P1 Defining The New Testament spiritual gifts

1 Corinthians 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware.

In the next several posts I want to introduce the reader to the concept of spiritual gifts.  The Bible teaches that every child of God is given specific "graces" or "giftings" by the Holy Spirit to serve the Lord and to bless others.  Below is a list of the ones that seem to be the most clearly defined and spoken of gifts (or gracings) in the New Testament.  

Defining the spiritual gifts in the New Testament

A spiritual gift is an ability from God to do His will in the area He has called me to serve as a believer. 1 Corinthians 12:1-6

1. Missionary = Plants churches or shares the Gospel with the unevangelized. 2 Cor 8:23   Translated in other versions as “representative or apostle of the churches”. Different from “Apostles of Christ” (2 Corinthians 12:12), or the twelve disciples and Paul that ended in the1st century.

2. Visionary  = Alerts the church about what direction its heading for God.  1 Cor 14:3

Understood also as “the gift of prophecy”. As time advanced in the New Testament, prophecy became more of a gift to challenge the church to refocus on living out God’s directions for it through His word.  Some highly visible preachers have the ability to “prophetically” speak to the church and culture from God’s word. This is to be distinguished from the predictive elements of the O.T office of “prophet”.

3. Soul winner = Has the burden and effectiveness to reach unbelievers. Eph 4:11; 2 Tim 4:5 

Also called an evangelist or termed as having the “gift of evangelism”.

4. Shepherd= Loves to feed and nurture people with God’s word. Eph 4:11; 1 Tim 3; Titus 1

5. Teacher = Unpacks God’s word and makes complex ideas easy to understand Eph 4:11; Ro 12:7

6.  Leader = Can manage believers effectively in maintaining God’s goals. Rom 12:8

7        7. Communicator = Clearly verbalizing  complex ideas in simple ways. 1 Peter 4:11  

          8. Exhorter=Persuade others of the need to  do God’s will.  Also translated “encourager”  Ro 12:8

         

          9. Hospitality = Loves to share with God’s  people who are in need. Romans 12:13

          10. Helps/service= Works behind the  scenes to make the ministry work  smoothly. Rom 12:7

        

          11. Administrator = Loves to organize  people and events. Romans 12:8; 1  Corinthians 12:28

   12. Encourager = Ability to get people to  joyfully look to God amidst difficulty. Rom  12:8

          Same Greek word for “encourager” can also  be translated “exhorter” (see above definition).  

13. Giver = Displays incredible willingness and faith to give generously to God’s work. 1 Cor 12:8

14. Mercy = Can gently and calmly minister effectively to difficult people or situations. Rom 12:8

15. Wisdom = Can personalize the scriptures for other people in practical ways. 1 Cor 12:8

Most who advise other believers or who do Biblical counseling have this gift

16. Knowledge= Can personalize the Bible for people to better grasp God’s will. 1 Cor 12:8

Influencial Bible teachers have this gift.

17. Discernment = Can tell whether a teacher, ministry or movement is of God or Satan. 1 Cor 12:10

      18. Intercessor = A great desire to pray fervently for others that yields dramatic results.  Col  4:12

Introductory thoughts on the spiritual gifts

1 Corinthians 12:1-4 "Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be unaware. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were led astray to the mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus is accursed”; and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit."

This up and coming week I will be presenting to the reader an entire series on the spiritual gifts in the form of a spiritual gifts test.  My hope is that those who read this blog will take the next several days worth of posts and use them to discover and understand spiritual gifts. 

Some thoughts on spiritual gifts
I thought it necessary in lieu of this upcoming week's posts to give a brief outline of the Bible's teaching on spiritual gifts.  May you find these headings useful, since they include the key Biblical texts on spiritual gifts that are without question profitable for doctrine, reproof, correction and training in righteousness. (2 Timothy 3:16).

1. Spiritual gifts are taught throughout the Bible
The first thought to note is that spiritual gifts are not just a New Testament phenomenon.  In Exodus 31:1-3 is one of the earliest mentions: "Now the Lord spoke to Moses, saying, 2 “See, I have called by name Bezalel, the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. 3 I have filled him with the Spirit of God in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all kinds of craftsmanship."  When God called Noah, or Moses or Solomon to build the ark, tabernacle and temple, did these men do it by their own ingenuity? Hardly. They were supernaturally graced or gifted by God in the Person of the Holy Spirit to do so.  The Old Testament sets the pattern, from the offices of the priesthood and prophet, to the abilities given on occasion to perform miracles or speak forth prophecies.  Such giftings from God paved the way for what would be the more fuller and abiding character of the gifts revealed in the New Testament.  

