Three Secrets of an Effective Church - 2
BIRDS FLIGHT(all called flying): Flapping - Gliding - Soaring
Isa 40:31 Those who wait upon the Lord shall renew their strength; they will mount up with wings like eagles(few birds with strong enough wings to soar), run and not get tired, walk and not faint.
• Three secrets of a soaring life: HUMILITY – HARMONY
3. SECRET OF HARD WORK (6) And since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let each exercise them accordingly: if prophecy, according to the proportion of his faith; (7) if service, in his serving; or he who teaches, in his teaching; (8) or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
a. Different By God’s Grace we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us,
• Unique characteristics of gifts: Various passages mentions such as 1 Cor 12, Eph 4, 1 Peter 4, & Rom 12.
Ministry- motivational - manifestations/foundational - sign
- sustaining
1. Different word in 1 Cor 12 ‘spiritual’ with no mention of gift other than in a 3 way separation: gifts ministries effects(energies) (gift is otherwise used in italics
• Gifts comes from Greek charismata which comes from same root as grace. Means a ‘free & unmerited gift’
1) We all have been given at least 1 gift from God.
a) Nobody has been left out - on your spiritual birthday God gave you at least one gift.
b) A Gift is an ability for service within the church.
c) The church in Corinth was reprimanded by Paul because they were abusing spiritual gifts by making them an end unto themselves instead of serving others. Gifts without grace/without the fruit of the Spirit.
d) Paul giving Romans all they needed to know about the Christian life and leaves out gifts that are divisive today.
What is my gift? When you are walking in the fullness of the Spirit you will operate in the area of your spiritual gifts whether you recognize it or not.
(In His Word, time in prayer, loving others, faithful in areas of obedience)
2) We all have been gifted according to His grace
a) God, and not me, made the choice of the gift I was to have.
b) I would not have made the same choice that He did for myself.
God didn’t give me a list at age 20 to pick from:
Nobody ever had a greater fear of public speaking than I did! No way? WAY! Red face in Sun Sch
What I had going for me was that I was willing to become vulnerable for the sake of God’s call in my life. Struggle, be stretched,
AAU POLE VALTER: Set Record on third attempt. ‘How did you get over that high a bar”. ‘I just threw my heart over and the rest of me just followed’.
WHERE YOUR HEART IS THERE SHALL YOUR LIFE BE ALSO
b. Determined By God’s Call let each exercise(HARD WORK) them accordingly
Paul calls them graces. Graces are graceful. Something graceful is a delight to watch.(football, basketball, hurdler) As you give yourself to your spiritual gift you more and more smoothly, naturally and beautifully minister so that others take note. Bicycle argued with God at downtown library
Enjoy watching some people share their faith, hearing some teach God’s Word, watching some serve others, hearing someone encourage a hurting person.
1) There is a proper way to use each of God’s gifts.
2) Breaking a sweat spiritually: no sacrifice or extra-effort.
Can’t serve God inside your comfort zone.
USING GOD’S GIFTS: 7 GIFTS(Ministries)
Prophecy - in proportion to your faith.
• The gift of expounding Scripture, making it come to life. Greek means to ‘cause to shine’.
But one who prophesies speaks to men for edification and exhortation and consolation. (1 Cor 14:3)
Acts Paul encouraged and strengthened the brethren with a lengthy message.
• Proportion is a mathematical term meaning ‘equal to your faith’.
1. Either consistent with your faith or in proportion to your faith.
When God called me to preach I didn’t sign up to preach in the largest church in town. I started at a back-yard Bible club. That was where my faith was.
While doing Centrifuge as a recreation director I gave my testimony at a campfire and one of the higher up came up afterwards and suggested I consider being a camp pastor the next year. I about croaked.
Where my faith was where my gift was able to be operated .
Service - if service, in his serving.
• Get busy, find a place to serve. Our word ‘deacon’ comes from this word. Busy as an usher, on a committee, caring for homebound, help others.
• No sense to having the gift of serving if you do nothing
• ASK: Where is a need in the church?
Teaching - he who teaches in his teaching.
• Impart knowledge into people’s lives. Doesn’t say what age. Reach individuals with the truth.
1. Special ability to interpret and impart God’s truth with understanding.
2. Navigators - 2 Tim 2:2 things which you have heard from me impart to faithful men who will also teach others.
3. Great Commission: Go into all the world and make disciples… teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you.
