Title: The Enduring Gifts of the Holy Spirit
The enduring gifts of the Holy Spirit are the gift of service, the gift of teaching, the gift of authority, the gift of salvation, the gift of government, the gift of compassion, the gift of evangelism, the gift of wisdom, the gift of faith, and the gift of ministry.
First, it is the gift of service.
The gift of service is the supernatural ability to serve others physically or spiritually for the sake of the church, the gospel, and the glory of God.
In the Bible, there are many people who received the gift of service and served other brothers.
For example, Phoebe, Prisca, Aquila, Mary, Drubana, Percy, etc. recorded in Romans 16.
“I commend to you our sister Phoebe, who is a minister of the church in Cenchrea, that you receive him in the Lord with the proper manners of the saints, and that you help him in whatever is necessary for him, for he has been my protector with many people.” (Romans 16:1~2)
“Greetings Prisca and Aquila, my fellow workers in Christ Jesus, for they laid down their necks for my life, and to them not only me but also all the churches of the Gentiles give thanks” (Romans 16:3-4).
“Greetings Mary, who labored much for you” (Romans 16:6).
“Greetings Drubana and Drubosa, who have worked hard in the Lord. Greet Persi, who has worked much in the Lord and dearest” (Romans 16:12).
When referring to the gift of service, the Bible uses "diakonia" (Romans 12:7) and "antilempsis" (antil-).
empsis: 1 Corinthians 12:28) was used.
“diakonia” means “to work in a hurry” and “antilempsis” means “to do acts of love for the community”. So we can see that "diakonia" and "antilempsis" are not separate gifts, but the same gift.
Serving the saints is a holistic ministry. We must serve not only those who are physically weak, but also those who are weak in faith, and we must serve not only material needs, but also spiritual and spiritual needs. This should be done not only in the church, but also in the homes of those who serve, in the homes of those in need.
The work of serving must be done with time and money, with the Word, with prayer, with tears.
The gift of service is indeed a precious gift. Because through the gift of service, many souls are built up strong.
Jesus Himself spoke about service.
"Jesus called his disciples, and said to them, "You know that the rulers of the Gentiles have dominion over them, and their great men exercise authority over them, but it is not so among you. Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and you Whoever wants to be first among them must be your slave. For the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20:25-28).
The Bible says that those who have received the gift of service should “do it with the strength that God supplies” (1 Peter 4:11b). The reason is so that God may be glorified in all things through Jesus Christ.
The Bible also commands those who have received the gift of service to “do the work of service” (Romans 12:7a). Therefore, those who have received the gift of service should seek to serve with the power that God provides and serve faithfully.
There should be many people who have received the gift of service in the community of faith. The more people who have received this gift, the better. Because we use this gift to serve one another for the glory of God. If there are many people in the church who want to be served, what will the community of faith be like? However, if there are many people who serve, the community of faith will truly become a beautiful community. A person who has received the gift of service cannot serve other brothers unless he is humbled by the power of the Holy Spirit.
There are many well-spoken and eloquent preachers, there are many brilliant evangelists, and there are many people who want to be heads and number one, but what will the Church of God be if there is no one to serve?
What would that family be like if there were only people who wanted to eat and no one was making food and setting the table? The gift of service is important not only in the congregation of the saints, but also in the family, the realm of the saints' life.
“I have no need to write to you concerning the service of the saints” (2 Corinthians 9:1).
“Because you are rich in all things, and are generous in your generosity, they give thanks to God through us. This ministry not only supplements the needs of the saints, but also overflows because of the many thanksgivings given to God by men. To glorify God for your sincere faith and obedience to the gospel of Christ, as well as for your generosity in serving them and all others, as evidence through your ministry, and the exceeding grace that God has given you by interceding for you I long for you because of him, and I thank God for his indescribable gift” (2 Corinthians 9:11-15).
Second, the gift of teaching.
The gift of teaching is a special ability to correctly interpret the Word of God and to communicate its central meaning to God's people.
The importance of teaching is widely emphasized throughout the Old and New Testaments.
“And I will teach the children of Israel all the statutes which the LORD commanded Moses” (Leviticus 10:11).
“You shall keep these words that I am commanding you today in your heart, and you will teach them diligently to your children, and you will preach these words when you sit at home and when you walk on the road, when you lie down and when you get up” (Deuteronomy 6:6-7).
“Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, praising God with thanksgiving in your hearts” (Colossians 3:16)
“You command these things and teach them” (1 Timothy 4:11).
In particular, Jesus commanded his disciples to teach them all that he had said.
“Teach them to obey all that I have commanded you. Behold, I am with you always, even to the end of the world.” (Matthew 28:20)
The New Testament records that there have been teachers in the Church of God since the early church.
“In the church of Antioch there were prophets and teachers: Barnabas, and Simeon who was called Niger, and Lucius the Cyrenean, and Manaen the younger brother of Herod the tetrarch, and Saul” (Acts 13:1).
In particular, Paul and Barnabas taught the Word of God as teachers.
“When they met, they brought him to Antioch, and the two of them gathered together in the church for a year and taught a great crowd, and the disciples were first called Christians in Antioch” (Acts 11:26).
“Paul and Barnabas dwelt in Antioch, teaching and preaching the word of the Lord with many others” (Acts 15:35).
“He stayed a year and six months, teaching the word of God among them” (Acts 18:11).
“He preached the kingdom of God with boldness, and taught about the Lord Jesus Christ, and no one forbade him” (Acts 28:31).
Apollos, who was well-educated and well-versed in the Bible, also taught the word of God as a teacher.
“A Jew named Apollos, who was born in Alexandria, came to Ephesus, a man well-educated and mighty in the Scriptures” (Acts 18:24).
Priscilla and Aquila also taught the Bible.
“He began to speak boldly in the synagogue, but when Priscilla and Aquila heard it, they took him and explained the way of God in more detail” (Acts 18:26).
Paul urged Demothes to devote himself to the ministry of teaching.
“Until I come, devote yourself to reading and to exhortation and teaching” (1 Timothy 4:13)
Paul taught that one of the qualifications of a pastor is to teach well.
“Therefore, a bishop is blameless, husband to one wife, temperate, sober, humble, hospitable, good at teaching” (1 Timothy 3:2).
“A servant of the Lord ought not to quarrel, but to be gentle toward all, adept at teaching and patient” (2 Timothy 2:24).
The gift of teaching is introduced as a gift in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4, where the gift is mentioned.
This does not mean that this gift is the most important of all other gifts, but it does suggest that it is a universally important gift.
The gift of teaching can take many forms. Some who have the gift of teaching will be good at teaching children, some will be good at teaching young people, and others will be good at teaching the elderly. Some will teach an individual, some will teach a small group, and some will teach the masses. Some people are good at teaching in front of people, and others may be able to teach the word of God well through the mass media, through writing, or through music and plays. Those who have received the gift of teaching in any form should interpret and analyze the written Word of God correctly and preach the Word of God, the core truth of the gospel. it should be possible
The Bible teacher Paul exhorts the Bible teacher Timothy about the Bible like this.
“But abide in the things you have learned and have been convinced of. You know from whom you have been taught, and you have known the Scriptures since childhood, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus. useful for teaching, for reproof, for correction, and for training in righteousness, that the man of God may be perfected for every good work" (2 Timothy 3:14-17).
Therefore, teachers gifted to teach must teach God's children who are being taught with a firm conviction in the power of God's Word.
Romans 12:7 says that those who have received the gift of teaching should do the work of teaching. This means that after receiving the gift of teaching, one should not fail to use that gift, and one who asks for loyalty in teaching.