2. Spiritual gifts are graces or gracings from God
The word we render "gifts" could more accurately be translated "gracings" or "graces". When we use the term "gifts", we are speaking of the manner in which God distributes His graces to His people - namely in a free and Sovereign manner.  

3. Spiritual gifts are given at salvation
Whenever you read 1 Corinthians 12:1-4, the understanding is that all of the spiritual graces or gifts are given to the believer at conversion.  The issue of course comes in our discovery and awareness of those gifts.  1 Corinthians 12:12-13 reinforces this point - "For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ. 13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit."

4. The Holy Spirit is the Agent of the gifts
1 Corinthians 12:4 states - "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit."  In the main passages that speak on the subject of the spiritual gifts in the New Testament, we see all three Persons of the Trinity involved in the spiritual gifts.  For example, 1 Corinthians 12:4-5 outlines accordingly: The Agent of the gifts is the Spirit; The Administrator of the ministries in which the gifts will be used is the Son and the Affects produced by the gifts are regulated by the Father.  All Three Persons of course are One God Who is the Agent, Administrator and Affecting the work of the graces or gifts.  The Spirit in particular is the Agent of the gifts, meaning that He is the One who Sovereignly distributes and directs where the gifts go and to whom they go.  Romans 12:3-7, when read in concert with 1 Corinthians 12:1-6, affirms the Divine authority and identity of the Spirit as the Agent of the gifts.  This is also why the gifts are called "spiritual gifts", being that their distribution is regulated directly by the Holy Spirit Himself. 

5. The gifts are designed to bless the body of Christ and to minister the Gospel to the lost
Key Biblical texts on spiritual gifts support this two-fold thought.  Romans 12:5-6a "5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise them accordingly...".  1 Corinthians 14:1 communicates - "Pursue love, yet desire earnestly spiritual gifts, but especially that you may prophesy." Why? Because gifts such as prophecy (which I would say is in reference to the supernatural gifting in preaching the Word in ways that relevantly and pointedly challenge the church) serve to edify the church body, a theme repeated by Paul throughout 1 Corinthians 14:3,4,5,12 and 17. Paul writes these words about the spiritual gifts of various spiritual leaders in Ephesians 4:12 "for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ."  Peter writes in 1 Peter 4:10 -  "As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God."

Clearly the spiritual gifts are for the purpose of edifying the body, as well as bearing witness of Jesus Christ to a lost and dying world. In each of those main passages on the spiritual gifts, we see reference to using the gifts properly so as to bear witness to unbelievers. (1 Corinthians 14:20-24) Paul speaks of how the Lord gives among the official giftings the office of the evangelist in Ephesians 4:11. 1 Peter 4:6 prefaces Peter's discussion on spiritual gifts with these words - "For the gospel has for this purpose been preached even to those who are dead, that though they are judged in the flesh as men, they may live in the spirit according to the will of God."  Indeed the spiritual gifts, in their diversity and supernatural power, can beautifully demonstrate the life of God pulsating through believers to those to whom we witness.

6. The spiritual gifts are given for the glory of God
The main point of the spiritual gifts (or gracings) are not to bring attention to the person exercising them, but to the One who gave them.  1 Peter 4:11 notes - "Whoever speaks, is to do so as one who is speaking the utterances of God; whoever serves is to do so as one who is serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ, to whom belongs the glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

7. Spiritual gifts are discovered through God-given abilities, opportunities and burdens
As we noted earlier, spiritual gifts or graces are given at the moment of one's conversion.  However, the process of defining and discovery takes time.  Beginning in tomorrow's post, we will be looking at 18 particular spiritual gifts revealed in the New Testament.  We will also over the course of the upcoming week be discovering how God uses your burdens, opportunities and abilities to zero in on the particular giftings He has given you. My hope is that you will come back and study through what the gifts are, and discover which ones you have to the glory of God.

More tomorrow.....

P2 The Bible's 4 heavens

Revelation 4:1-2 "After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne."

Review
In yesterday's post we began looking at John's opening statements about his second heavenly vision in Revelation 4:1-2.  We decided we first needed to understand what the Bible teaches about heaven before diving into the glories that follow in Revelation 4-5 concerning Christ and His throne.  There are 4 places or realms called "heaven" in the scripture.  Seeing how each one is greater and grander than the previous one prepares us to understand the significance of what John is writing to us in Revelation 4-5:
1. 1st heaven = the sky or atmospheric heaven
2. 2nd heaven = the universe or astronomical heaven
3. 3rd heaven = the abode of God, the angelic realm and the current home of departed believers
4. The New heavens = which will most likely be a refashioning of the third heaven but nonetheless is being currently built by Jesus.

