SPIRITUAL GIFTS – PART 2

What Is The Nature And Use Of Spiritual Gifts?

YHVH Gives Us Spiritual Gifts So We Can Work Together To Serve Him And Each Other!

[Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Moshiach’s Body. We are all parts of His One Body, and each of us has different work to do. And since we are all One Body in Moshiach, we belong to each other, and each of us needs all the others]. -- Romans 12:4-5. Paul uses the concept of the human body to teach how believers should live and work together. Just as the parts of the body function under the direction of the brain, so believers are to work together under the Command and Authority of Yeshua Moshiach -- see 1 Corinthians 12:12-31; Ephesians 4:1-16.

YHVH Gives Us Gifts So We Can Build Up His Church.

To use them effectively, we must

1 -- realize that all gifts and abilities come from YHVH;
2 -- understand that not everyone has the same gifts;
3 -- know who we are and what we do best;
4 -- dedicate our gifts to YHVH’s service and not to our personal success; and
5 -- be willing to utilize our gifts wholeheartedly, not holding back anything from YHVH’s service.

Our Gifts, Though Different, Are All Useful.

Our gifts differ in nature, power, and effectiveness according to YHVH’s Wisdom and Graciousness, not according to our faith. [Measuring your value by how much faith YHVH has given you] -- 12:3, means that YHVH will give the Spiritual power necessary and appropriate to carry out each responsibility. We cannot, by our own effort or willpower, drum up more faith and thus be more effective teachers or servants. These are YHVH’s Gifts to His Church, and He gives Faith and Power as He wills. Our role is to be faithful and to seek ways to serve others with what Moshiach has given us.

Believers Using Their Gifts To Serve YHVH And Each Other, Create An Exciting Fellowship.

Look at the list of Gifts in Scripture and imagine the kinds of people who would have each Gift. Prophets are often bold and articulate. Servers {those in ministry} are faithful and loyal. Teachers are clear thinkers. Preachers know how to motivate others. Givers are generous and trusting. Leaders are good organizers and managers. Those who comfort others are caring people who are happy to give their time to others. It would be difficult for one person to embody all these gifts. An assertive prophet would not usually make a good counsellor, and a generous giver might fail as a leader. When you identify your own Gifts [and this list is far from complete], ask how you can use them to build up YHVH’s family. At the same time, realize that your Gifts cannot do the work of the Church all alone. Be thankful for people whose Gifts are completely different from yours. Let your strengths balance their weaknesses, and be grateful that their abilities make up for your deficiencies. Together you can build Moshiach’s church.

Spiritual Gifts Have A Single Source And A Special Purpose.

[Now there are different kinds of Spiritual Gifts, but it is the same Ruach Kodesh Who is the Source of them all. There are different kinds of service in the church, but it is the same Adonai Elohiym we are serving. There are different ways YHVH works in our lives, but it is the same YHVH who does the work through all of us. -- 1 Corinthians 12:4-6. The Spiritual Gifts given to each person by Ruach HaKodesh are special abilities that are to be used to minister to the needs of the Body of believers. This chapter is not an exhaustive list of Spiritual Gifts -- see Romans 12; Ephesians 4; 1 Peter 4:10-11 for more examples. There are many gifts. Some people have more than one Gift, and one Gift is not superior to another. All Spiritual Gifts come from Ruach HaKodesh, and their purpose is to build up Moshiach’s Body, the Church.

Spiritual Gifts Have At Times Been Divisive Because Of Pride And Jealousy.

Instead of building up and unifying the Corinthian church, the issue of Spiritual Gifts was splitting it. Spiritual Gifts had become symbols of Spiritual Power, causing rivalries. Some people thought they were more {spiritual} than others because of their gifts. This was a terrible misuse of Spiritual Gifts because their purpose is always to help the Church function more effectively, not to divide it. We can be divisive if we insist on using our Gift our own way without being sensitive to others. We must never use Gifts as a means of manipulating others or serving our own self-interest.

Spiritual Gifts Ought To Be Humbly Used In Service Of Others.

The greater Gifts are those that are more beneficial to the Body of Moshiach. Paul has already made it clear that one Gift is not superior to another, but he urges the believers to discover how they can serve Moshiach’s Body with the Gifts YHVH has given them. Your Spiritual Gifts are not for your own self-advancement. They were given to you for serving YHVH and enhancing the Spiritual Growth of the Body of believers.

Spiritual Maturity Neither Denies Nor Overemphasizes Spiritual Gifts.

[Do not stifle Ruach HaKodesh. Do not scoff at prophecies, but test everything that is said. Hold on to what is good. Keep away from every kind of evil.] -- 1 Thessalonians 5:19-22. By warning us not to {stifle Ruach HaKodesh,} Paul means that we should not ignore or toss aside the Gifts Ruach HaKodesh gives. Here, he mentions prophecy -- 5:20; in -- 1 Corinthians 14:39, he mentions tongues. Some Spiritual Gifts may be controversial, and they may cause division in a church. Rather than trying to solve the problems, some believers just smother the Gifts. This impoverishes the church. We should not stifle Ruach HaKodesh’s Work in anyone’s life but encourage the full expression of these Gifts to benefit the Whole Body of Moshiach.