Copyr. 1997, Bruce N. Cameron, J.D.
INTRODUCTION: THIS WEEK WE LOOK AT WHAT THE LESSON CALLS "SUPPORT GIFTS." OUR LESSON SUGGESTS THAT "IN MOST CHURCHES, UP TO 90 PERCENT OF THE MEMBERS HAVE GIFTS THAT FALL INTO THIS CATEGORY."
I. FINDING THE SUPPORT GIFTS
A. LET'S START BY READING TWO TEXTS AND EXTRACTING FROM THEM WHAT OUR LESSON DESCRIBES AS "SUPPORT GIFTS." (MAKE TWO COLUMNS, TITLE ONE 1 PETER 4 AND THE OTHER ROMANS 12.)
B. TURN WITH ME FIRST TO 1 PETER 4:7-11. READ. PETER REFERS (v.10) TO "GIFTS" FOR THOSE WHO LOOK FORWARD TO THE SECOND COMING OF CHRIST. LETS LOOK AT THREE OF THESE:
1. v.8: LOVE EACH OTHER DEEPLY;
2. v.9: OFFER HOSPITALITY; AND,
3. v.11: SERVICE IS A SPIRITUAL GIFT.
C. NOW TURN WITH ME TO ROMANS 12:5-8. NOTICE IN THIS LIST OF GIFTS FOUR THAT SEEM TO COME WITHIN THE DEFINITION OF "HELPS."
1. v. 7 SERVING
2. v. 8 ENCOURAGING
3. v. 8 CONTRIBUTING (GIVING)
4. v. 8 SHOWING MERCY
D. "SERVING" IS ON BOTH LISTS.
E. WHAT DID WE LEARN LAST WEEK ABOUT LOVE? WHAT ROLE DOES IT PLAY IN SPIRITUAL GIFTS? (1 COR 13 -- IT IS THE FOUNDATION FOR SPIRITUAL GIFTS.)
F. AS YOU LOOK AT THESE FIVE GIFTS, DO YOU SEE THAT THEY HAVE SOMETHING IN COMMON?
1. WHAT IS THE COMMON DENOMINATOR HERE?
G. GIVE ME A LIST OF THINGS THAT YOU COULD DO THAT WOULD COME WITHIN THIS LIST OF GIFTS? (HOSPITALITY, SERVICE, ENCOURAGEMENT, GIVING AND MERCY).
H. [IF THEY HAVE NOT SUGGESTED THEM] HOW ABOUT THESE?
1. MAKING NEW FRIENDS;
2. TELLING SOMEONE YOU CARE ABOUT THEM;
3. CONTACTING MEMBERS THAT YOU DO NOT SEE AT CHURCH;
4. SPECIAL NEEDS: IF SOMEONE HAS A SPECIAL NEED, YOU PRAY FOR THEM AND TELL THEM YOU ARE PRAYING FOR THEM.
I. DID YOU LOOK AT THE CHART ON SUNDAY'S LESSON? THE TEACHER'S HELPS SUGGEST THAT THIS CHART IS THE RESULT OF YEARS OF RESEARCH. LETS LOOK AT THIS:
1. NEW FRIENDS RATIO = 1/7 (EACH NEW MEMBER SHOULD HAVE A MINIMUM OF 7 NEW FRIENDS W/I THE FIRST 6 MOS.)
2. VERBAL LOVE RATIO = 7/10 CHURCH MEMBERS SHOULD BE EXPRESSING LOVE TO THOSE AROUND THEM.
3. DAY CONTACT RATIO = 1/30 EACH CHURCH MEMBER WHO IS NOT INVOLVED IN A GROUP OR TASK SHOULD BE CONTACTED AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH BY ANOTHER MEMBER.
4. 1/30 DAY CONTACT PRAYER RATIO = EACH MEMBER SHOULD BE ASSURED THAT SOMEONE IS PRAYING FOR HIS OR HER NEEDS AT LEAST ONCE A MONTH.
a. WHAT DO YOU THINK OF THESE "RATIOS?"
b. MY CURIOUSITY IS ALWAYS HIGH WHEN I AM TOLD (AS HERE) THAT "YEARS OF RESEARCH" WENT INTO AN UNSTATED AND UNCITED STUDY ON A TOPIC THAT SEEMS VERY DIFFICULT TO SUBJECT TO "SCIENTIFIC" STUDY.
c. SO, USING YOUR NON-SCIENTIFIC "SEAT OF THE PANTS" DOES THIS INFORMATION SEEM RIGHT TO YOU?
(1) IF IT IS, WHAT ARE WE GOING TO DO ABOUT IT?
J. SHOULD THE CHURCH BE ORGANIZED SO THAT THOSE WITH THE "SUPPORT" GIFTS ARE LISTED AND ASSIGNED TO SOMEONE TO CONTACT, PRAY FOR, BE A FRIEND TO, ETC?
K. IF THESE ARE REALLY GIFTS, DO THOSE HAVING THE GIFT NEED TO BE ORGANIZED?
1. LESSON 2 SUGGESTED THAT THE HOLY SPIRIT WAS THE CEO OF THE CHURCH HERE. SO, SHOULD WE LEAVE IT TO THE HOLY SPIRIT TO ORGANIZE? (LEADERSHIP IS ALSO A SPIRITUAL GIFT. ROMANS 12:8. WE WILL STUDY THIS IN LESSON 8)
L. IF THIS WORK IS NOT ORGANIZED, WILL SOMEONE BE OVERLOOKED?
1. CONSIDER THAT SOME MEMBERS ARE SHY AND SOME ARE OUTGOING. THOSE WHO ARE SHY ARE LESS LIKELY TO TELL OTHERS ABOUT THEIR PRAYER NEEDS AND LESS LIKELY TO HAVE FRIENDS NATURALLY GRAVITATE TOWARDS THEM.
