Sermon
Using Our Gifts in His Family
Romans 12:3-8
June 5, 2005
Pastor Donald Sheley

I'm going to ask you to take your Bibles. If you're going to use the pew Bible it's page 600 in your pew Bible. If you're going to use your personal Bible it's Romans chapter 12.

During the summer months we have selected the theme, 'Behaving Like a Christian', and our hearts have been inspired from this tremendous twelfth chapter of Romans. You'll notice as we journey along Sunday after Sunday it's filled with so many practical words of admonition as to how we live out our Christian faith, not only in our families, but in our world and in our church. We are interested in practical Christianity. We want the world to know that we love Christ and that His life and His love is being relived in our living, and so for the next number of weeks we will take these various verses from Romans 12.

Today we're going to talk about the church because as Paul moves into verse 4 he now starts talking about how we as Christians behave ourselves in the body of Christ. What is our responsibility to the church? We begin with chapter 12 verse 1: "I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.

For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.

Pastor Leighton read for us a portion of Scripture from the book of 1 Corinthians, and if you'd like to turn there it's page 607 in your Bible, and we have it also printed in our notes for us because Paul takes this whole concept of the church as the body of Christ and he shows what a beautiful comparison between the function of the human body and the function of the body of Christ, the church.

Beginning at verse 12: "For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body--whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free--and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. For in fact the body is not one member but many.

If the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body? And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I am not of the body," is it therefore not of the body? If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling? But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased. And if they were all one member, where would the body be?

But now indeed there are many members, yet one body. And the eye cannot say to the hand, "I have no need of you"; nor again the head to the feet, "I have no need of you." No, much rather, those members of the body which seem to be weaker are necessary. And those members of the body which we think to be less honorable, on these we bestow greater honor; and our unpresentable parts have greater modesty, but our presentable parts have no need. But God composed the body, having given greater honor to that part which lacks it, that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another. And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.

Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually. And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles? Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way."

And then Paul commences to talk about the subject of love. In our notes I begin our commentary by suggesting that Paul commenced chapter 12 in Romans with the urgent request that we present ourselves as a living sacrifice to God, holy and acceptable to Him. It's my prayer as pastor of this church that everyone who sits here and worships with us, that you have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, that you've turned your life over to Him, that you've turned from your waywardness and your sin, and that you've made that determination to follow Jesus Christ as the head of your life and as your Lord and Master. That's our prayer. That's the reason why we're here, and I trust that all of you have made that decision for Jesus.

For here is where our Christian faith begins...in a commitment to Jesus Christ as our Savior and Lord. We are to turn from the worldly things and let the Word of God transform our minds so that we think like and we live like Jesus Christ.

In these opening sermons that we've had on Romans 12, we've noticed as we've gone through the Scriptures that over and over again we are challenged to a life of holiness and godliness and righteousness. And thus, when we become a Christian, it should be our desire and our prayer that the life of Christ living through us will change our value system, our lifestyles, that will bring honor to God through the way we live.

When we turn our lives over to the Lordship of Christ, we become a part of God's eternal family, His Church, also called His Body. By His Spirit, we are baptized into one Body, that is the Church. And now as members of His Body, each of us has a function to fulfill in order that His Body will function with spiritual health and strength in its mission in the world.

Once you have become identified as a follower of Jesus Christ and you've made Him the Lord of your life, something very wonderful has happened. You've become a part of a great eternal family; the family of God. And as our text makes it very, very clear that now that we are a part of the family we have responsibilities within the family of believers. And we find that as such our responsibilities vary and our gifts are different, but we all should be a part working as a functioning part of the body of Christ.

Pastor Leighton in his comments this morning before communion made the statement that he never liked sitting on the sidelines, he always felt that when he was on the sideline he was a leftover, he was less than number one on the team. But he assured us that God makes no leftovers. We are all part of the team. We're all a part of the body of Christ.

Some years ago I went away for a time of prayer and it was up in the Ukiah area and out in the pear orchards, and it was time now for the harvest. And as I would walk up and down the lanes between those pear trees, I noticed on one day the farmer arrives and he's got a big truckload of boxes. He stacks them there. The next day he arrives and he's got a big truckload of buckets, and then the next day he's got a truckload of ladders, and on Monday then all the workers arrive. They pick up their pale, they pick up their ladder and pick up their box, and to the harvest they went.

