well, what was so outstanding about him?” “I’ll never forget it,” he said. “He cleaned and shined my shoes.”

Dawson Trotman is said to have been that kind of person. He loved doing things for people. He found enjoyment in discovering little needs they had and then making it his objective to meet those needs.

Servanthood marked his entire Christian life and he even died as he lived, giving his life to rescue someone else from drowning in 1956.

We see the gift of service at local churches in so many ways, with the music ministry, weekly bulletin, working the sound board, cleaning, repairs, the nursery ministry, organizing church dinners, doing the grass cutting, snow shoveling, meal ministries, etc.

The church is dependent on the helpers, the servers. They are a mighty army of workers who serve without any thought of return, who labor for hours behind the scenes, who invest untold hours that the Lord’s work might go forward.

Next, Paul wrote, “or he that teacheth, on teaching.” We get our word “didactic” from the Greek word translated as “teacheth.” This gift of teaching speaks of an informative, educative, systematic training.

The gift of teaching is the function of systematically training people in the Word, taking them from point A to point B to point C systematically. This can be done one-on-one, in small groups, in large groups.

You see it constantly taking place in the ministry of the local church in the adult and young people’s Sunday School classes, and various Bible studies, ladies studies, and men’s, studies, that take place in the church.

Teachers have the special ability to communicate the revealed truth of God with knowledge, ease, and clarity. They are gifted in bringing the Word to life, by expounding, interpreting, and unfolding the meaning clearly so that people may understand what the Bible says and how to apply it to life.

Gifted teachers play a crucial role in the Church. By their sound teaching, they give spiritual strength, growth, and stability to the Church and to the lives of believers.

Romans 12:2 says we are to be “transformed by the renewing of your mind,” and God uses teachers in His Church to help us know the Word that we might have our minds renewed.

Faith is inseparably linked with truth. For our faith to grow and be established, we need to study, learn, and be taught the truth of God’s Word.

By the Holy Spirit, who is THE Teacher of the Word, teachers are gifted by God to help others to learn God’s Word.

This gift is to be like Christ also. In Acts 1:1, Luke referred to the gospel record he wrote and he summed it up as “all that Jesus began both to do and TEACH.”

Our Lord was a Teacher, the greatest Teacher of the Word of God. In His earthly ministry, He taught out of His love and compassion for those in Israel, because they needed to hear the Word of God. Those with this gift follow their Lord and are like Him.

Romans 12:8 reads, “Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.”

“He that exhorteth,” speaks of the gift of encouragement. The Greek word for “exhorteth” means to come alongside one in need.

The gift of exhortation is about putting strength in others. The world can tear us down, break us down, put us down. We need encouragers in the church to build us up.

I Thessalonians 5:11 teaches, “Wherefore comfort yourselves together, and edify one another, even as also ye do.” The word “comfort” in that verse is translated from the same word translated as “exhorteth” here in Romans 12.

The gift of exhortation is the special ability God gives which enables one to come alongside another person to give encouragement and comfort.

Exhortation is a gift of comforting, and it also concerns counseling and advising. One with this gift also comes alongside to urge to do what is right, and to drive God’s truth home. They can give tough talk without offending.

People who have this gift are strongly relational and enjoy spending hours helping other people work through their problems.

They see potential, they look to the future, and they focus on what people might become given time, spiritual growth, and the working of the Spirit in one’s life.

They give wise counsel by the Word. They give you just the right verse which is exactly what you needed at that moment. They say the right thing at just the right time.

They pray with you and lift you up. They send you a card, a text, or email that keeps you going forward in the encouragement of what they said for days. If that’s your gift, don’t keep it to yourself. All of us in the church need you and your encouragement.

This gift is also to be like Christ, Who as the prophet wrote of Him, “and His name shall be called Wonderful, Counsellor, The Mighty God…” Our Lord is the true and greatest Counsellor, who cares deeply for us in our need and in our hurt. He is always there to come alongside us to comfort, counsel, exhort, and encourage us in our walk with Him.

Next, “he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity.” All are called to give in the Church, but some have the gift of giving. Those with this gift will literally give you the shirt off their back. They take joy in it. They do it without thought.

People with this gift look for opportunities to give, offering what they have beyond normal.

Charles Swindoll writes: My life has been crossed by men who have the gift of giving. Maybe yours has also. When I was at Dallas Seminary, God used a man in my life and in the lives of ten other fellows at the school at that time.

Howard Kane chose to underwrite our tuition. Absolutely unsolicited. Each time tuition came due, there was a check in the mail. I remember one time he came to Dallas and got all eleven of us together and said, “I want us to take a drive downtown.” After a sandwich, he took us several blocks away to a men’s store.

Inside he suited us up in new suits, new sport coats, one fellow after another. He sat there and just beamed! He was happier than we were!

He wasn’t wealthy, but there was something inside of him, a spiritual gift, that was not satisfied until there was an outlet for that gift. That’s how it is with the gifts. We need outlets for them, and we find joy through them as we live out how God has gifted us.

