THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT (Part II)

Romans 12:1-8

Dr. Wm. J. Maxwell

First Presbyterian Church, Newport, RI

May 3, 2008

Last week, we looked at a wonderful passage that brings forth several principles for us to consider in regard to the gifts of the Holy Spirit. In the passage before us this morning, we find additional insights in how we are to operate as a church under the Lordship of Christ and empowered for ministry by the Holy Spirit.

As we look at this passage, it is good for us to remember our calling, the calling all of us have as Christians. While some of us may have different callings or vocations in life, as Christians, we all have a three-fold calling as defined for us in this text.

I

WE ARE CALLED

TO GIVE OURSELVES FULLY TO THE LORD

BECAUSE OF HIS GRACE.

Therefore, I urge you brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices,

holy and pleasing to God – this is your spiritual act of worship. (v.1) [i]

Over the years, I’ve discovered various reasons why people are engaged in serving in the church. For example, some serve Christ out of a sense of compulsion. They feel it is something they must do, because after all, such things are required of Christians, aren’t they?

They seek to fulfill such perceived requirements, though their heart is clearly not in it. Here, the brother of the “Prodigal Son” in Jesus’ parable comes to mind, the one whose heart was clearly not in his obedience to his father. He simply did what he was told to do.

Others serve Christ in a desire to obtain God’s favor or acceptance. They live with the mistaken notion that we can cause God to somehow be indebted to us by all our “good deeds,” or that God will love us just a little bit more if we only do what pleases Him.

Remember, however, that having talked about salvation by grace in all the previous chapters of Romans, Paul then broke into a doxology at the end of chapter eleven and just before verse one of chapter twelve, in saying: “Who has ever given to God, that God should repay him? For from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever!” God doesn’t need anything from us! He can never be indebted to us! No, God has given to us in Jesus Christ; we cannot give to Him, so that in some way He becomes obligated to us, or will love us more than He already does.

The Heidelberg Catechism makes this clear for us by reminding us in intimate, personal language that true faith includes

a wholehearted trust which the Holy Spirit creates in me through the gospel, that, not only to others, but to me also God has given the forgiveness of sins, everlasting righteousness and salvation, out of sheer grace solely for the sake of Christ’s saving work. [ii]

Can you see that we offer ourselves to God in faithful service “in view of God’s mercy”? We serve out of gratitude for God’s abundant grace, lavish love and tender mercy found in Jesus Christ … and in gratitude for all the daily expressions of His love and faithfulness to us, for “morning by morning, new mercies I see!”

II

WE ARE ALSO CALLED

TO GROW BY THE RENEWING OF OUR MINDS.

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world,

but be transformed by the renewing of your mind.

Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is

- His good, pleasing and perfect will. (v.2)

As Christians, we’re called - not to be conformed - but to be transformed. Instead of being conformed to culture or shaped by it, we’re to be transformed through the renewal of our mindset, with the knowledge of the Gospel and of God’s Word, under the direction and guidance of the Holy Spirit.

When we deliberately and intentionally do this, whether it be through personal devotions, in reading good books, in corporate worship, in small groups or in church school classes, then our behavior will ultimately and inevitably change, as we put into practice God’s will – “His good, pleasing and perfect will.”

Christian author and pastor Charles Swindoll illustrates this in a way with which some of you here this morning will readily identify. Over forty years ago, Swindoll was a raw recruit in Marine Boot Camp. As he puts it, “What a decision! I’m still a little amazed I lived to tell the story.” [iii]

In spite of the passing of time, he can still vividly recall those trying days:

Time and again – especially when our enthusiasm began to flag – we were reminded that the difficulty of the training was imperative. Like it or not, we were soft. And in order for us to overcome the odds we were to face in battle, we must be prepared.

Part of that training involved respecting and listening to the “final voice of authority” – that being the voice of the D.I., the drill instructor.

You will understand how I mean it when I say that for those weeks in boot camp … he was ‘God.’ Without question, we did precisely what he said to do. Without hesitation, we went precisely where he pointed. We jumped at his command. We marched to his cadence … no questions asked.

Swindoll and the others got to the point of distinguishing the DI’s voice from all the others.

It took time, but within a few weeks each company of young Marines knew the master’s voice. When another shouted his instructions, we deliberately ignored the order. But when ours gave the order, we moved instantly. It took weeks to develop that kind of discipline; but finally, after endless hours of constant, painful repetition, it all fell into place.

Again, it has been many years since those unforgettable, trying days in Marine Boot Camp. Yet Swindoll reports,

But some of the lessons learned back then are still with me – lessons like listening to the right voice, like ignoring the movements of the majority, and like being disciplined enough to filter the essential from the incidental.

Surely, these are lessons not only for those in boot camp, but for all Christians on the journey of faith. They come into play in our lives only with the renewing of our minds. But with the growth of a Christian mindset, there comes the experience of putting into practice God’s will – “His good, pleasing, and perfect will”!

III

WE ARE CALLED TO BELONG TO THE BODY OF CHRIST

AND TO USE OUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS FOR SERVICE

IN AND THROUGH THE BODY.

The remainder of this passage reminds us that no Christian is ever to stand alone. God has called His people to belong to each other in the Body of Christ.

Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.

Sometimes, I am asked the question, “Can a person choose not to be a part of a church and yet still be a Christian?” My answer is this: “Yes, but that person will be a disobedient Christian, a stunted Christian who will show little growth, and an ineffective Christian who will do little in the way of advancing Christ’s Kingdom as a sole individual.

As for gifts, Paul tells us that every Christian is gifted in some way: “We have different gifts, according to the grace given us.” But it is up to us to first prayerfully discern what those gifts are, and secondly to then prayerfully determine where God wants us to use them. Have you ever done this? Have you ever taken the time to pray and to seek to understand what gift or gifts you have?

Arlyn Lawrence is a contributing editor to Pray! Magazine. She is also serving in her own church in several ways, as well as in home-schooling her 5 children. She tells us that she went through a time of discernment as to identifying what gifts she has. The process was bumpy at times, but very gratifying:

Although the process I went through to unmask my true spiritual gifts was humbling and painful, the end result was a sense of freedom and empowerment. When I had tried to operate in gifts that were not mine (such as leadership or administration), I always had a nagging sense of being out of my element. But when I started to minister according to how God had designed me (through the gifts of encouragement, mercy, teaching and helps), I thrived. I enjoyed myself! I could see tangible fruit in people’s lives. They felt ministered to by God, not necessarily by me.[iv]

Dear friends, God has a calling for all Christians: to give ourselves fully to Him because of His amazing grace and love found in Jesus Christ; to grow in our discipleship by the daily renewing of our minds; and to belong to the Body and to use our spiritual gifts for service.

Very clearly, God has a calling for each of us here this morning. In our response, may we all be faithful. May we all be faithful!