Whatchya lookin' at?

Have you ever failed?

Have you ever felt like you let yourself, God, and everyone who loves you, and even people who don't down?

This is quite possibly one of the most terrifying possibilities for most people to consider. Even though many of us have experienced failure, the thought of it makes us cringe in the depths of our souls. We all know that there are areas of ourselves that are weaker than others. Some much weaker. The thought of bearing public reproach is a thought few of us can face and bear with any strength.

When you find yourself at the bottom of the barrel, you wonder, "Is God disappointed in me too??" It may seem difficult to scrape yourself off the floor and look Him in the face. Let me rephrase. It may seem impossible to the point of Hurculean to think of looking Him unashamed in the eyes again. We messed up. How can we face Him as though we haven't?

In Matthew and Luke there is a story about Jesus and John the Baptist.

Jesus had been healing, teaching, and raising people from the dead. John was in prison at the time, and heard from his disciples all that Jesus was doing.

John had baptized Jesus a year or two before, and proclaimed at that time "Behold the Christ!" Theoretically, He knew who Jesus was. Yet on this occasion, he was floundering. Perhaps he was expecting something else. Perhaps he was thinking that Jesus would have overthrown the Romans by then (many were thinking this). We are not told what John thought, only what he did and asked.

John sent two of his disciples to Jesus with this question: "Are you the one who is to come, or should we expect another?" In other words, "You gonna do something or not?"

This question was publicly delivered. There was a crowd around Jesus at the time, and all of them heard the question. Can you imagine the reactions in crowd?

There's dissension between Jesus and John. Is John breaking with Jesus? Which one is the true prophet?

John was essentially calling Jesus out publicly. In doing so, he was displaying not only his own weakness, but also offering the disciples of both him and Jesus the opportunity to fall away. Hurt feelings, public confrontation; a forced split between them. The people were stunned; strung between two people who were both respected.

What were Jesus' words? "Go tell this to John: the BLIND RECEIVE SIGHT, the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed, and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, the POOR HAVE THE GOSPEL PREACHED TO THEM. Blessed is he who does not take offense at Me."

Do you recognize the words? Jesus was quoting Isaiah. It was a passage John would have known from memory. His father was a high priest, remember? He grew up memorizing Scripture. Jesus was reminding him that what was actually contained in prophecy was being fulfilled. In other words, "I am doing what I'm supposed to be doing." And then the mild rebuke.

Did the people hear it? Did they notice that Jesus had rebuked John publicly? You bet they did. Jesus had closed up one end of the argument, but the other was still left hanging. John was now in a position to be shamed. By his own doing, he had opened himself up to public reproach. He had doubted Jesus. He had doubted his own prophetic word. Jesus had proven himself worthy of being trusted, but John's reputation was left flapping in the breeze.

Does Jesus just leave it there? No.

He turned to the crowd, and there, in front of everyone, publicly esteemed John. "What did you go out in the desert to see? A reed shaken by the wind?" In other words, "What are you lookin' at?" Were you just gawkers who wanted some good gossip? Or did you go out in the desert to see a man of God? He then said,

"This is the one about whom it is written, 'BEHOLD, I SEND MY MESSENGER AHEAD OF YOU, WHO WILL PREPARE YOUR WAY BEFORE YOU.' Truly I say to you, among those born of women there has not arisen anyone greater than John the Baptist! Yet the one who is least in the kingdom of heaven is greater than he. From the days of John the Baptist until now the kingdom of heaven suffers violence, and violent men take it by force. For all the prophets and the Law prophesied until John. And if you are willing to accept it, John himself is Elijah who was to come.

Whoa. With those word, Jesus raised the esteem of John past where it had been. He is Elijah!! The greatest prophet who ever lived! The one prophesied for hundreds of years! This was him! In one moment, He covered John. He was a shield to him, challenging the accuser and proclaiming John, in his weakest moment, to be the greatest prophet who had ever lived.

This makes me sit in awed silence.

If Jesus did this then ... than I am seeing the actions of God. The heart of God. When I fall, when I fail ... even if I publicly fail Him ... God is not the accuser. And nor will He take his side. He thinks the most of me right in the moment when I have given Him the least reason to. And not only does He think this, He will publicly defend me and tell everyone else! that this is who I am.

Am I willing to hear it? Am I willing to believe it? Am I willing to accept His bold proclamations of me when I feel like I don't deserve it?

