...a gift in the body of Christ.
How to discover your gift in the body
of Christ?
Romans chapter 12.
I think we'll just begin at the beginning
of the chapter.
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies
of God, that ye present your bodies a
living sacrifice, holy, acceptable unto God, which is
your reasonable service.
And be not conformed to this world, but
be transformed by the renewing of your mind,
that ye may prove what is that good
and acceptable and perfect will of God.
For I say through the grace given unto
me, to every man that is among you,
not to think of himself more highly than
he ought to think," superiority complex, "...but to
think soberly, according as God hath dealt to
every man the measure of faith.
For as we have many members in one
body, and all members have not the same
office, so we being many are one body
in Christ, and every one member is one
of another.
Having then gifts differing according to the grace
that is given to us, whether prophecy let
us prophesy according to the proportion of faith,
or ministry let us wait on our ministry,
or he that teacheth on teaching, or he
that exhorteth on exhortation, he that giveth let
him do it with simplicity, he that ruleth
with diligence, he that showeth mercy with cheerfulness."
Now, it really is true that every member
of the body of Christ has a gift
or has gifts.
God made us for a purpose, and God
saved us for a purpose, and God has
given spiritual gifts to every member of the
body of Christ, and it's God's intention that
we should know.
I'd like to ask a question, not to
embarrass, but just as a factual matter.
How many here tonight would, by raising their
hand, say, I know what my gift is?
Anybody?
How many?
I know what my gift is.
Okay, it's very important.
Fulfillment in life is finding out what your
gift is, and then carrying out that mission
as from the Lord, and there isn't a
Christian in the meeting tonight, but God would
be very glad to let you know what
your gift is, so you know what your
function in life, what your main function or
functions in life in the spiritual realm really
are.
And to me, that's the satisfying thing, to
think that when you get to the end
of the journey, and you look back and
say, well, I've been an unprofitable servant, but
at least I knew what God wanted me
to do, and I did it to the
best of my ability.
Okay, now how are you going to find
out?
Key number one.
Make a total commitment of your life to
the Lord Jesus.
Romans chapter 12, verses 1 and 2.
I don't think any of us are ever
going to know the guidance of God as
long as we hold on to the reins
in our lives.
Do you?
This is the secret of guidance.
It's said it in the second verse that
we read.
Don't be conformed to the world, be transformed
by the renewing of your mind that you
may prove what is that good and acceptable
and perfect will of God.
How do you do it?
By presenting your body a living sacrifice.
This is really where we have to begin,
and this should not just be a crisis
experience, but it should be a crisis followed
by a process.
This should be true every moment of my
life.
Every moment.
Renewed dedication.
I come to you and turn my life
over to you for this next 24 hour
period.
I wonder really where we stand in this
matter.
I wonder if we're really yielded to the
Lord.
We want his will supremely in our lives.
We're willing to scuttle all our own ambitions
and plans and purposes, and we want nothing
but to do the thing that pleases the
heart of Christ.
That's the ideal.
It really is.
And I'll tell you, dear friends, when we
see that the Lord Jesus gave himself for
us on the cross of Calvary, it doesn't
seem too much to give our all for
him, does it?
If Jesus died for me, the least thing
I can do is live for him.
I like what C.T. Studd said, I
can never get away from it.
He said, if Jesus Christ be God and
died for me, then no sacrifice can be
too great for me to make for him.
And if I'm going to take this little
life of mine and live it the way
I want to live it, I'm really a
thief and a robber because I'm taking something
that doesn't belong to me.
The Lord Jesus bought this life of mine
on the cross of Calvary, and he wants
it for himself, spirit, soul, and body.
And I believe with all my heart that
God has a master plan for your life
and mine in some drawer up there in
heaven.
But I believe when we stand before him,
he's going to take out the blueprint and
compare it with the record of our lives.
I really believe that in a very simple,
childish way.
And the only thing that will really count
in that day will be to hear him
say, well, it approximates the plan.
It approximates the plan.
