Presents
THE ADMINISTRATION OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS.
(Ephesians 4:1-16, 1 Corinthian 12:1-31)
The Nature and Role of the Holy Spirit In Creation
The functioning of the Holy Spirit as demonstrated in the early Christian Church is not new. He had been working with human beings for 4,000 years prior to the Christian era, and He has been working in the Church for the 2,000 years since. The Holy Spirit has been very busy functioning in behalf of mankind for 6,000 years. He knows our problems; He knows the answers; and we need these answers from Him.
Gen 1:1-5
1In the beginning, God created the heaven and the earth. 2And the earth was without form, and void; and darkness was upon the face of the deep. And the Spirit of God moved upon the face of the waters. 3And God said, Let there be light: and there was light. 4And God saw the light, that it was good: and God divided the light from the darkness. 5And God called the light Day, and the darkness he called Night. And the evening and the morning were the first day.
The Omnipresence of the Spirit
In His creative powers the Holy Spirit is omnipotent. In His universality He is omnipresent. Psalms 137 says whither shall I go from thy spirit? Or whither shall I flee from thy presence?
In Genesis 6:3, we find how God said in words of convicting strength and power that His Spirit would not always strive with man. The holy Spirit strives to bring man into a place of reconciliation with God.
The Holy Spirit has a fullness of ministry whose chief exercise is to cause men to come to God. Jesus in speaking to us of the functioning’s of the Holy Spirit, told us that the Holy Spirit would be a comfort to us and that He would relate the things He heard in the heavens. He would relate those things you say to God and then tell you what God says to you.
It is the Holy Spirit who moves back and forth, bringing communication from our hearts to God and from God’s heart to us. He is accustomed to striving with men’s hearts. When you feel within you a craving and desire to be more like God and to live a holy life, that is the moving and the functioning of the Holy Spirit in your behalf.
Poured Out upon all flesh
In this presence day of grace, God is pouring out His Spirit on all Flesh. This does not mean that the entire world is receiving the infilling of the Holy Spirit. It has a manifold meaning, such as;
John 14:15,16.
He comes to abide with the believer forever
The Word cannot receive him
He dwells among us
He shall be in us (Not the world)
See John 16:8
He will reprove (Convince, Convict) the world of sin (Unrighteous Living), because they believe not on Jesus.
He will reprove (Convince, Convict) the world of righteousness (Righteous Living), because I go to my Father, and ye see me no more (In the physical sense)
He will reprove (Convince, Convict) the world of Judgment (His Word), because the prince of the world (The Devil) is judged.
Also because many things that Jesus has to say, some would not be able to bear them now, but the spirit of truth would come and guide the disciples into all truth.
He does not speak of himself. He relates back to us things straight from the Jesus.
He will also show us things to come.
He will glorify me (Jesus), and show us the things of Christ
When He said to the disciple that they would see him (in the physical sense), but they would see him in the personage of the Holy Spirit.
Make able Ministers of the Holy Spirit
2 Cor 3:1-6
1Do we begin again to commend ourselves? or need we, as some others, epistles of commendation to you, or letters of commendation from you? 2Ye are our epistle written in our hearts, known and read of all men: 3Forasmuch as ye are manifestly declared to be the epistle of Christ ministered by us, written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart. 4And such trust have we through Christ to God-ward: 5Not that we are sufficient of ourselves to think any thing as of ourselves; but our sufficiency is of God; 6Who also hath made us able ministers of the new testament; not of the letter, but of the spirit: for the letter killeth, but the spirit giveth life
(I) The Ministerial Gifts of the Holy Spirit
Ephesians 4:1-16
The word charisma is a Greek word which means “spiritual gifts” – not natural or carnal, spiritual – freely given by God. In its characteristic usage charisma denotes an extraordinary ability that is bestowed upon a human being by the infinite strength and power of the Third Person of the Trinity, Who is called the Holy Ghost. This spiritual gift is bestowed as a special service to the Body of Christ.
