Faithful in Ministry | Part 2

You believe God wants to use you listen to Adrian Rogers values are why won't God use me. What do you really let me tell you something if you want God to use you do need to stop praying for God to use you and get usable and got where you out. I mean, you think that God doesn't want to use you here set every member of the body as it pleased him.

God has given you a spiritual gift about how can you know your spiritual gifts welcome to love truly timeless messages, pastor, teacher and author Rogers when God saved us by his grace, he gave each of us spiritual gifts. However, many don't understand how to use the part one of today's message Pastor Rogers began sharing how to discover and develop our spiritual gifts. If you have your Bible turn now to Ephesians chapter 4 will begin in verse seven is Adrian Rogers gives part two of faithful in ministry. Ephesians chapter 4 and verse seven but unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ that if you don't mind marking your Bible. Would you underscore for me every one matter that includes you well and dated. If you're a child of God. Are you part of every one of course you are bad.

God has given to you precious friend, a spiritual gift. What are these gifts I would like you to turn to first Corinthians chapter 12. Would you please just turn to that you turn left first print this chapter 12 will find a list of gifts and then in Romans chapter 12 will find another list. I want to listen very carefully because you going to hear your name called in one of these gifts you're going to discover one or more of these have been your spiritual gift and I believe I began in verse four), 12 verse four now there are diverse cities again, but the same Spirit as the Holy Spirit will give different gifts to the church and there are differences of administrations the same law that is everything is not always done the same way.

But as the Lord is doing and there are diversities of operations but it is the same God which worketh all and all, but the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit with all know what is. Let me in plain English it means that God gave you a spiritual gift, not for your own enjoyment before your employment, your spiritual gift is to bless the church not to bless you is a tool, not a toy, and then he says in verse 84 by one is given by the spirit. The word of wisdom. What is the word of wisdom that is supernatural insight into the mind of God is not talking here about common sense is talking about common sense.

People who have a word of wisdom making wonderful counselors to another the word of knowledge. This differs from wisdom in that it is the supernatural ability to know the things of God and apply the things of God. Knowledge puts wisdom, the practical use and their people who have the gift of wisdom. Some have the gift of knowledge. Some have these gifts combined in the making wonderful wonderful leaders and counselors verse nine to another faith by the same spirit and then another gifts of healing by the same spirit to another prophecy, to another that is earning of spirits, to another divers kinds of tongues were tongues here simply means language is the ability to speak a language that you have never learned in school to praise God. Tongues are not assigned to God's people. Tongues are not porcine. The believers, but the unbelievers now. Tongues are not primarily a private prayer language. They are tool witnessing primarily the unsaved use the gift of tongues work today. Well, suppose in this particular service, a busload of Russian tourist were to stop out here and I suppose in their Jewish and they never heard the gospel.

They don't know English or maybe they do know English but I don't know Russian they come and sit in the section right here and God gives me supernaturally charismatic gift of Tom and I began to praise God influence Russian and they here in the language where they were long, they say.

How does that man know Russian. I don't know Russian God is supernaturally gifted me to speak to them in Russian, but most of you know Russian. So when I'm speaking in English. The Russians are not understanding what I'm speaking in Russian you're not understanding God gives me the gift of tongues so I can praise God in their language.

He has to give somebody else the gift of interpretation. So you can understand what I'm saying when I speaking in Russian, so continue to read and burst into another interpretation of languages so I suppose a brother Whitmire has the gift of interpretation. I am praising God to those Russians saying that God is great in God's glorious they being convinced specially for Russian Jews.

Brother Whitmire says to the rest of us what the pastor is saying is this, and he interprets having never learned Russian either. Supernaturally the gift of tongues so that nobody is in the dark.

Remember what we said that every gift is given to the entire body to profit with all nobodies to come in the service and said things I wonder what that meant.

If he occupies the room of the unlearned were speaking and thinks he can understand the Bible says you think were crazy.

You think would go mad. Every body is to understand God. Now that is a gift of God. Now you say Pastor Rogers I don't believe you mentioned my gift to you. Well just turn.

Romans chapter 12 and let's look at another gift right here maybe you are in this list and just turned left to Romans chapter 12 I began again in verse six having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy we've already mentioned, but it may be that God called you into preaching our jail services missionary work speak for God. Our ministry, let us minister know what is ministry. That's acts of service, we could just call that Joe church work are ushers today have the gift of ministry are secretaries typing, ushering, coaching probably is a wonderful gift of a ministry working in the nursery today.

Many of you want to do that and many of you have been gift of God to change diapers.

I'm serious is a will guide and give me.

I got a new many gifts why in the name of Jesus, you can carefully watch. You cannot even give a cup of cold water to one of these little babies in the name of the disciple and lose your reward. This is a gift that is so greatly needed.

He mentions ministry and then he mentions teaching people who have been first of all, taught and anointed and gifted of God to teach the Bible. That's a spiritual gift of teaching maybe a missionary organization. Maybe you don't teach a class, but your mother and God anoint you to teach your children super naturally. Then he mentions the gift of exhortation. What is the gift of exultation. Those people who do visitation. Those people who do counseling that encourages many times they have the gift of exhortation is that your ability just to cheer people along.

