Should those with certain gifts gather themselves apart from those with different gifts?
(Matt. 25:14-30; Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:1-31; Eph. 4:7-16) Blog Aug. 02-08, 2020
Prepared by Richard A. Marin: Present Truth PO Box 700, Fallbrook CA 92088-0700 USA
REVIEW: All believers in Jesus are to be his witnesses. They are to tell others about God’s saving love which motivates their testimony. When sinners are converted joy comes to them, to those who witnessed to them, to God, and to the angels in heaven, a multitude of sins are covered by the blood of Christ, and the witness grows more like his Savior. We must view everyone as a purchase of Jesus and as someone who God desires to save. Intercessory prayer brings God’s power to motivate conversions and the Holy Spirit who indwells every believer comes along side to help us in our witness for Jesus.
Distribution (Matt. 19:21; 25:14-30; Luke 12:33-34; Rom. 12:4-8; 2 Cor. 5:9-10; Eph. 4:7-16)
1. How do we know that the subject of “spiritual gifts” is one we ought to study? Because First Corinthians twelve begins by saying “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.”
2. Who chooses what gifts a believer is to receive? The Holy Spirit does.
3. How does God determine the number of talents to give to a person? This he determines according to each person’s natural abilities.
4. In his parable of the talents what did Jesus expect the servants to do with their talents? To use them & thus increase them.
5. In Jesus’ parable of the talents what were the talents and how does that apply to us? They were a form of money, so we are to use the money entrusted to us to advance God’s kingdom more & more.
6. What should we learn from Matthew 25:19? That God will have a final day of giving account for what we have done in the body.
7. What did the servant who received only one talent admit when his master returned? That he was filled with fear rather than with faith & therefore buried his lord’s money in the earth.
8. What does the “earth” represent in the parable of the talents? The “earth” represents this world in which many Christians invest all that God gives them while not laying up treasure in heaven.
9. What awaits God’s faithless servants after they give account for what they did in this life? Being cast into outer darkness where only crying & grinding of teeth awaits them.
Purpose (Rom. 12:4-8; 1 Cor. 12:7-14, 18-25; Eph. 4:7-16)
10. Why are spiritual gifts given to Christians? They are given for their good & the good of other church members so that all grow up into Christ, not being led astray by deceivers, but by helping each other to be built up in love & that the ministers may be supported in perfecting the saints & bringing complete unity of the Spirit into the church.
11. List some of the spiritual gifts mentioned in the Bible: Apostleship, evangelists, pastors, the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, the gifts of healing, working of miracles, prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, benevolence, leadership, showing mercy, discerning of spirits, different kinds of tongues, interpretation of tongues,
12. How do Ephesians 4:7-13 and 1 Cor. 12:18-25 describe the function of the gifts in the church? They say that every member has a spiritual gift & that all the other members need that gift to be exercised for their benefit, even those gifts which seem much less significant, for just like a physical body whose organs supplement one another so in the church body each member needs the influence of the other members so as to grow up into Christ & avoid any division in the church – each member is to care for one another.
Usage (Matt. 3:16-17; Mark 13:34; Acts 10:38; 1 Cor. 12:13-17; 2 Cor. 1:21-22)
13. Should those with certain gifts gather themselves apart from those with different gifts? No, they all are to remain in the one body, the church, into which the Holy Spirit has immersed them all.
14. What should we learn from Paul’s use of the term “body” for describing the church? That like a body Paul sees the church as an organized, visible unit & not as some hidden, unorganized group of true believers.
15. What should we learn about gifts of the Spirit from Jesus’ statement in Mark 13:34? That specific gifts are given to each believer for them to exercise.
16. What does the Holy Spirit bring to a person as soon as they place their faith in Jesus? The Holy Spirit indwells the believer in Jesus as soon as they believe the Gospel & sheds love & other fruits of the Spirit into their heart. Only after this evidence of true faith should a person be baptized into God’s church on earth.
17. What did Jesus receive at his baptism? At his baptism Jesus received a special anointing for his ministry as the Messiah. Like John the Baptist he was filled with the Holy Spirit from birth but at his baptism he was given a special anointing.
18. What are we to receive when we are baptized into God’s church? I’m not sure. Could it be that when we join God’s church on earth by means of water baptism we are given spiritual gifts to exercise in the church?