This is a study of Ephesians 4:1–16 and the Ministerial Gifts” of Christ Himself to the church: “He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers” (v. 11). Evangelists, pastors and teachers are perhaps the best known and most universally accepted of all the gifts in the church. A couple of these gifts are even common titles: “Evangelist John Smith” or “Pastor Robert Jones.” In many ecclesiastical circles, apostles and prophets are a different matter, but we’ll save understanding these gifts for our upcoming study!
The Book of Ephesians is largely about the church. It deals with how God is bringing the church to her intended place in His kingdom. It is generally agreed that Ephesians falls into two sections, with chapter 4 heading up the second section. Having established the Christian’s position in Christ and the truth that Christ has only one church (chs. 1–3), Paul moves into practical exhortations of daily Christian life-style (chs. 4–6). “Walk worthy of the calling with which you were called … endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace” (4:1, 3). Doing so obviously requires great maturity, a maturity enhanced and strengthened as the various 4:11 gifts give themselves to “the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ” (v. 12).
The Model for each of the gifts is again Jesus Himself. He’s the “Apostle … of our confession” (Heb. 3:1), “a Prophet” like Moses (Acts 3:22), an evangelist “anointed … to preach the gospel” (Luke 4:18, 19), “the Shepherd … of your souls” (1 Pet. 2:25) and the “Teacher” (John 13:13). As the Model, He intends His multifaceted ministry to be carried on in the church by the various Office Gifts. They are invaluable to the kingdom of God. We need, therefore, to truly understand and appreciate these gifts, as well as the tasks to which they’re called.
Let’s proceed then with an open mind and heart. Some of what we explore may be new or even contrary to some of your church tradition. But let’s give Scripture a fresh and fair chance to speak for itself; we just may be surprised at what we discover!
Understanding the context of the Ephesians 4:11 gifts is crucial. Paul begins with an appeal to unity within the body of Christ that is the responsibility of each believer and is to be pursued earnestly. Let’s explore Ephesians 4:1–16.
What is Paul’s appeal? (v. 1)What is to be the attitude with which we are to carry out this appeal? (v. 2) What should be a key desire of our hearts? (v. 3) Why should we be “endeavoring to keep the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace”? (vv. 4–6) Unity does not rule out diversity. Although there is but “one body,” what is true within that one body? (v. 7) What did Christ have to do to make the gifts in verse 11 available to humankind? (vv. 8–10) What is the purpose of the Ephesians 4:11 gifts? (v. 12a) What is the purpose of “the equipping of the saints”? (v. 12b)
The Office of Apostle
Apostles, apostolos. A special messenger, a delegate, one commissioned for a particular task or role, one who is sent forth with a message. In the New Testament the word denotes both the original twelve disciples and prominent leaders outside the Twelve. Marvin Vincent records three features of an apostle:
1) one who has had a visible encounter with the resurrected Christ;
2) one who plants churches;
3) one who functions in the ministry with signs, wonders, and miracles. It is important from the start to distinguish between the founding apostles (Eph. 2:20; Rev. 21:14) and the office apostles mentioned here. To be a founding apostle meant a visible encounter with the resurrected Christ as well as a key revelation/authoritative role in establishing the church, including, in some cases, writing Scripture. “Beyond the distinct role filled by the original founding apostles … the New Testament mentions enough additional apostles to indicate that this office, with that of prophets, is as continuing a ministry in the church as the more commonly acknowledged offices of evangelists, pastors, and teachers (some make pastor-teacher one office).” This insight is also substantiated by the fact discovered above—namely, God plans to use all five ministries in verse 11 “till we all come to the unity of the faith” (v. 13).
