Discovering Gifts to Serve

Good evening all. It would be great if you could get the service outline in front of you, the sermon outline.

There's paper copies floating around. If you don't have a paper copy, then you can go on the St Paul's app and you can get it there.

It would be really handy in terms of where we're going tonight.

John Mackay was the former president of Princeton University in the US and a missionary in South America.

From his conversion in Scotland at the age of 15, he was captivated by the book of Ephesians, which is what we're going through now.

We've got a little bit of chapter 2 as well as chapter 4 tonight, which is great.

I'm always happy to preach chapter 2. It's a fantastic chapter.

But he was captivated right from the very moment of conversion, at the age of 15, captivated by this book.

And he declared it in Lateran Life, right towards the end of his life, he declared it to be his favorite book in the Bible.

And he wrote this about the book of Ephesians.

I did not understand what it all meant.

What he's saying there is, he understood the book of Ephesians.

That's basically what he's saying.

What he's saying is, I'm captivated by God's cosmic agenda in the Lord Jesus, the center of his cosmic agenda, which is declared in the book of Ephesians.

That's what he's saying there.

And what he went on to say is that it's not so much a question of what we are to do with the book of Ephesians, but what has Ephesians got to do with you?

What is it going to do to your life?

With the scope of God's eternal plan, the Lord Jesus, as it did for John Mackay, will it captivate you?

Will it captivate you of God's cosmic plan through the Lord Jesus and through his church with Jesus as the center?

Will it captivate you?

Will it become your life story?

Will you set your life on contributing to that great unity of all things?

That's our agenda in our vision series this year.

As we've seen so far in this vision series, as we've gone through Ephesians, the Christian church, even with all of its faults, is a product of God's reconciling work.

And it will, in fact, be an agent in the ultimate cosmic reconciliation of all things.

In his book, God's New Society, John Stott writes that the church is central to history, is central to the gospel, and central to Christian living.

The bottom line is, as Stott declares it, and as John Mackay has been captivated, and in fact the Bible says it, the church is not an option for Christians.

Nor is supporting it an option for Christians.

It is what Ephesians has confirmed right from the word go, and what I'm calling us to together in this series.

To give your life, to serve God's global agenda, may your worldview be shaped by what God is doing in this world, first and foremost.

Essentially, to serve God and each other and our neighbourhood through his church with our time, treasures and talents, is what I'm calling you to.

Ephesians 1-3 is the grand vista of God's plan to be bringing everything together under the Lord Jesus.

Chapter 4 onwards is how we engage with God's work in this world, what difference it makes.

If this is what God's doing from all time and eternity, then the last three chapters is how we connect into that, and how that impacts the life that we live.

And today, my plan is to spend, this is the third week in Ephesians 4, 1-16, and I want to continue to address this issue of spiritual gifts,

and especially today, on how we discover spiritual gifts.

So, I've got the outline in front of you, three main points and a lot of little sub points.

So, it would be helpful if you had it in front of you.

So, first of all, God's gifts, God gifts all people with talents.

As Christians, we are stewards of the resources God has given us for serving the human community.

And the Bible tells us that one of the most important resources that God has given us is our gifts, aptitudes, talents, and abilities.

Now, a little bit of a history lesson.

The church in the Middle Ages divided the world into two major categories, the religious and the secular.

And those who went into full-time Christian religious work, into Christian ministry, such as priests and monks and nuns and that sort of stuff,

they were regarded in the Middle Ages as being on a different spiritual footing from the rest of the people who did not go into that kind of work.

One of the achievements of the Protestant Reformation in the 1500s was to overturn the secular-sacred divide in humanity.

One of its achievements was to rediscover the biblical teaching of the priesthood of all believers.

Martin Luther insisted that all forms of work are God-honoring callings.

Martin Luther broke down the secular-sacred divide.

And so he suggested to be a farmer, a builder, an artist, was just as much of a vocation,

that is just as much as a calling from God, which is where the word vocation comes from.

It's a calling, divine calling, just as much a vocation as to be a preacher.

He came to see that from this particular view, from the Bible.