Maybe you just have the ability to exhort your pastor and encourage me I needed. I heard about a little boy who want to be in school play. He had his heart set on and his mother knew that he did not have the ability to be in that play, but she was afraid to be heartbroken if they didn't give them apart. When he came home my mother asking how did it go did you get a part. All he said Dias I got a participant. What is it they said it. They gave me the job of clapping and cheering lie like that and it was so well that that was his job to clap and cheer. Maybe that's a that's the gift that God is given you, and it is a meaningful gift in a church like this. The gift of exhortation that he mentions the giftgiving right there. What is that that's the ability of the supernatural ability to make and give money sacrificially and wisely. We have those and then he mentions the gift of ruling those on a church staff, those who had committees those in places of leadership was leaving coached team. Then he mentions the gift of mercy. These are people do hospital visitation things of those again to counsel. These are those who go to the rest homes and so forth. But gift describe matters.

The third thing not only the gifts delivered in the gift describe but think with me about the gifts developed.

How is the gift develop will turn back to Ephesians chapter 4, which are right back where awareness find out how your gift is developed. I begin now in Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 11 and he gave some, apostles, and some prophets and some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the perfecting of the saints for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ that is the building up the developing of the body of Christ, that God also gives to the church spiritual leaders and so I mentioned some apostles and in some prophets that we don't have apostles and prophets today in the biblical sense. There were 12 apostles and the prophets who wrote the Old Testament, and so forth. They are already in heaven, and he tells us in the second chapter that the church is built upon the foundation of the apostles and the prophets. Now we don't have prophets today in apostles except in the secondary set is he as long as I preach what they preach. I have the authority that they have and then he mentions evangelists. These are the sole winners that bring people into the body to help the body to grow and thank God that God gives to the church the evangelists the sole winners that bring people to Christ in them. He mentions and some pastors and teachers, not pastors, and then tedious, but pastor teachers its group together in the Greek language the job of the pastor teacher is to guide and feed the flock. I believe that's the assignment that God is given to me. Here is God's job description for me. I am God's gift to you like it or not, you're stuck with me. I am the pastor teacher. This chart now.

Why does God give you a pastor teacher well so the pastor teacher can do the work of the ministry were all the pastor teacher is to help you to do the work of the ministry. Look at it and some pastors and teachers for verse 12 perfecting the maturing of the saints for the work of the ministry. The pastor teacher is to help you to be mentor to discover and develop your spiritual gift so you can do the work of the ministry you say pastor that's your job. My job is to help you to do your job. My job is to help you to be mentor so that you can find your spiritual gift and you can put your spiritual gift to work. And God has a ministry for you.

God has a job for you. God did not save you to be a member of Bellevue anonymous God put you here to serve the Lord Jesus Christ.

Now you been called into the ministry.

It is my job to put you to work for the Lord Jesus Christ. Now you say well I want God to use me.

What do you really do you really let me tell you something if you want God to use you. You need to stop praying for God to use you and get usable and I'll wear you out.

I mean, you think that that God doesn't want to use you. He has set every member of the body as it hath pleased him. God has given you a spiritual gift. Now how can you know your spiritual gift.

Let me give you about five principles to know your spiritual gift. Number one is the principle of desire what you enjoy doing. I would be dishonest if I did not tell you I feel fitted for doing what I'm doing right now. I desire to do. I love to do it. I would be disappointed if I could not do what you do naturally what you enjoy doing. What do you feel that you do well. Secondly, the principle of discovery, you will discover your gift as you endeavor to do it. Other people say you know you blessed me when you did that a human. Such a comfort to me you give me such wisdom. Here you have the ability to lead in this area is not guys I used to say it's a sad thing to hear. Amanda thinks he has the gift of preaching when no one else has the gift of listening, you will discover your spiritual gift and others will help you to discover the third principal the principle of desire. The principle of discovering the principle of development you need to stir up the gift of God. That's what Paul told Timothy you need to study to show yourself approved in the God. If you have a gift, no matter what it is is like a natural talent. Lord Foster had the talent to sing but she has to develop and you have a spiritual gift, but you have to develop it and study and work. It's not just all honey and no be out next is the principle of dependence. Your spiritual gift must operate in the power of the Holy Spirit. Your gifts are supernatural and they operate with supernatural power, depend upon the Holy Spirit of God. And then there's the principle of deployment put it to work go to work with other saints, where you understand you did in the body in the church gift is significant as it relates to other gifted people in the fellowship of the church that you go to discover your place in the body bag years before thing. The final thing very quickly. I want to think about the gifts displayed what happens when all of the slide on ministry will look in verse 13 till we all come in the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ. What he saying is that he's given us gifts and when these gifts work together. Then the body matures and the body becomes like its head the Lord Jesus Christ. We are to be mature, look in verse 13, unto a perfect man, the WordPerfect here does not mean sinless. It means mature now, let me mention some ways we going to be mature that I'm finished. First of all you to be mature in stature. That means you're going to be like the Lord Jesus Christ, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

You can tell when the gifts are working in the church when the church becomes like the Lord Jesus Christ. When the gifts are operating we are becoming more and more like the Lord Jesus mature in stature and mature instability. Look in verse 14 that would be henceforth no more children toss to an fro and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by the slide of man and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to see the false cults out there are getting Baptist and evangelical Christians going door-to-door. They do not evangelize. They don't win souls what they do is corrupt and deceive people who are immature have not come to the measure of the stature of Christ and people get blown about by every wind of doctrine, but when the body is healthy when the gifts are operating we become mature in stature we become mature in stability were not blown about by every wind of doctrine.