“Apostles” in apostolic days referred to a select group chosen to carry out directly the ministry of Christ and included the assigned task given to a few to complete the sacred canon of the Holy Scriptures; it implies the exercise of a distinct representative role of broader leadership given by Christ; an apostle functions as a messenger or spokesman of God. In contemporary times it refers to those who have the spirit of apostleship in remarkably extending the work of the church, opening fields to the gospel, and overseeing larger sections of the body of Jesus Christ.
The Office of Prophet
Prophet, prophetes. From pro, “forth,” and phemi, “to speak.” A prophet, therefore, is primarily a forth-teller, one who speaks forth a divine message that can at times include foretelling future events. Among the Greeks, the prophet was the interpreter of the divine will, and this idea is dominant in biblical usage. Prophets are therefore specially endowed with insights into the counsels of the Lord and serve as His spokesmen. Prophecy is a gift of the Holy Spirit (1 Cor. 12:12), which the New Testament encourages believers to exercise, although at a level different from those with the prophetic office (Eph. 4:11).
As with the apostles, those in the ongoing Ephesians 4:11 office of prophet must be distinguished from the founding prophets (cf. Eph. 2:20; see also “Apostles” above). They are named among the normal New Testament ministries (1 Cor. 12:28; Acts 13:1; 15:32); they equip the saints as key spokespersons for the Spirit (cf. Amos 3:7).
Read the following and note what it says about prophetic ministry. Luke 2:26–28
Acts 11:28, Acts 15:32, and Acts 21:11 carefully read Acts 21:7–14. What do you notice about Paul’s reception of Agabus’s plea that he “not … go up to Jerusalem”? (v. 12) as a true prophet, what was Agabus’s ultimate concern, even if it was different than he perceived? (v. 14) See also under “Prophecy” in Lesson 8, since many of the aspects of the Romans 12 gift apply to those with the Office Gift as well. Prophets/prophecy is a very diffuse biblical gift. New Testament prophets, then, are specially graced speakers for the Spirit, making known God’s will for given situations from an ongoing church leadership perspective. Though authoritative, they are not above criticism, nor above taking exception with, as seen in the incident with Paul and Agabus above. They are subject to basically the same scrutiny as the manifestation of prophecy which will be examined in Lesson 13.
The Office of Evangelist
Evangelist, euangelistes. From euangelizo, to announce good news, especially the gospel, to declare good tidings. An evangelist is a preacher of the gospel. Evangelist occurs three times in the New Testament (Acts 21:8; Eph. 4:11; 2 Tim. 4:5); many in the early church were apparently itinerate. The message of the evangelist is naturally largely to unbelievers, unlike that of the prophet which is largely to the church. However, as noted above, part of the evangelist’s function is also “for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry.” They are to keep the preaching of Christ constantly before the church while training and encouraging believers to spread the gospel message.
As one of the fivefold team members, the evangelist then should be inseparably linked to the local church; all evangelists should have a “home church” from which they operate and which they equip in a special ongoing way. But their field is the world. “Evangelist refers primarily to a special gift of preaching or witnessing in a way that brings unbelievers into the experience of salvation …. Essentially, the gift of evangelist operates to establish converts and to gather them spiritually and literally into the body of Christ.”
The Office of Pastor
Pastor, poimen. A herdsman, sheepherder; one who tends, leads, guides, cherishes, feeds, and protects a flock. The New Testament uses the word for a Christian pastor to whose care and leadership others will commit themselves (Eph. 4:11). The term is applied metaphorically to Christ (John 10:11, 14, 16; Heb. 13:20; 1 Pet. 2:25).
According to John 21:16 and 1 Peter 5:2, what else does a true shepherd do?
The pastoral duties are multifaceted.
The Office of Teacher
There is a slight variation in the Greek grammar construction before “teachers” (the definite article [“the” in English] is missing), which has caused some scholars to claim that the last two groups are identical—“teaching pastors.” Some therefore refer to the fourfold Office Gifts; others to the fivefold Office Gifts. Practically speaking, it is probably best that these two offices remain closely aligned. Those with the gift of pasturing should pay attention to developing sound teaching abilities; those with the gift of teaching should keep themselves within a pastoral environment.