He looked at the Bible and said, this is where it says,

He says, God made the created world by his spirit in Genesis 1, 1-3,

continues to care for and sustain it by his spirit.

In Psalm 104, verse 30, watering it, enriching it, Psalm 65,

Psalms 104:30

feeding and meeting the needs of every living thing in Psalm 145 and 147.

And then he goes right at the end of the Bible, in Revelation 21 and 22,

we see the very purpose of God's eternal plan of redemption

is to massively and to finally restore the material creation back into a place of perfection.

That is, Luther made the point, as did the other reformers,

that God loves this created world so much

that he sent his son to redeem it.

That is, this world is a good in and of itself.

This world in which we live is not just a temporary theatre for individual salvation.

Very important point.

It's not just a temporary theatre of individual salvation.

If the Holy Spirit is not only a preacher that convicts people of sin and grace,

but also a gardener, an artist, an investor in creation,

who renews the material world,

it cannot be more spiritual and God-honouring to be a preacher

than to be a farmer or an artist or a banker.

That was one of the really crucial points from the Protestant Reformation.

That we are all, all those who are in Jesus,

are all priests serving God in his world,

bringing about his work in the world.

So to give one example of that,

proclaiming the good news of the Lord Jesus,

such as what I'm doing now as a preacher,

what I'm doing now is temporary work.

It's temporary work.

While musicianship is permanent work.

In the new heavens and the new earth,

when Jesus finally winds the whole show up,

I won't be needed.

Jesus isn't going to say,

Steve, he's the pulpit for a bit,

you know, tell them, Steve, how it is.

It's not going to happen.

My job's not needed.

However, from what I can gather,

from Revelations and other parts of the Bible,

we are going to be singing the praises of our God

for a very long time.

And so, from what I can gather,

therefore, that Nick will be gainfully employed,

but I won't be.

In fact, I can't even go back to my old profession

of feral animal control,

because I'm figuring that's not going to happen in heaven either.

So, who knows what I'm going to be doing.

I've got no idea.

Handing out the cheese platters, maybe.

Who knows?

I'll carry Nick's guitar case.

So, all work, according to God's design,

is service.

And through work,

we enrich one another

and become more and more interwoven.

So, the first point is that God gifts every single person,

Christian or not,

with talents to serve his purpose.

His work in the world.

When Christians do secular work,

they function as salt and light in the world,

according to Matthew 5.

Farming and business, childcare and law,

medicine and music,

all these forms of work,

cultivate, care for and sustain

the created world that God made and loves.

We are all ministers,

all full-time priests to the human community,

serving others on God's behalf.

So, you got the point?

All forms of work in God's world

are based on God's gifting of all people.

Isaiah 28,

Isaiah 28:24–29

verses 24 to 29,

we read,

when a farmer plows for planting

and has leveled the surface.

Does he not plant wheat in its place,

barley in its plot,

and svelte in its field?

Has God,

his God,

instructs him

and teaches him the right way?

All this also comes from the Lord Almighty,

wonderful in counsel

and magnificent in wisdom.

Isaiah is teaching here

that anyone who becomes a skillful farmer

is being taught by God

to be a skillful farmer.

Isaiah 45, verse 1,

Isaiah 45:1

we read of Cyrus,

pagan king,

whom God anoints with his spirit

and chooses for world leadership.

This shows that God's spirit

can equip people for work

even though they are not believers

and are not directly witnessing

to God in their work.

God gives wisdom,

he gives courage,

he gives insight to people

to do their work.

That shouldn't surprise us

because James 1, 17 says

that every good and perfect gift

is from above,

from the Father of the heavenly lights.

Every act of goodness,

wisdom,

justice and beauty,

no matter who does it,

is being enabled by God.

It is a gift

and therefore,

it's a form of grace

even though it's not saving grace.

So that's the first point.

God gives all people,

not just Christians,

talents,

abilities

for serving

the human community

that we might flourish together.

However, secondly,

God gives his people

spiritual gifts.

Ephesians 4,

as we've gone through,

we just had it read again tonight,

last couple of weeks,

Romans 12,

1 Corinthians 12, 14,

have lists of gifts

to minister to others

in Jesus' name.