For we do not have a high priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but One who has been tempted in all things as we are, yet without sin. Therefore let us draw near with confidence to the throne of grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need.
Hebrews 4:15,16

New Normal

Today I am guest posting over at Hand of God. Take a little jaunt over there, and read!

(exerpt)

Have you ever tried to ...

• break an old habit?
• go on a diet?
• change a wrong behavior?

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I discovered about a year and a half ago that my intestines don't digest dairy very well at all. (Some people call this lactose intolerance. I don't like labels. Or excuses. So I don't say this. I say I don't eat dairy. It's a choice, not a victimization. Anyway.)

When I discovered this, several things happened ...

(read more)

Fishing

I don't know a lot about fishing.

I have fished once in my entire life, and I was 7 years old (I think) at the time. I don't remember if I caught anything. Maybe one teeny tiny fish.

So anything that I know about fishing is based on what I hear about it. There is one thing though, that I suppose anyone knows about fishing.

• You have to be quiet. Any loud noises scare the fish, and make them recede into deeper waters.

There are all sorts of types of fishing, based on what catch you're looking for, or what kind of water you're fishing in. All sorts of bait, and so forth. You could fish with a pole or you could fish with a net.

But you have to be quiet.

Oh, there are people who set off dynamite in the middle of the lake, and pick dead fish up out of the water. But no one in their right mind calls them a fishermen, and the 'real fishermen' are appalled that such a thing actually happens.

I was thinking the other day about how I interact with people. Those who are emotionally injured, spiritually wounded, or apart from God for one reason or another. I tend to handle them in a similar fashion. It's hard to describe, but it very much resembles reeling in a fish. You know the 'rest and pull' method? I hope you do, because I don't know how to describe it. (There might actually be a name for it. lol. Shows how much I know.) But this is what I do with people. It's a way of drawing them out; letting them know at their speed and in the way they will actually hear, that they are valued and loved.

I've never been bombastic. I'm not one of those people who is comfortable with the common idea of 'witnessing.' But when I was thinking of this method of interaction, and began to relate it to fishing, I realized ...

I am fishing for men.

You see, I always have felt a little down on myself because I didn't 'witness' like the guy on the streets ... even though I didn't really want to be like the guy on the streets! But I had this impression that if I wasn't really blatant with my faith that I was somehow letting God down.

The thought that scaring the fish isn't necessary to good fishing ... and in fact, no good fishermen would even think of doing this ... that every sort of fishing takes in to account the nature of the fish; that they are skittish and easily frightened ... and that you therefore work with the fish, rather than shoving in and doing it your way ... this thought has absolutely delighted me.

I'm doing a good job! :)

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How do you fish? Have you felt pressure from the 'dynamite' crowd just to blast in and do 'fast'?

Extra Goodies

So ... how many???

If you noticed, on Monday's post I didn't actually answer the question, "How many gifts do I have?" :) This is because the answer was too technical and nebulous to fit well in the post.

My mathematical brain tried to approach this from a mathematical perspective with calculations and equations and everything. (I didn't do this math on my own; I invited a few mathematicians to the party: Ric Booth, Blove, and my Dad.) I'll share.

If every person is given just one of the three gifts, there are a total of 315 possible unique combinations.

However, being that I can see people who operate in more than one gift commonly (my pastor operates in a pastor/teacher gift, as well as prophet on occasion, and probably has leadership and probably has more than one charisma gift as well) I speculated on the possibility that everyone may operate in an average of 3 gifts out of each list. This idea gives us a total of 203,175 possible unique combinations of gifts.

However, being that I also couldn't regulate each person to a set number of gifts, and allowing for the idea of possibly having all of the gifts ... the equation "all of all gifts" gives us a total of 2,011,807 possible unique combinations.

Then the idea occurred to me that we indeed may each be given all of the gifts, just in differing measures depending on the flow of the Spirit. This idea ... does not actually have a mathematical equation to it. :D

Added into the mix our natural talents and abilities ... and you have the possibility for the nth degree of uniqueness and giftedness for every human being. Ad infinitum, if you will. So. For those of you who hate being put into a 'classification' ... you're not. The possibilities are endless, and only God, who has the hairs on our heads numbered, can describe to you your part of the Body. Along with that, though, is the clear understanding that no one can take your place in the Body. You are completely unique, and no one is 'similar enough' or 'gifted enough' to do what you have been uniquely designed to do.