Teachers, then, are those with the Office Gift of extraordinary teaching of sound doctrine. They are generally able to communicate well and display a profound depth of biblical wisdom and knowledge; experience shows that whereas not all those with the Romans 12:7 Creational Gift of teacher become Ephesians 4:11 Office Gift teachers, many Ephesians 4:11 teachers have as a part of their gift-mix the Romans 12:7 gift. God the Creator is also God the Redeemer and the God who calls to ministry.
In all the ministries of the church—pastoral, prophetic, evangelistic teaching, whatever the ministry is—there should be an attitude of gentleness as seen in Christ, whose dissension made possible His ascension and the giving of the gifts (Eph. 4:9, 10); of longsuffering, realizing that maturity does not come quickly to God’s people; and most definitely these should be the attitude of a servant’s heart. There is no room in the kingdom of God for Office Gift holders who emulate a primadonna-type attitude.
The Qualifications of Elders
The Office of Bishop (Elder) Acts 20:17-32 – 1 Timothy 3:1-7
First Timothy 3:1 states: This is a true saying, if a man desire the office of a bishop (or elder), he desire a good work. It is good to desire the office of elder – not the title, but the ministry it involves.
First Timothy, the Evangelist in Timothy 5:17-22, Acts 20:17 and James 5:14, 15 reveals how the elder is to function in the body of Christ. Acts 14:23 states: And when they had ordained them elders in every church, and had prayed with fasting, they commended them to the Lord, on whom they believed.
These elders were men of the Church who were mature, both physically and spiritually. Such men were ordained or anointed and set aside for service by the laying on of hands. In Titus 1:5,6 Paul wrote: For this cause left I thee in Crete, that thou shouldest set in order things that are wanting, and ordain elders in every city, as I had appointed thee: If any be blameless, the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of riot or unruly.
Here Paul was showing us the responsibilities and qualifications of these elders. It is good to obey the Lord in everything, especially when it concerns elders, because they are the one who function tin the spiritual part of the Church.
The elders of the church should visit the sick and shut in, God is able to bless and heal the sick through the elders.
Titus 1:7-9 say a Bishop must be blameless, as the steward of God; not self-willed, not soon angry, not given to wine, no striker, not given to filthy lucre (that is not a lover of money); But a lover of hospitality (one who invites people into his home and ministers to them), a lover of good men (associates with good people), sober, just, holy, temperate; holding fast the faithful word as he hath been taught.
Notice the last phrase: …as he hath been taught. The apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, or teacher whom God has set in the Church takes those in the Church and teaches them. As verse 9 continues, an elder is taught that he may be able by sound doctrine (as he has been taught) both to exhort and to convince the gainsayers (those who come against the body). This is the role of the elder: a spiritual overseer in the Church, involved in blessing the people spiritually.
The Office of Deacon Acts 6:1-7 – Timothy 3:8-13, Next we have the office of deacon. The first deacons were chosen in Acts, chapter 6th chapter.
(II) The Gifts of Enlightenment of the Holy Spirit
The Word of Wisdom
This first gift, “the word of wisdom,” together with “the word of knowledge” which follows, is often categorized as aiding in giving instruction. Some term them “the gifts of enlightenment.” Using the human mind, these manifestations provide illumination, direction, and spiritual safety.
The word of wisdom—a spiritual manifestation available to any believer as a special and specific need might arise. It is supernatural direction which the Holy Spirit Himself shares with an individual for a certain situation, especially where the outcome of decisions would not be known outside this revelation. Its basis is always biblically revealed wisdom.