As people creating God's image,

Christians have natural talents

that God's gifted them with

and as people regenerated

by the Holy Spirit,

they also have spiritual gifts

that equip them for ministry

in and through the church.

in essence,

a spiritual gift

is a God-given capacity

to express

or minister

Jesus Christ

so that those

who receive the service

will see Jesus

and grow in him

to his glory.

when our gifts,

spiritual gifts,

are used

in the power

of the Holy Spirit

from whom they come,

then Christ himself

is ministering

directly

through us

to his people.

Remember,

that's what this passage

is about,

Ephesians 4.

He ascended

and gave

his gifts,

his ministering ability

to his people.

We become

his mouth,

his hands,

his feet

to fulfill

each day

his ministry

to others.

So this means

that Christians

not only must determine

how their talents

equip them

for a certain range

of work,

but also

how their

spiritual gifts

equip them

for a certain range

of ministry

in Christ's name.

God may

adopt

a talent

that he's given you

as a human being.

He may

adopt a talent

and use it

spiritually

to build others

up in the church

but he also

may not.

He also

may not.

Just because

you're a banker

doesn't mean

that your

spiritual gift

in the church

is to be

the treasurer.

There may be

no correlation

between the two.

Ultimately,

however,

both talents

and gifts

are from the

spirit of God.

So,

last point,

let's focus

on this one.

How do we

discover

gifts

to serve?

A Christian

has to consider,

as I said,

both questions.

What has God

called and

equipped me for

in my vocation,

my career,

my work

in the world

and how is God

calling me to

serve in and

through the church?

Now,

the difficulty

of this

is that

very little

appears in the

Bible

about the

process

by which

you discover

your

spiritual

gifts.

There are,

therefore,

problems

with

almost

any

prescribed

definitive

10-step

process

towards

discovering

gifts.

The traditional

approach

that has

happened,

you can go

to Coorong

and buy

books on

this sort

of stuff,

leads people

to test

themselves

in ways

which are

very similar

to what

you would

call

apt

test

that you

would get

in a

secular

workforce.

The problem

with this

approach

is that

it assumes

that you

know

yourself

quite well

and the

fact is

majority

of people

don't

know

themselves

very well.

In some

rare cases

a person's

church

ministry

becomes

their

full-time

vocation.

That is

your

spiritual

gifting

also

becomes

your

job

as in

my

case.

And then

at this

point

the answer

to both

those

questions

collide

so it's

kind of

easy.

In most

cases

however

Christians

must answer

each

question

separately.

Sometimes

what you

do in

your

vocation

is very

similar

to what

you will

do

in the

church.

You may

be a

teacher

a

strategic

planner

or an

artist

outside

the

church

and

you

will

use

those

same

talents

because

God

has

taken

them

and

utilized

them

as

spiritual

gifts

inside

the

church.

In other

cases

you might

find God

calling you

to do

almost

completely

different

sort of

work

in the

church

than

what you

do

outside

in your

vocation.

The

banker

is not

necessarily

the

treasurer

but their

gifting

might be

to be

a

wonderful

kids

church

teacher.

That's

possible.

There's

no

correlation

between

your

vocation

and

your

spiritual

gifting.

So

having

said

there's

all

kinds

of

problems

with

any

system

let me

just

throw

one

in

front

of

you.

This

is a

three

part

method

for

discerning

a

call

whether

to

secular

work

or

church

work

or

anything

else

really.

And

I

get

this

from

the

great

Anglican

minister

of

amazing

grace

fame

John

Newton.

Newton

suggested

that to

discern

a

ministry

call

we

consult

three

factors

affinity

ability

and

opportunity.

So

affinity

is

looking

outward

beyond

you.

And

it's

asking

the

question

what

people

need

do I

resonate

to?

Do I

kind

of

like

vibrate

towards?

Contrary

to what

many

books

on

spiritual

gifting

will

say

to

you

do

not

start

with

yourself.

Do

not

begin

with

you.

Begin

beyond

you.

