The New Testament analogy of the Old Testament Fish Gate. Distinctions and function of each Spritual Gift

Grace Bible Church
The Tree of Life
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Week ending 062412
The New Testament analogy of the Old Testament Fish Gate. Distinctions and function of each Spiritual Gift; Part 2.

We have been noting some fantastic privileges that come from understanding the seven different ministries of God the Holy Spirit at the moment of salvation.

And this morning we continue with the fifth salvation ministry of God the Holy Spirit which occurs at the moment of salvation which are the spiritual gifts an illustration of the grace policy of God.

And by the fact that it is one of the seven salvation ministries that God the Holy Spirit did for every believer at the moment of salvation means “hands off” on the part of any believer who thinks they have the right to put their hands on.

The apostle Paul then goes to say in ROM 14:10-13, But you, why do you judge your brother? Or you again, why do you regard your brother with contempt? For we shall all stand before the judgment seat of God. For it is written, “As I live, says the Lord, every knee shall bow to Me, And every tongue shall give praise to God.” So then each one of us shall give account of himself to God. Therefore let us not judge one another anymore, but rather determine this‑‑ not to put an obstacle or a stumbling block in a brother’s way.

Loyalty is a good thing if it is for the right purpose and for the truth. This why the Lord said in HOS 6:6, For I delight in loyalty rather than sacrifice, And in the knowledge of God rather than burnt offerings.

Certainly we do not want to be loyal and find we have pledged our allegiance to something that is false. PRO 17:15 says, He who justifies the wicked, and he who condemns the righteous, Both of them alike are an abomination to the Lord.

Herod was very glad when he saw Jesus; for he had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he had been hearing about Him and was hoping to see some sign performed by Him. And he questioned Him at some length; but our Lord answered him nothing. And the chief priests and the scribes were standing there, accusing Him vehemently.

LUK 23:11-12, And Herod with his soldiers, after treating Him with contempt and mocking Him, dressed Him in a gorgeous robe and sent Him back to Pilate. Now Herod and Pilate became friends with one another that very day; for before they had been at enmity with each other.And so they had touched TLJC and accused Him with their lies and slander which was motivated by their bitterness and jealousy. What does the Bible mean when it says not to touch God’s anointed? It’s not my opinion or yours that matters; but what God’s Word has to say about this that really counts?

All I can say is two things concerning this principle:

1. Do you believe that this principle refers to literally touching God’s men physically like some teach.

2. Or do you believe that you have the right to touch God’s men with your tongue as many do as JAM 3:6 forbids?

Remember that one of the 40 things that you have received at salvation and one of the seven ministries of the Holy Spirit at salvation is that God the Holy Spirit’s sovereignty that bestowed on you one spiritual gift. And these permanent spiritual gifts function in the body of Christ throughout the entire Church-age. So, if you are a believer, you have a spiritual gift. And as we have noted, the spiritual gift that you possess is not a sign of superiority spiritually or a sign of growth or inferiority. Spiritual gifts are the sovereign decision of God the Holy Spirit.

Notice the phrase, “the common good”. The common good of who? The common good of the body of Christ. The effectiveness of your spiritual gift depends on two categories of your experiential sanctification.

a. EPH 5:18, the filling of the Spirit.

b. Spiritual growth.

And the comforting thing is do not try to discover your gift, it will be revealed to you as you grow spiritually. The most obvious spiritual gifts which exist are the gift of evangelism and the gift of pastor-teacher. EPH 4:11, And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers,

The next gift is the gift of government or ruling. We could call this gift the gift of administrations.

This particular gift should be possessed by church officers and deacons. In 1CO 12:28, it is translated governments or administration but it is identified by the noun kubernesis. It originally meant to take the helm of a ship or to pilot or to govern a city. It means one who has the ability to give wise counsel and make wise decisions in the practical administrative affairs of a local he ability to administer in the local church which is not necessarily the same as administering on a job or in the military etc.

In ROM 12:8, we have the other half of this spiritual gift, translated leads.

