Voice of the Nazarene 12-3-23

I'm coming to you from North Central Ohio, we share with you the voice of the Nazarene. A WEEK BY WEEK venture into the Word of God sponsored by the Bucyrus, Ohio Church of the Nazarene. We join our Pastor Reverend Ray Lasalle and the voice of the Nazarene.

I want to talk to you from First Corinthians chapter 12, verse one and Paul's writing the church Corinth. And his emphasis is spiritual gifts now concerning spiritual gifts, brothern, I would not have you to be ignorant. Ignorant, it almost sounds like a harsh word.

1 Corinthians 12 · chapter mention

But really what it means is I would not have to be unlearned concerning spiritual gifts. And I would just like to dovetail on to what Paul had said to that church and say to BNC and to those that are watching. I don't want you to be ignorant either are unlearned, when it comes to spiritual gifts. Talking about what are you doing with what you have? Are you doing nothing? Are you going to stop doing nothing?

Tom Ryman, maybe that's the name that's not real familiar with you. Tom Ryman lived in the mid and late 1800s died in the early 1900s. Tom Ryman made his home in Nashville, Tennessee in that vicinity and he was a riverboat captain. Fact of the matter by the time he was hitting his early 30s, mid 30s. He owned a fleet of 30 some river boats that plied its way up and down the Cumberland River. There was a lot of alcohol on his river boats, a lot of gambling took place, a lot of parties and carousing. And that's the way that Tom Ryman made his living.

During the lifetime of Tom Ryman, a preacher came along from Cartersville, Georgia by the name of Sam Jones. Sam Jones preached mainly in tent meetings. He needed a bigger structure in which together larger crowds, a great preacher.

Sam Jones, preached against everything that Tom Ryman stood for. He preached against everything that Tom Ryman made his living and his fortune by.

He preached against alcohol and tobacco and other things. Tom Ryman heard about Sam Jones and what he preached and was hurting his business a little and he made up his mind he would go to one of those tent meetings and he would create a little ruckus or disturbance. Make make it uncomfortable for this preacher that was drawing such a large crowds. He went to that tip meeting and heard the gospel and wound up giving his heart to Jesus Christ. And after his surrender, he got to thinking Sam Jones is such a caliber, he ought not to be in tent meetings, but he ought to have a large auditorium. And so he said about to build an auditorium to seat 1000s for Sam Jones to preach in. It took seven years of construction. More than$100,000 equivalent to more than a $3 million in money of our time. When he finished it, he called it the Union Gospel Tabernacle. 1000s came. Sam Jones preached in it many, many times. The day came when Tom Ryman died and Sam Jones stood up to preach his funeral. And he said for a long time, I've wanted to change the name of Union Gospel Tabernacle. And I I'd like to ask how many will agree with me to change it to Ryman Auditorium and everybody agree. There were more than 4000 gathered inside and outside maybe even 5000. And the name, Union Gospel Tabernacle was changed to Ryman Auditorium and that's where the Grand Ole Opry was started. You've seen the building. If you've been in it, you'll notice circular pews because it was never built to be an auditorium. It was built to be a church for Sam Jones to preach in. Sam Jones would continue to travel and on the last night in his meetings, he would always have what they called, or referred to as quitters night. Those who were converted during the campaign would come and they would bring that vise or what they struggled with and they would come forward and place it on the altar. There were men who were saved from alcoholism, and they came with their bottles of liquor and put it on the altar and they would pray God, I quit my drinking.

There were others who brought tobacco. They were so addicted to there were others that brought dirty magazines, and put them on the altar and said, God, I quit. One night a lady came and she kneeled and she prayed and she prayed. And she prayed, and Sam Jones watched and finally went over said, Ma'am, what are you struggling with, she looked up and said, Sam Jones, I'm a Christian. But she said, You know, I'm doing nothing. And I'm gonna stop it.