Don't

start

with

the

abstract

inventory

of

your

gifts

and

skills

to

discern

your

aptitudes.

Aptitude

tests

are based

on

past

experience

and

self

knowledge

and

self

knowledge

is

incredibly

limited.

We've

already

seen

that

in the

last

couple

of

weeks.

Even

though

it is

one

of

the

ways

God

shows

you

your

ministry,

I

don't

suggest

that

you

start

here

though.

Look

to

the

concrete

needs

where

God

has

placed

you.

What

do

you

vibrate

towards?

What

problems

and

kinds

of

people

or

ministry

needs

move

you?

Where

are you

moved

internally?

In

Acts

Acts 17:16

17

verse

16

we

are

told

that

the

apostle

Paul

experienced

inner

grief

and

turmoil.

He

was

moved

in

his

affections.

He

experienced

inner

grief

and

turmoil

as

he

comes

into

Athens

and

sees

all

the

idols

of

Athens.

And

he

finds

one

idol

to

the

unknown

God.

And

from

that

the

very

next

verse

we

see

this

led

him

having

been

moved

in

his

affections

he

launches

into

a

ministry

apologetics

to

help

them

see

what

they

cannot

see.

It's

important

that we

get

into

ministry

with

a

passion

for

a

certain

cause

or

unmet

need.

Paul

was

moved

by

their

need

and

sought

to

meet

it

with

the

gospel.

See

one of

the

reasons

not

to

start

with

a

knowledge

of

your

abilities

is

because

gifts

often

pop up

and out

and surprise

us

as we

start to

participate

in

serving.

They're

kind of

like

dormant

until

you

start

serving

in

all

kinds

of

different

capacities.

When

I

first

became

a

Christian

I

put

my

hand

up

to

do

whatever

was

required

in

the

church.

23

just

loved

the

church

and

just

wanted

to

be

involved.

I

was

captivated

by

the

gospel

involved

in

the

community

that

I

was

a

part

of.

I

inevitably

started

with

what

I

knew

where

my

aptitudes

my

talents

were.

I

could

cut

the

grass

so

I

cut

the

grass.

I

repaired

buildings.

I

dealt

with

vermin.

I

was

what

I

was

used

to.

I

just

did

that

sort

of

stuff.

Soon

enough

the

minister

of the

church

started

to push

me

beyond

my

natural

talents

and

aptitudes

to test

my

spiritual

gifting

and

started

to

encourage

me

to

do

hospital

visiting,

trained

me

in

evangelism,

service

leading,

leading

community

groups.

I was

on parish

council

organizing

camps.

Bit

by bit

just

kept

pushing

me

to do

a

whole

range

of

things.

gifts

started

to

pop

up

over

time.

And

I

would

never

have

known

it

until

he

pushed

me

into

it.

Say,

give

that

a go,

have

that

a

crack

at

that.

The

first

time

I

ever

preached

a

sermon,

no

one

would

have

said,

oh,

he's

got

a

gifting.

Not

a

single

person,

except

the

one

preacher

sitting

in

the

room.

I

think

he

called

me

a

rough

rock

that

need

if

you

had

just

knocked

off

it.

He

said,

but I

think

we

can

do

that.

It

didn't

start

with my

talents

and my

aptitudes,

or it

sort of

did,

but

very

short

time,

and

it

moved

quickly

beyond

that.

And

ultimately,

it

started

with a

need.

When

he

started

to push

me

into

ministry,

he

said,

we

need

a

youth

group

here,

you

should

start

one.

That's

the job

description.

That was

it.

What

became

obvious to

the leaders

of my

first

church

was I

had

gifting

for church

leadership

that

would

develop

and be

fruitful,

providing

my

character

developed.

Because

what they

noticed

is that

when I

cut the

grass,

I was

able to

galvanize

people to

come with

me and

to cut

the grass.

when I

went and

did

hospital

visiting,

I took

other

people

with

me.

They

noticed

that

people

would

follow.

When I

organized

camps,

I could

pull a

team

together.

