His Gift and Our Gifts, Part 3

If you've given your life to Jesus Christ. The Bible teaches that you been granted a spiritual gift in the fourth chapter of Ephesians, Paul taught us that just before Jesus ascended into heaven, God gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors and teachers to prepare his people for works of service today on Insight for living.

Chuck Swindoll concludes his message on this important topic. Based on Paul's inspired teaching in Ephesians 4, Chuck titled his message is give an hour.

Please observe email amplifies he gave gifts to men. Member ties in with verse eight he gave gifts to men.

Verse 11, he gave some, this is not all the gifts he gave to some these forgets let's look at them since they're the ones that the spirit of God led Paul to mention. First, he mentions the gift of apostleship. The word Costello who is the we get the word apostle from the Greek verb Compostela, what means to send. If I send someone fourth.

I am in the words of the Greek I am up hustling them interesting.

The Latin term is the word from which we get our word missionary that fascinate study of words on the word vulture I warned you about that you get to the word apostle and is fascinating this is. This would refer to the 12. The original 12 to be an apostle, one must have absolute authority under Christ possess gifts of a miraculous nature have great wisdom and devotion and I would link the word of wisdom to the gift of apostleship.

They are spiritual pioneers who found churches. They are those who establish the doctrinal truths that shaped the early church and they have seen the resurrected Christ to get the list.

That's why there are no apostles today don't care what the Mormon church teaches how to care what any of the other cult skulls would teach. There are not apostle fellow today apostle loss. They were in the first century and were essential for the founding and establishing of the church and he gave some gifted to be apostle.

They could under the authority of Christ perform miracles at will and they had gifts and abilities that were supernatural and were essentially so to win the credibility of hearts of believers who needed such verify the message you gave some as prophets, if the apostle is the one sent forth a prophet is the one who foretells and forth until the word means to speak for prophets in the technical sense of the word were those who served as inspired spokesman for God. They were the very oracles of God that you and I don't face the problem.

The early church faced because we have a completed Bible.

But if we did not we would not know if someone spoke from God unless he spoke without error. Ex cathedra the prophets in the technical sense of the word were the inspired spokesman for God. Their verbal ministry included exhortation predictions, warnings, revelations, dreams and visions rebukes comfort, encouragement, and a whole list of other verbal benefits. When you were in the presence of a prophet you knew it, and prophets gave truth credibility. Now we have a Bible to compare what we are hearing went with it. But in those days without a Bible you needed some I do not believe there are in the technical sense of the word prophets today. I believe people are given prophetic kind of styles or gifts in the sense of delivery and tone, but I don't believe that anyone speaks today without error. God's word is the inerrant message of God's truth. No evangelism is one were more familiar with the you know this is the only place in all the Bible for evangelism is mentioned as a gift. Evangelists are mentioned elsewhere, but not as a gift.

Here is the one he gave some as evangelists.

This is the gospel lies there.

This is the person who is able to deliver the good news of Christ with ease and effectiveness.

They were the itinerant missionaries if you will, who moved and to this day there often on the move. Rarely do evangelists have deep roots in one area or one place of ministry there on the move because they're constantly getting in touch with the lost, it is remarkable to watch evangelists at work. Maybe you have a friend who has the gift sent and I know a lady who happens to have the gift of evangelism. We have seldom seen anyone who can with greater ease and effectiveness lead people to Christ you give her a 30 minute trip on an airplane chances are good people on both sides have heard of Christ and woman's received. I do that and they just keep staring at me for 30 minutes but she does it and is remarkable what the most famous evangelists of our time would be of course Billy Graham absolute we sit in the stadium and we watched the gift at work and not the man gift he will be the first to tell you one of the most humble servants of ever met in my life is the godly Billy Graham a great messenger of the gospel and and he'll deliver a message rather simple presentation of the gospel, using stories that most of us have heard pretty simple and and delivered rather humbly and I remember leaning over and saying us in this reset and the Angel Stadium in Southern California when he was there in the 80s again always just doesn't seem to effective in his delivery. She said just wait and God telling you when he said not going to ask that every happy ballot in every be closed and if feel the sense of the need for crop all over us to get out of than they were almost running down to the field and filling the hole in the field and back into the outfield and I to set the tears run down incredible gift at work and thank your God, that you have lived to witness that kind of evangelism with your own eyes preach to more people than anyone ever has in the history of time. Thanks to the use of television and all of the media that are at work in spite of the flack he gets. He's an evangelist. Now I think of evangelists is obstetricians in the body. They help with the birth push breed, and there's an Uber.

