Tuesday, August 4, 2009

Spiritual Gift: Shepherding

The spiritual gift of shepherding is one I was very excited to tackle, that is why I made it a separate day of study from the gift of teaching, and saved it for our last dat of spiritual gifts. I believe the American Church has hindered the growth and effectiveness of some it's teachers by expecting those with the gift of teaching to automatically have the gift of shepherding/pastoring. THESE ARE DIFFERENT!!! I in no way doubt that God has given some people the gift of teaching and pastoring, but I am convinced they do not come in a 2 for 1 deal. So, with that said, let's look at the spiritual gift of shepherding.

In the Greek, poimen, literally means a herdsmen. In the context of Ephesians 4:11, it is the shepherd/pastor's job to train and equip the Church. In the days when this verse was written, the author, Paul, would have had the duties of an actual eastern shepherd in mind. Some of the shepherds main duties were: 1)To watch for enemies trying to attack the sheep 2)To defend the sheep from attackers 3)To heal the wounded and sick sheep 4) To find and save lost or trapped sheep 5) To love them, sharing their lives and so earning your trust.

The greatest example of a shepherd/pastor is of course Jesus. John 10:1-18. Read this carefully! Jesus was speaking in the context of saving his people, but I believe this is the example he left for those with the spiritual gift of shepherding to abide by.

This is my main warning and concern for those of you with this gift. Guard and equip your sheep, but also guard yourselves!! I once heard a very wise friend of mine say that too many "pastors" are doing a bucket load of things at 50%, when they are gifted in one or two things that could be done at 100%. Church leaders: Equip your sheep to do what they were created to do. You will watch them fail, but through that they will learn. This will free up what you pastors/shepherds were made to do, and do it well!

I hope this study of spiritual gifts was convicting and encouraging for you all. Thanks for all the encouraging notes and I hope you all work at fully shaping the gifts God has given you.

If you do not know Jesus and have more questions about him and how he died on the cross a sinless man for your sins, was resurrected from the dead 3 days later, and wants you to trust in him so you can spend eternity with him, please message me and I will explain my life and what the Bible says about the cross. I love you all!!

Monday, August 3, 2009

Spiritual Gift: Evangelism

The spiritual gift of evangelism is found in Ephesians 4:11. Along with other gifts (apostleship, prophets, shepherds, and teachers) evangelism is to be used to equip the church body (Ephesians 4:11-12). It is the Greek word euaggelistes defines those who herald Christ's name who are NOT apostles.

Philip was an evangelist (Acts 21:8) and you can read what the the gift of evangelism looked like through him in action in Acts 8:26-40. Also, In 2 Timothy 4:5, Paul is telling his successor Timothy to do the work of an evangelist, which when tied back to 1 Tim. 1:1; 2 Tim 1:8, 10; and 2:8) is being commanded to share the gospel, or evangelize.

Now, I don't believe everybody has the gift of evangelism but I do believe Christ has called us all to share the gospel. If you spend the next month reading a chapter of Acts a day, you will see why. Also, why would you want to hide the ONLY thing that can truly save people from an eternal suffering (Revelation 20:15)? Do not be ashamed to share the GOSPEL, I beg you, it is the power of salvation (Rom. 1:16)

As we have studied spiritual gifts so far, we know they are for the encouragement of the body. What does this look like with the evangelist. The evangelist can encourage the body with his/her passion for the cross AND excitement to not only equip (Eph. 4:11-12) the Church on properly sharing the gospel, but also encouraging them by new converts saved into the Church!

Sunday, August 2, 2009

Spiritual Gift: Apostleship

I will get straight to what I believe, from studying the text, about apostleship. I have a hard time seeing this gift being used or given today. However, I believe every other spiritual gift is given or exercised today, so why not this one? I will do my best to answer that without writing a bunch of pages.

The Greek word for apostle is apostolos. This means it is someone sent forth with a message, to delegate, or with orders. This word is always in the passive, meaning apostles had no initiative but were instead put in this position (Matthew 10:1; Romans 1:1). Among the lists of Spiritual Gifts in the New Testament, Apostleship shows up only in 1 Corinthians 12:28 and Ephesians 4:11 and both times seem to be types of leadership roles.

Paul constantly called himself an apostle (1 Cor. 1:1; 2 Cor. 1:1, 11:13; Gal. 1:1, Eph. 1:1), but did it end with him? In 2 Corinthians 8:23, Paul calls some of the congregation apostolos. He also calls Epaphroditus an apostolos, in his place, in Philippians 2:25. It seems to me that apostle and evangelist (tomorrow's spiritual gift) are similar because they both deliver a message, although tomorrow you will see one major difference in definitions of the two.

So, whether or not apostleship is for today, I don't know. Some would say it is like leadership or the ability to plant churches. However, if we stay in the text we see that it is usually a messenger and all, except 3 (Philippians 2:25; 2 Cor. 8:23; and Acts 1:26), were instituted by Christ himself.


Saturday, August 1, 2009

Spiritual Gift: Prophecy

The spiritual gift of prophecy is found in 4 areas of the Bible: Romans 12:6, 1 Corinthians 12:10, 1 Corinthians 12:28, and Ephesians 4:11. Prophecy is the God-given ability to receive direct revelation from God, proclaim the revelation for the encouragement of the body, and even some prophets can predict the future (from God). Throughout the Old Testament, we have a ton of prophetic books...from Jeremiah to Malachi.

God used these prophets to warn Israel of future destruction, blessing, and covenants. For some of the bigger and clearer example of prophecy, read Isaiah 52:12-53:12; Jeremiah 31:1-40; Psalm 22; these are just a few among MANY!! We also see examples prophecy in the New Teastament: Acts 21:11; Ephesians 2:20; 1 Thessalonians 5:20-21; and all throughout 1 Corinthians 12-14.

So what about today? Do we see prophecy still, and if so, what is the prophets purpose? Once again, I believe all the gifts are for today but alot of churches don't encourage them. In Romans, Paul instructs prophets to only prophecy when the Holy Spirit is leading or directing them to do so. Also, in Ephesians 4:11-12 prophets are called to equip or train others in the Church (alongside the teachers, evangelists, apostles, and shepherds), so the Church can do work for the ministry. That's right...everyone should be doing work for the ministry!!!

If you have the gift of prophecy, you should be 1)Using it 2)Using it when led by the Holy Spirit 3) Using it for the encouragement of the church.