But I noticed something missing. There were no bleachers for observers to watch the rest of the harvesters. Everybody was involved. Everybody was a part of the harvest, and I fear, ladies and gentlemen, that too frequently the church becomes a set of bleachers where people who come and they want to blend their voice in song, enjoy for an hour the fellowship of the church, and leave and that's the end for the week. The church just becomes a place where we observe and where we become a spectator. But that's not the body of Christ.

My prayer is that this is not a set of bleachers. You folks who sit here Sunday after Sunday will sense that you are a part of a great harvest and that we are a part of the eternal family, and God has placed us here and as we function together and fulfill our role this church can become mightily effective within our community as all of us work together.

Now, I'm at the top of page 3 in our notes. For Paul the metaphor, THE BODY OF CHRIST, expressed more graphically than anything else the essential unity between Christ and His Church, and also between the members of His body. THE BODY OF CHRIST is a particularly apt phrase in the New Testament. Sometimes it refers to the body of Christ as it was there on the cross, wherein He paid the penalty for our sins.

At other times the term is used at the communion service, we say that we partake of the body of Christ, and thus, in symbol form we take the bread and we take the wine, which represents His broken body and His shed blood. And so we often refer to the communion service as the sharing in the BODY OF CHRIST.

But more frequently throughout the Scriptures, it refers to the body of believers whose unity has been made possible through that cross and is beautifully expressed in that fellowship meal.

So when Paul writes about the BODY OF CHRIST, he clearly had in mind something more than the sum of believers in one place. Had this been his intention he would probably have referred to the body as just simply Christians, but in fact he specifically writes about the BODY OF CHRIST, and as such, it seems clear that he is speaking of an organic unity, in which Christians not only belong to Christ and to one another within His body, they also abide in Him and find their life in Him.

Without Christ, and for that matter without His body, there is no true salvation. The Church is the BODY OF CHRIST, and Christians are inescapably and organically members of it. And thus, as part of the body of Christ, Paul opens the thought of we as members functioning within the body of Christ. Now when we go through the text, as he says: I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies... Here's that moment where a decision is made to receive Jesus Christ into our heart and life.

Paul says when we do so there is an eternal goal in mind, there is something that we want to do and that is to present ourselves so that God can use us, wherever we are, as one who brings honor and glory to His name. We present our bodies as a living sacrifice, daily, finding those areas where Christ can live His life through us.

And then in verse 2 Paul goes on to say, Don't let the world pour you into its mold. That is be not conform to this world. We talked about that a couple of weeks ago; that is that the world has its systems of value, it has its lifestyle, and we as Christians are to be different. The Bible says, come out from amongst them, and be different, says the Lord; be separate. And thus, as Christians we do not allow the world to form our values and to set our goals. We say now that we're Christians we want what we do to bring honor to Christ.

And then Paul goes on, not only...don't allow the world to pour you into its mold, don't allow it to conform you, but he said then have a transformation of the mind. In other words, while when we were sinners we thought as sinners; we lived selfishly; we lived for that which was to our benefit here as a sinner, but now that we're Christians and we start reading the word of God all of a sudden our thinking processes are challenged and we start thinking differently.

And I used as an illustration, Paul writes, and I think it's in the Galatian passage, he says that when we were sinners our goal for work was to accommodate things for ourselves, but he says when we become Christians our purpose for working totally changes. As a sinner our goal is to find resources so we can accumulate and build a financial strength, and we think in those terms. How can I gain from this?

But Paul said something very interesting. He says now that we're Christians we labor with our hands so that we might have something to give to somebody else who has need. Now the whole motive changes, and as Christians our goal should be that as God provides for us, our resources, and the blessings of life, that our goal should be - Now God help me to find areas where I can use this for Your glory.

As a sinner we want to build a dam and a reservoir and hoard all we can, and then Jesus comes along and says, Lay not up for yourselves treasures here on earth where moth and rust doth corrupt, but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven. Boy that changes. Thus, as Christians, now the mindset begins to change - Let your minds be transformed - and we begin to think like Jesus and begin to act like Jesus.