The question is raised then, if one person doesn't do their part, is the Body just 'without' or what? This question probes the wisdom of the mind of God and as such the real answer is possibly beyond the depths of all of us. However, I see God as a Master Designer - able to use the materials He has to work with to make something beautiful regardless of what those materials are. So ... the Body will function whether or not all of it's members do. This is not mathematical, but has to be believed by the heart.

Colors?

If we were to follow the line of thinking from before, about grace being like light, and the gifts being like the colors found within light itself we would find a beautiful picture. There are an infinite number of colors in the full spectrum of light. Each is a slight blending and variation of one or several base colors, but each is also its own unique color. So even though there are '7' colors found in the spectrum God created in the rainbow, there are also an infinite variety of colors. And so we all are. Colors around his throne, lit up by the light of His grace shining through our lives. What a beautiful thought!

Again on the thought of colors - each assembling of the Body (what we call 'church') does not have to look identical. Each assembly is a blending of the 'colors' found within it, and each has a unique purpose for that reason. Like flowers. Each one is beautiful and full of color, but they are not all the same. My church can be a pink flower with a yellow center; yours can be a blue flower with white stripes. And someone else's can be multi-colored. Some flowers are soft and subtle; some are loud and vivacious. Each one has a unique look and a unique purpose, but all are beautiful to Him.



Another visual

If you can picture a sort of chart where a person's prominent gifts are connected with a flowing line like this ...



And then imagine that each person had a 'flow' something like that ... If you picture a lot of these all overlapping, it begins to look something like sound waves:



I really like that. The Bible says that "all creation declares the glory of God. Day after day they pour forth speech; night after night they reveal knowledge." And while, with our natural ears we don't hear declarations of knowledge being poured forth as speech ... they really are doing it. There is also the study I think Angie or Danielle shared awhile back (in the comments) about every atom being held together by quarks, which are held together by sound waves. How interesting to think that all of us, fit together as every join supplies, in the functioning of the Body could be doing just that ... and more. That we could, as a Body, not only be pouring forth speech, but also that we could be making beautiful sounds, melodies, harmonies, and worship, to the Lord, just by being the Body. To me, it's a beautiful thought.

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I heard a phrase the other day: music is to sound what color is to sight. It might have been the other way around. It got me thinking though. Each area of the senses has this 'artistic beauty' side.

Sound → music
Sight → color
Taste → flavor
Smell → scent
Touch → texture

With these examples of us relating to color and music ... it makes me think. The Bible says that we are a "fragrance of Christ to God," and also a "fragrance" to those around us (2 Corinthians 2). Of God it is said, "Taste and see that the Lord is good." Touch eludes me at the moment. At any rate - I wonder if He might relate us to all these areas. To Him we are His Bride, His beautiful one. We are what colors His world, and fills it with music. We add that 'beautiful dimension' to His creation that would be sorely lacking otherwise. What a grand thought! To think that God sees us that way! (Hey wait. Does this answer my question?)

Basking in these thoughts ...

Spiritual Gifts - Distribution

How many gifts do I have??

Last week we discovered that everyone is given gifts from God of various types, which I am calling by their Greek names: charisma, diakonia, and energema. When people think of being given spiritual gifts from God, I rather think most people cap out at the idea of someone having one gift, or possibly two in a really spiritual or gifted person. I know that's the picture I had. The idea that we are each given gifts from all three categories (given the idea that the gifts appear in progression and with maturity) means that we are definitely given more than one. This might seem confusing.

As well, most people tend to think of the "5-fold ministry gifts" (what I am calling the diakonia gifts) as equating to "full-time ministry" and picture someone such as a church pastor or Billy Graham when thinking about it. Consequently the idea that everyone is given these giftings might tilt a few heads.

I hope by the end of this post to make those questions a bit clearer.

I think we'll start with the second question first.

You're not saying I'm called into full-time ministry ... right?

Right.

Picture, if you would, your local church. If your local church is smaller than about 20-30 people, you may have to think of a somewhat larger model, just for this example. Your local church probably has a pastor. Without question, he (or she) is likely operating in the diakonia gift of pastor. But, if your church is anything like mine, your pastor also probably has an assistant who handles the administration of his office. There might even be people who work around the church office handling maintenance, correspondence, or even just being another pair of ears and hands to minister to those in the flock who have a question, concern, or need. Where do all these people fit in? Do they not have a diakonia gift, simply because they're not the one leading the church? I don't think so.

