'29For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. '
Romans 11:29(KJV)
Every believer has been given grace to enable them to serve God in a particular area in the body of Christ. Whether or not you know it, as long as you have been born again, there is a measure of Christ’s gift residing in you, and that gift is meant to edify or contribute to the spiritual building up of the Church.
The human body has been used in the epistles as a type or as a symbol of the body of Christ - the Church. Paul says in Romans 12:4-5, '4For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. ' Paul suggests in these verses, that just as there are different functions within the human body, every believer has a unique ability given to them by God. These unique abilities are spiritual gifts which are given by God to all believers and they are meant to benefit the body of Christ. Paul goes on to say in Romans 12:6, '6Having then GIFTS differing according to the grace that is given to us, LET US USE THEM…'
The gifts that God gives to us are meant to be used. Now some believers have responded more than others to the calling of God to serve the body of Christ with their unique gifts. Then there are those who have never stepped out in faith to respond to that calling of God and have never really put to use the gifts that God has bestowed upon them. But just because a Christian never puts their gift to use or may not even recognize that they have a gift, that does not mean that they have lost their gifts because Romans 11:29(KJV) says, '29For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. ' That means that once God has given the gift, He doesn’t change His mind about it. The gift and the call remain in the believer waiting to be put to use.
Now it is up to you as a Christian to seek God in order to know your place in the body of Christ and to begin to function in that place. Many Christians sit around waiting for something spectacular to happen before they can get up and be of service to God. But the bible does not teach us to wait for the sensational or the spectacular so that God can use us. We ought to be careful to know what the bible says about using our gifts, so that we do not become like the fellow who buried his talent in the ground (Matthew 25:25).
Before we see what the word of God teaches with regard to discovering and using our gifts, let us examine that scripture with a little more detail which says in Romans 11:29(KJV), '29For the gifts and calling of God are without repentance. ' You will observe that this verse speaks of gifts in plural, as in many, but makes reference to the word calling in a singular form inferring that there is one calling.
There are different gifts as we are about to see, and these gifts are given to every believer as the Lord sees fit, but all of these gifts work in harmony to serve the one body of Christ, which body we are all called to. Therefore, there are diverse gifts in the members, but all serving one body, that is Christ. Ephesians 4:4-7 says, '4There is one body and one Spirit, JUST AS YOU WERE CALLED IN ONE HOPE OF YOUR CALLING; 5one Lord, one faith, one baptism; 6one God and Father of all, who is above all, and through all, and in you all. 7BUT TO EACH ONE OF US GRACE WAS GIVEN ACCORDING TO THE MEASURE OF CHRIST’S GIFT. '
Notice that Paul when writing to the Ephesians brings out the fact that we are called to serve one body, in One Spirit. There is only One Lord Jesus Christ and One Father, and it must follow then that we all have one common focal point of service, and that is Christ’s body, which is one just as Christ is One. Just as your human body has different members but all members serve your one body, there are different gifts given to every member according to the grace of God for the service of the one body of Christ.
Fivefold Ministry Gifts
Now the epistles show us the different kinds of gifts that are in the Church. We will begin by observing the five main pivotal ministry gifts set in the Church by the Lord Jesus Christ. Ephesians 4:11 says, '11And He Himself[Jesus] gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers… '
Paul lists the five ministry gifts of the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher. For one to qualify to stand in any one of these offices, they must be called to full time ministry by God. Notice that the verse said, '11And He Himself[Jesus] gave some to be… ' Paul is saying that Jesus Himself calls men and women to these offices. It therefore follows that not all believers are called to hold an office in one of these five areas, because for one to stand in a full time ministry gift, they must have an anointing to go with that office and be endowed with the spiritual ability or the spiritual equipment that will enable them to execute the function of that office.
There are many individuals who claim to be called to a particular office but such claims can only be substantiated by the evidence of the function of the spiritual abilities that go with that office. The ministry is not in title, but in the power of the Lord Jesus Christ functioning in that office.
Different Gifts in the Church
We have identified the five main ministry gifts that go with a calling to the full time ministry. Let us go further into the scriptures to identify the gifts that God gives to every believer for service in His body.
Romans 12:4-8 says, '4For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, 5so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. 6HAVING THEN GIFTS DIFFERING according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if PROPHECY, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; 7or MINISTRY, let us use it in our ministering; he who TEACHES, in teaching; 8he who EXHORTS, in exhortation; he who GIVES, with liberality; he who LEADS, with diligence; he who SHOWS MERCY, with cheerfulness.' Paul lists here 7 gifts that have been distributed among all believers according to the grace of God on each individual. These are: prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership and mercy.
These 7 gifts are not exclusive to those called to the full time ministry. Any believer who is serving God in the body of Christ will find that they have at least one of these 7 gifts functioning in their lives.
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