I mean, it is remarkable believe I just got a you got this person who delivers this wonderful baby and then please because evangelists don't usually stick around. That's why God gave us pastor teachers see the last one on the list. Now I know a little bit about this and you do to probably the most familiar among the this is a person who puts down roots in the same place. It's a dual gift the word and want to be seen as a-just a – pastor, teacher, all teachers are not pastors but all pastors need to be teachers it's the gift pastor teacher. It's the exercise of that position and this individual shepherd's flock and in the process also instructs up.

He's the pediatrician a comes along with the new babies and he gives them information. He gives them nutrients nutrients he gives them direction. He reproves them and guards them and challenges them and equips them and encourages them and helps them grow up in the Lord, just as his happening right now you know more now than you knew before this meeting began because you are being equipped with truth, which is part of my gift, and you know I love it. I people say oh you got the burden of Sunday resting on your shot. I could hardly sleep when I think Sunday is coming, especially when I'm not ready. Really keeps me away. I gotta go after you see when you're a pastor teacher labored all your stop page to be instruction that makes sense is reasonable and you go to town on it.

It's a gift how I'm able to do. I just know that it's part of having the gift is being able to take the flat maybe you did not pastors or lightning rods. You know you people have us for lunch and something happens in your leader over flock so you get the all things run but some I sent me a cute little cartoon deal and it just so practical. These are people sitting in pews 1F behind another.

In the first guess is my ear, hurts from what he saying the next one says pastor has an earache and 1/3 group site.

The pastors got a hearing aid for group behind them.

The pastors having trouble hearing next when the pastors got a double hearing in Alaska shows an old lady walking outside that doesn't I'm outta here and go where pastors got a double ear ring is say to young men for preparing for the pastorate. Even if you can't take the heat you really and if you don't love people.

You don't really want. If you could do anything else and be fulfilled and satisfied. Do it do it like my brother used to say when it missionary in Argentina. He said don't send us more missionaries send us a few better missionaries really just more people pouring into pulpits.

We need the right people with the gifts, pastor, teacher me tell you something you haven't been touched by an Angel who been gifted by God gifted your on this list, there may be other gifts that aren't even named counseling is a name maybe that's part of exhorting music isn't named in and I think that is a gift to the body.

Maybe that's part of serving at you know what you talk about relieving frustration.

Wow, some churches try to make everybody go out lives and rise.

You should certainly make Christ known. But let's not force anybody to do something that's outside the every good gift right if you don't have the gift to showing mercy to visit the hospital you sick again show counselors did not have the gift of showing mercy.

You say what it does, it slows the frustrations and Rome have been doing that everything in the church nonsense.

My lungs can only breathe and filter the blood system and all that stuff that were run out of information that's all I know about the they're doing what they're supposed to be doing and so melted and deliver can spend long on that but there that's an example of a very important function and when it failed to use surface you come into the gymnasium that set up with chairs is because gifted people who know how to serve do it and never send us a bill that is those who do it in the body, you who are a part of the servants of the church are the ones who make this breathe stay healthy. You have a gift of evangelism, hey share of the Savior. I mean, here are your obstetrician do it you your so I'm not trained in seminary. Neither most evangelists seminary will help equip you to do it.

Maybe with more incisive skills, but not to have seminary training to be a servant disorder leader evangelist came across a cute little piece Springfield Oregon public school newsletter published an article it read of a familiar frustration that happens in the classroom.

I thought of the Christian home in the body of Christ today. Once upon a time, the animals decided that they should do something meaningful to meet the problems of the new world so they organized a school, they adopted an activity curriculum of running, climbing, swimming and flying to make it easier to administer the curriculum. All the animals were required to take all the courses, the.was excellent and swimming impact better than his instructor, but he made only passing grades and flying and was very poor and running since he was slow in running had to drop swimming and stay after school practice remedial running.

This cost is web feet to be badly worn so that he was only average. Now when swim but average was quite acceptable so nobody worried about that except the duck.

The rabbit. The rabbit started at the top of his class and running but developed a nervous twitch in his leg muscles because of so much makeup work and swimming. The squirrel was excellent in climbing, but he encountered constant frustration and flying class because his teacher made him start from the ground up, instead of the treetop develop Charlie horses from overexertion and so only got a C in climbing and it Dean running the Eagle was a problem student severely disciplined for being a nonconformist. In climbing classes.

He beat all the others to the top of the tree, but he insisted on doing it his own way to get there. I read that and I thought, welcome to the church. Chances are good you have burned out and pretty well checked out because you were pushed in an area of overwork outside the realm of your gift.