I know tons of Christians. They come to church on Sunday. And think they ought to have earned a Purple Heart for coming. I know tons of people around the church that are doing nothing, and it's time they stop it. And here's what's so amazing. When you come to Jesus Christ, you give him your heart, you get the Holy Spirit. And when you receive the Holy Spirit, according to First Corinthians chapter 12, verse eight, he gives each one of us a gift. It could be multiple gifts, but he, he gives to you and I gifts. And God doesn't want us to be doing nothing but he wants us to use those gifts. Now there are four types of gifts. I'm not going to try to break it all down. But there are at least four types of gifts out of all, and there's a big discussion whether they're 16, or 19 gifts. But it seems as though Scripture, the Holy Spirit, divides it into four classifications. There's what we call special gifts. Ephesians 4:11. And he gave some apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, some pastors and teachers those are special gifts. And when you really have that gift, people will know that you have the gift. Now, I'm not sure that all of those are still in operation today. I'm not going to fight about it. I'm not going to argue about it. But I do know that according to the book of Acts, chapter one, verse 21, it talks about apostles, what was an apostle? And have you read down through it that apostle was one appointed who had seen the resurrected Christ? I don't know of anybody living today that seen the resurrected Christ. But if you need a title, go for it.

1 Corinthians 12 · chapter mention Ephesians 4:11

I'll be all right, I'll make it I'll get over it. Okay. Thank you, You can be seated now.

There's also speaking gifts, not only special gifts, there were speaking gifts. And that's people who have the gift of teaching, and a word of wisdom and extortion. Then there are serving gifts, that's the gift of helps and, and to showing mercy and the gift of hospitality of the gift of giving. And then there are sign gifts, that's miracles and that healing. You say, Well, Pastor, we we don't see these gifts, as prominent as they did in the days of Jesus. Don't rule it out because God is the same yesterday, today and forever and he can part the waters and he can get us through battles and he can pull off a healing once in a while when he decides to, if you believe him enough. Now, you do need to realize that in the early days of the church, they needed signs, they needed miracles to authenticate the message. Now, we don't need to authenticate the message because we have the message from Genesis all the way through to Revelation. We've got it right here. And it authenticates it.

He's exalted his word and the Bible says he's even exalted his

38, even above his name.

We just need to be like the Bereans, when somebody teaches us the word of God and somebody is preaching to us the Word of God, we need to be like the Bereans. They went in Acts

11, and they searched the Scripture daily whether those things were so. Just because somebody said it doesn't make it so but if you go and you get the word out, you begin to read it, begin to search it begin to look into it, and diligently seek God will show you whether or not it was true, we need to be like that. Everything needs to be foundational on the Word of God.

Now, with the fact of the spiritual gifts in mind, I want you to see three or four things.

First of all, I want you to see the purpose of the gifts. Why did God give spiritual gifts?

Well, number one for the equipping of the believers, you say, Pastor, is it important that I go to church? Well, this

11 says, He gave some apostles and prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers, for the perfecting all. That means a equipping of the saints. Now, how in the world are you going to be equipped if you don't go to church, and hear the teaching, and hear the preaching, and have your faith build up because it's there that we get equipped for the work of ministry. And my responsibility here is to equip believers for the work of ministry. So what's the purpose of gifts it's for equipping of believers. And the second thing it's for the edify, it reads here of the church. Notice

12 says, for the edifying of the Body of Christ. Now when we use our gifts, what we're doing, we're picking people up, we're building folk up in the most holy faith, we're encouraging one another. When we come to church, we don't come to church to be picked to death, and to be put down. Thank you. You don't have to run the aisles right now. We'll get some police in here to handle the traffic. But our job, we're not the rule keepers. And we don't need to bark out orders. And we don't need everybody or somebody trying to tell everybody else what they can or cannot do. We got the Holy Spirit. And we got the Word of God to help us. And the last thing we need is somebody putting everybody else on a guilt trip. Just talking to you, it's not your role. We're here to lift people up. We're here to edify people, we're here to encourage one another. Christ didn't die and make you the judge. So you can relax now, your job is over. Okay, just talking to you. The church is gonna build folk up at the most holy faith, you say, Well, I want to go somewhere where the preacher just stomps on my toes and slaps me around and just beats me all over. I just want to feel terrible when I leave.

No, you need Dr. Phil. That's what you need. The church isn't here to beat everybody up. We're not here to skin anybody, you can go to the slaughterhouse for that. I know a lot of that stuff has crept in. And we've heard it through the years of our living.

But he said we're to edify and it's part of our job is to equip and to edify the church. And then thirdly, the purpose of the gifts is to was the establishment of believers.

11, for I longed to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift to the end. Now catch this, to the end that you may be established, established. So when we're using the spiritual gift of leadership, it's helping and it's teaching and people are getting established, so they're not carried around and carried away by the wind of doctrine.

