(#405) Romans 12 - Spiritual Gifts Turn Into Ministries

Welcome To

BARAH MINISTRIES

a Christian Church

Rory Clark

Pastor-Teacher

 

Good Morning!

 

Welcome to Barah Ministries…a Christian Church that makes a difference worldwide courtesy of the internet…a Christian Church that makes a difference locally in the Gilbert, Mesa, and Chandler, AZ communities.  My name is Pastor Rory Clark.  At Barah Ministries, our God is the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ and we teach the Word of God from God’s perspective, not from man’s perspective.  In John, Chapter 6, Verses 35 to 40 the Lord is transforming the thinking of the hearers through the renewing of their minds…

 

JOHN 6:35

The Lord Jesus Christ said to them, “I am the bread of life…he who comes to Me will not (ouk-never, not no way, not no how) hunger…and he who believes in Me will never (ouk-not no way, not no how) thirst.”

 

The Lord Jesus Christ is the Living Word who supplies both eternal and supernatural nourishment for all who want it.

 

JOHN 6:36

“But I (the Lord) said to you that you have seen Me, and yet do not believe.”

 

The Lord was letting the crowd know that seeing isn’t always believing… they were seeing and many did not believe in Him…it takes the USE of faith to truly recognize the spiritual opportunities in front of you.  The people who saw the Lord Jesus Christ when He was on earth did not all believe in Him or in what He had to say.

 

JOHN 6:37

“All that God the Father gives Me (the Lord) will come to Me…and the one who comes to Me I will certainly not cast out (into the outer darkness…the Lake of Fire).”

 

The Lord Jesus Christ has supreme confidence in His Father…the Lord has no doubt that everything He does through the Father is effective…do you, as believers in Christ, have the same confidence…that ALL you do will work out?

 

JOHN 6:38

“For I (the Lord) have come down from heaven…not to do My own will…but to do the will of Him who sent Me.”

 

So it is with us as believers…we exist to do God the Father’s will…do you know His will for you…and are you doing it…are you committed to seeing that all men are saved and that all men come to a knowledge of the truth?

 

JOHN 6:39

“This is the will of God the Father who sent Me (the Lord), that of all (the creatures) that the Father has given Me…THAT I LOSE NOTHING (not a single one of them)…but raise them up (in resurrection from the dead) on the last day.”

 

As believers in Christ we have an eternal security that is planned and protected by God the Father, God the Son, God the Holy Spirit, and the Lord Jesus Christ…the uniquely born One…

 

JOHN 6:40

“For this is the will of My Father…that everyone who beholds the Son (with spiritual eyes through the hearing of the gospel message)…and believes in Him…will have eternal life (the resurrection life)…and I Myself (the Lord Jesus Christ) will raise him up on the last day.”

 

As believers in Christ we look forward to our resurrection from the dead and to watching our magnificent Lord keep all the promises of His Word.  Welcome to a place where You can learn the Word of God as it reveals all that God has planned for you.

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Spiritual Gifts Turn Into Ministries

 

What is your spiritual gift?  What does God want you to do with it?  Last week we investigated a few thoughts about your spiritual gift and today we continue that investigation to see what God expects from you in the matter of using your gift.  God expects your spiritual gift to turn into a ministry to benefit others!

 

MUSIC AND REFLECTION

Be Occupied with the Person of the Lord Jesus Christ

Enjoy the Singing of His Praises

 

INDESCRIBABLE

Chris Tomlin

 

Here’s Chris Tomlin to put into words what almost can’t be put into words…the unconditional love that our God has for us…in his song INDESCRIBABLE.

 

OPENING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

Almighty God and Father…thank you for giving each one of Your Son’s believers a spiritual gift…thank you for illuminating in our souls the spiritual gift you have blessed us with…thank you for leading the people of Barah Ministries and the people in Your churches all over the world to use our unique combination of gifts in service to the world community…

Help us to discover our spiritual strengths…show us where you want us to use our spiritual gift…let Your gift of faith guide us in service to others… make us think of others before we think of self…help us to hear and to follow the direction of God the Holy Spirit as He helps us discover our gifts…help us to build up your kingdom through the work you give us for the use  of our gifts…turn our spiritual gift into a ministry…

 

…we ask this through the power of God the Holy Spirit…in Christ’s name...Amen.