Such truths are wonderful to study and are necessary for us as Christians living in the 21st century.  The question is: why? What practical benefits results from being more heavenly minded?  Some of the following New Testament verses below on the subject of Heaven demonstrate the necessity to be heavenly minded.  

Benefits of h.e.a.v.e.n.l.y mindset
In using the acrostic h.e.a.v.e.n.l.y, we can note the comforting benefits afforded to Christians through the Biblical truths of Heaven that we have explored in this message.  Note the following passages:

1. Healing from grief.

John 14:1-2 “Do not let your heart be troubled; believe in God, believe also in Me. 2 In My Father’s house are many dwelling places; if it were not so, I would have told you; for I go to prepare a place for you."

2. Endurance

Acts 7:55 "But being full of the Holy Spirit, he gazed intently into heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God."

3. Alive in God's presence

2 Corinthians 5:5-6 "Now He who prepared us for this very purpose is God, who gave to us the Spirit as a pledge. 6 Therefore, being always of good courage, and knowing that while we are at home in the body we are absent from the Lord."

4. Vitality for the faithwalk

2 Corinthians 12:4 "was caught up into Paradise and heard inexpressible words, which a man is not permitted to speak. (9) And He has said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness.” Most gladly, therefore, I will rather boast about my weaknesses, so that the power of Christ may dwell in me."

5. Encouragement to serve others

Philippians 1:23-24 "But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake."

6. Never ending hope

1 John 3:2-3 Beloved, now we are children of God, and it has not appeared as yet what we will be. We know that when He appears, we will be like Him, because we will see Him just as He is. 3 And everyone who has his hope fixed on Him purifies himself, just as He is pure.

7. Line up priorities

Colossians 3:1-3 "Therefore if you have been raised up with Christ, keep seeking the things above, where Christ is, seated at the right hand of God. 2 Set your mind on the things above, not on the things that are on earth." 

8. Yearn to see Jesus

2 Peter 1:10-11 "Therefore, brethren, be all the more diligent to make certain about His calling and choosing you; for as long as you practice these things, you will never stumble; 11 for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you." 

It is on this final practical reason that we find ourselves preparing to enter into Revelation 4-5.  John's vision was undoubtedly revealed by the Holy Spirit to both John and His readers to provide practical benefits like the ones outlined above.  The church militant of Revelation 2-3 is buffered by the Lord Who reign over her in Revelation 1, by the representative saints before the throne of God in Revelation 4 and the guarantee that the same Lord of Revelation 1 is going to overcome the enemies of faith in Revelation 5-22. As 1 Peter 1:8 states - "and though you have not seen Him, you love Him, and though you do not see Him now, but believe in Him, you greatly rejoice with joy inexpressible and full of glory."

Sat 9/14P1 The Bible's 4 heavens

Revelation 4:1-2 After these things I looked, and behold, a door standing open in heaven, and the first voice which I had heard, like the sound of a trumpet speaking with me, said, “Come up here, and I will show you what must take place after these things.” 2 Immediately I was in the Spirit; and behold, a throne was standing in heaven, and One sitting on the throne.

The story of a King who was fascinated by heaven on earth
The story is told of how the King of Russia, Vladimir the Great, brought Christianity to his Russian homeland in the year 988 A.D.  With a mixture of truth and fable, historians recount how this immoral, pagan prince was looking for a way to unite the empire over which he ruled. Vladimir felt the best way to achieve his goal was to select a singular religion.  Vladimir dispatched ambassadors to investigate major world religions at that time.  Upon their return, each of Vladimir's ambassadors relayed their findings.  Some noted that they saw laws and prohibitions on what to eat and what not to eat.  Another said that the religion he witnessed did not seem to convey any real benefit to the people one way or another.  However there was one Ambassador who is recorded saying these words to King Vladimir: “We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth, for surely there is no such splendor or beauty anywhere upon earth. We cannot describe it to you. Only we know that God dwells there among men, and that their service surpasses the worship of all other places. We cannot forget that beauty.” Whenever people visit our churches, should they not come away with a similar response: "We knew not whether we were in heaven or on earth".  How often have you heard it said: "That person is so heavenly minded they're no earthly good."  The only response I can give to that is this thought: "Unless a Christian becomes more heavenly minded they cannot accomplish God's earthly good." (Matthew 5:16; Colossians 3:1-3) Heavenly mindedness is the focus of today's blog, for it is central to the shifting of focus we see in the Book of Revelation.  John begins Revelation with a vision of Jesus in Heaven in Revelation 1, followed by seven letters to seven churches in Asia Minor in chapters two and three.  It is in Revelation 4 that we see John being summoned once again to consider the grand purposes of God in the heavenly realm. In today's post, we want to consider the value of being heavenly minded. 