There is no correlation between having money and having the gift of giving. There are rich believers who don’t have this gift and there are a lot of poor believers who do.

Sometimes gifted givers are wealthy, but more often they are people of average or below average means who give of their money, means and earthly possessions, and also their time, energy, and expertise.

Peter Wagner wrote the following about this gift: “Most of us when we give subconsciously ask ourselves, ‘How much of my money should I give to the Lord?’ That’s a perfectly normal question and there is nothing wrong with it. The person with the gift of giving sees things in a different light. He asks, ‘How much of God’s money can I keep for myself?’”

Those with this gift have a different perspective on giving. They go around looking for needs to meet and searching for appropriate ways to give their money away.

And gifted givers do so without needing recognition. They don’t want bronze plaques or buildings named after them. They prefer anonymity. They see needs, it jumps at them, and then they react quickly to meet it.

They are a channel through whom Christ provides resources for His Church.

Give “with simplicity” Paul tells those with this gift. Simplicity speaks of a simple, single-minded purpose: to give for the glory of God, for Him. It’s a gift not done with a division of motive, hoping someone notices your generosity. It’s done just for Christ.

This gift like the others is like Christ. In our great need and spiritual poverty, Christ gave Himself for us. He gave everything. He gave Himself for our sins (Gal. 1:4); He gave His life that we might live.

Next, “he that ruleth, with diligence.” The gift of ruling means to stand before, or to be out front, to oversee, and to lead.

God has given some people the gift of leadership. The church needs to find those people, recognize their gift, and give them an opportunity to use it.

Theirs is the gift for administration, to organize, make things happen, cover the details, get God’s people together, get them moving in the same direction, and accomplish the job.

They are those who know what God wants done, and they see the opportunities when everyone else sees the problems.

Rulers also recognize problems early on that need attention, they work through issues to provide solutions, and they provide careful oversight of God’s people.

The church can’t function without this. It needs godly leadership. God has designed the church to have leaders. The church needs rulers who can keep the church on course according to sound doctrine and to lead with fairness, wisdom, vision, and efficiency.

Those with the gift of ruling know that leading God’s people is not about domination, control, and intimidation, but rather that it’s about being like Christ, as a servant leader.

This gift and all the gifts listed in verses 6-8 need the humility instructed in Romans 12:3. Each of us are “not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly” as we serve the Lord according to our gifts.

Paul adds that those with the gift of ruling should do so “with diligence,” meaning with earnest care, taking initiative, not in a careless, haphazard, halfhearted fashion.

This gift is also a call to be like Christ who rules and leads the Church in love, grace, and longsuffering. He is Lord and the Head of the Body. Rulers must lead and oversee God’s people with Christ’s mind and heart and with His goals and aims.

Finally, “he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.” This gift speaks of those who show compassion.

This is the kind of mercy that is compassion in action, borne from a deep desire to help which moves one from emotion to decision to action.

Ours is not a merciful world. And many are hurting and neglected and in need of mercy. Those with this gift show mercy voluntarily toward those who are suffering.

So you’ll find them in the jails. They’re down at the hospital. They’ll be at the rescue mission. They make the house visits to the homebound or lonely. They stop by the nursing homes. They reach out to the down and out.

And they don’t need an invitation, they just go, and they know how to show compassion.

Behind the many smiling faces you see on a Sunday morning, there is a lot of hurting going on. And mercy people can see it, and they stop, and they see what the rest of us often miss.

Their hearts are easily touched. They are sensitive toward the hurting, and they minister to those who need sympathy and compassion.

Paul says that those with this gift are to do so with cheerfulness, because that’s what hurting people need: cheering up. Paul encourages those with this gift to bring cheer to others through our joy in Christ.

And when we think of Christ, mercy is what He showed to us by His cross and what He continues to show us at all times out of His love and care for us. Showing mercy and compassion to the hurting and those in need is to be like Christ.

We should also recognize that these are all things God wants each of us to do in our lives. We each need to be serving the Lord faithfully, teaching the Word to others and our families, coming alongside others to comfort and counsel, giving to the Lord’s work, being leaders in our homes, and showing mercy to the hurting.

And we should not rationalize or make excuses by the gifts, saying, “Well, that’s not my gift, I can’t do that.”

Such as: “Sorry, I’d certainly like to give to this person in need, but my gift is not giving.” And inside we’re going: “Phew.”

We may not be gifted in certain areas, but God uses our weaknesses for Him too, and He makes them strong. He uses our faith.

It’s interesting how Paul writes this passage. He doesn’t get into a technical definition of each gift, as much as he writes saying to get at it. It’s a call to get moving.

He says, you, who have been recipients of the mercies of God, present your bodies a living sacrifice and get busy serving Him, doing what He has called you to do.

If you have the gift of service, get serving. If it’s teaching, then get teaching. If it’s encouragement, then encourage. If it’s giving, do it, with simplicity. If it’s ruling, do it, with diligence. If it’s showing mercy, do it, with cheerfulness. This passage is a call to action for the Church.