Spiritual Gifts: The STEWARDSHIP of gifts

How do we play the game?

We play the game with the recognition that there is really only one person of importance in the stands watching us play. We play for an audience of one. God is watching us, and it doesn’t matter if other people don’t recognise how well we kick the ball, or stopped the enemy, or set up the play, our praise comes from our Father who loves to watch us play. There will be times when we will intentionally do something the other players will get angry at you for, like admitting you kicked the ball out, or by being gracious to your enemy, or by passing the ball to one of the inexperienced players, or by not cheating. But that’s ok because our praise comes from our Father.

[This series on Spiritual Gifts belongs to the sermon titled 'Charisma (1 Peter 4:10)' which I preached at St Philips, York Street on Sunday night. You can downloaded it here or on the resource page.]

Spiritual Gifts: The VARIETY of gifts

What position am I playing?

We are involved in a solo sport like running or snowboarding. We are playing a game of team sport and there are lots and lots of different positions in this game. There are positions for all types of people: extroverted-introverted, weak-strong, smart-simple, funny-serious, relaxed-urgent, rational-relational, on task-with people, artistic-rational, aesthetic-practical, optimistic-realistic, organised-flexible… Everyone is needed.

[This series on Spiritual Gifts belongs to the sermon titled 'Charisma (1 Peter 4:10)' which I preached at St Philips, York Street on Sunday night. You can downloaded it here or on the resource page.]

Spiritual Gifts: The UNIVERSALITY of gifts

How many people play the game?

It isn’t only ministers, pastors and those who work for the church who have received spiritual gifts. Rather every Christian has been given a gift which they should use ‘to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.’ (1 Peter 4:10) Every Christian has a gift. Ministers must recognise this and use their own gifts to coach their people to use their gifts effectively to build up Christ’s body. Hence Ephesians 4:11-12,

It was he [Christ] who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers, to prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.

Who do the ‘works of service’? God’s people: You! Who prepares them? Their pastors and teachers (etc). Sometimes we tend to think that we are spectators watching and cheering a game played by the minister. But that is totally misguided. Ministers are coaches who train and prepare God’s people play the game: to love, to offer hospitality, to speak the story of Jesus and to serve others in gracious ways. Ministers are not the only ones playing the game. Sadly some ministers only spend their time coaching others, and don’t get in and play the game. Others are so busy playing the game that they forget they need to coach others. What we need are player-coaches.[1]

[This series on Spiritual Gifts belongs to the sermon titled 'Charisma (1 Peter 4:10)' which I preached at St Philips, York Street on Sunday night. You can downloaded it here or on the resource page.]

Spiritual Gifts

JI Packer writes ‘For centuries the churches assumed that only a minority of Christians (good clergy and some few others) had gifts for ministry, and they gave the whole subject of gifts small attention. Prior to the twentieth century, only one full-scale study of the gifts of the Spirit had been written in English, penned by the Puritan John Owen in 1679, 1680.’[1]

This week I will be writing a series of short pieces about our use of spiritual gifts in communities of faith. This series on Spiritual Gifts belongs to the sermon titled ‘Charisma (1 Peter 4:10)’ which I preached at St Philips, York Street on Sunday night. You can downloaded it here or on the resource page.