SYNOPSIS: It is through the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that the body of Christ ministers effectively to God, to itself, and even to the world. How awesome is it that God would share his grace with his children, you and me, through the gifts that he places within us, allowing us to be vessels through which his supernatural power flows as the Spirit enables us.
The Journey// Focus: Exodus 36:1
The Lord has gifted Bezalel, Oholiab, and the other skilled craftsmen with wisdom and ability to perform any task involved in building the sanctuary. Let them construct and furnish the Tabernacle, just as the Lord has commanded.
As you read about the work of the uber-skilled craftsman that God anointed for the construction of the tabernacle, you are tempted to stand back in jaw-dropping amazement at the incredible gifting of the Holy Spirit that enabled these workers, Bezalel and Oholiab, to pull off this stunning feat. But do you realize that “the Lord has gifted” you, too. And when your gifts interact with the rest of your spiritual shape, your personality, experiences and passions, the angels stand back in jaw-dropping amazement at what the Holy Spirit has enabled you to do, too!
The Apostle Paul wrote in I Corinthians 12:1 and 7, “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I don’t want you to be ignorant…. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” What follows is Paul’s description of the body of Christ building itself up and functioning in its God-given call to be the dwelling place of God and repository of truth in the world. Essential to this process of edification is the operation of spiritual gifts within the body. Paul says each one has at least one gift, these gifts are determined and empowered by the Spirit, and they are to be used for the common good, i.e., “as a means of helping the entire church.” (vs. 7 NLT)
When you understand and begin to operate in your gifts, serving according to your passion, the church is unleashed to experience the effectiveness and success that Christ envisioned when he said he would build his church. And the widespread, Spirit-directed operation of the gifts active among all the church members indicates the church’s degree of health. When people are operating in their gifts and authentic ministry is occurring, there is no limit to what God will accomplish through that body of believers to reveal his power and presence to the world.
The presence of spiritual gift in your life—and in the lives of all the others in your spiritual community, means several things:
First, it means that ministry is not just for the pastors, but also for the parishioners. Each believer is called to a ministry, and ministries are enabled only as one understands and operates in the ministry gifts. It is through the gift-based ministry of the believers that God’s grace flows to the body. I Peter 4:10 reminds us, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”
Second, it means that ministry is a privilege, not a problem. So many Christians have looked a service in the body as a duty that must be endured, perhaps even resisted and avoided in some cases, and not a joy. Most likely, this occurs because that believer is not serving according to their gifts. When Paul teaches in Ephesians 4 on ministry gifts, he reminds his readers in verse 7, “But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.” Christ gives the gift that enables us to minister. Furthermore, that gift is associated with grace. Seeing it as a problem reveals a profound misunderstanding of what the Bible teaches about gifts.
Third, it means that the impartation of spiritual gifts by the Holy Spirit gives you the privilege of being partners in ministry, not a pew potato. I Corinthians 12:7 says, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” A gift requires a stewardship, a producing of fruit, a contribution to the common good. An uninvolved believer simply warming a pew is an oxymoron.
Fourth, it means that gift-based ministry releases your potential, which in turn, as your work in harmony with all the other gifts operating in your church, enables your fellowship to grow exponentially. Operating in the gifts of the Spirit release God’s power to work through the Christian in ways that would not ordinarily occur. When many believers are operating in the gifts in a Spirit-coordinated way, unlimited and unexpected results occur. Ephesians 4:16 says that it is through the operation of the gifts, that “the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.
Fifth, it means that using your spiritual gifts to minister enables other believers to experience God’s grace. I Peter 4:10-11 says, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms… so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ.” What is the conduit of God’s grace (the Greek word is charis) in the church? Your spiritual gifts (the Greek word for gifts is charismata).
It is through the operation of the gifts of the Holy Spirit that the body of Christ ministers effectively to God, to itself, and even to the world. How awesome is it that God would share his grace with his children, through the gifts that he places within us, allowing us to be vessels through which his supernatural power flows as the Spirit enables us.
Yes, “the Lord has gifted” you “to perform your task involved in building the sanctuary” of his presence among his people!
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