Bible Studies

 

Are You Missing A Part

Part 3

There can be times when God’s answer to our intercessory prayers for the well-being of other people is to send or allow great adversity to enter and or to increase in the lives of the one’s we are praying for, if that is what it takes to straighten them out.

In our compassionate desire to help, we can become part of the problem instead of being used by God to be part of the solution.

Satan has a long-history of taking something that God has given to us for our own good, and for the good of others, and misuse it to promote evil.

When it IS God’s will for us to “come to the rescue,” to render tangible aid, or more importantly, to offer spiritual guidance, this is where and when many of the remaining spiritual gifts of 1Cor. 12 come into play, as we interact with fellow members of the body of Christ (1).

It is important to note that it is God the Holy Spirit (2) and NOT the individual recipient, who selects what gift and accompanying ministry (service to others) that he or she is going to receive, as well as how, where, and when it is to be exercised.

Many sincere believers make the mistake of choosing for themselves what area of ministry THEY want to engage in, and then wonder why their efforts seem to fall short of producing the end results they wanted to achieve.

The answer may be found in John 15: 5, “…apart from Me, you can do NOTHING (John 15: 5 NASB2020).”

God undoubtedly approved of David’s d-e-s-i-r-e to build a temple for Him, but this work was to be accomplished by Solomon. We are not here to do the work that God has assigned to others, and they are not here to do the work that God has assigned to us.

Among the gifts that God the Holy Spirit chooses and distributes are the gifts of teaching, miracles, healing, helping, administration, all of which are primarily associated with the SPIRITUAL well-being of the ones served.

Never-the-less, that there are many practical ways in which the spiritual gift of helps can be exercised.

Financial supporters, ushers, parking attendants, cross-walk guards, janitors, maintenance people, secretaries, clerks, shuttle drivers, communication technicians, musicians, etc., ALL contribute to the well-being of any local assembly or ministry, promoting a safe, often comfortable, learning environment where (or how) believers can gather together for worship that includes the teaching of the Word of God.

We are not to judge how another believer exercises his spiritual gift (3). In fact, we might be amazed learn of the various ways some advancing disciples have learned to exercise their spiritual gifts.

For example, I know of a police officer who would take on extra work, by directing traffic through construction sites on his days off. Thousands of motorists see him as he guided them safely through the area, but what none of them would know, is that he was there to raise money that we he would use to support his local assembly. This man clearly had the gift of helps in the capacity of a financial supporter, while drawing no overt attention to himself,

Others participate in employment, volunteer programs, social activities, hobbies, and recreational events, assisting with or engaging in the same overt activity as everyone else present, BUT for the primary purpose of taking advantage of the opportunities that God gives them, through general conversation, to minister to the spiritual needs of those in attendance.

The gift of helps, I believe, is the most common, yet the most under-rated gift that an advancing disciple can receive.

Those who are given this gift of helps will have a strong desire to give their time, talents, and treasures to promote the well-being of others, whereas as others, under the influence of the self-centered fallen nature within us (4), will choose to use their time, talents, and treasures only when and where it benefits themselves.

Discovering, developing, and applying one’s spiritual gift and accompanying ministry is a critical part of the individual plan that God has in mind for the guy or gal that a born-again believer sees in the mirror.

For some, the gift and accompanying ministry, as in the case of the Apostle Paul (5), is revealed to them right from the very start of their post salvation spiritual life. Others discover it over a period of time, only after reaching the necessary stage of spiritual maturity and God has prepared the way.

I can tell you from personal experience that once you have discovered your individual gift and its accompanying ministry, it will fit your personality and circumstances like a tailor-made glove.

It will become a driving force behind much of what you do for the rest of your post salvation spiritual life.

Know that your gift and ministry will also become the devil’s primary target, and that he will do all that he can to distract, impede, and obstruct you from executing it. The more that you develop and execute it, the larger and louder the blip you become on the devil’s radar screen, inevitably prompting a satanic response.

In the midst of such ever-increasing distraction and adversity, only spiritually mature and advancing disciples will, like the Apostle Paul, be able to whole-heartedly say. “For to me to live is (for) Christ, and to die is gain (Phil. 1: 21 NASB2020 parenthesis mine).”

Many would-be disciples will conclude that this is not what they signed up for, and will remove themselves from the field of spiritual combat. They will remain saved (6) via the irrevocable gift of eternal life and the irreversible work (7) of God the Holy Spirit, but should have no expectation to receive the reward and privileges that are reserved in Heaven for those who advance in discipleship while here on Earth.

Evidence that you are where God wants you to be and are doing what God wants you to be doing, will be all the never-ending and increasing adversity being imposed by the Eph. 6: 12 forces of evil.

God may change where, when, and how one is to develop and execute his or her spiritual gift over the course of one’s post salvation spiritual life, but the gift itself is irrevocable (8). The spiritual gift that we have been given is to be developed and exercised wherever an advancing disciple finds oneself, regardless of whatever else he or she may be doing, when God gives him or her the opportunity.

(1) 1Cor. 12; 12 (2) 1Cor. 12: 11 (3) Romans 14: 4 (4) Romans 7: 23ff (5) Acts 9: 15 (6) 1Cor. 3: 15 (7) Eph. 4: 30/Titus 3: 5 (8) Rom. 11: 29