Proistemi means to be the head of something or to rule or to direct. It refers to one with the gift of managing and leading others. And the two words combined describe the unique ability to assume leadership roles effectively or to wisely function in administrative capacities. Men or deacons elected to administrative offices are to have this gift, 1TI 3:4-5. And those who have this gift are placed in the position of administration are to be given respect and obeyed.

The pastor-teacher must identify this gift in the congregation and appoint such men as church officers. Kitten says, this particular gift qualifies a Christian congregation and the importance of the helmsman increase in a time of storm. Those who have this gift therefore help the local assembly to be alive with activity. They enjoy organizing, overseeing, business matters, helping staff relations dealing with details and making sure the work of the local church runs smoothly. And like all spiritual gifts, these permanent gifts depend upon the filling of the Spirit plus spiritual growth for their function. In fact, when a certain stage of spiritual growth is reached these gifts function automatically without believers even realizing it.

So, this spiritual gift is held by deacons, those who fulfill administrative responsibilities, leaders of Christian service organizations, those who lead and administer the training of children in the local church, church officers or other organizations within the local church.

The next gift on our list is the gift of ministry or service which is found in ROM 12:7.

The Greek noun decennia is translated ministry in the KJV; or service in better modern translations. Some confusion arises because decennia resembles deaconess, which though transliterated deacon, actually refers to the gift of administrative leadership. Decennia is a spiritual gift of service given to both men and women. Deaconess is an office in the local church, held by a man serving on the deacon board. This gift, decennia, functions in the administration of the local church. It means ministry or service; it does not refer to the office of deacon in the local church. This gift is given to men and women. Those who have this spiritual gift should serve on committees and in specific administrative functions in the local church, on mission boards, in Christian service organizations. The spiritual gift of service or ministry is one of the more common spiritual gifts among men; it also includes some ladies. It is from this gift that so many things are done in the local church. No woman has the gift of pastor‑teacher, the gift of evangelism, but they can have this gift.

So, decennia means a ministry or a service. It can refer to rendering financial help to others as in ACT 11:29; ROM 15:31.

It can refer to personal help rendered to individuals in leadership positions, ACT 19:22; ROM 16:1-2. It is a special ability that God gives to certain members of the body of Christ to identify the unmentioned needs involved in the local assembly and to do something about it. Such people can be counted on in the most adverse circumstances and for the widest variety of service as a spiritual jack of all trades. The next gift is what really makes the Royal Family of God tick, the gift of helps. It is the gift that is really the stability of the local assembly.

I believe the majority of believers in every local assembly have this gift, 1CO 12:28, And God has appointed in the church, first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healings, helps,

The gift of helps functions in relationship to helping the sick, afflicted, handicap and helpless. This gift is held by men and women. It is used for going to hospitals, etc. In classical Greek the word for helps is antilempsis which had a two fold concept;

a. To be aware or the ability to apprehend.

b. To hold; to support.

It was used of a bandage to support a wound or what we would call standing in the gap. It refers to a gift or ability to accurately perceive needs and then to intelligently render assistance. It can involve financial help as in PHI 4:15, as well as physical and spiritual help, ACT 20:35. Believers who usually have this gift are out of the limelight but very important.

o not highly esteem this gift. To often people say, “Well, I don’t know what my gift is so it must be the gift of helps.” They view this gift as least, but on Paul’s list it comes ahead of that which many Christians esteem today, tongues.

This particular gift prepares prep school materials, works in the ministry, cares for maintaining church property, works in the tape ministry, does secretarial work, arranges and provides transportation, sets up chairs, works for the radio ministry, the internet ministry, provides nursery facilities, cares for the needy, or works behind the scenes to allow each church department to function properly.

The next gift is the gift of showing mercy, ROM 12:8.

This is the unique ability mentioned in ROM 12:8 to wisely act with compassion so as to comfort. And note that it is to be executed with cheerfulness or inner happiness in ROM 12:8. It is not a difficult thing to do. It means to have compassion and to be extremely gracious and merciful towards people. The word mercy is aiel which means to receive those that are afflicted, to show compassion toward those that afflict you or to have an outward manifestation of pity. Those with the gift of mercy make compassion and kindness their lifestyle.

