Awareness: Do I Really Know What is Going On?

Dr. Robert Bice, as shared with Rejoice Church 7-26-15

1. Know Who I Am

Nature, Learning Style, Communication Style, Personality Style, World View

Be aware of my biases I use for making decisions in my life, my lenses I wear (video)

Gifts and Calling, What are my primary and secondary gifts I have been given

THE GIFTS IN ROMANS 12, 1 CORINTHIANS 12, AND EPHESIANS 4

Rom 12:6-8 NLT “In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you. ⁷ If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well. ⁸ If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.”

Eph 4:11-12 NLT “Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. ¹² Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.

1 Cor 12:7-11 NLT “A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. ⁸ To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. ⁹ The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing.¹⁰ He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. ¹¹ It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”

“Conformed to His Image, by Ken Boa”

A spiritual gift is a manifestation of the Spirit … given for the benefit of all (1 Cor. 12:7). As a supernatural endowment, its source is always the Holy Spirit, and its purpose is the building up of others to the glory of God.

1. Prophecy (Rom. 12:6; 1 Cor. 12:10, 28-29; 14:1-40; Eph. 4:11)–The ability to receive and proclaim a message from God. This could involve the foretelling of future events, though its primary purpose as seen in 1 Corinthians 14:3 is forth-telling: one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouragement, and consolation. This gift provides a word from God to a specific group, not the normative Word of God to all believers. Some maintain that prophecy is still operative in this sense today, while others say that the nearest current equivalent is Spirit-empowered preaching.
2. Service (Rom. 12:7)–The ability to identify and care for the physical needs of the body through a variety of means. The Greek word for this gift is the same as that for ministry or deacon, but the gift should not be confused with the office.
3. Teaching (Rom. 12:7; 1 Cor. 12:28-29; Eph. 4:11)–The ability to clearly explain and effectively apply the truths of God’s Word so that others will learn. This requires the capacity to accurately interpret Scripture, engage in necessary research, and organize the results in a way that is easily communicated.
4. Exhortation (Rom. 12:8)–The ability to motivate others to respond to the truth by providing timely words of counsel, encouragement, and consolation. When this gift is exercised, believers are challenged to stimulate their faith by putting God’s truth to the test in their lives.
5. Giving (Rom. 12:8)–The ability to contribute material resources with generosity and cheerfulness for the benefit of others and the glory of God. Christians with this spiritual gift need not be wealthy.
6. Leadership (Rom. 12:8)–The ability to discern God’s purpose for a group, set and communicate appropriate goals, and motivate others to work together to fulfill them in the service of God. A person with this gift is effective at delegating tasks to followers without manipulation or coercion.
7. Mercy (Rom. 12:8)–The ability to deeply empathize and engage in compassionate acts on behalf of people who are suffering physical, mental, or emotional distress. Those with this gift manifest concern and kindness to people who are often overlooked.
8. Wisdom (1 Cor. 12:8)–The ability to apply the principles of the Word of God in a practical way to specific situations and to recommend the best course of action at the best time. The exercise of this gift skillfully distills insight and discernment into excellent advice.
9. Knowledge (1 Cor. 12:8)–The ability to discover, analyze, and systematize truth for the benefit of others. With this gift, one speaks with understanding and penetration. Some also associate supernatural perception with this gift.
10. Faith (1 Cor. 12:9)–The ability to have a vision for what God wants to be done and to confidently believe that it will be accomplished in spite of circumstances and appearances to the contrary. The gift of faith transforms vision into reality.
11. Healing (1 Cor. 12:9, 28, 30)–The ability to serve as a human instrument through whom God supernaturally cures illnesses and restores health. The possessor of this gift is not the source of power, but a vessel who can only heal those diseases the Lord chooses to heal. Inner healing, or healing of memories is sometimes associated as another manifestation of this gift.
12. Miracles (1 Cor. 12:10, 28, 29)–The ability to serve as an instrument through whom God accomplishes acts that manifest supernatural power. Miracles bear witness to the presence of God and the truth of His proclaimed Word, and appear to occur most frequently in association with missionary activity.
13. Distinguishing of spirits (1 Cor. 12:10)–The ability to clearly discern the spirit of truth and the spirit of error (cf. 1 John 4:6). With this gift, one can distinguish reality versus counterfeits, the divine versus the demonic, true versus false teaching, and in some cases, spiritual versus carnal motives.
14. Tongues (1 Cor. 12:10, 28, 30; 14:1-40)–The ability to receive and impart a spiritual message in a language the recipient never learned. For other members of the body to be edified, this message must be interpreted either by the recipient (1 Cor. 14:13) or by another person with the gift of interpretation (1 Cor. 14:26-28).
15. Interpretation of tongues (1 Cor. 12:10, 30; 14:5, 13, 26-28)–The ability to translate into the vernacular a message publicly uttered in a tongue. This gift may be combined with the gift of tongues (1 Cor. 14:13), or it can operate separately (1 Cor. 14:26-28).
16. Apostleship (1 Cor. 12:28,29; Eph. 4:11)–In the New Testament, the apostles were not limited to the Twelve, but included Paul, Barnabas, Andronicus, Junias, and others as well (Acts 14:14; Rom. 16:7; 1 Cor. 15:5,7; 1 Thess. 2:6). As a spiritual gift, this is the ability to begin and/or to oversee new churches and Christian ministries with a spontaneously recognized authority.
17. Helps (1 Cor. 12:28)–The ability to enhance the effectiveness of the ministry of other members of the body. This is the only usage of this word in the New Testament, and it appears to be distinct from the gift of service. Some suggest that while the gift of service is more group-oriented, the gift of helps is more person-oriented.
18. Administration (1 Cor. 12:28)–This word, like helps, appears only one time in the New Testament, and it is used outside of Scripture of a helmsman who steers a ship to its destination. This suggests that the spiritual gift of administration is the ability to steer a church or Christian organization toward the fulfillment of its goals by managing its affairs and implementing necessary plans. A person may have the gift of leadership without the gift of administration.
19. Evangelism (Eph. 4:11)–The ability to be an unusually effective instrument in leading unbelievers to a saving knowledge of Christ. Some with this gift are most effective in personal evangelism, while others may be used by God in group evangelism or cross-cultural evangelism.
20. Shepherd or pastor (Eph. 4:11)–Peter was commissioned by Christ to shepherd His sheep (John 21:16), and Peter exhorted the elders in the churches of Asia Minor to do the same (1 Pet. 5:2; cf. Acts 20:28). A person with this spiritual gift has the ability to personally lead, nourish, protect, and care for the needs of a flock of believers. Not all people with the office of pastor (elder, overseer) have or need the gift of pastoring or shepherding, and many with this gift do not have or need the office.
21. Peter Wagner in Your Spiritual Gifts suggests others:
22. celibacy (the ability to enjoy being single and maintain sexual self-control; 1 Cor. 7:7-9);
23. voluntary poverty (the ability to renounce material comfort and adopt a life-style of relative poverty; 1 Cor. 13:3);
24. martyrdom (the ability to display an attitude of joy while suffering or even dying for the faith; 1 Cor. 13:3);
25. hospitality (the ability to welcome and provide for those in need of food and lodging; Rom. 12:13; 1 Pet. 4:9);
26. missionary (the ability to minister effectively in a second culture);
27. intercession (the ability to pray for a long period of time on a regular basis for the ministries and needs of others); and
28. exorcism (the ability to discern and cast out demons with authority)
29. music
30. craftsmanship
31. ideas, inventions, profitable endeavors to benefit others