The Word of Knowledge
Knowledge, gnosis. The recognition of truth by personal experience; a derivative of ginosko which means to perceive, understand, recognize, gain knowledge, realize, come to know. Gnosis is the knowledge that has an inception, a progress, and an attainment. The precise difference between wisdom and knowledge is not always crystal clear in the Bible. In a general sense, wisdom is the way facts are used or the decisions one makes with information, while knowledge would be the more concrete and specific facts themselves.
“Revelation” here implies the revealing of divine “mysteries” (see 1 Cor. 13:2). A biblical “mystery” is a fact or truth which cannot be known apart from the revelation of God to man (cf. 1 Cor. 15:51). Biblical mysteries cannot be discovered by unaided human intellect. “The word of knowledge,” then, is a gift of the Spirit giving supernatural insight or information which one would not have known apart from the Spirit’s revealing it, such as with Peter and Ananias and Sapphira. It differs from general biblical knowledge in that it’s spontaneously revealed rather than learned through study or acquired by experience; however, it must always be tested against revealed biblical knowledge.
The Discerning of spirits
The Greek word translated “discerning” (diakrisis) is the cognate of the verb translated “judge” in 1 Corinthians 14:29. It has to do with differentiating or properly judging “spirits.” Scholars disagree as to what Paul means by “spirits.” The most common consensus is that it refers to the various spirits of the vast spiritual realm. Hence, “discerning of spirits” has to do with properly judging what is of the Spirit of God and what is of other spirits. It is a divine aid in fulfilling the command of 1 John 4:1, “Beloved, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits, whether they are of God.”
There is obviously a vast difference between God and Satan, angels and demons. We do not live in a spiritual vacuum, so we need discernment to know the origin of given manifestations. People can be filled with the Spirit of God or they can be demonized. Furthermore, “symptoms” can sometimes be misleading, as noted in the opening example from the ministry of Judith MacNutt. (How many times have you known two Christians to disagree over the source of bondage in a person’s life?—“It’s flesh!” “No, it’s demons!”) The matter of evil is not simple. To insure the safety of believers and to be able to know the source and the value of things happening in the spiritual realm, the Holy Spirit gives this manifestation.
Because “spirits” is somewhat ambiguous, this manifestation may also allow for certain sensitivity to the nature or state of the human spirit itself. Read the following and note a couple of possible states of the human spirit.
“Discerning of spirits is the ability to discern the spirit world, and especially to detect the true source of circumstances or motives of people.”
In an unpublished manuscript Jack W. Hayford has written, “In the exercise of the gift of discernment, we are dealing with an insight into the invisible—with an ability to ‘divide between’ the human and the hellish (the flesh and the devil) and often with the ability to determine the source or root of a problem as it stems from the spiritual realm.”
(III) The Power Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The Gift of Faith
Faith, pistis. Conviction, confidence, trust, belief, reliance, trustworthiness, and persuasion. In the New Testament setting, pistis is the divinely implanted principle of inward confidence, assurance, trust, and reliance in God and all that He says. It can refer to the body of truth that we believe (1 Tim. 1:19), to the basic trust we have in God for salvation (Eph. 2:8) or to the dynamic power which realizes the energy contained in the promises of God. As a dynamic power, faith is an agency for action; it is this aspect which best describes the 1 Corinthians manifestation. (Pistis is also a fruit of the Spirit [Gal. 5:22]. As such it is best translated “faithfulness.”
The Gift of working of miracles
Miracle, dunamis. One of four Greek words for “power,” dunamis is also one of three Greek words used to describe supernatural events. Semeia (signs) and terata (wonders) are the other two (see Acts 2:22). Dunamis means energy, power, might, great force, great ability, strength, or miracle. When translated “miracle,” it describes the power of the age to come at work upon the Earth beyond the ordinary course of natural law. (Compare “dynamic” and “dynamite.”)