Lets look at the first two lists of gifts: charisma and diakonia.

Charisma gifts	Diakonia gifts
Prophecy	Apostle
Service	Prophet
Teaching	Evangelist
Exhortation	Pastor
Giving	Teacher
Leadership
Mercy

I think the gifts work together in a 'combination' sort of way.

In other words, your pastor probably has the diakonia gift of pastor, but it's likely he also has the charisma gift of leadership. Therefore operating together, a very good fit for him (and likely what his calling is intended to utilize) is being the pastor in charge of leadership for a flock of the Body. His assistant, on the other hand, likely also has the diakonia gift of pastor, but the charisma gift of service. Those helping out in maintenance probably operate in the same two gifts (pastor and service), but each one has natural abilities that make the one more suited to the position of assistant, and the other more suited to maintenance. Those who operate as a second set of hands and ears to the lead pastor (some churches call this 'pastoral care') likely are operating in the gifts of pastor and possibly exhortation, or mercy, or teaching - whatever their gift is.

The charisma gifts also offer different methods of using the diakonia gifts, I believe. For instance, one of my best friends has the heart of an evangelist. She has a constant desire to see those outside of the faith come into the fold. However, her charisma gift is mercy. She can love on people like no one I've ever seen. We were discussing this idea, and she mentioned that from her perspective the best way of evangelizing people is to love on them. If they know they're loved, she feels that would be the strongest way of bringing them into the kingdom. She is such a perfect example in this, because we can clearly see how her gifts are absolutely necessary to the Body of Christ. Yes! Love on people! Yes! Bring them in! But does it mean that this is the only way of operating in the gift of evangelist? No. She is a mother of 6 (going on 7). She hasn't been given an office that allows her to stand before hundreds of people. And if she did, she might even think that was ineffective because it would be rather difficult to effectively love on people from a microphone. (Not that you can't show them love, but you get my meaning.) Is it possible to evangelize through service? Oh yes! We see many organizations dedicated to that idea. Is it possible to evangelize through giving? Well, certainly! There is not 'one way' of operating in a particular diakonia gift. With evangelism, for instance, people often picture a style reminiscent of Billy Graham or the person who 'goes out on the streets' to talk to complete strangers. While either of these models are entirely possible (and effective when that's what God has given you to do, and you carry the anointing to walk in it), it is not the ultimate picture of an evangelist. An evangelist is simply one who has a heart to see those outside the Body come into the Body. Any model is possible.

Are you seeing how these gifts all work together and function in harmony with each other?


What about the third list of gifts?

How about the energema gifts? Well, if you recall, these gifts are the effects of operating in service (like that lightbulb). A lot of Christians today do not see the effects, whether in themselves or other Christians around them, of the nine energema gifts. If these gifts are displayed it is usually from someone perceived as 'super-spiritual' who is in 'full-time ministry.' Yet is it consistent with Bible theology to say that only 'some' are able to display these effects in their lives? No! It is my suspicion that a lot of people are 'cut off' so-to-speak (not by God but by ignorance) from the display of the energema gifts because they have not entered into the service of the diakonia gifts. How can a lightbulb emit light if it is not at least fitted into the housing? If you have stepped out into service for the benefit of the Body (or once you do) you should expect to start seeing energema gifts displayed in your life. (These are a bit tricky to identify and define in your life sometimes so if you have stepped out in service but can't place an energema gift, take heart. We'll define them later, God willing.)

What this means, then, is not only that all are called into service (diakonia), but also that all are called into service. It is actually an immature thought to think that sitting on the sidelines and just 'receiving' from the gifts of other people in the Body is okay for a person of any maturity in Christ. Your gifts are needed. Your service is vital. God desires that you operate in your gifts ...

... for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.

Ephesians 4:12,13

An explanation and a disclaimer

For those of you who are following my Spiritual Gifts posts, I feel the need to explain a few things that may or may not be obvious.

Firstly, I realize that what I am presenting is probably new to your ears. It was to mine, and so far I have not heard of one person who has heard this line of thought before. So if it's new and perhaps a bit challenging to you, take heart. Everyone else is in the same boat you are.

