Ministries after the New Testament Pattern

 


IN ORDER for there to be services according to the New Testament pattern, there must be ministers and ministries such as are revealed by that same pattern. Herein lies the importance of the nine gifts of the Spirit and of understanding their purpose and operation. In the plan of God, they are not something optional and simply nice to have, but absolutely necessary and the gracious provision of God whereby His work can be done in His way by His appointed means. Certainly, therefore, God does not want His children to be ignorant concerning spiritual gifts, as Paul says in the beginning of his teaching concerning them (I Cor. 12:1).

After some introductory remarks, particularly applicable to and best understood by the Corinthian believers of those days, the Apostle proceeds to state:

“There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit… .differences of administrations, but the same Lord… diversities of operations, but it is the same God which worketh all in all” (vv. 4-6). (The words “diversities” and “differences” are translations of the same Greek word best rendered “varieties.” The marginal reading for “administrations” is “ministries”; the original word is a form of the word “deacon,” signifying service. “Operations” and “worketh” come from the same root word, having the idea of working within.

Varieties of gifts, varieties of ministries, varieties of interior workings there are, but it is God who is their Author. Right at the beginning, the Apostle emphasizes the fact that these “spirituals”—the word “gifts” is not in the original—are indeed the manifestation of the Spirit of Christ Himself. They are not of human origin at all.

Following this truth, the Apostle continues, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal,” or “together,” as the Greek word for withal may be translated. In other words, gifts are not given to attract attention to the one so endued. They are not for self-gratification or self-exhibition in any sense of the word. They are not ornamental but are intensely practical. They are the means whereby the Spirit of God ministers to or blesses the various members of the body of Christ.

Then the Apostle goes on to enumerate the gifts of the Spirit: the word of wisdom, the word of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, and the interpretation of tongues.

Before considering these gifts, it is well to note the statement that follows the list of the gifts: “But all these gifts worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will” (v. 11). Over and over, Paul states of one gift and another that it is given “by the Spirit.” In this verse, he repeats, and thereby emphasizes, that all these gifts are wrought by the one Spirit of God.

Unfortunately, some people have taught that the gifts of the Spirit are simply the Spirit of God breathing upon or moving man’s spirit much as wind passing over a stringed instrument or a player plucking the strings would produce music.

Unquestionably, God does so bless people at times. This, however, is simply the inspiring of one’s natural, albeit God-given, abilities, whereas the Apostle clearly teaches that the gifts of the Spirit originate directly from God. They are something additional to one’s own abilities or gifts, something definitely supernatural. This is most important to grasp, for it affects one’s attitude toward the gifts and toward their operation.

Then the Apostle goes on to state that these gifts are divided, that is, distributed, “to every man severally as he will.” It is absolutely basic and cannot be emphasized too strongly that the Spirit divides gifts “to every man severally as He will.” In other words, the Holy Spirit acts absolutely sovereignly lfl the dispensing of the gifts. He chooses the vessel He desires to use. He decides whether that one will have one or more gifts. He gives what He wills to whom He wills. This automatically does away with any and all self-seeking in the matter of gifts.

Nowhere are we taught, “Pick out the gift you want and ask God to give it to you.” This is not only unwarranted by Scripture but, upon consideration, is unfeasible and a practice fraught with great danger, for fanaticism is the probable or usual end result. For one thing, most people do not understand the nature or scope of the gifts. They have their own ideas about these gifts, which often are wrong or way out, and there­fore, they will be asking for something that is not intended by God at all. Furthermore, the motive prompting such a desire and request is often wrong, for it may and often does spring from pride, however subtly it may be concealed or a person be unwilling to admit it.

If ever “the heart is deceitful,” it can be in this area. People like to be “used,” to be sought after because of their gifts, to be “seen” as someone unusual. These attitudes the devil sees and is quick to take advantage of.

So when an individual begins to ask for or demand a specific gift—out of whatever motive—pure, impure, or mixed, he begins to strain in the natural to get that gift. Often he “tries,” in himself, to interpret tongues, to prophesy, and so on. The result invariably is “prophecy” out of one’s own mind or heart (Ezek. 13:2, 17), or, worse still, the enemy gives such a seeker a “prophesying demon.” For if there is ever anything that the devil hates and fights, it is the operations of the Spirit of God. More than anyone else, he realizes their significance, for he knows that he is very definitely defeated when anyone seeks to come under the control of God, or does. Therefore, he will do anything and everything to hinder, to bring discredit upon, or to wreck any operation or gift of the Spirit being manifested.

But doesn’t Paul say, “Covet earnestly the best gifts,” and, again, “Desire spiritual gifts” (I Cor. 12:31 and 14: 1)? Certainly, but these exhortations must be coupled with the teaching of Paul, that the Spirit divides the gifts “severally as He will.” These injunctions must be studied in their context.

It has already been noted that one way—perhaps the principal way—to “covet” the gifts is to be filled with the love of God. As for the command to “desire spiritual gifts,” it is addressed to the entire church at Corinth and not to any one individual in particular. Neither Stephanas nor Gaius, members of the Corinthian church, for example, was told to covet gifts for himself. Rather, the church was told to covet the gifts of the Spirit. Doing so, the Lord would grant those gifts to whom He willed—as it pleased Him.

Certainly, the Father longs to bestow His gifts upon His people, but just as an earthly father realizes that his children may not be ready for some perfectly good, legitimate gift because of lack of understanding of it or ability to use it, so our heavenly Father often has to withhold His gifts because His children are not ready for them, but would abuse them if they were given to them.

Furthermore, He knows upon whom to bestow His various gifts. Some may be given five gifts, some two, some one, for He divides the gifts severally as He will.