I'll tell you, nothing will make up should
his well done be missed.
And if I'm not there at that intersection
to speak to that soul, to do what
he wants me to do with that propitious
moment, I'm really the loser.
You know, I really think there's a stir
in the church today.
I know a lot of lives are being
transformed.
Some people connect it with the gift of
tongues and all the rest.
But I want to tell you, I want
to tell you a lot of people are
finding rich blessing today and just coming to
the Lord and turning over the controls of
their lives to him.
And some of us might look down our
theological noses at some of these people, but
I don't think you can deny quite apart
from the gift of tongues.
I don't think you can deny that there's
been a crisis of commitment in their lives.
Dear friends, that's what I want.
That's what I want.
I don't want the excesses of the abuses
that go with it.
I want fire.
I don't want wildfire, but I do want
fire for the Lord.
Well, that's the first step.
If you really want to know God's will
in your life, if you want to know
what his gifts or what his gifts for
you are, come and just turn over the
controls to him.
Say, Lord Jesus, I present myself to you.
I have no desire but to do your
will, whatever the cost may be.
Oh Lord, work out your will in me.
It's a great moment in the soul's experience
when we first come into that place.
Number two, pray that the Lord will reveal
his gift to you.
I hope, I hope that as you go
from this conference, as you get before the
Lord tonight, that you will definitely say, Lord,
I want you to show me what your
gift, what the gift that you've given to
me is.
A verse that the Lord's been bringing before
me an awful lot lately is this one.
You have not because you ask not.
That verse came home to me with new
power recently.
You have not because you ask not.
I think it's a wonderful thing to think
that God in heaven is waiting for us
to come to him with such petitions as
this, waiting to hear and answer.
Incidentally, man never comes closer to omnipotence than
in the hour of prayer.
We're not omnipotent.
We can't do everything, but we never come
closer to it than when we come to
God and plead something in the name of
Jesus.
And I want to tell you, when you
come to him and plead for this direction
in your life in the name of the
Lord Jesus, it's just the same as if
the Lord Jesus were asking the Father.
Isn't that wonderful?
I think it's wonderful.
I really do.
Three, first thing, make a commitment of your
life to him.
Then just come in simple childlike faith and
say, Lord, what is it?
I'm yielded, whatever it is.
Even if my legs turn to India rubber
in the process, I'm really willing.
I want to do what you want me
to do.
Number three, study the lists of gifts as
they're given in the New Testament.
Good.
We've already studied some of them tonight, haven't
we?
We can turn over to 1 Corinthians 12.
It's so short, I think we can afford
to do that.
We can read them in 1 Corinthians 12.
1 Corinthians 12, verses 8-10, and verse
28.
1 Corinthians 12, verses 8-10, for to
one is given by the Spirit the word
of wisdom, to another the word of knowledge
by the same Spirit, to another faith by
the same Spirit, to another the gift of
healing by the same Spirit, to another the
working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another
discerning of spirits, to another diverse kinds of
tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
Verse 28.
And God has set some in the church,
first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that
miracles and then gifts of healing, help, government,
diversities of tongues.
You say, just a minute, brother, I don't
believe all those tongues are active in the
church today.
Well, frankly, neither do I.
But don't worry, if they're not, he won't
give them to you.
So, the main thing right here is, study
the list of gifts.
Know what the gifts are that God has
given to the church.
Ephesians chapter 4.
Ephesians chapter 4 is the other part.
I'd like to talk more on that other
subject, but time just doesn't allow.
Ephesians chapter 4, verse 11.
And he gave some apostles and some evangelists
and some pastors and teachers.
Now, of course, it's obvious that not everybody
has one of the gifts listed in Ephesians
chapter 4.
In fact, I believe these are special service
gifts.
Special service gifts in connection with the evangelization
of the world and the building up of
the church.
But at least, I want to know God's
gifts for me.
Well, I should go to the word of
God and find out what the gifts are.
And just in a simple, childlike way, go
over them, study them, read up about them.
All right?
Step number four.
Step number four, desire the greater gifts.