Now he comes to verse 3 and he puts in a little warning. He said, do not overestimate yourself. He said, do not think too highly of yourself, but think of yourself in terms of who you are in the sight of God and what He has blessed you with. You don't have a high evaluation. You say, I am what God made me. He made me in His image. He will use me for His glory, and I'm going to do my best to serve Him. And Paul says as Christians you don't gloat about, you don't overestimate yourself, you don't brag about yourself. You fit within the body of Christ realizing then that what the Scriptures have said that God according to His pleasure, He's put us here.

Others may have more gifts than us. It doesn't make any difference. I estimate myself and I say, God, these are the areas that You've blessed me with, and for Your glory I'm going to use them. So Paul says don't overestimate yourself, but think of yourself in terms of your spiritual value to Christ.

Now he comes to verse 4, and he starts talking about now that I'm a Christian, now that Christ lives within my heart, now that I'm in the body of Christ, how am I to behave myself? What am I to do?

Well, he starts talking about the various gifts. He doesn't list them all because you'll notice that if we went to the Book of Corinthians there is a great list of gifts, but Paul's going to start with telling us about some of the gifts and how they're used in the body of Christ. So go with me to page 6 in your notes. If you'll do that please.

You'll notice in his writings he says, for as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we beginning many, are one body in Christ and individually members of one another, and having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us. There he is saying there is a wide variety of gifts, talents, human abilities that exist within the body of Christ. But he says we are to use them according to the grace that God gives to us, then he starts listing them; here they are.

First of all prophecy. He says if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith. Now down at the bottom of page 6, I make some comments with regards to prophecy. It is only rarely that prophecy in the New Testament has to do with foretelling the future; it usually has to do with forth-telling the Word of God. And thus, the reference here is the prophet is the man who can announce the Christian message with authority.

So Paul starts in his gift list with regards to what takes place with a man who proclaims the Word of God, and he brings me now into this list. You'll notice that in his comments concerning prophecy he says that a translation of IN PROPORTION TO HIS FAITH would be 'in agreement to the faith'; in other words, the message that the prophet communicates must be true to the tenets of our Christian faith. Anyone who is called to teach must be rigidly disciplined so as not to go beyond what God has actually revealed in Scripture. So Paul is laying down the guidelines as to how I am to behave as one who communicates the Word of God, and that is what I say must be very, very clear in terms of being exactly what this wonderful book teaches.

I must be terribly fearful of preaching my own opinions or coming up with ideas that do not in any way relate to the Scripture, and thus Paul says, you who communicate the Word of God, it could either be in teaching or in preaching, but you who communicate the Word of God don't go beyond with the Word of God says.

You'll notice, folks, that in all of our lessons if you went home and underlined everything that was Scripture you would notice that about 50%, or even more, of all of our lessons are simply Scripture verses, because I have this deep conviction that the Bible does a much better job of interpreting itself than I do. And thus, if we go to the Scripture we'll follow that theme throughout the Scripture, it doesn't take very long that the truth of Scripture becomes very clear and the Bible is explaining itself.

And so Paul is saying if you're going to prophesy, if you're going to communicate the Word of God with authority, then make sure that what you say is in total harmony with the Scriptures. That's my responsibility.

Now he goes on. He says if in ministry, let us use it to our ministry. And in our notes, of course, I make the observation he is talking about the gift of practical service. Let him give himself to serving, Paul says. It is surely significant that practical service came to Paul's mind so high on the list. It may be that a man will never have the privilege of standing forth in public and proclaiming Christ, but there is no man who cannot every day show the love of Christ in deeds of service to his fellow man.

So Paul is telling us how we are to behave ourselves within this family. As your minister, I am to make sure that the proclamation of the Word of God is the Word of God. And then immediately Paul throws the great big net and says now I'm going to talk to all of you. We're going to talk about the gift of service; serving one another.

Notice what Paul writes to the Corinthians: "I urge you, brethren--you know the household of Stephanas, that it is the firstfruits of Achaia, and that they have devoted themselves to the ministry of the saints." I like the King James better because the old King James says they addicted themselves to serving one another. I like that word, especially in that context, not in other context but in this one.