I think you can be overworked in the realm of your gift to but that's beside the point. My point is, when you're gifted.

It is your pleasure, and it is remarkable what ease and what joy a company the exercise of his gift makes it all possible in our gifts become the pool of extravagant work in the body and in the world at large.

Sometime people outside the church see possibilities and listen we need to listen to my story is familiar to some of you and so I will spend too much time on it, but in junior high school.

I stuttered so badly I could hardly get a sentence out. Terrible struggle with stuttering and with that came up a low feeling of self-esteem and no.

I thought the last place I want to be is in front of a group and while trying to hide out in my first year in high school freshman year are drama teacher found me in the hallway and he said Charlie what you on my debate team. I go with me one hee hee only you know what you Dr. Dick Niemi poured himself in to me and did speech therapy and and taught me how to speak. He helped me understand that my mind was running ahead of my mouth at the pace that I have the opposite problem now, but that's another thing about a deal with but here is a man in the secular world who loved me as a teacher enough to say that there's some gifts there that are work and he saw that in me and poured himself into me change that great. Thank you Lord for his pictures on my desk at the seminary, but every week I look at that picture now that he's gone to Nazi. Thank you Mr. Niemi for helping me understand my gift. You may be the one God would want to use to help your child know what her or his gift is are you may be a teacher but a calling calling and in your love for your students and the time you spend with them with an arm around and say to them what you are one gifted person initially her mentor coach coach what classic opportunity to be that source of information is a pastor friend with just in the quietness of this moment, do a little reflecting on what you love to do just what do you love to do.

Chances are good you just put your finger on one, maybe more than one your gifts your your part of the good part of the Jesus pool if you will. Your part of that vast reservoir of power to lead that group to organize that part of the ministry to to counsel that troubled soul to introduce that neighbor to the Savior to teach to serve, to show mercy tender mercy to those who are hurting is no frustration there.

You're gifted to do it. You can't wait to show mercy and I can't wait to tell you that there's a Savior, waiting at the door of your heart and being the gentleman that he is, he will not barge in, but he has made himself known to you in this message and he is sovereignly at work to get that door of your heart open sledding man he will not only give you a gift you could never afford and you'll never lose, which would include forgiveness and inheritance. That's incorruptible and undefiled set of gifts that will set you free to serve in his give you peace in the hope of heaven can't miss how we love you Lord and thank you for your inestimable presence in our lives what you take or what you give a shows the father's love so precious. You stopped us in our track you've said no to what we had anticipated in and of all things you turn that good are good and something for your glory and I think you I thank you for this body of men and women who are a joy to you such a blessing to me is one of the leaders, thank you for their commitment to the things that matter. Thank you for the pleasure of knowing each other on earth and knowing you for effort ever use these words as very careful guide lines in check points along the journey to help us understand what you want a fuss so we might do it with excellence and do it in love and bring those to your body and your family this moment are wrestling with that decision. Bring them in. We trust you. In Jesus name. Everybody said, concluding a three-day message from Ephesians chapter 4 you're listening to Chuck Swindoll and Insight for living, our topic is his gift, and our gifts to learn more about this ministry. Visit us online@insideworld.org as you likely realize from listening to Chuck's teaching. These are the principles we're hoping to instill not only in the churches of North America but in congregations all around the world. To that end, we're calling on friends like you to join us in the all-out effort to bring God's message of grace to all 195 countries of the world where calling this mission, vision, 195. Together we can implement the great commission of Jesus by making disciples through radio, our website, the mobile app, CDs, books, DVDs, the podcast our lifestream feed and more.

Whatever amount he prompt you to invest will truly make a difference not long ago we received an encouraging note that said pastor Chuck was the one God used to guide me through my spiritual journey. When I accepted Christ into my life not in America but way out there in the Pacific Ocean.

We know it's comments like this one that motivate us to venture forward with vision 195 to give a one time contribution today.

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Visit us@insight.org/monthly companion. You can also get through her mobile app or directly online insight.org check is come across a book he's highly recommending to you in a day when it's easy to feel fearful and overwhelmed to cover offers a clear path to finding peace and God's protection written by fellow pastor and radio Bible teacher, Philip the course. Philip does a masterful job of blending his personal experience as a police officer who served in a dangerous part of the world with the timeless promises of God's protection to purchase a copy of take cover go to insight.org/store or call us if you're listening in the US dial 1-800-772-8888 be listening Friday. Chuck Swindoll describes what he calls body life at its best here on Insight for living. The preceding message is gift in our gifts was copyrighted in 2000 2001 and 2009 and the sound recording was copyrighted in 2009 by Charles R.

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