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Spiritual Gifts Turn Into Ministries

 

We are studying the third passage in Romans, Chapter 12, and it extends from Verse 3 to Verse 8…let’s review it together…

 

ROMANS 12:3

For through the grace given to me by God the Father (the grace gift of being

an apostle…Paul’s spiritual gift), I (Paul) say to everyone among you not to think more highly of himself than he ought to think…but to think so as to have sound judgment…the thinking that’s in line with the measure of faith distributed to you by God (as your spiritual gift).

 

ROMANS 12:4

For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function (the same office)…

 

ROMANS 12:5

…so we, who are many are one body in union with Christ…and individually we are members one of another.

 

ROMANS 12:6

Since we have gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, each of us is to exercise the gift accordingly…if he has the gift prophecy, exercise it according to the proportion of his faith…

 

ROMANS 12:7

…if he has the gift of service, in his serving…or he who teaches, in his teaching…

ROMANS 12:8

…or he who exhorts, in his exhortation…he who gives, with liberality…he who leads, with diligence…he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

 

Our subject is your spiritual gift…what does it mean when something is spiritual?  Being spiritual is…

 

SPIRITUAL

A supernatural way of being fueled by divine power

 

Human power is the opposite of spiritual power.  Human power is not good enough to appraise spiritual things.

 

What is a gift?

 

GIFT

Something given voluntarily without payment expected in return…the act of giving…something received without any effort required on the part of the recipient.

 

God has given you a supernatural spiritual gift.  And since our God works in ones, we can ask ourselves, “What is the one spiritual gift God has given me…and…what is the one thing He wants me to do with my spiritual gift?”  God wants you to learn through effort what your supernatural spiritual gift is as you see it in operation, and He wants you to use it by turning it into a ministry.

 

There is a big difference between the spiritual life and the natural life…and God wants no mixture between the two.  Your spiritual gift is not a human talent…it is a supernatural impact that can be directed toward others…and the difference between your natural or developed talents and your spiritual gift is the difference between night and day.  There is a “great chasm fixed” between the two, and there can be no mixture of the two…the natural and the supernatural.

 

The one thing God wants is that we will use our spiritual gift to His singular end…Ephesians, Chapter 3, Verses 14 to 19 describe it well…

 

EPHESIANS 3:14

For this reason I (Paul) bow my knees before God the Father…

 

EPHESIANS 3:15

…from whom every family in heaven and every family on earth derives its name…

 

EPHESIANS 3:16

…that God the Father would grant you…according to His glorious riches…to be strengthened with divine power through His Spirit in the inner man…

EPHESIANS 3:17

…so that Christ may dwell in your hearts through faith…and that you, being rooted and grounded in unconditional love…

 

EPHESIANS 3:18

…may be able to comprehend with all the saints what is the breadth (how wide) and length (how long) and height (how high) and depth (how deep, intimate and personal)…

 

EPHESIANS 3:19

…and to know (with complete certainty) the unconditional love of Christ which surpasses knowledge…so that you may be FILLED UP TO ALL THE FULLNESS OF GOD THE FATHER.

 

That is what our God wants for you…He wants you to be filled up to all the fullness…and He wants you to use your spiritual gift to fill up others to all the fullness of God the Father.  God wants you to turn your spiritual gift into a ministry.

 

First Corinthians, Chapter 2, Verse 9…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 2:9

...just as it is written, “Things which eye has not seen…and ear has not heard…and which have not entered the heart of man…these are all the things that God the Father has prepared for those who love Him.”

 

So in the matter of our spiritual gift, some things to remember…

As Christians, we are in full time service to the Lord. 