Meet the man who saw heaven
We could nickname the Apostle John as the man who saw heaven by virtue of the fact that no less than eleven heavenly visions are recorded through the book of Revelation.1 Out of all the 66 books of the Bible (with the exception of Matthew), the book of Revelation mentions heaven more than any other, accounting for roughly 10% of the total times we find heaven mentioned in the Bible.   The Apostle John dips his pen into the ink once again.  He is transported in vision by the Holy Spirit to behold the court of heaven, where the Father is on His throne in Revelation 4 and the Lamb of God is seated in equal glory with the Father in Revelation 5.  If we were to characterize Revelation 1-3 as being about Christ and His church, we could assign Revelation 4-5 as referring to Christ and His Heavenly Throne. John's particular vision of heaven here in Revelation 4-5 is the second heavenly vision of the book.  Before diving into the vision that will follow in Revelation 4-5, I felt it necessary for us to explore in brief the scripture's teaching on heaven in today's post: The Bible's 4 heavens. We aim to understand today the places called heaven and then conclude tomorrow with the practical benefits of focusing our minds upon heaven.

4 places called heaven.
The subject of heaven in the Bible is immense to say the least.  According to Dr. John MacArthur, the Bible uses the word "heaven" 582 times in 550 verses.2 Obviously we won't be able to cover all of those instances, however we can glean a fundamental sense about what the Bible has to teach about the four main places or "realms" called heaven.  When the Bible says God "created the heavens and the earth", the word "heaven" in the text is rendered plural - telling us that there are multiple heavens.  

A. The 1st heaven - the sky

In Genesis 1:8 we see reference to what is termed "The first Heaven", the sky - "And God called the firmament Heaven. And the evening and the morning were the second day."  Quite literally the word translated "firmament" comes from a Latin root, which in turn is a translation of the Hebrew original that means "a stretched canopy or covering".  Much like when you pitch a tent and have to stretch the canvas over a frame, God took the atmosphere of Nitrogen, Oxygen and other gases and stretched them around the globe he had made.  Psalm 147:8 reminds us - "Who covers the heavens with clouds, Who provides rain for the earth, Who makes grass to grow on the mountains." Already He had set the earth rotating about its axis as it was illuminated by His glory.  With the first heaven, the sky, now in place, Earth would be ready for the Sun He would create on day four and the birds He would create on day five. 

B. The second Heaven - The Universe

The first picture on the left was taken by the Cassini spacecraft orbiting the planet Saturn on July 19, 2013.  The picture captures the "pale blue dot" of earth suspended in the blackness of the universe nearly a billion miles from the Cassini probe's location.  The second picture on the right comes from the Hubble Space telescope's survey of an area of the universe that is about the size of a needle's eye held at arm's length.  This is a fine example of what we could call - the second heaven - the universe. In Genesis 1:14 we see the first reference the details of second Heaven or "universe" - .  "And God said, Let there be lights in the expanse of the heavens, to divide between the day and the night; and let them be for signs, and for seasons, and for days and years". The second heaven is the domain of stars, planets, moons and space itself.  By the time of Genesis 1:14, God had already created the space in which the earth was suspended. (Job 26:7-10)  In continuing the stretching forth of the universe, God made the sun, the moon and later on the stars. (Genesis 1:16) Astronomers estimate our earth and moon, along with the seven other planets and other objects going around the sun, with their attendant moons, are sweeping through our Milky Way Galaxy at 500,000 m.p.h.  Our Galaxy is composed of over 100 billion stars, with over 100 billion galaxies populating our universe.  If you were to take a spaceship and travel at an average speed of 17,000 m.p.h, it would take you several days to reach our moon and nearly a year to reach our sun. To get to Saturn at the same rate of speed (like the Cassini Space probe above) would take you over five years!  To measure the distances in space, the ruler used by astronomers is what is called "the light year", which measures the distance traveled by light in one year.  Any signals sent by spacecraft such as Cassini travel at the speed of light, and take on average 80 minutes to reach receiving stations here on earth.  To get to the nearest star traveling at the speed of light (670 million m.p.h) would take you four years (or over 100,000 years in the space shuttle!)  However as you travel deeper into space, even the light year (some 6 trillion miles long) begins to lose significance, with our Milky Way Galaxy alone being 100,000 Light Years across, and our visible universe being composed of an estimated 100 billion such galaxies of smaller or greater size!  As you study each of these "heavenly realms", each one gets larger and more different from common, everyday experience. 