 

2. Know Where I Am

It only takes one word from God to change my circumstance. That word may come from an unlikely source. Keep myself free to hear God speak. Even Moses was at work when he heard from God and it took a special bush burning to get his attention.

Seek out my next gifts, steps, and opportunities. Knowledge has increased exponentially and allowed us to go where we never could before. Yesterday’s accomplishments are only steps to take us to tomorrow. Let’s not get stuck in yesterday. The 4 minute mile was ruled out for years as impossible for humans and even medically harmful UNTIL someone did it and then there were multiple people within a short time. (Roger Bannister picture)

 

3. Know Where I Am Going

High mobilization of spiritual gifts was the key to the rapid multiplication of the church in the New Testament (cf. Rom. 1:11, Eph. 4:12, 2 Tim. 2:2).

Rejoice Vision Statement:

Recover the lost by sharing the joy of God’s love & salvation through Jesus Christ (the gospel) with everyone;

Empower them to become fully devoted Christ-followers (disciples) who embrace God’s purpose for their life;

Deploy them into their ministries in the church, & their mission in the world, so they can glorify God everywhere.

Growth requires pain, even modern gyms carry the message of “no pain, no gain”. We have to embrace the idea of doing the work to see the results. Let’s work together.

Take the step because until you do, help will not be revealed.

“Until one is committed, there is hesitancy, the chance to draw back, always ineffectiveness.  Concerning all acts of initiative (and creation) there is one elementary truth the ignorance of which kill countless ideas and splendid plans:  that the moment one definitely commits oneself, then Providence moves too. All sorts of things occur to help one that would never otherwise have occurred.  A whole stream of events issue from the decision, raising in one’s favor all manner of unforeseen incidents and meetings and material assistance, which no man could have dreamed would have come his way. Whatever you can do or dream you can begin it.  Boldness has genius, magic and power in it. Begin it now.”  Johann Wolfgang von Goethe, 1749-1832

Contact Robert Bice at RobertBice@outlook.com