 

We become what is described by the Greek word doulos…we are in twenty-four hour a day, seven day a week service to the Lord.  We must ask ourselves as Christians, then, “How does this spiritual life I have been given by God really work?  How does God work?  What does God want me to do?  How does God want me to do things?”  The answers?  God wants to be able to do His own work, His own way, in His own timing, through us…God wants to have everything He is associated with have supernatural, abiding, eternal impact, powered by His enabling resurrection power that is good enough to raise all things to life from the dead.  The Holy Spirit of God, then, leads all believers in Christ into incorruptible ministries that serve others through spiritual power, not natural power.

 

At the moment of salvation, we become royal priests.

 

Just like Paul was taken in to the wilderness for training by the Lord Jesus Christ after Paul was knocked off of his “high horse” along the Damascus Road in Acts, Chapter 9…so we as believers are dismounted from our high horses to serve…and Christian Service begins with a training program… God trains us to know the function of our priesthood by training us to relate to Him as a person.  First Peter, Chapter 2, Verse 9 describes the priesthood…

 

FIRST PETER 2:9

But you Church Age believers are a chosen race (elected to privilege), a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light…

 

Believers in Christ are also ambassadors, and the use of our spiritual gift is an ambassadorship.

 

In the human realm, an ambassador is a diplomatic official of the highest rank, sent by a government to represent it on a temporary mission.  So it is with our spiritual lives.  As believers in Christ we are sent from heaven to Satan’s kingdom, planet earth…and we are here to represent God on a temporary mission.  Matthew, Chapter 28, Verses 19 and 20…

 

MATTHEW 28:19

Go therefore and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit…

 

MATTHEW 28:20

…teaching them to observe all that I commanded you…

 

As ambassadors for Christ we are to spread the good news…the gospel message…to all the ends of the earth…inviting people to believe in our Lord…to see with spiritual eyes that which they cannot see with natural eyes.

 

Your spiritual gift is a gift from the source of God.

 

God gives you a spiritual gift to accomplish His work.  First Corinthians, Chapter 12, Verses 4 to 7…

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 12:4

Now there are varieties of spiritual gifts, but the same God the Holy Spirit (as the source of them).

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 12:5

And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord (with serving Him as the object of them).

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 12:6

There are varieties of effects (the spiritual gifts has), but the same God the Father who works all things in all persons.

 

FIRST CORINTHIANS 12:7

But to each one (each believer in Christ) is given the manifestation of God the Holy Spirit (a spiritual gift) for the common good.

 

Our spiritual gifts are not to be used for our own purposes…but for God’s singular purpose.  Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verse 10…

 

EPHESIANS 2:10

For we believers in Christ are God the Father’s workmanship, created in

union with Christ Jesus for divine good works, which God the Father

prepared beforehand so that we would walk in them.

 

God considers it His responsibility to make you aware of your spiritual gift.

 

First Peter, Chapter 5, Verses 6 and 7 says…

 

FIRST PETER 5:6

Therefore humble yourselves under the mighty hand of God, that He may exalt you at the proper time…

 

FIRST PETER 5:7

…casting all your mind dividers on Him, because He cares for you.

 

“He cares for you” is a Greek idiom that means God considers your

problems to be His responsibility.  One of your problems is discernment of

your spiritual gift.  If you are asking, God will make it clear to you what Your spiritual gift is and how He wants you to use it.

 

Let’s take a music break…here’s Zach Williams to let you know what others will see when your spiritual gift is in play…they’ll see the equivalent of an OLD CHURCH CHOIR singing in your soul…take a moment to listen to the song and then we’ll give you some time to have your break.

 

MUSIC BREAK

OLD CHURCH CHOIR

Zach Williams

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Spiritual Gifts Turn Into Ministries

 

Thank you for supporting this ministry with your financial contributions.  Through your generous support, the Lord has been able to provide the Word of God from this pulpit for over a decade.  There is no way to measure how many broken souls and broken spirits that have been touched by your generosity, but we know God is making it happen. 

 

Let’s take a few moments to give you a chance to make an offering.  If you are benefiting from the work of this ministry, then we ask you to contribute to the continuation of the ministry with any gift, large or small, so we can keep on providing the truth to those who might not otherwise be able to hear it.   Please welcome up Deacon Denny Goodall with his offering message.