The next gift is the gift of giving. This gift must be distinguished from our individual responsibility to give.

It is also mentioned in ROM 12:8.

This gift is given to both rich and poor. This gift is given so the Church doesn’t have to beg for money or have fund raisers, bake sales, flea-markets, bazaars etc. I remember hearing of a pastor who constantly raised money and it was suggested that on his grave stone, LUK 16:22 should be printed, which says, “and it came to pass the beggar died”.

As we have noted, when it comes to giving it is a matter of privacy. It is not my business nor anyone else’s business what you give. True giving is a matter of the privacy of your priesthood.

Secondly, it’s a matter of your spiritual growth.

Thirdly, it’s a matter of self determination.

You are to determine for yourself how much you give. No pastor has the right to intrude on how much you give.

However, this gift protects the church from begging and having to sell candy bars, magazines and light bulbs in order to survive. Now, the Lord knew billions of billions of years ago that when the heat is off to give as in this congregation that there is a tendency for people not to give. Some only give if you show then starving children on a big screen with an emotional appeal. So every congregation has in it those who have the gift of giving to make up for those who refuse to fulfill their obligations.

Now, in this gift of giving they give large sums or give large portions of their income. However, it has nothing to do with one’s income, it is simply people who just love to give. They automatically and graciously operate in the principles of giving taught in passages like PRO 3:9-10.

In PRO 11:24-25, There is one who scatters, yet increases all the more, And there is one who withholds what is justly due, but {it results} only in want. The generous man will be prosperous, And he who waters will himself be watered.

This gift is a serving gift. It is revealed many times to the believer by causing him to be successful in business. In this gift the individual is so convicted and inspired that they find great inner joy in meeting the needs of the local assembly. PRO 30:7-9speaks of those whom the Lord will not bless financially because they would drift away if he did.

The gift of giving then is the unique ability to achieve material prosperity with the result of generous contribution to the Lord’s work. Because of the nature of this gift, it can be very difficult to put into operation. Prosperity can be a problem for man. Therefore ROM 12:8 indicates that this gift is to be exercised with liberality (simplicity). The Greek word is applauded which means with generosity, without calculating or without an eye toward personal gain.

This gift is not to be confused with the normal priestly giving of believers as the Lord has prospered in 1CO 16:2. This gift is also to follow the guidelines of MAT 6:1-4.

Next we have the gift of exhortation which is the unique ability to encourage others, ROM 12:8, or he who exhorts, in his exhortation. The word exhort is parakaleo means to call to one’s side for the purpose of comfort or encouragement. It is used as a means of counseling or basically helping new believers. This is a gift where people have the patience and time to encourage and comfort those that need it. We would call this, a one on one gift. This is not the responsibility of the pastor-teacher. This gift helps to rearrange the perspective that those who have problems have or to give divine viewpoint in place of human viewpoint.

In ACT 4:36, Barnabas was so good at this particular gift that he was called the Son of Encouragement.

This gift protects the congregation from conspiracies, gossip, and it protects the reputations of others. For instance, in ACT 15:36-41, Barnabas took John-Mark and departed from Paul and later reconciled the two.

Later on Paul would say that only Luke is with me. Pick up Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for service. This gift has the ability to comfort people at the most difficult time. Now, Paul’s gift was a doctrinally oriented teaching gift. However, Barnabas was a one on one speaking gift that was people oriented. You see, many have a gift to be people oriented, they’re a people’s person. It’s a gift and they love being around people and talking to people. Then someone else has all these resources. They love to study 24 hours a day, they love to figure out things, they love facts, however, they’re not a people’s person.

The gifts are given to build up the body so we don’t judge either one. Whether people oriented or fact oriented, it is for the same purpose. Now, there may be some other gifts which are given but I couldn’t find anymore in the scriptures.