Okay. So the purpose of gifts is to equip it's to edify is for the establishment of believers.

And then fourthly for the effectiveness of the whole church. Now, if you won't lose your salvation over this, I just throw this thought out at you.

Sometimes I think the church reminds me of a football game and a football team. And the longer I pastor the more I see it, you got 22 sweating, worn out, beaten up, people down there doing all the jobs out there on the field, and you got 50,000 people up there in the stands and in the bleachers. And there the ones that need all the exercise and we got 22 down there needing a rest And I think that's pretty well the average church, full of people that need to get involved. And may I remind you, this is not a spectator sport. First Peter

10, has ever man hath received the gift, even so minister, the same one to another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. The church will never be everything it can be until all of us use our gift. Here's a fifth reason for spiritual gifts is for the excitation, the exalting of Jesus Christ. Now I don't have the time to deal with that, but everything's about him. And I just wanted to mention that. Now we have the purpose of the spiritual gifts.

What about the principles for the use of gifts? First of all, gifts are distinct from natural abilities. Do you realize that spiritual gifts are different than natural abilities are?

Totally different. When we're born, we were given some natural abilities DNA, our makeup by personalities who we are we were given those at our birth. And when you come to Christ you're as a new babe in Christ you are imparted spiritual gifts as new believers. And here's an interesting that I had never thought of this I was in my office awhile ago. Music is never mentioned as a spiritual gift. Just think about it for a little while. You mean hospitality is mentioned and music isn't? No, hospitality is, musics not. You mean people out there running a golf cart out in the parking lot helping people get parked and trying to transfer them from out yonder to in here. That's mentioned as a spiritual gift. Yes, the gift of helps. But again, it's not about singing in the choir singing in the praise team. I do believe when you get the right leadership and the right music together it's a beautiful combination. But it's not mentioned as a spiritual gift.

And what I'm trying to say to you, whatever God is talented you with and whatever God has gifted you to do, you need to do it. I heard about a lady who sang. They say anybody that can sing and won't sing ought to be sent to sing, sing and made to sing. And whats worse than 10 people that can't sing and won't sing? Is one person that will sing and can't sing. And she got up and sang and it was horrible.

She sat down, rejected, and a guy came to her said, don't feel a bit bad about that, Dorothy.

It's not your fault. Whoever asked you to sing, that's the one that ought to be shot. Gifts are distinct from natural abilities. Let me tell you something else gifts are determined by God, Pastor, here's what I'd like you to do.

No, no ,no it's not what you like to do, it's what God has gifted you to do, for God determines what gifts that we have. There's a lot of things I like to do. But I won't make a fool out of myself. I don't want you talking about it later either. So there's some things I'd kind of like to do I'm not gifted to do. The purpose of our gifts, the principles for the use of the gifts. And then let me just talk to you for a minute or two about the problems with gifts. It's amazing that God gives us spiritual gifts. But notice when he gives us those gifts, when we're a baby when we accept Christ, and I've thought many times I've seen people with spiritual gifts, and man, I just wished they'd grow up. They had a gift. They knew they had a gift but they didn't have any maturity with their gift. They just flashed the gifts like credit cards. If you got a gift, realize where you got your gift from. For every good and perfect gift comes from who or where?

The giver of all gifts it comes from above. Know where you got it. And here's this church at Corinth. They had more gifts than any of the other churches.

He says here in First

7, so that you come behind and no gift waiting for the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ, and yet they were the most carnal of all the churches.

And here they had all these gifts.

Now I'm just talking to you.

Here's what I've learned. Folk can lean to their giftedness and loose leaning upon a relationship with Jesus Christ.

But there's another not only spiritual problem, but what about selective problems? You know, there's some special gifts and then there are universal gifts. There are some things that God expects of everyonene of us. And the more you do it and the more you practice, the better off you'll be at doing.

And one of those is prayer. It's not just a special gift. It's a gift that God's called all of us to. Men are to always he said, Do what? To pray. Thank you for helping me with a sermon. And then there are self centeredness problems, we can get the thinking, I'm the bride of ever wedding. I'm the corpse of ever funeral. This is about us. And it's never been about us. It's God's gift. It's God's blessing.