 

THE OFFERING

Deacon Denny Goodall

 

OFFERING VERSE

 

PROVERBS 3:5-6

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and do not lean on your own understanding.//In all your ways acknowledge Jesus, and He will make your paths straight.

 

OFFERING

FLIGHT OF THE EAGLE

Dave McClure, Instrumental

 

TODAY’S BIBLE LESSON

Spiritual Gifts Turn Into Ministries

 

Welcome back!

 

You can forfeit the use of your spiritual gift

 

God wants you to present yourselves as a sacrifice…a holy and completely acceptable sacrifice…and that means shut up, grow up, and show up in your spiritual life.  God wants you to use your spiritual gift rather than leaving it on the shelf unused.  Matthew, Chapter 5, Verses 14 to 16…

 

MATTHEW 5:14

“You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden…”

 

MATTHEW 5:15

“…nor does anyone light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on the lampstand, and it gives light to all who are in the house.”

 

MATTHEW 5:16

“Let your light shine before men in such a way that they may see your good

works, and glorify your Father who is in heaven.”

 

From God’s point of view, your spiritual gift is about the recipient, and not about the giver.

 

When we think of a spiritual gift, we probably think about all the positive good we can do with it.  I’ll bet we don’t even give a single thought to the best use of our spiritual gift, when we use it and direct it toward our enemies.  The Lord thought about this use of it…Matthew, Chapter 5, Verses 43 to 48…

 

MATTHEW 5:43

“You have heard that it was said, ‘You shall love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’”

 

MATTHEW 5:44

“But I (the Lord Jesus Christ) say to you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…”

 

MATTHEW 5: 45

“…so that you may be sons of your Father who is in heaven…for He causes His sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.”

 

MATTHEW 5:46

“For if you love those who love you, and of course you do, what reward do you have? Do not even the tax collectors do the same?”

 

MATTHEW 5:47

“If you greet only your brothers, and of course you do, what more are you doing than others? Do not even the Gentiles do the same?”

 

MATTHEW 5:48

“Therefore you are to be perfect, as your heavenly Father is perfect.”

 

God’s love is unconditional…and He extends it to all…not only to those who believe.  He expects us to extend unconditional love in the same way as a reflection of Him.  How you use your gift on behalf of those who persecute you says more about you than any courtesy you extend to those who like you.  Your ministry with your spiritual gift will serve those who reject you just as much or more than it serves those who like you.

 

When your spiritual gift is operative, you don’t even think about it.

 

In those times when you are wondering what your spiritual gift is, as yourself, “What are the things I am doing that I love to do, that are not effort to me at all?  What are the things people praise me for doing as if they are astonished by my facility in those things?”  These activities will give you hints concerning your spiritual gift.

 

God gives you “divine appointments” to allow you to use your spiritual gift.

 

Have you ever had what seems like a coincidence, actually be something you can see God’s hand in? A divine appointment is such a “meeting,” inspired by God…led by God...with you as the instrument.  As such, these divine appointments just feel like a natural part of every day life.  Yet they are God breathed, God lead, and God funded all the way.  He just wants us to facilitate.

 

A Spiritual Gift is designed for action.

 

The way to use the spiritual gift is to act.  The way to learn about your spiritual gift is to act.  The way to benefit others with your spiritual gift is to act.  The Christian Way of Living is an action life!  In James Chapter 2, Verses 20 to 24, the Lord’s half brother makes it clear to a set of Jewish believers that faith is to be manifest in action…

 

JAMES 2:20

But are you willing to recognize, you foolish fellow, that faith without works is useless?

 

JAMES 2:21

Was not Abraham our father justified by works when he offered up Isaac his son on the altar?

 

JAMES 2:22

You see that faith was working with his works, and as a result of the works,

faith was perfected…

 

JAMES 2:23

…and the Scripture was fulfilled which says, “And Abraham believed God, and it was reckoned to him as righteousness,” and he was called the friend of God.

 

JAMES 2:24

You see that a man is justified by works and not by faith alone.

 

A ministry is a place to do works.  Works are the manifestation of the faith we have in the Lord Jesus Christ.  God did not give us a spiritual gift to sit on it.  He gave us a spiritual gift to use, and the best place to start using it is at home.