In other words, they looked for, they anticipated, they wanted, they had a joy in finding areas where they could serve one another. They were addicted to doing good.

Notice what he says here in Galatians: "Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all, especially to those who are of the household of faith." And in Galatians he writes: "Carry each other's burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ." And Jesus said, "If anyone gives even a cup of cold water to one of these little ones because he is My disciple, I tell you the truth, he will certainly not lose his reward." So Paul is talking about a very practical thing within our body of believers, within the body of believers of Christ. He is saying, we can all serve. We can find some area, something that adds joy and becomes a blessing to someone else, finding where we can live out the kindness and the love of Christ; serving one another, and in so doing, we fulfill the law of Christ.

But you know here's the problem we have to deal with, we live in a world that teaches us that it's me, it's mine, and I how I progress and what affects me, and what do I get out of it. It's a very me centered world. And as a result, if I carry those thought patterns into the church I'm going to...it's going to me and if the church blesses me, if it doesn't, I mean it's me centered. And as a result, I will never have a vision to look beyond myself and see that there are so many opportunities to be kind, to be loving, to be serving, to be gracious. And as Christians the mindset has got to change.

We come to the body of Christ, wherever we are, in our world, finding where might I express some kindness that reveals Jesus Christ's life being lived through me. So Paul says within church, within the body of Christ, if I'm going to behave like a Christian I'm going to have a heart of service; I'm going to be a servant, and I'm going to do whatever I can do for His glory.

He talks about teaching. That we have this gift and I make an observation that one of the pastors who served in our peninsula area many years ago, Brother Ray Steadman, he came up with a percentage and said that one third of all Christians have the gift of teaching. I don't know where he got his percentage, but his basic thesis was that if we have learned of things of Christ and the Scriptures have become familiar to our hearts, many of them, then we have a responsibility of sharing that with others; of finding some area where we might teach others what we have learned about Christ ourselves from the Scriptures.

Notice what he says, "he who exhorts, in exhortation." The thought here is he who encourages. Encouragement has become a rather weak word for us, usually meaning little more than giving someone a slap on the back and saying, "A good job" or "Well done." But when we go to the Bible, and we see how it is used in its original text, it really is to beseech, to comfort, desire, to pray, to entreat, to console.

It is the same word used for the Holy Spirit and His ministry in John 14-16. The New International Version translates it as a Counselor, and the Greek word means "one who is called alongside another to help out." Thus a person who has the gift of getting alongside of another person to help him or her should be sensitive about the needs of hurting people and help them as much as possible.

You know there are just some people that God has gifted that other people feel comfortable with, and when they sense something needs to be said or they need a helping hand or just some kind words, God has gifted a number of our people to just kind of slip in beside them and have a listening ear and open their hearts. And as a result, find the opportunity to encourage them and build them up.

You'll notice that Barnabas was called the Son of Consolation. He was one to encourage. Old John Mark had been rejected by Paul because he had left on their first missionary journey and it was old Barnabas, the Son of Consolation, who went and found John, lifted him up, and got him back into fulltime service. It's a marvelous, marvelous ministry of encouraging one another.

It was late Friday evening and Vernita and I were sitting in the office wrapping up the things for the day, and a gentleman came in the office; a gentleman we had known 25 years ago, a gentleman that had great, great potential and great possibilities. But life has been difficult for him, in fact, he walked away from God. And all that's valuable seems now to have slipped behind...nearly 40 years of age, opportunities, his family is gone, and as he sat there for him life didn't have much future. Tears began to fall down his cheeks and I listened as he poured out his heart to us.

Finally, I said, sir, there's nothing much we can do about the past - very little we can change - but there's an awful lot we can do about the future. Let's ask God to bring us to closure of some of those things that in the past haunt us, and then what we'll do, let's find some goals that we can reach in the next few months and in the next couple of years. Let's consider how we can move towards those goals, and I want you to know, sir, that if there's anything we can do as a church...I'm there if you need employment in order to get through your college, whatever it is, let's set the goal and I'll walk side by side and we'll make it to that goal. We'll look back in two years and I think life will be totally different.

