Word Count: 4828

Contact Joseph LaValley

Your God Given Purpose and Gifting Part Two

by Joseph LaValley  
1/29/2016 / Christian Living

This is part two of "Your God Given Purpose and Gifting". I encourage you to read part one, if you've not read it, because in it I laid out a number of scriptures that show us the God given purpose for our existence. Good stuff!

Certainly I know that I don't have all the answers, but God does. It is He who has given us all things that pertain to life and our relationship with Him through His revealed knowledge (1 Peter 1:2-3 KJV). As we put together the scriptural puzzle pieces regarding the subject of man's purpose, we'll see God's truth revealed. Then we can enthusiastically step it out hand in hand with our Father, and walk in the light of these great truths.

The main purpose for man and woman is to fellowship with God. Mankind lost his spiritual connection with God through the sin of Adam. God offers back that connection through the completed work of Christ to all who will believe (Romans 10:9-10 KJV). At the moment of the new birth God places His seed within us. It is a spiritual birth which gives us part of His spiritual nature (1 Peter 1:23 KJV; Ephesians 1:13 KJV). This new birth means that we can now have an intimate, intrinsic fellowship with God through His Son (Galatians 4:4-7 KJV; 1 John 1:3-4 KJV). We are now empowered supernaturally to walk hand in hand with our Father and to manifest the completeness that we have in Christ.

2 Corinthians 4:6-7 KJV
For God, who commanded the light to shine out of darkness, hath shined in our hearts, to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
But we have this treasure in earthen vessels, that the excellency of the power may be of God, and not of us.

That new birth is an unearned and God given "gift". In the Greek it's the word charisma which is a gift of grace from God to man. This gift of grace is eternal life and the empowerment to live a life of wholeness. This same Greek word, charisma, is also used to refer to a Christian's God given "gift ministry". It is a gift to the body of Christ and is given to you to minister to them. It is not a skill brought about by hard work and dedication but a gift ability that God put within you. It is also a gift of His choosing.

Romans 12:5-7 KJV
So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.
Having then gifts [charisma] differing, according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;
Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;

The grace given to each individual in verse six doesn't differ in the amount of ability but in type. As I stated before, it's God's choice as to what gift ministry He puts within you. This, in turn, correlates to where He places you in the body of Christ.

1 Corinthians 12:17-18 KJV
If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where were the smelling?
But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him.

Since our God is the God of life, His words are words of life and His Son Jesus Christ is Lord of life. Therefore, it follows that as Christians we are called to be living epistles that minister life. That's the reason for part two of this article, to show you living examples ministering in the body of Christ.

There are many types of gifts in the body of Christ. One that comes to mind is a gentleman who ministers on TV and the internet. His gifting is in exhorting the believers to continue in faith to walk out God's will for their lives. He doesn't teach the Bible line by line. He does, however, preach by the spirit of God. There have been many times when I've received a timely word which he ministered to my soul, and I've thought to myself, "That's got to be God. How did he know I needed to hear that?" It's as though the guy was talking straight to me. He's done this time and again. That's his gift in operation. He very adept at ministering in this area.

Can you and I exhort others with God's word? Of course we can. However, because this is his God given gifting he truly excels in this area.

I personally know two guys who are very patient and merciful in ministering toward some of society's most lawless ones. They are very adept at hearing God's voice to touch those who God puts before them. God brings before them biker dudes, mobsters, etc. People who normally would never "darken the door" of a church. God loves those people so he sends these two men with a gifting to minister to them. Their ministries have helped deliver and change the lives of many.

This is not to say that you and I can't hear from God and bring deliverance to all that are willing to hear and receive what God is offering. The Bible tells us that miraculous signs follow those that believe (Mark 16:17-18 KJV). Jesus Christ prophesied that after his death, resurrection and ascension that those who believed on him could and would do the works that he did.

John 14:12 KJV
Verily, verily, I say unto you, He that believeth on me, the works that I do shall he do also; and greater works than these shall he do; because I go unto my Father.

What did Jesus Christ say the requirement was for doing those works? You got it right if you said that we are to believe on him. This is not talking about gift ministries but the gift of the new birth. That means any and all Christians are given the spiritual empowerment to minister the way Christ did, when they believe on him.

That however is not what this article is about. We're talking more specifically about our individual God given giftings. God has a plan for each of our lives if we are willing to follow Him. God tells us this in the book of Ephesians.

