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What are the Gifts? Part 2
If we ever wanted to see God’s gifts in action, all we had to do was look at last week’s worship service. Our youth did an amazing job using so many of their gifts – exhortation, evangelism, teaching, servanthood, leadership. Thank you so much to their leaders: Katie and Lee Arter, David Black, Kendra Moore and Scott Steele for their gift of time and creativity!
Today, we are continuing our look at the 20 spiritual gifts. Two weeks ago, we explored the first half of the list; this week, we’ll get to the second half. To recap where we’ve been so far:
· A spiritual gift is freely given to us by God. We can’t earn it, we can’t barter for it, it just comes to us lovingly and without strings.
· Everyone has a spiritual gift! Each of us is given a gift that we can use first to glorify God, second to build up the body of Christ, the church, in the world, and third to serve our neighbors and the world in Christ’s name.
So here we go, ready to dive into the gifts, what they mean and how we can use them in service to God and others.
1. Healing
We know when we’ve been touched by someone with the gift of healing. As humans, we can be broken or ill in so many ways – a diseased body part, a crushing depression, a debilitating addiction, a profound grief. The gift of healing isn’t always about curing an illness – it’s about bringing God’s grace, peace and comfort to those who are hurting in mind, body or spirit. Sometimes healers have the ability to mediate God’s healing in a physical way. A surgeon can skillfully remove a cancerous growth. A physical therapist can loosen stiff joints and relieve pain. Other healers bring about emotional or spiritual healing. A friend or stranger may provide a listening ear and wise advice. A healer may engage in intercessory prayer for those who are in pain. Unleashing the power of healing is crucial to the body of Christ.
2. Helping
Some people are born leaders, others are born followers. In our fast-paced, results-oriented culture, a helper is too often viewed as a second-class citizen. But in the body of Christ, we recognize the gift of helping to be an important, God-designed gift. Helpers are more comfortable out of the limelight and behind the scenes. They are the ones who show up unannounced to set up tables and work in the kitchen. Helpers give of their time and resources to fix meals for the sick, stock the shelves of the community food cupboard, and clean up after the Easter Egg Hunt. The gift of helping doesn’t get as much recognition as the other gifts, but in God’s eyes, it is just as important as any other.
3. Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues
For us who are gathered here, this is probably the least understood and most intimidating of the gifts that we discuss. The subject of speaking in tongues is widely discussed throughout the New Testament and its meaning and understanding in the church today also varies greatly. There are two main understandings about the gifts of tongues. The first is that this is the gift of learning to speak in and understand different languages and cultures. In the second chaper of Acts when the Holy Spirit descends upon the believers, they begin to speak in various languages, so that when the crowd gathers, people from around the world can hear and understand in their own language. In our current context, people with this type of gift are those who excel at being cultural ambassadors. They can learn new languages easily, they can make concepts understood and they build links between different language groups. People with this gift may work as missionaries or with immigrant groups.
The other understanding of this gift occurs primarily in the epistles. Paul devotes three chapters in his first letter to the Corinthians to the subject of the gift of speaking in and interpreting tongues. The Greek word that is translated “tongues” here refers to an ecstatic prayer language – a language that people who are under the power of the Holy Spirit use without effort or intention to praise God. In a public setting, to use the gift of speaking in tongues, someone must be present who has the gift of interpreting them. Millions of people around the world experience this type of charismatic gift, especially Christians who are Pentecostal. Both understandings of this gift are true to the Biblical witness and both are equally valid.
4. Knowledge
People with the gift of knowledge are like sponges – they have an insatiable desire to learn more and more. They may be college professors or auto body mechanics. They may be research scientists or illiterate immigrants. The gift of knowledge knows no social or class boundary or age group. People with this gift are wonderful assets to many different areas of the church. They can use their gift to help make a large decision that requires research of different options, they make wonderful teachers, and they can enthusiastically discover all the ways that new ministries are launched or created.
5. Leadership
It’s easy for us to confuse the spiritual gift of leadership with the person who leads a committee. Not all leaders have the leadership gift and not everyone with this gift is serving as a team or committee chairperson. Moses, of course, is the classic example of the gift of leadership. But Martha and Mary in the New Testament also display signs of this gift, even though they are not able to be front and center with the rest of the disciples. Those with the gift of leadership keep our eyes focused on God’s purpose and mission for us and are willing to take sometimes risky stands to move us always toward the Promised Land, where God has a plan for us.
6. Miracles
The clearest example of the gift of miracles is probably the classic film, “It’s a Wonderful Life.” You’ve probably seen the movie at Christmas. George, who owns a family bank, becomes distraught over missing money that his uncle accidentally lost and is ready to commit suicide, claiming that it would be better if he had never been born. His guardian angel, Clarence, takes him on a tour of his town, Bedford Falls, to show him what life would be like if George had his wish. George is so overwhelmed with all that he has, he prays to be restored to life, returns home and rejoices at the miraculous in the everyday. That’s a characteristic of people with the gift of miracles. They may not perform the miracles pop culture assigns to angels and heavenly beings, but by acknowledging and raising up the miraculous and grace-filled in the everyday, they perform miracles themselves.
7. Prophecy
Prophets in the Biblical tradition are people who speak God’s truth to the people, especially those in power. Their life is not always easy. Jonah the prophet had to spend three days in the stomach of a fish; the prophet Isaiah had hot coals touched to his lips by flying angels; and the prophet Elijah had to flee for his life even after God vindicates him in a contest between Elijah and the 450 prophets of Baal. People with the gift of prophecy are open to hearing God’s word in situations and “telling it like it ought to be” . They don’t predict the future like fortune tellers but share with us a vision of God’s future, even when we can’t see it ourselves.
8. Servanthood
Servants are people who have a heart for caring for others, even at the expense of personal need. Servants are moved to serve and love others unselfishly. They have an unwavering commitment to and are in tune with the needs of others even before they are spoken. Servants are on prayer teams, serve in the nursery, send cards when folks are sick. Community Bible Study, which we host here weekly, has at its core a Servants’ Team. They are the leaders of the program but do not see themselves in positions of authority but in positions of servants, ready to meet the needs of the women and children who come to the program.
9. Shepherding
Mrs. Howell was one of my earliest shepherds. She mentored me through my doubts and questions, just when I was beginning to claim the name of Christ for myself. No matter our age or place in our spiritual life, we should always be on the lookout for someone with the gift of shepherding. These people mentor and guide others in the faith. They check in, they care, they companion. Like Jesus, Our Good Shepherd, they lovingly give shape and balance to our spiritual lives as they grow and develop.
10. Teaching and Wisdom
Some are called to be teachers… and I always say they get a star in their crown when they get to heaven. The gift of teaching, and the final gift, wisdom, are gifts that are not limited by age. We need teachers and folks with the gift of wisdom to ensure that we know who God is, that we are making wise and right decisions and that we are always guided by God’s spirit as individuals and as a community.