Desire the greater gifts.
1 Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 31.
It says, but covet earnestly the best gifts,
or the greater gifts, and yet I show
you a more excellent way.
Now, here's a very interesting thing.
God is the one who gives gifts to
people by the Holy Spirit.
And they are a sovereign bestowment of the
Spirit of God.
He gives them to every man severally as
he will.
But at the same time, God says, I'm
going to give you a choice in the
matter.
Desire earnestly the greater gifts.
You say, well, that seems to be contradictory.
God gives them sovereignly, and I'm to have
something.
Well, you have that all through the word
of God.
You have that through the word.
Only God can make a man an elder,
and yet a man has to desire the
work of overseership before he can ever become
an elder.
Isn't that right?
You get this curious merging of the divine
and the human.
And you get it in many aspects of
the Christian life.
You get it here in connection with gifts.
Desire earnestly the greater gifts.
What does that mean?
Are some gifts greater than others?
Well, I didn't say it.
The Lord said it.
And it's really true.
For instance, and I believe the emphasis in
these chapters is this.
Gifts that amaze or excite wonder are not
as great as gifts that edify.
And the whole emphasis in 1 Corinthians 12,
13, and 14 is, go after the gifts
that edify, that help others.
Love thinks of others, not of self.
And gifts that amuse or amaze really are
not as great as gifts that build up
people in their most holy faith.
Something to think about.
Something for young people to think about as
they think of their lives ahead.
Desire earnestly the greater gifts.
Number five, engage in as many different types
of Christian service as possible.
This is the fifth step.
You've done all the other four?
Okay, now move out for the Lord.
You can only steer a bicycle when it's
in motion.
Isn't that right?
Okay, God wants you to move out, and
God wants you to try these things.
Oh, you say, I'd be afraid.
Don't be afraid.
Try them.
You'll never know.
You'll never know just what your gift is
until you start doing certain things.
I always thought my gift was to develop
ulcers over other people's money.
And then during those days in the Navy,
I started teaching the Word of God, and
I thought, I think this is why I
was made.
And I've never changed my mind since then.
Never have.
But I tell you, I don't think I'd
know it today if I hadn't tried.
If I hadn't launched out and given it
a try.
And here, I think it'd be good to
say a word to the elders of the
assembly.
Elders should be moving out with the young
people, not telling them to go out, moving
out with the young people, and involving them
in many different types of Christian service and
Christian activity.
That's how they're going to know.
Neglect not the gift that is in thee.
You have to really move out to find
out.
Now oftentimes, there's a feeling of reluctance at
first.
Oftentimes, Jeremiah had that feeling of reluctance.
That poor man, I've just been reading his
book recently, and all the abuse that he
took, and he was just ready to throw
in the towel, you know.
And he said, I couldn't.
He said, the fire burned within me, and
I had to go on.
And oftentimes, there's a feeling of terrible inadequacy.
Moses said, not me, Lord.
You don't mean me, do you?
And the Lord said, yes, I really do.
I mean you.
And my will will never take you, or
my grace won't sustain you.
My commands are my enablement, Moses.
You just do what I tell you to
do, and I'll give you the strength to
do it.
And Isaiah said, you don't mean me, Lord.
And the Lord said, yes, I do.
But he said, I'm a man of unclean,
unclean lips.
The Lord said, you go, and you preach
to a people, and they won't hear you.
And Isaiah said, how long do I have
to?
You just keep on doing it, Isaiah.
I'll tell you when to stop.
And Jeremiah, too.
Jeremiah had the same thing as we said
before.
Feeling of inadequacy.
If you have a feeling of inadequacy, when
you think of various forms of Christian service,
join the club.
We all have had them.
We've all had them.
But I'll tell you, if you don't step
out and start doing, you know, I believe
there are some senior sisters in this meeting
that at this very moment, they could be
having people coming into their home from the
neighborhood studying the word of God.
Bible teachers.
I believe that with all my heart.
You'll never know until you launch out and
try.