Secondly, because this is new, it may be quite controversial. I'm actually okay with that. The subject of spiritual gifts pertains to the function of the Body of Christ. In the natural, we can see that there are any number of specialists in the fields of medicine, therapy, psychiatry, etc, all of which dedicate their lives to the study of one function of the human body. Therefore we can see in the natural that it is not possible for any one person to be an expert on every function of the human body. The Body of Christ, therefore, is not only at least as expansive of a topic of study as the natural human body, it is quite likely exponentially more, having another (spiritual) dimension to it. While I recognize this potential factor for controversy and argument, I am not interested in creating it or stirring it up. The study of spiritual gifts, being so huge, is one that can be seen from multiple perspectives, and have numerous points of view. It does not bother me that there are multiple viewpoints on this topic, and so it does not bother me that my perspective is new and different. I also want you to know that it is perfectly alright to disagree with me. Even strongly. I never want to come across as someone who is so interested in my own ideas that I am unwilling to allow others to see something differently. If you see something in the Word that invalidates something I share ... believe the Word. Trust the Word. At the end of the day, you only answer for you, and I only answer for me. The perspective I am sharing works for me. If it doesn't work for you ... that's okay with me. (Just be polite in your disagreement - that's the one rule.)

Thirdly, I realize I could spend considerable time delving into the various teachings that do exist, and examining foundation and so forth. However, this would take a considerable amount of my time and yours, and I think would provide grounds for more controversy. So unless someone brings up a specific question in the comments, I won't be addressing this arena.

If it helps you, I want to share something that my friend Blove found and shared with me awhile back. It's a visual, and ... I like visuals.

This is called a cuboctahedron.

Now, a cuboctahedron is interesting to many people for various reasons, but I would like to point out one area where this geometric shape can actually help us understand differing perspectives.

Here is a picture of a cuboctahedron made from simple tubes and joints:

When sharing this with me, Blove said,

What i find unique and remarkable about this structure is that when it is viewed from one external perspective ALL you can see of it's structure is equilateral triangles and only 60 degree 'connections' between each adjoining line ...


... yet, by moving your view a few degrees suddenly all you can see are right angles and 45 degree angles and everything is squares and diagonals, none of the triangles you can now see have a 60 degree angle in them.


And yet it is still exactly the self same object with two seemingly contradictory structures!

It can teach us that what we see from one view, while different to what someone else sees, is still every bit as real a 'truth' about the object as what another will see even though the two views contradict the other! The 'conflict' is in our different perspective, not in the thing we are viewing or our understanding of it.

To me, this is a perfect visual for understanding different viewpoints. Two differing perspectives can co-exist peacefully. Not everything has to be perfectly understood every time. If you're seeing the squares and I'm seeing the triangles ... that's alright with me. You're my brother, my sister in Christ. We're a family. (And what family have you ever known who agree with each other all of the time?!) I certainly don't think less of you, and I hope you won't think less of me if we have differing perspectives from time to time.

Thanks for sticking with me, folks. I appreciate the friendships of every one of you.

Spiritual Gifts - Identification

What are they? Who has them? How do they work?

So after that lengthy march of Greek words last week, you're probably wondering that all has to do with spiritual gifts specifically. :) I'll do my best to tie it all in.

Let's briefly review.

1 Corinthians 12:4-6

Now there are divisions of distinctly unique aspects of the gifts of grace given to you but the same Spirit. And there are divisions of distinctly unique parts of service rendered in the house of the Lord as one who works for Him, and the same Lord. There are divisions of distinctly unique visible effects resulting from working effectively in service, but the same God who works all things in all [persons].

Well, that was a lot shorter, right? Kinda reads like the Amplified. (Although I just read the Amplified's version, and it's not really the same.)

So many lists ... which one to pick?

Did you know that there are 3 lists of 'spiritual gifts' listed in the New Testament? I think I was vaguely aware, but ... not really. As I studied the words found in these three verses, I discovered something interesting.

Each word (gifts, ministries, effects) pertains to one of the three lists.

This is something I didn't know before! If you were to cross-reference these three Greek words (charisma, diakonia, energema), you would find them each used in a passage referencing a specific list of gifts.

Charisma
Romans 12:6
Since we have gifts (charisma) that differ according to the grace given to us ...

Diakonia
Ephesians 4:12
... for the equipping of the saints for the work of service (diakonia), to the building up of the body of Christ;

Energema
1 Corinthians 12:6
There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works (energeo) all things in all {persons}.

Pretty cool huh? (You may have a question about the third passage there - the Greek words don't match. This is because energema itself is only used twice in the Bible (and the other one is in the 1 Cor. list itself), and energeo is the next closest word. They are nearly identical. One's a noun; one's a verb.)