I saw a face when he walked in dejected and hurt, all of a sudden he could see there was a possibility for a future and there possibly was something great in the future for him in God. We prayed and he walked out, and I went to another office and I thought to myself our world is full of hurting people who just need somebody to sit and listen; somebody to encourage them, somebody to take time with them.

Now here's what Paul is saying, if we are going to behave like a Christian in the body of Christ, we are going to be people who are not going to be me-centered, we are going to want to serve, we're going to find those opportunities to share what we've learned about Christ with others. And when somebody's hurting, if it takes my time, if it takes my dollar, whatever it takes, I'm going to come alongside that person and help them.

Now he comes to an interesting one. Look at what he says the next gift that becomes operative within the body of Christ. He says, "He who gives, with liberality." It's interesting that Paul gets this whole matter of giving right in the first part of the list. You know he writes to the Corinthians and he says: "But this I say; He who sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and he who sows bountifully will also reap bountifully."

What's Paul saying? Now that I'm a part of the family, now that I'm sharing my life and my love, there's another thing that's a very practical matter and that is in this whole matter of giving. He tells us that if I give sparingly my harvest will be very minimal, but if I reap bountifully my harvest will be great. So he's talking about my participation in the body of Christ and my giving to the work of Christ.

You know one of the great regrets or one of the great problems that I have in this matter is because oft times when a preacher brings up the subject the people think all he wants are more offerings. Not so. I've been here for 46 years and God has provided everything we've ever needed. I don't talk to you about giving because of our situation as a church, what I want to tell you is I really feel sorry for Christians who never learn that their Christian faith is tied to their wallet.

You say, what do you mean Pastor? I'm saying if our Christianity doesn't affect our resources and what we have, it hasn't gotten very deep, because we live for what we hold and what to us in this world is important. And if I sparingly, selfishly retain this, these things, and neglect to give to the work of God, I'm denying myself some marvelous blessings. God says that if we give He will open up the windows of heaven upon us and so shower forth His blessings that there won't be room enough to contain the blessings.

That is a promise, and God said if you don't believe Me, try it. Just prove Me. And I have learned something in 50 years of ministry - that my spirituality is reflected by the way I handle my wallet.

You say, Pastor, you're really getting down close. But I have found that to be true. If you become selfish and stingy with what God provides for you, the Bible is very clear, He keeps the windows of heaven closed. And after all these years of pastoring I can honestly say this from the bottom of my heart: it's the people who have learned that in giving they share the ministry of the church in the body of Christ. Those are the people who grow spiritually. It's amazing...it's amazing to me, and those who say I'm not going to do it, they don't go very far spiritually.

So Paul adds this gift that makes the church a functioning body, a church that is making its mission in the world for Christ. He is saying, when you give, give liberally. Boy it gets quiet, doesn't it?

When you preach, preach the Word of God; when you serve, pour out your life; when you teach, share what Christ has done for you; when you encourage, take whatever time, whatever it takes of you, to lift that other person; and when you give, give liberally. And the Bible says He will return it. You sow bountifully, you'll reap a glorious harvest.

Now get the picture: if this is all working together the preacher's preaching the anointed Word of God and people are serving and reaching out in love and they're sharing what they've learned from Christ with others and they're encouraging one another and we are giving so that we can bless other people, now you've got a dynamic body functioning and fulfilling its mission in the world. And he says when you show mercy do it with an awful lot of cheerfulness.

Here are very practical instructions as to how do we behave ourselves; how do we act as Christians? And I pray that you'll not just be a spectator, you'll be a part of the functioning ministry of the church by using whatever giftedness God is giving you, and that makes the church strong and we'll accomplish our divinely assigned work here in this community if we'll all work together. Amen?

Father, Your word is so clear. You've told us how we are to conduct ourselves. You've told me how I'm to conduct myself as a pastor. And dear God, you know my heart. I want very much that what is said in this pulpit to be totally what You would say, and what You do say from Your word. And I pray that we as a congregation will be known as people who genuinely care, and who love, and who reach out, and encourage, and help, and give of our substance so we can bless our world. Please help us dear God, in Jesus' name, amen. God bless you.