Today we're celebrating our birthday
(as I told the children earlier). The thing that is unique about
this birthday celebration is that God is the host and the one
giving the gifts.June 11, 2000
Pastor Laurel Bobb
Today we're celebrating our birthday
(as I told the children earlier). The thing that is unique about
this birthday celebration is that God is the host and the one
giving the gifts.
My Mom always wrapped gift in a unique way. When I was little she liked to put boxes wrapped inside of other boxes just to fool you. I also remember one that looked like a giant bottle that contained a stuffed lion for my sister. We tried for weeks to guess what was in that package.
In the same way God gives each of us our gifts uniquely wrapped. We are each individuals and each given different gifts to be used in different ways. They are all given to us in and through the Holy Spirit at various times in our lives. They are given at Baptism, through the laying on of hands, or anointing. They are given through Holy Communion or just at times we have a special need or ask for the Lord's presence and help.
There are some gifts that are given to all Christians. These are the gifts of faith and salvation with its accompanying forgiveness of sins. We also each are taught and led into truth by the Holy Spirit
Other spiritual gifts are given to individuals for their specific ministry. Peter Wagner defines a spiritual gift in this way, "a spiritual attribute given by the Spirit to every member of the body [meaning the Church] according to God's grace for use within the context of the body." 1 These are the gifts listed in Romans 12 and 15, Ephesians 3 and 4, I Corinthians 7:7, 12, and 13:3, Matthew 10:1, and Acts 7:60.
There are 27 of these gifts identified by the Church Doctor, Kent Hunter. You have a list in your bulletin. We are privileged to be graced with these varied gifts. Each person has at least one gift, but most have more. Each gift is needed for the whole Body to function properly, so we all have the obligation to use our gifts for the good of the Body. Both behind the scenes gifts like that of giving, mercy, helps, intercession, knowledge, celibacy, and faith, and the more visible gifts like pastoring, teaching, service, and leadership are important. There are other gifts that may or may not be visible depending on how they are used which are also important. There are some gifts which we Lutherans don't talk about as much as some denominations like exorcism, miracles, tongues, and interpretation, but that are still present in Christ's Church.
The important thing to remember is that each gift must be used in its intended way--for the building up of the Body of Christ. This precludes any bragging about one's gifts or making any one gift the criterion on which to base whether or not one is a believer.
Neither will we be jealous of nor disparage another's gift. We will recognize that it's just as important to have the coffee on as an act of welcome and community as it is to have someone teach Sunday School. It is just as important to have someone clean up the messes as it is to take charge and organize the function. It is very important to have someone footing the bill for the ministry or it couldn't be carried out by those who are pastoring or teaching.
Spiritual gifts are not the only blessings of the Spirit God gives to us. In addition there are the fruits of the Spirit--love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, gentleness, and self-control. This fruit will develop as the reslut of having been given and using our spiritual gifts. Some call these the barometer of spiritual health.
The greater the spiritual health of the individual believer the greater will be his or her awareness of sin. There we need to ask the Spirit to come in the role of Comforter to give us the peace and blessed assurance that Jesus' s death on the cross was sufficient to cover all our sin--past, present, and future. With that assurance, then, we can live in the spirit of joy--not meaning necessarily constant happiness, but a quiet, inner joy that says everything is good because God is in charge and we trust Him.
We will be moved by this to become more and more aware of God's presence inour lives. We will be able to have a greater sense of God's hand in the various situations of our lives. We will better be able to tell the direction in which we are to go because the Holy Spirit will come alongside and guide us into all truth. We will also see more opportunities for service so we can use our God-given gifts in the way they were intended to be used--for the the sake of others.
The Congregation can see to it that people begin to use their spiritual gifts by helping people understand that each peraon is gifted and what each individual's gifts are. We also have the obligation of sharing the fact that God expects us to use these gifts so that His Body, the Church is built up. Once you discover your gift, it is our mutual task to find ways for you to use your gift for the good of the Church. When everyone is using his or her gifts in the way they should be used the fruit will be evident and the Church will grow.
As we each begin to use our gifts in concert with each other even greater things will ebgin to happen for the good of the Kingdom. We will begin to sense our corporate gift mix. The total will be greater than sum of our parts, just as a car put together is worth a whole lot more than pieces-parts all over the garage floor.
An understanding of spiritual gifts should and I believe does influence the way we do ministry here at St. Stephen. When we think about people to serve in various roles here,we first think about the kind of gifts that will be necessary to fulfill that role; then we go and look for someone with those gifts. There is the joke about the council that needed to fill spots. "Geraldine said, 'Ralph, we need a 'warm body' to fill the trustees' board, what do you say?' Eleanor asked, "Pat, I would like to be on the committee for Christian education. What are the qualifications?' Pat replied, 'Eleanor, check your pulse!"2 While these scenarios may be amusing, they are certainly not God's intent for the Church. Where God decides God provides. In other words God gives everything that is needed for the ministry to be accomplished. It is our job to cooperate with and listen to the Holy Spirit and follow the guiding we receive.
Kent Hunter wrote, "The church where the fruit of the Spirit is abundant is a church that attracts people like a magnet. The air is charged with excitement. People sense God's presence. It is a contagious congregation. If people in the congregation know their gifts, have developed them and use them, the church is an effective church."3
The wonderful thing about the gifts God gives is that they are "forever gifts." There are no wrong sizes (and something that my husband would love I am sure) they are non-returnable. So my dear brothers and sisters, let's celebrate the gifts God gives us. Let's use them the way they have been intended to be used--for the work of the ministry and for the building up of the Body of Christ. Then God will be pleased and the Church will naturally grow.
Copyright 2000 by Rev. Laurel Bobb
1 C. Peter Wagner, Your Spiritual Gifts Can Help Your Church Grow. Glendale, California: Regal Books, 1976. p. 42.
2 Kent Hunter, Gifted For Growth. Corunna, Indiana: Church Growth Center, 1985. p. 178
3 Op cit. P. 180.