What

they

didn't

know,

what they

could never

have seen,

was God

would give

me a

passion for

cross-cultural

ministry and

multi-ethnic

church

leadership.

And I

didn't even

see that

12 years

ago.

And still

I started

working in

that space.

Gifts

pop out

when you

just do

it.

You just

serve.

So that's

the first

one.

Affinity.

Look out.

Secondly,

ability,

which is

look in.

That is,

what are my

abilities,

what are my

skills,

what are my

talents,

what are my

deficiencies?

It's important

to look at

your abilities.

Many people

become burdened

to see a

ministry

begin,

but they're

not realistic

about their

own abilities

and limitations.

For example,

there might be

some people

who are just

so keen to

be leaders,

even though

they don't

have the

gifting of

organizing,

and they

haven't even

noticed that

no one's

actually following

them at this

moment.

They don't

have the

ability to

galvanize

people.

It's one of

the questions I

ask of people

who are

considering

vocational

ministries,

to go

into my

kind of

role.

What

ministries

have you

started?

What

ministries

have you

changed?

What

ministries

have you

shut

down?

Really

important.

It

takes

courage to

start

something,

it takes

leadership to

stop it.

you must

be very

aware of

the part

you are

able to

play in

the ministry.

What

should you

be doing

and what

you need

someone else

to be

doing?

Also have

the maturity

recognize how

young and old

you are in

the faith.

You may

realize that

your godliness

does not

cover your

gift deficiencies

very well and

you therefore

need a strong

team around

you.

Just a

warning here,

on this

one.

As we

exercise our

spiritual gifts

we need to

avoid the

great problem

of gift

cop-out.

Every

single one

of the

gifts,

the spiritual

gifts,

is also a

task or

an assignment

given to

all Christians.

Not all

are evangelists

but every

one of us

are called

to witness.

Not all

of us have

the specific

gift of

giving but

all of us

are called

to a

life of

radical

generosity.

Not all

of us

have the

gifts of

service and

care of

another

individual but

all of us

are called

into a

ministry of

serving others

and caring

for people.

Gift cop-out

is saying

since I'm not

gifted in that

I won't have

to do that.

And normally

we practice

gift cop-out

when we look

at our

vocational

work and

can't see a

connection.

I'm a

banker and

unless you

make me the

treasurer

there's no

way I'm doing

anything else.

That's the

only job I

can do here.

That's gift

cop-out.

So lastly

of opportunity.

This is

looking up.

And the

question here

is where

does the

church and

its leaders

tell me

where I'm

needed?

This is where

the character

of humility

comes in.

The third

leg in

identifying

our

spiritual

gifts

is

opportunity.

Now with

this one

we need

to be aware

of the

opposite

danger

of

gift

cop-out

and that

is

gift

projection.

Based on

everything we've

seen in the

past few

weeks we

must fight

against

individualism

in the way

we discern

our

ministry

giftings.

Gift

projection

works in a

whole different

number of

ways.

It can be

as simple

as saying

this is my

gift

and it's

your job

to make

this gift

work in

this place.

This is my

spiritual

gifting.

Self-identified

gifting.

This is my

role.

This is my

gifting.

You use

it.

That's it.

I won't do

anything else.

Or it can

be making

yourself feel

guilty if

you aren't as

gifted or as

good as

someone else

is in that

space.

Or on the

other hand

it may be

making others

feel guilty

that they

aren't as

passionate or

as good at

you at

doing what

you are

doing.

That's gift

projection.

In projecting

our gifts

and our

passions

it is all

too easy

to try

to make

the whole

church

into our

own image.

You know

I've got the

gift of

evangelism

for instance

and so I

want to make

this strictly

an evangelistic

church.

Everyone should

be evangelized.

everyone needs

to evangelize

like me.

Or I've

got the

passion for

justice

ministry so

this has to

be a

justice

church and

everyone else

has to have

the same

passion and

gifting for

justice ministry

that I do.

Or for it to

be a cultural

center.

I'm so focused

on one-to-one

discipleship and

everyone should

be doing one-to-one

discipleship.

That's gift

projection.

That's passion

projection.

And it's making

everyone in the

same image.

huge.