Waiting for someone to ask me to teach. Church didn’t give you that gift, God did, find a place and teach.
Find someone who doesn’t know as much as you do and teach them. Sunday School - Seminary - College - one on one
Tulsa Church: do you have a place for me? Dropped teeth
SEMINARY: Rescue Mission: Is there a place here for me to use my gift.
Moody: built his own class(19) until it was too large for church to hold.
With the gift of teaching comes the gift of learning: Constant preparation
Exhortation - in his exortation
• ‘come alongside’
• Barnabas - ‘son of encouragement’. Real name was Joseph but he was an encourager. Put his arm around Paul and drew him in.
1. If you were known by your spiritual nickname Son of Encouragement? Son of Apathy? Tight Pockets? Pokey?
• One of most important ministries in the church. Begin to encourage, inspire. Find someone who needs a kind word, a kind action and draw them in.
80+% are won to Christ because they were drawn into the church by relationships with members. Who should be here this morning because of your relationship with Him?
1. Encourage to turn from sin or habit to become obedient to what God would have for your life.
Heb 10:25 And let us consider how to encourage one another to love and good works not forsaking our own assembling together which is the habit of some.
Prophecy - proclaims the truth Teaching - explains the truth Exhoration - compels to obey the truth
Giving - he who gives, with liberality
• to give sacrificially, to give without an ulterior motive.
1. Unusual word for giving: sharing and imparting of one’s own(beyond the tithe)
• Hard to find these people. We have a lot of people who have the gift of hording. We are to be channels and not reservoirs of God’s resources.
• God gives to one part of the body by providing thru another part of the body.
1. Whole nation given this gift as compared to world around us
Consecration is not giving God anything but taking your hands off of what is already His!
YOU ARE BOUGHT WITH A PRICE AND ARE NO LONGER YOUR OWN.
• People with this gift give without a big production but because God has blessed them in life and put a desire to give in their hearts.(no sounding of trumpet but sensitive heart)
Leading - he who leads, with diligence
• Word means ‘to stand before others’. Used of a ‘pilot or helmsman’. Do it with preparation, with forethought, be ready and lead with fullest purpose accomplished.
Tragic thing in churches today: Men called to leadership roll are strangely absent from the pews.
Word & Way Article. Men are missing from leadership roles.
• Leadership begins with being a good example.
Mercy - he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness
• Helping those who are undeserving or neglected by others. Someone who brings a retarded child, leads in sign language for deaf people, starts a bus ministry.
Homeless, poor, handicapped, prisoners, hospital, suffering & sorrowing.
1. Notice misery and pain when often unnoticed or unresponded to by others
• With an attitude that helps to heal. Job’s friends deeper into despair.
Caused more problems than brought solutions
All gifts in action when someone drops a tray:
Prophecy: ‘that is what happens when you are not careful’
Mercy ‘don’t feel bad, it could have happened to anybody’
Service ‘let me help you clean it up’
Teaching ‘ it fell because it was too heavy on one side’
Exhortation ‘Let’s serve the desert next time with the meal’
Administration: ‘Jim get a mop, Sue help with a towel, Mary go get another trayfull.
God has given you a precious gift. How would a parent feel who have given an expensive gift to a child, wrapped it beautifully and placed it under the tree at Christmas. At appropriate time the child took the gift and laid it aside not even bothering to open it and making no effort to even find out what it is.
God has given to you a precious gift, wrapped in the sacrifice of His own Son, Jesus. Some of you aren’t even bothering to try to find out what it is.
WILLIAM BORDON: Young man who was heir to the Borden Milk Fortune. Was gloriously saved and gave His life and future to Jesus Christ. Felt God’s call to the mission field.
Family disowned him: Gave him his inheritance and a severance from the family business.
Gave that fortune away, mostly to Hudson Taylor’s China Inland Mission. Wrote in his Journal, ‘No Reserves’.
Arrived on the Mission Field in Egypt and began a hard difficult ministry, Wrote in his journal, ‘No retreat’.
William Borden caught a sickness and died at a young age. His mother received some of his belongings which included that journal. The last words he wrote were, ‘No regrets’
NO RESERVES NO RETREAT NO REGRETS
Sounds like Paul: Fought the good fight, kept the faith, finished the course