Because of this, I believe that each list of gifts in the New Testament pertain to a different aspect, if you will, of the gifts of the Spirit, and how they operate and function in the Body of Christ. In this series, I will reference each list by the Greek word associated with that list. The charisma gifts will be those found in Romans12:6-8, the diakonia gifts will be those referenced in Ephesians 4:11,12, and the energema gifts will be those referenced in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10.

I should say here that there are many ideas about spiritual gifts. It is not my intent to create the basis for an argument or debate on the subject, but merely present what I have found as a possible way of understanding these gifts better and a bit more clearly.

Here they are, in living color:

Charisma gifts	Diakonia gifts	Energema gifts
Prophecy	Apostle	Word of wisdom
Service	Prophet	Word of knowledge
Teaching	Evangelist	Faith
Exhortation	Pastor	Gifts of healings
Giving	Teacher	Effecting of miracles
Leadership		Prophecy
Mercy		Distinguishing of spirits
		Various kinds of tongues
		Interpretation of tongues

There they are! 21 gifts in all. (21 is my favorite number, too, folks. So that was neat for me.)

Understanding the definitions of these three categories as listed in 1 Corinthians, I believe, is very beneficial to understanding the intended purpose of each of them, as well as how they work together. I believe the order mentioned is key. The demonstration of these gifts in a person's life follows this pattern.

Charisma gifts appear to be given upon salvation. There is an idea that suggests that they are given to all regardless of salvation (IE: at birth), but I do not have proof one way or the other on that. I am sure at least that they are present upon salvation. As we learned last week, they are gifts of grace that Christ gives as a part of the fullness of Him.

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Diakonia gifts follow. The diakonia gifts could be best related (in terms of an practical example) to either parents or teachers. IE: They were children once, but they grew in knowledge and experience, and at a certain point of maturity began to pass on what they knew to those who were younger and less mature. They are also similar to that picture in the way that it is a repetitive cycle, not a static state of being. The diakonia gifts operate for the intent of growing up the next generation, who then grow into the same offices, and teach the generation following, etc. As we learned last week, these gifts are service, pure and simple. As emissaries of God, and as a service to the Body, these gifts are the function of the servants of God.

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Energema gifts are the ultimate expression of the gifts. As one grows in maturity and experience, and walks in the gifts they have been given, these 'effects' of the gifts begin to express themselves. Like the lightbulb example we talked about last week, these gifts present themselves as an output resulting from the effective exercise of service in our lives.

I believe this progression is to a certain extent verifiable just by observing yourself and Christians around you. Which group is the most represented in terms of the quantity of believers around you displaying them? Which is the least represented? If your life is like mine, the charisma gifts are the most represented, and the energema gifts the least. This, to me, lends itself to the notion that it is maturity and experience in the spirit that brings out these gifts and lets them shine.

For Whom?

One instrumental question to ask seems to be, "Who are given gifts?" This is a good question.

Romans12:6 says that "we" have gifts according to the grace given "us." Paul says this immediately after making the metaphorical connection between a human body and this Body including many members. I believe we can confidently say that these gifts (charisma) are given to all believers.

Ephesians 4 is slightly more enigmatic about the diakonia gifts. It says "some" are given this gift and "some" are given that gift (vs 11). Does this mean only a few are given these gifts? Or are the 'somes' just describing groups which are segments of a whole? If you look in the rest of the passage, you will actually see the progression (though it is not blatantly obvious) from all of us being given charisma gifts, to the function of these gifts being for the 'equipping of the saints for the work of service.' In other words, this gift has an idea included in it of a cyclical progression. Those operating in the gifts (of service) are given those gifts to equip the saints (other believers) so that they can do the work of service ... so they can equip the saints, so they can do the work of service, and so on and so on ... until "we all" come into the unity of the faith, etc. Therefore I believe it safe to say that all are given these gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:6 says that God works 'all things in all' as well as says that the manifestation of the Spirit is given to 'each one' (vs 7). Here again, you see, we are all given these gifts.

So all are given these gifts! They are not given to 'special' Christians, but to you! Whether you've been saved 10 seconds or your whole life, you are given spiritual gifts by God. Isn't that wonderful to know?

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Now you're probably asking, "I don't have all the gifts do I? How many gifts do I have?" We'll be answering that question ...

**Next week**