 

 

Turn your spiritual gift into a ministry!

 

GOD WANTS YOU!

Make the Most Important Decision of Your Life

 

The closing moments of our study are for anyone who does not have a personal relationship with the Sovereign God of the Universe, the Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  We want you to know that GOD WANTS YOU. 

 

What is going to happen to you when you close your eyes in this life?  Is there an “afterlife?”  And if there is an afterlife, how can you get to heaven?

 

Many people have beliefs about God.  A belief is an opinion…or a conviction…or a confidence in the existence of something that does not seem provable.  Satan, the enemy of God, prefers we have beliefs because there is a big difference between a belief and the truth.  Only when your beliefs and the truth are the same is it significant.  Satan hates the truth.  He can’t handle the truth.  He loves beliefs.

 

So what is going to happen to you when you close your eyes in this life?  Is there an “afterlife?”  And if there is, how can you get to heaven?  What is truth? 

 

Many people believe they can earn their way into heaven by doing good deeds. They give money to beggars…they give food to the homeless…they are actively involved in community projects…they generously donate their time, talent, and treasure to charitable organizations…they “give back”… you’ve heard people use that term countless times. People who “give back” usually are convinced they are better than most people.  They think they are so good, that after they die God will reward them by letting them into heaven for their good deeds.

 

Unfortunately, in the bible they find a completely different story.  Titus, Chapter 3, Verse 5…

 

TITUS 3:5

The Lord Jesus Christ saved us, not on the basis of deeds which we have done in self-righteousness, but according to His mercy…by the washing of regeneration and by the renewing by God the Holy Spirit…

 

Ephesians, Chapter 2, Verses 8 and 9…

 

EPHESIANS 2:8

For by God’s grace you have been saved through faith (in Christ for salvation)…and that grace and that faith and that salvation are not from the source of yourselves…it is the gift of God….

 

EPHESIANS 2:9

…therefore, being saved is not as a result of works (deeds you have done in self-righteousness)…so that no one may boast (about saving himself).

 

One thing you would never want to do is to put the burden of your salvation on your own back.  So how do you get to heaven?  In John, Chapter 14, Verse 6, the Lord Jesus Christ Himself says there is only one way to get to heaven…

 

JOHN 14:6

Jesus said to the doubting apostle, Thomas, “I am the way (to salvation), and I am the truth (through the Word of God), and I am the resurrection life…and no one comes to God the Father (in heaven) but through believing in Me.”

 

When we choose to believe that Jesus Christ is God, it is much more than a belief…it is the absolute truth.  So how do you get to heaven when you close your eyes in this life?  Romans, Chapter 10, Verses 9 and 10…

 

 

 

ROMANS 10:9

…if you confess with your mouth Jesus as Lord (that He is God)…and if you believe in your heart that God the Father raised Him from the dead… you will be saved…

 

ROMANS 10:10

…for with the heart a person believes…resulting in the imputation of absolute righteousness (your admission ticket to heaven)…and with the mouth a person confesses (admitting faith in Christ alone)…resulting in salvation.

 

Acts, Chapter 16, Verse 31 says…

 

ACTS 16:31

“Believe in the Lord Jesus Christ, and you will be saved, you and everyone in your household who also believes.”

 

John, Chapter 3, Verse 36…

 

JOHN 3:36

“He who believes in the Son has the resurrection life right at that moment… but he who does not obey the command to believe in the Son will not see the resurrection life…instead the wrath of God (the Lake of Fire) abides on him.”

 

John, Chapter 3, Verse 17…

 

JOHN 3:17

For God the Father did not send God the Son into the world to judge the world…but the Father sent the Son into the world that the world might be saved through Him.

 

Take the free gift of eternal life right now!  There’s no time to waste!  God wants you.  Join me in heaven! 

 

Here’s June Murphy to sing

CLOSING SONG

HOW GREAT YOU ARE 

June Murphy

 

CLOSING PRAYER

Let us pray...

 

          THANKS - INTERCESSION - PETITION

 

Thanks for coming!

Thanks for watching!

Thanks for listening!

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