Differing Gifts

“Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

Romans 12:6-8

Over the last several weeks we have been taking a slow walk-through Romans 12. Like a serious of proverbs, we find exhortations through many different aspects of the Christian life. In the first few verses we saw our Christian life in relationship to God. In verses 3 – 8 we have seen how we are to care for our fellow believers in the church. Starting with verse 9 we will look at how we are to relate to the watching world.
 
We discussed spiritual gifts last week noting that God has given every believer some gifts to be used for his glory and the ministry of the church. We do not all have the same gifts and we have not been given them in the same measure. However, the gifts we do have are supposed to use to minister to other Christians in our local congregation and beyond. Paul gives a list of gifts here. As we compare them to the other lists in the New Testament, we see the list is not exhaustive but representative of the types of gift God gives us.
 
I have underlined the gifts Paul listed here and will briefly discuss them except for prophesy which we covered last week. Let me just say, when we think of spiritual gifts wed don’t immediately think of most of these, apart from leadership. As I have mentioned previously, a spiritual gift is a special endowment of these abilities. If you do not have this gift, it does not mean that you are exempt. For instance, if you don’t have the gift of giving that does not mean you don’t have to give. Or if you do not have the gift of mercies that you do not have to show mercy to others. These are given by God in areas that the person can beyond normal expectations.
 
After prophesy, the next one he lists is service. The word here can also be translated as ministry. In 1 Corinthians 12:5 Paul uses the same word as here and says, “a varieties of service.” This tells us that God has specially gifted some people to go above and beyond normal service and joyfully give themselves to the Lord through ministry to others in the church. I say, “joyfully” because this is not a yes man who can’t say no to anything but grumbles and complains under his breath the whole time. All the gifts, and especially the gift of service should be done with a happy heart.
 
Next, he lists teaching. The meaning is obvious, but the implication is that you may have tried teaching before you were a Christian and it didn’t go well. But now, if you step out in faith and try to teach, you might find that the Holy Spirit has equipped you for this ministry. Following teaching is the gift of exhortation. This word could mean “encourager” or it might mean “exhorter.” It likely carries a bit of both ideas meaning that a person with this gift has an apt word to motivate and encourage at just the right time. This isn’t meant to be someone who walks around correcting others all the time.
 
The next is, “one who contributes.” I have known many people who have prayed to receive a certain spiritual gift, but I have never known anyone to pray for this one! This is someone who gives and loves to give. This is a person who is gifted to give generously without any ulterior motive or thought of himself. Others are gifted to be servant leaders and do so passionately. Finally, others are gifted at showing mercy. He says to do this with cheerfulness, which makes sense. Typically, you show mercy to those who are in a difficult situation or are struggling. It is very possible to be weighed down by the trials of others. But with the gift God calls the person to care for others with a cheerful heart remembering the Lord.
 
The bottom line is that if you are a believer God has given you spiritual gifts and he does not want them to lie dormant and unused. He has given you these gifts to glorify him by serving other believers in the church. When exercised properly, relying on the Holy Spirit’s power, it is not a duty or drudgery but a joy.