And just remember this, the spiritual gifts may
not be at all related to natural talent.
God likes to take nobody and make something
out of them so that all the glory
will be God.
Isn't that way?
That's just God's method, isn't it?
I mean, if you're just naturally gifted, if
you kiss the blinding stone and you have
the gift of death, well, that's one thing
to get up and pour it out.
One thing to get up and pour it
out.
But if you're naturally timid and retiring, and
if your butterflies have butterflies, and God can
take you and use you, well, then the
glory, they'll say, well, it sure isn't McDonald.
It must be the Lord.
You know, that's the way God wants it.
So don't go by your natural talent.
If you're yielded to the Lord, the Lord
can do surprising things with you in the
process.
But a gift needs to be stirred up.
It really needs to be stirred up.
So that's the next thing.
Then, as you engage in these various forms
of Christian service, observe the area, or areas,
in which the Lord seems to especially bless
your service.
You know?
Observe the area, or areas, in which the
Lord seems to especially bless your service.
Well, just let me take an illustration.
I was in Ireland not so long ago
when a young German came over, and he
was on a firebrand in evangelism.
He couldn't speak English, so he'd get up
and preach in German down in Dunmeri in
Ireland, and one of my young friends would
interpret for him.
And you know, there are people standing in
the audience, the word was getting through to
them with such power, they couldn't tell who
was speaking in German and who was speaking
in English.
A man said to me, which one is
speaking in English?
You know, but the word was getting through.
The word was getting through.
I was next after the young German fellow.
I got up and the crowd just withered
away.
You know?
It's a very humbling experience.
What did it tell me?
Told me I can't preach the gospel for
sour apples, that's what it told me.
It told me I'm not an evangelist, though
I knew it long before.
I still try to do the work of
an evangelist, but I know I'm not an
evangelist.
But I rejoice when I see that young
German fellow out there, and see the crowd
gather.
Really, it's marvelous when you see a gift
of God in operation.
Observe the area in which God seems to
especially bless your efforts.
Maybe you're launching out in some new Sunday
school work.
The children come in.
Some profess, it's a good sign, isn't it?
God is working with you.
Then, weigh, this is number seven, weigh the
comments and opinions of spiritual elder brethren and
sisters.
Weigh the comments and opinions of older spiritual
Christians.
You're seeking to know your gift.
Okay, no man is a judge of his
own gift.
The scripture says, in the multitude of counselors,
there's safety.
You know?
We had a lot of fellows come to
a mass, and they just knew that they
were Billy Graham, too.
You know?
But it didn't take us long to realize
that they weren't.
That there was only one Billy Graham, and
when God made him, he threw away the
pattern.
And there never will be another.
But sometimes you need an older brother to
help you along in this way.
The young fellow started out all ablaze for
the Lord, and one day he was walking
down the street, and he saw two big
letters up in a cloud formation, just as
clear as can be, GP.
And he just knew for a certainty that
meant go preach.
So he told, he told his elders, he
said, I've been called, and it really is
good, and it's as important.
No man is a judge of his own
gift.
And we have very perverted judges, but other
people can see things in us that we
can't see in ourselves.
And don't worry, elders are sympathetic.
Older Christians are sympathetic.
They're more interested in helping than in holding
back.
But faithful are the wounds of a friend.
Number eight.
Consider your own reactions.
As you're engaging in these various forms of
Christian service, consider your reactions.
Where does your burden lie?
As you're lying in your bed at night,
and you can't sleep, what situation are you
in?
Are you explaining the gospel to somebody on
a person-to-person basis?
Are you teaching the word to a group
there in your university?
Where does your burden lie?
Do you have a heart for God's people?
Do you love to be with God's people
when they're in trouble and difficulty and sickness
and all the rest, to comfort and sustain?
Well, maybe God has given you the gift
of pastor, you know, a shepherd's heart.
Ask yourself the question, where does my burden
lie?
Because you'll find that as you seek the
will of God in this, that God will
start laying the burden on your heart.
And when situations develop, you'll think, oh, I
was there years ago in spirit.