It's God's touch. Now, I'm saying that if you play an instrument, you ought to be continuing to look up and not looking into the mirror. It's God that has so ordained and so gifted us with some natural abilities. Remember where you got it from? And then let me touch on the practice of the gifts that I'll, draw my conclusions. Now I've come to a conclusion after all these years of pastoring. God's gift to you is the gift and what you do with it is your gift to God. God gives to you a gift and that gift, what you do with it is what you give back. It's your gift to God. God gives us the gift of life and what you do with your life is your gift back to Him. Jesus died on a cross he beautiful gift. It's a gift for everybody. And many people say no. And then there's others that said, Yes. And then God gifted them. And now they're not using their gift. Suppose somebody gave me an expensive watch and don't get excited. Nobody did.

Bought it myself. About anything I get, I generally buy it myself. I told my wife Christmas is coming, let me buy my own.

Let me pick out my own colors.

I'd like to get something that fits for change. Either that or change my body to fit something.

Oh, somebody gave me an expensive watch. And I get to thinking, you know, that's a pretty nice watch. I don't see anybody else having a watch like that watch.

If I keep wearing it all the time, I'm gonna get it scratched. I may even bust the glass on the front. With a watch like that what I ought to do, I need to put it on my dresser where I could see it all the time. I'll just wear my Timex but I don't want to use that.

I'm gonna save it. And one day I go by and I look at my special watch that nobody bought me and I bought myself. But I don't want to wear it, I'm saving it.

And it quit running. And I pick it up and I look at it. It's not running. And finally I call the jeweler you know that really expensive watch I got from you?

It quit working. Well, what happened? Ah, well, I laid it on the dresser I quit worrying and I didn't want it scratched or messed up got so much money in it. Why he said that's the problem. That happens to be a mechanical watch its self winding. If you don't wear it, it's not going to continue to keep time, it'll quit. Its mechanical. And that's the way with a lot of us. We've taken our gift and we've placed it over there on the dresser or somewhere else and we're not using it. We're losing it.

That's what I'm trying to say.

That gift that God's given to us is of no value because we're not using the gift. And we're a gifted child. You're a special person. And God has given you a gift and it's a shame and a disgrace if we don't use it.

Since 2005 there's been 41 billion in gift cards that were never spent, were never claimed and went unredeemed. 41 billion spent on gift cards, and were given to people and $41 billion dollars worth of never redeemed, never collected. Fact of the matter this year, $27.8 billion will be given out during this holiday season in gift cards.

Probably at least 47% they say will never be claimed. And here I could go to Longhorns. You're not even claiming it. And I got to thinking about that. What a waste of gifts. But I'll tell you a greater waste of gifts is the fact that God has gifted us and if we're not using our gift.

What is it that grieves the Holy Spirit? Or it means saddens the Holy Spirit? It's what he says to some young lady I called you, I changed you, I've converted you, I've cleansed you and I've given you Gifts, you're not using my gift. And the Holy Spirit looks around, he sees some young man. And he said, I called you out of your old life, and I gave you gifts and you're not using the gifts that I've given to you. You know, the only thing in heaven made by man, are the scars on the body of Jesus Christ. Can you imagine on that great judgment day when lost people stand before God and Jesus holds out his hands, nail scarred and he said, I died for you, I gave you the gift of my life and you chose to turn that gift down. You say well bring it home. Well, what about us Christians? We stand at the great judgment seat of Christ and Jesus stands there. You said, Hey, I'm one of yours. I'm redeemed by the blood. I believe for you and have him look us in the eye and say yes, Ray. You're one of mine but what about the gifts that I gave you?

Why didn't you ever use those gifts? What are you gonna say in that hour? we'll be judged according to the deeds done in the body and the lack of deeds.

What will we do in that hour? I mean, if all he wanted to do was get me to heaven, the moment I got saved. He should've just zapped me and took me home. But he didn't just save me for heaven. He left me behind with some gifts that I was to use for the building of his kingdom. A gift of influence, a gift to making friendships with others and the gift of drawing others toward the lifted up Christ.

What are we gonna do about the gifts? Ladies and gentlemen we're all gifted people. And may I say to you, God has gifted you and our spiritual gifts are God given and what I do with them is my gift back to God. Has God gifted you, are you using your gifts? Are you finding where your gift fits in to the body of believers.

Thanks for being a part of the voice of the Nazarene visitors every Sunday at 9am with BNC's Pastor Ray LaSalle. For more information regarding BNC visit Bucyrus nazarene.org