The third

leg of gift

discovery looks

to the

community, my

brothers and

sisters, for

guidance.

The doctrine of

sin alone should

be enough to

prove that you

should not be

trying to make

this decision by

yourself.

Ephesians 4

teaches that when

we become

Christians we

become members

of one another.

We cannot

understand ourselves

without paying

attention to what

our brothers and

sisters can see

in us.

there may be

opportunities for

us to serve

that we have

never considered

but for which we

are perfect.

Now one key

factor here

and that is that

we are under the

authority of our

leaders.

Hebrews 13

7 says

remember your

leaders who

spoke the word

of God to you

consider the

outcome of their

way of life and

imitate their

faith.

And verse 17

goes on to say

have confidence

in your leaders

and submit to

their authority

because they

keep watch over

you as those

who must give

an account.

Do this so

that their work

will be a joy

not a burden

for that would

be of no

benefit to you.

The reality

is we should

bow to what

our leaders

may tell us

are the

church's needs.

These are the

areas of needs.

God put us

into a community

and we discern

his will and

his calling

together.

So I

propose

as John

Newton did

200 years

before me

that the

place to

start

when you

look at

these three

categories

these three

legs

the place

to start

is opportunity.

That's where

you begin.

Our

self-centered

individualistic

natures

want us to

go with

affinity

first

or ability

ability

first

then affinity

then opportunity.

I would suggest

that we start

with opportunity.

In other words

find

the ministry

needs of the

church

things that

need to be

done

and just

do them.

Just serve.

Don't even

begin with

does this

fulfill me?

Does it

make me

happy?

the only

way you

will ever

really come

to know

the kind

of ministry

that you

are best

at

if you

do a

whole heap

of different

things

then you

will know

what God

blesses.

Don't look

first of all

at your

proven

abilities.

Don't look

first of all

at your

day job

and your

natural

talents

to determine

what you

do in

the church

because as

mentioned

earlier

God may

have no

plan to

use them

as your

spiritual

gifts.

Likewise

don't look

first of all

at your

deepest

affinities

the things

that excite

you

the things

that interest

you.

If you

gravitate

too quickly

to those

areas

you may

miss out

on gifts

that you

aren't even

aware of.

Just

serve.

That's the

simple call.

Plug the

gaps in

the church

and help

out.

Go through

the door

of opportunity

in the

church

doing what

needs to

be done

and then

as time

goes by

check your

affinities

check your

abilities

and begin

to specialise.

As your

brothers and

sisters around

you encourage

you to do

that.

There may be

and in fact

there are

many opportunities

right now.

Right now.

I'll mention

them to you

but this

morning one

thing that I

threw in

this morning

was actually

we've been

looking for a

treasurer for

some time.

No one's

stepping up for

that.

By the end

of the service

someone had put

their hand up

and said I

think I can

do the

treasury roll.

Praise God.

So God's

already at work

and maybe he's

working at you

right now.

Working at you

right now.

He did it this

morning and

maybe right now

for you.

We just need

people willing

to serve in

all sorts

areas and

membership.

We want to

be a

community.

A community

that is

engaging,

welcome,

inclusive.

We want

people to

belong here.

We've just

seen the

video.

We need

people who

are welcoming,

people in

the car park.

As soon as

someone sets

foot on this

site to be

engaged with,

for their name

to be known,

for them to

feel like they

belong.

We need

people who are

prepared to

serve food

for us in

our corporate

gatherings.

We want to

be an open

engaging

community.

Right now,

we need

people in

membership.

Secondly,

we need

more people

willing to

serve in

our ESL

classes.

That's a

great way to

serve people

who are not

able to

easily

communicate in

the common

language of

our neighborhood.

That is,

ESL is about

serving vulnerable

people in our

neighborhood.

That's what it's

about.

At the

moment,

we've got

two or

three people,

that's it,

who are

currently running

it.

Massive need

in that area.

Thirdly,

there's grace

ministries.

This is our

ministry to

sex workers in

our area.

They need

another prayer

team.

This is really

simple.

You just sit

in the car

with one