And also in that connection, in which sphere
do you find the greatest fulfillment?
I believe when you and I find the
gift, whatever it may be, that we think,
this is it.
I believe there's kind of that relaxation, and
you think, this is why God made me.
This is why God saved me so many
years ago.
He had this purpose in view for me.
And then also in that connection, in what
sphere do you have the maximum effectiveness with
the minimum fatigue?
I'm really indebted to Bill Gothard for this,
but he said that when a man finds
his gift, and I know it's true, he
has the maximum effectiveness with the minimum fatigue.
Now, don't misunderstand me.
That doesn't mean that you can't get tired
when you're carrying out your gift.
You can.
But it's a different kind of weariness.
There's an exhaustion that goes with trying to
be somebody God never intended you to be.
You know?
There's a terrible exhaustion.
It's enough to lead to a nervous breakdown.
Because God doesn't empower you for what he
doesn't want you to do.
But when you are in the niche of
his choosing, you do have maximum effectiveness with
minimum fatigue.
And so, I would say, observe your own
reactions, and what's happening in your own life,
and how it's working out as you're trying
these various forms of Christian service.
Then, carry out.
When you finally find what the gift is,
carry it out as a stewardship for the
Lord.
1 Peter 4, verse 10.
Now, I'd just like to add a few
additional tips in the minutes that are remaining,
and that is this.
Be happy in the exercise of your gift.
I think it's a wonderful thing to see
people who know what they can do for
the Lord, and they're happy in doing it.
That's a wonderful thing.
A lot of unhappiness in the world today
is because people are square pegs in round
holes.
Isn't that right?
Yeah, really.
Find out.
Effectiveness is working with the Holy Spirit, allowing
him to work through you in the thing
he wants you to do.
Don't envy others.
This is what was happening in Corinth.
How do you like me?
I can speak in Italian.
I never studied a word of Italian in
my life.
Everybody wanted to become tongue in the body.
What kind of a body would it be
if it were all tongue?
It wouldn't be a body, it would be
a monstrosity.
That's what it would be.
Mesh and a tongue walking down the street.
The beauty of the body of Christ is
many members, one body.
And I'll tell you, it really is beautiful
too.
And it's a wonderful thing to see in
an assembly, people who each have their own
task appointed to the Lord, and they're carrying
it out, and they're happy in it, and
they're not trying to be somebody else.
The glory of you as an individual is
that you are you.
God made you.
You are unique.
He's not going to make another like you.
You can do things that no other human
being in the world can do.
Really, that's the dignity of being a child
of God.
And don't ever forget it.
Don't envy others.
Use your gift for the good of others
and not for self-display or exaltation.
This is the whole idea.
The gifts were given for the good of
others, for the edification of the body, for
building up the church.
That's what we should use them unselfishly, not
trying to attract attention to ourselves.
The Holy Spirit never ministers to attract attention
to the human agent.
The Holy Spirit's whole ministry is to bring
the glory and have it shine on the
Lord Jesus Christ.
Don't touch the glory.
Use your gift for him so that it
will all go to him.
And then, in connection with all of this,
remember that personal holiness is far more important
than any gift.
A man may be a tremendously gifted man.
He may be able to hold a crowd
right there in his hand, and yet he
might be a bear at home.
Hard to live with.
It doesn't count.
A gift is a sovereign display of a
sovereign bestowment of God.
Personal holiness is far more important than that.
May the Lord take us away from the
conference with a sincere desire to find out
what our gift is, that we won't really
rest satisfied until we know, and we're willing
to go through this, to commit our lives
to the Lord, to pray and ask the
Lord to reveal it to us, to study
the gift, to engage in various forms of
presence.
Don't be afraid.
If somebody asks you to, jump at the
chance of moving out for the Lord in
various spheres of activity.
Listen to what people say about your ministry.
Not in any sense of pride.
Watch where God is blessing you.
See where your own burden lies, and when
God shows you, develop it as a faithful
steward for him.
Thank you.