M. ROMANS 12:5 MAKES REFERENCE TO PAUL'S WELL-KNOWN ANALOGY BETWEEN MEMBERS OF THE CHURCH AND MEMBERS OF YOUR BODY.
1. ISN'T THIS A CLEAR MESSAGE THAT NOT ALL MEMBERS OF OUR CHURCH SHOULD BE INVOLVED IN THE HELPS ACTIVITIES?
2. IF SO, DOES THAT MEAN WE CAN HARDLY ORGANIZE THIS AREA OF SERVICE UNLESS PEOPLE KNOW THEIR SPIRITUAL GIFTS?
II. CONFUSION OF THE GIFTS.
A. LETS READ MATT. 25:34-41. WE AGREE THAT THIS SOUNDS LIKE INDIVIDUALS EXERCISING THE SUPPORT GIFTS?
B. WE JUST AGREED THAT SPIRITUAL GIFTS ARE LIKE THE BODY, SOME HAVE SOME GIFTS AND OTHERS DO NOT.
1. SO HOW IS IT THAT THOSE WHO DO NOT (HAVE THESE GIFTS) ARE NOT INVITED TO HEAVEN AND, WORSE, GET BURNED UP?
C. IS THERE A DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SPIRITUAL GIFTS AND CHRISTIAN CHARACTER?
1. IS THERE A "BASELINE" OF BEHAVIOR THAT EVERY CHRISTIAN SHOULD POSSESS?
D. LETS LOOK AT 1 PETER 4:7-11 AGAIN. CAN WE DRAW A LINE BETWEEN VERSES 9 AND 10 AND SAY THAT THOSE THINGS MENTIONED IN VERSES 7-9 ARE BASELINE CHRISTIAN CHARACTER (CLEAR MINDED, SELF CONTROLLED, LOVE, HOSPITALITY) AND THOSE THINGS MENTIONED IN VERSES 10-11 ARE SPIRITUAL GIFTS GIVEN TO SOME, BUT NOT ALL (SPEAKING, SERVING)?
E. DOES THE WORK OF THE HOLY SPIRIT FIRST TAKE US TO THE BASELINE CHRISTIAN TRAITS AND THEN LEAD US "HIGHER" TO SPECIFIC SPIRITUAL GIFTS? (I THINK IT IS SOMETHING LIKE THIS.)
III. ILLUSTRATIONS OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS
A. TURN WITH ME TO ACTS 15:37. READ. OUR LESSON SUGGESTS THAT BARNABAS HAD THE GIFT OF ENCOURAGEMENT (HIS NAME MEANT "SON OF ENCOURAGEMENT" (ACTS 4:36))
1. WHAT IS BARNABAS DOING HERE THAT SHOWS HIS GIFT?
2. IS HE ENCOURAGING PAUL? (PROBABLY NOT. BUT PAUL IS NOT THE ONE WHO SEEMS TO NEED ENCOURAGEMENT HERE.)
B. WHAT KIND OF PERSON HAS THE GIFT OF ENCOURAGEMENT? (THIS WOULD BE SOMEONE WHO PAYS ATTENTION TO OTHERS. SOMETIMES I KICK MYSELF BECAUSE I'M SO WRAPPED UP IN MY THOUGHTS THAT I COMPLETELY FORGET THE PROBLEMS THAT OTHERS ARE EXPERIENCING.)
C. TURN WITH ME TO LUKE 6:38. READ. THIS IS AN ILLUSTRATION OF THE GIFT OF GIVING.
1. WHAT DOES THIS TELL US ABOUT THE ATTITUDE OF THOSE WHO HAVE THIS GIFT? (THAT THEY ARE LIBERAL GIVERS: PRESSED DOWN, ETC.)
2. WHAT DOES IT TELL US ABOUT GOD'S ATTITUDE TOWARDS THOSE WHO HAVE THIS GIFT? (HE HAS THE SAME ATTITUDE TOWARDS THEM.)
a. ARE WE TALKING ABOUT MONEY HERE? (NOT JUST MONEY.)
b. IF WE ARE LIBERAL TO GOD WITH OUR MONEY, WILL HE GIVE US MORE MONEY? (COULD BE. BUT IT COULD BE THAT HE IS GIVING US SOMETHING MORE IMPORTANT THAN MONEY.)
D. LETS GO BACK AND VISIT THE TEXT WITH WHICH WE STARTED OUT: 1 PETER 4:9. OUR LESSON SAYS THAT HOSPITALITY MAY BE ONE OF THE "MOST PIVOTAL" GIFTS.
1. WE TALKED ABOUT THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN BASELINE CHRISTIAN CHARACTER AND GIFTS. IS HOSPITALITY BASELINE CHRISTIAN CHARACTER OR IT IS A GIFT?
2. CAN WE POSSIBLY TALK ABOUT A "GIFT" AND THEN SAY "PERFORM IT WITHOUT GRUMBLING?" (v.9) (I SAY NO. I THINK THIS IS BASELINE CHRISTIAN CHARACTER.)
3. WHAT, AS A PRACTICAL MATTER, DO YOU SEE AS THE GIFT OF HOSPITALITY?
E. HOW CAN WE IMPROVE THE USE OF THESE SUPPORT GIFTS IN OUR CHURCH?
IV. NEXT WEEK: TEACHING GIFTS.. STUDY!