C. The Third Heaven - God's Throneroom
Clearly we don't have any photographs of what the Bible terms "the third heaven" in 2 Corinthians 12:2.  No other book in the world but the Bible gives us the necessary, sufficient and accurate description of this third realm.  As we travel through Genesis, we see another 30 or so mentions of the word "heaven" with most references to either the first heaven (sky) or second heaven (universe).  In Genesis 28:12 we read: "And he dreamed, and behold, a ladder was set up on the earth, and the top of it reached to the heavens. And behold, angels of God ascended and descended upon it."  Though scripture up to this point indirectly alludes to the existence of a distinct realm in which God occupies as Sovereign and Lord over His creation (Genesis 2:1-3), as well as the existence of angels, yet this verse shows the activity of the third heaven touching down here on earth.  According to John 1:51, what Jacob saw was none other than an Old Testament appearance of Jesus Christ.  It is in 2 Corinthians 12 that the Apostle Paul refers to this realm as the "third heaven" (hence the reason for terming the first two realms as "1st heaven" and "2nd heaven"). From what we see in the Bible's descriptions of the third heaven, that realm of God's abode must be far larger and more grander than the second heaven - the universe.  It is to the third heaven that believers go who die in the Lord.  2 Peter 1:10-11 includes this phrase: "for in this way the entrance into the eternal kingdom of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ will be abundantly supplied to you."  It would seem that the third heaven in comparison to the second heaven is greater than the second heaven (the universe) is to the first (the sky).  What John will be describing in Revelation 4-5 confirms this notion - being that from the present third heaven, the Father and the Son are and will be orchestrating all of the events and coming judgments that will impact both the second heavens and the world living under the first heaven in Revelation 6-19.  More could be said but for now we must move on to the the fourth major type of realm, a realm that is referred to as "the New Heavens".

D. The "Fourth" place called Heaven -  The New Heavens
Admittedly the the "New Heavens and New Earth" described in many Old and New Testament passages is a realm that is in one sense future to us, and yet in another sense is impacting our current lives as Christians.  Its main time of manifestation will occur when Christ has ruled and reigned for 1,000 years and sets up the Great White Throne Judgment. Bible Scholar George Eldon Ladd summarizes how the reality of the "New Heavens and New Earth" is partially impacting us presently as a result of Jesus' resurrection from the dead in the following chart:3


Many Bible teachers call this Biblical pattern an "already/not yet" experience, meaning that we are "already" experiencing a foretaste of the age to come, even though it is clearly "not yet" here. We can also say that when we as Christians experienced the New Birth, that greatest of all realities described at the end of the Bible is being "previewed" in us, since the Bible describes the Christian as a "new creation in Christ". (2 Corinthians 5:17) The Bible tells us in Revelation 20-22 that following the Great White Throne Judgment, a New Heaven and a New Earth will be established by God. Some have suggested that God will do away with this present order completely and re-create a whole new earth and a whole new Heaven.  However it appears, from other scriptures such as Romans 8:21-25, 2 Corinthians 5:17, that God will somehow (in a way we don't completely comprehend) transform our current world and perhaps the third Heaven into that incredible reality spoken of at the end of Revelation.  More could be said on these two thoughts, but I want to hasten onto the main point of Revelation 21.

God's goal in the Bible: for heaven and earth to be together
The point of Revelation 21 is that the New Heavens and the New Earth are no longer separated from one another.  The Glory of God will indeed flood the New earth and Heaven will touch down upon our planet.  All those who by grace through faith have believed on the Lord Jesus Christ will be in that august company of the redeemed as ordained by the Father and promised by the Son. (John 14:1-3; Jude 24-25) Just as the second heaven exceeds the first, and just as the third heaven far exceeds the second in beauty and grandeur, this "New Heaven" will exceed them all, being that it will be saturated with God's unending glory.  Furthermore, the "New Heavens" will saturate the "New Earth" with God's unending glory, literally fulfilling His ultimate will of "the earth being filled with His glory". (Habakkuk 2:14) 

More tomorrow...........
Endnotes:
1. Revelation 1; 4:8-11; 5:9-14; 7:10-13; 11:15-17; 12:10-12; 14:2-3; 15:3-4; 19:1-10; 21:1-9 and 22:16-21. 

2. John MacArthur. "The Truth About Heaven, Angels and Eternal life". 

3. George Eldon Ladd. "The Gospel of the Kingdom."