Number three we become mature in speech. Look in verse 15. If you will, but speaking the truth in love, may grow that way to speak the truth in love. If you speak the truth without love. That's brutality. But if you speak in love without proof that his hypothesis immature people cannot blend the two that some people just already speaking the truth for them the love other people talk about love. They have no proof. Truth was loud and loveless truth, all the signs of immature people. But when the gifts are working where mature in stature with mature instability. We are mature in speech and we are mature and service look in verse 16. Here's how it all works together from who the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supply according to the effectual working in the measure of every part making increase of the body into the edifying of itself in love.

Now what does that mean it speaks of flexible harmony. He talks about every joint, my elbow is a joint disease and its flexible levels. My forearm, my upper arm my elbow. It's a joy.

It enables me to move in this arm made keeps me connected but it's flexible and that's the way the body is. It is to be flexible harmony. My body works together because of the joints and that's the way God put the body together. Every member has his ministry and we held together by all of these joy that you know what happens to some people. We get stiff way to spiritual arthritis and rather than having this flexibility we had rented for because the body is not health so wonderful to see a healthy body all the joints just working together in harmony with the Greek word joint is close to what we get harmony from now when I study human anatomy and physiology I found that in college that we have synovial fluid that lubricates these joints and when the cartilage gets dry in the synovial fluid there is not there.

I am MAA gets inflamed and and and slowly get stand and painful when the body is not lubricated. What is the synovial fluid is low is where you want to not only inflame one another. We only escape we don't get rated. We all have our gifts of God and we become mature in stature, we become like Christ we become mature instability were not blown about we become mature in speech we know how to speak the truth in love, and we become mature their friend in service. We serve one another and the body works together. You want to be a part of a church like that say man I know you do. May God help us to find our place in the body. I'm telling you, you are a gifted child, don't you leave that thing framed and hanging on the wall. Find out what God wants you to do and get busy doing just that fast. I just don't have any joy. What you do well past.

I come here you break you think you been gone a while favor when you been great if you're not serving you will have joy.

The Greek word Caras means not only grace but it also means jewel would you pray that God will show you your ministry in this body. Will you accept yourself, discover yourself, be yourself and give yourself for the glory of God. Those of you who not yet been saved.

Remember you must be saved by grace before you can serve by grace you need to receive Jesus Christ. Now is your Lord and Savior. If you ever truly been say this is a wonderful moment for you to be saying God brought you here today to be safe and if you're not certain of your salvation.

I'm going to guide you in a little prayer right now. You can pray and receive Christ as your personal Savior and Lord.

Pray like this if you want to be saying, dear God, I know that you love me and I know that you want to save me Jesus. I believe you paid for my sins with your blood on the cross. Thank you for paying my send it. Thank you for taking my place. Thank you for dying for me.

Thank you Lord for your agony on the cross. Thank you Lord Jesus for your resurrection. I believe that God raised from the dead, Lord Jesus, you told me if I would trust you.

You would save me.

I do trust you, Lord Jesus, would you tell him that I do trust you, Lord Jesus. Right now, this moment I open my heart I receive you into my life as my Lord and Savior committed my life. Forgive my sins cleanse me, save me, Lord Jesus, did you ask save me, Lord Jesus, and pray this way I receive it by faith I don't look for sign. I don't ask for feeling I stand on your war, you know, my Lord, my Savior, my God and my friend. Thank you for safe now, Lord Jesus, by your grace, I will make it public. I will not be ashamed of you. You died for me.

I will let it be known that I love you and by your grace, I will live for you because you died for me in your holy name I pray, amen. And if you prayed to receive Jesus Christ. Today we went to celebrate with you and invite you to our discovery, Jesus page on the website you'll find answers, you may need about your newfound faith. We have a response section. Do you can share your testimony, as well as how this message has affected your life go to LWF.org/radio and click the tab that says Discover Jesus welcome to God's forever family. We can't wait to hear from you today if you like to order a copy of this message you can call 1877 love God and mentioned the title faithful in ministry. This message is also part of the insightful factors of faithfulness series with a complete collection all seven powerful messages. Call 877 love God or go online to order@lwf.org/radio or write us at love worth finding box 38, 600 Memphis, TN 38183 it's important to know your spiritual gift, discover and develop it and allow God to be glorified as you serve others.

Thanks for studying God's word with us today and tune in next time for more from Adrian Rogers on the way we recently received a message from a listener, of which, to the hear this.

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