The grace given to Paul was his apostolic authority to instruct the Church in doctrine and conduct. After addressing the issue of Gentile believers thinking ourselves superior to the Jews, then he explained how the various gifts work together in the Church. At salvation we are given different spiritual gifts, but none are superior to the others, because it takes all of us parts to function as a whole. That’s how it works in a physical body, and that’s how it works in the spiritual Body of Christ. The physical body parts are not in competition; they have to function together for us to think, speak, walk, eat, write and get our work done. Likewise, the Church is composed of many different categories of people, each with at least one divinely bestowed spiritual gift, to do the work of Christ in the world. We need to keep in mind what our individual gifts are, what our calling is, and serve within that framework for the best results.
When the believer studies the Bible systematically, prayerfully and consistently under the teaching of a well-qualified pastor-teacher in a local Church, he will become aware of his spiritual gift, which is likely functioning, whether he knows it or not. As one grows in grace, he becomes more familiar with his gift and learns to cultivate it for the edification of the Church.
Some of the spiritual gifts listed in this passage were legitimate before the canon of scripture was complete, but not after. This is an important distinction in Church age doctrine. Trying to perpetuate certain pre-canon gifts within the Church has caused great confusion among some groups. The word "canon" means "standard" or "rule." It is the list of authoritative and inspired Scriptures. In Protestant Christianity, the canon is the body of scripture comprised in the Bible consisting of the 39 books in the Old Testament and 27 in the New Testament.
If this is new information to you, please clear your soul of clutter by claiming I John 1:9 - If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Then James 1:5 - If any of you lacks wisdom, let him ask God, who gives generously to all without reproach, and it will be given him.
This will clear the spiritual cobwebs from your soul, restore to you the filling of the Holy Spirit, and prepare you to receive and understand the truth being presented. Many Christians have stunted their spiritual growth by not learning and applying this simple technique for refreshing the soul to learn. We call it rebound. Daily sins and frustrating details of life tend to get the believer side-tracked and many say they just can't seem to memorize scripture, or grasp certain doctrines in Bible class. Relax, concentrate, claim these two promises and dig in. You'll be surprised at what you can learn and remember. Now we're ready.
Some in the Church are gifted to “prophesy.” In the time of this writing the canon of scripture was not yet complete, so some members had the gift of forthtelling God’s Word to the congregation. Now that the canon (“that which is perfect” I Corinthians 13:8-10) is complete, the forthtellers are pastors, teachers and preachers who are anointed and trained to exegete and interpret existing scripture to the congregation. “in accordance with your faith;” the revelations coming through the prophet must be in agreement with the body of truth already revealed. God is not the author of confusion. If what the “prophet” reveals contradicts what is already known of God’s Word, the prophet is not revealing truth. Nowadays, we have the complete canon in writing, so it’s easy to check his information. Individuals in the Church today do not receive new revelations from God. Part of our self-discipline is to recognize and honor the authority of the Bible, and always regard that as the standard of truth.
There are those who are gifted to “serve.” These people are of great importance to the Church, because there are always details to attend to in any assembly. LOTS of details. Service is not always a high profile gift, but it is absolutely necessary to the proper workings of a local congregation. It may have to do with organizing, cleaning, financial accounting, supplying physical necessities, planning, building, even serving at table. Some people are especially good at this kind of work, and especially sensitive to the needs of others. There is nothing “lesser” about such a gift.
The folks who are serving allow the pastor and teaching staff the freedom to study and teach, which is the most important work of the Church. Without accurate and faithful teaching, the members are not equipped to do their own works of ministry. One whose gift is teaching must make studying and teaching God’s Word the priority of his life. He needs the full support of his congregation to prepare for and perform this duty. Others besides the pastor are gifted to teach, also. All teaching within a local congregation must be in doctrinal agreement, and the pastor is the pulpit authority regarding the system of doctrine being taught. Here’s the point: if you are a teacher, and you have doctrinal disagreements with the pastor, you are not qualified to teach in his Church. If you persist in undermining the pastor’s authority it will do damage in that congregation and no one’s gifts can function properly. If you are teaching, get your doctrine straight. It is a serious responsibility.
Some are encouragers. Oh, what treasures these people are! The pastor needs encouragement to continue his stressful duties. I liken the pastor’s work to motherhood. His job is to study and teach, but almost everyone wants “a piece” of him, and it is grueling, 24/7 work. Every pastor needs at least one really faithful encourager for spiritual and emotional support, and lots of prayer. The encouragers in a congregation also are helpful to show love and support to truth-seekers, new believers, down-and-outers, returning prodigals, new parents, new widows; all of whom will be with us from time to time. They need to have mentors who will help them and pray for them in their life struggles.
Everyone is expected to give money and other gifts to support the local Church or help those with material needs. Some folks are actually gifted for this. They seem to see needs and have incomes and access to resources that the average believer does not have, and their generosity is above and beyond what is required. They keep things going when the outlook might not be the best. God provides extra for folks like this, because they will share where it is needed.
There are leadership positions that are not necessarily pastoring or teaching. The bigger the congregation, the greater the need for leaders. God appoints some to take the lead and see that things get done. It is a huge responsibility and should not ever be taken for granted.
Then there are those merciful folks. They see the failures of others, and rather than judge, they comfort and help them. They realize that all of us have our areas of weakness and everyone bottoms out every now and then. When a bungled believer has absolutely nothing to offer except his sorrow and contrition, the merciful among us will forgive him and help him get reoriented to the Christian Way of Life, without “I told you so’s.” When a believer has royally screwed up his life and needs help, it doesn’t matter to the merciful how he got in that mess. He needs help now. The merciful will help him now, and do it with a relaxed mental attitude, expecting nothing in return.
We’re in this together, Brethren. Each of us has a divinely appointed job to do. We can do it by exercising our own gifts within the congregation, and not envying or criticizing the gifts of others. God gave us our jobs. He is the only judge of how we do them.
By the way, if you pluck out an eye or cut off a toe, that member loses its function. There is no production from a severed body part. That’s why I believe none of these spiritual gifts work in isolation. It is within a local assembly that our gifts work, for the edification and production of each member of the Church. Respect for and support of each other is what gets the job done.
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