The manifestation of the working of miracles, then, is God working to do what could not be done naturally. The working of miracles transcends the natural laws of the Earth; they are a result of Holy Spirit fullness in the life of earnestly seeking believers as they display power flowing out from the Spirit within (cf. Luke 4:14). This gift is broad based and diverse, as seen above. “Although Paul would probably include gifts of healings under ‘the working of miracles,’ this manifestation most likely covers all other kinds of supernatural activities beyond the healing of the sick.”
The Gifts of Healing What this gift is all about really needs little comment; the physical body is important to God (1 Thess. 5:23) and needs His healing touch on occasion. The origin of the early church’s expectation of miraculous physical healing is the ministry of Jesus Himself, a ministry anchored in the Old Testament. “He [Jesus] cast out the spirits with a word, and healed all who were sick, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by Isaiah the prophet …” (Matt. 8:16, 17). “Only among the intellectuals and in a ‘scientific age’ is it thought to be too hard for God to heal the sick … this is also unfortunately true of many contemporary Christians, whose theology has made a severe disjunction between the ‘then’ and ‘now’ of God’s working. This seems to be a seriously flawed understanding of the kingdom, which according to the NT was inaugurated by Christ in the power of the Spirit, who continues the work of the kingdom until the consummation.”
(IV) The Inspirational Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The Gift of Prophecy: We have previously established that “prophecy” is a very broad based biblical concept. Before proceeding, therefore, you need to take a moment to review “Prophecy” under Lesson 8 and “Some Prophets” under Lesson 9.
In order to clearly understand this manifestation, we need to recall Peter’s sermon on the Day of Pentecost (Acts 2:14–36). “According to Acts 2:4, 4:31 all are filled with the prophetic Spirit and according to Acts 2:16ff it is a specific mark of the age of fulfillment that the Spirit does not only lay hold of individuals but that all members of the eschatological community with distinction are called to prophesy.” This manifestation of the Spirit, then, “consisted of spontaneous, Spirit-inspired, intelligible messages, orally delivered in the gathered assembly, intended for the edification or encouragement of the people. Thus it is not the delivery of a previously prepared sermon … the implication of 14:24 is that it is a gift available—at least potentially—to all.”
“Two or three” is not Paul’s way of saying that a maximum of three legitimate prophecies can be given in any one congregational meeting. This would contradict his instruction that “all” can potentially prophesy (vv. 24, 31). His contextual concern is that there should be no more than three prophetic words at a time before “the others judge.” To judge a prophecy is to discern its conformation to established biblical truth and its relevancy or applicability to the meeting at hand. Prophetic words can be doctrinally correct, yet out of place, because they’re ill timed or they are words to the individual rather than the entire group. In this case, they are best held and pondered by the individual, remembering that “the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets” (v. 32), and “if anything is revealed to another who sits by, let the first keep silent” (v. 30).
The Gift of Tongues:
Coming Soon
The Gift of the interpretation of Tongues:
Coming Soon
(V) The Gifts of Administrations of the Holy Spirit
The Ministry of Helps
Helps, antilempsis. One with the ability to help or aid someone; a general helper. It occurs only here in the Greek New Testament. A broad based gift, some feel it includes the various activities associated with the gifts of ministry—“he who gives” and “he who shows mercy” (Rom. 12:7, 8). According to 1 Timothy 5:10, what are some specifics which might be attributed to this gift? According to Luke 8:3, what is another possible way to demonstrate this gift?
The Ministry of Governments
In 1 Corinthians 12:28 the Greek word for governments is kubernesis, meaning “to steer or to guide.” This word government means the steering committee; it has no reference to power or to ruling. Those who possess knowledge to steer a church and guide it around its problems become the government of that church.
Within a church, there are many kinds of operations, all kinds of groups and committees, to build a new building. You choose a building committee. This is an example of church government.
You may ask, “Why does God want all of this?” Because He wants order. For everything to run smoothly there must be organization. God wants church government to be well oiled with the Holy Ghost. This means that mature men and women can bless the church by being set aside to do certain things within the church to operate the church in the way it ought to be operated.