Ephesians 2:8-10 KJV
For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God.
Not of works, lest any man should boast.
For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them.

Our salvation is an unearned gift received by faith in Jesus Christ. By the way, the word gift in verse eight is the Greek word doron not chaisma. There are different Greek words that are translated gift in the English. Each of these Greek words emphasize that which God wants emphasized in their context. Here doron refers to a present but nonetheless, we've already seen in the book of Romans that this present is also a charisma.

Notice that right after God tells us about the new birth gift He goes on to tell us that we are His workmanship. In the spirit we are individually God's handiwork. This handiwork obviously includes your gift ministry. Verse ten goes further to say that God has a plan for each life. You may be a part of the body of Christ but you have been placed there individually by God's choosing.

God doesn't list every gift ministry in the Bible, but He does tell us that we each have at least one if not more gifts. Let me mention a few here that I have seen in operation. I knew a believer who was a millionaire and was very adept at making businesses succeed. On more than one occasion, I've seen him walk by the spirit to use his wealth to minister to others. There are also those in the visual arts who have a tremendous capacity to help people see what God wants communicated. My wife has always had God given talent in art. In fact, it's part of her make up. When we first moved to Idaho she decided to try sculpting with clay. It was her first time trying that medium. She decided to make a bust of Jesus Christ with His face full of joy looking up to His Father. When she finished the project her teacher was very impressed. He told her she had talent and that she should pursue it. What I see in her talent and in that sculpture is a gift ministry whereby God's heart can be visually communicated.

People have been blessed by the sculpture because it communicates the heart of the Father-Son relationship. In paintings, sculptures, photography, music, etc. it's not merely what you see and hear but what it communicates to the heart.

I know that a number of you reading this may have seen the print of a painting where a doctor is at his desk, listening to a seated Jesus Christ, and receiving counseling from him. That picture has not only touched my heart but has, on occasion, directed my heart. God has brought that picture to my mind on a few occasions when He was leading me in making a decision regarding my health. On those occasions my decision brought deliverance. The gifting of that painter, whoever he was (forgive me for I don't know his name) has ministered to my life and I dare say to many others.

Speaking of visual arts what about Alex and Stephen Kendrick the Kendrick brothers. They are screen writers, directors and actors. Their most recent film, "War Room" has inspired many Christians to take their place as prayer warriors. When they were interviewed and asked about the success of the film they simply said they'd asked God for the plot and then continually prayed over the production. It has touched many lives and inspired people to action. What about the actors and actresses in the film? They likewise brought inspired performances to the screen that helped God's heart get put forth in this film. Those are all examples of gifting in operation.

Regarding gift ministries there is, of course, the obvious; those who teach, prophecy, evangelize, pastor and minister the written word. It's easy to see how they help people receive salvation as well as grow up into Christ. With that being said there are two listed in 1 Corinthians 12:28 KJV that I would like to touch on. I feel that they are often misunderstood and underrated in the minds of many believers. That would be the gifting of "helps" and "governments". "Governments" is the Greek word kybernesis which means directorship. It's a gift that supernaturally enables a believer to coordinate an effort, to bring God's plans to pass. I have a sister-in-law who has such a gifting. I've seen time again where she has stepped into a tough or seemingly overwhelming situation and take the oversight and the work gets done right and miraculously quick. She is a nurse in a large hospital. On more than one occasion lives have been saved because of her actions. I'd say God has her strategically placed.

The word "helps" is the Greek word antilempsis which simply means "aid". Obviously this could cover a lot of ground. In the work of the ministry many times there is much that needs to be done in the physical. Per example; someone may be putting on a conference to teach on healing. To avoid accidents and confusion people are assigned to help direct traffic and parking. You want to put people in those responsibilities who have a love for people as well as a servant's heart. But what else should be required? Let's allow God's word to speak to this question.

Acts 6:1 KJV
And in those days, when the number of the disciples was multiplied, there arose a murmuring of the Grecians against the Hebrews, because their widows were neglected in the daily ministration.

Here we see an example of a need. In the first century church Christian believers made sure that their widows were cared for physically. Seeing that it says the "daily ministration", I would say that they're speaking about food. There was a group of widows who were being neglected so things had to be sorted out and corrected. The twelve apostles didn't say find some carnal Christians to get the job done. In fact, they said just the opposite.

Acts 6:3 KJV
Wherefore, brethren, look ye out among you seven men of honest report, full of the Holy Ghost and wisdom, whom we may appoint over this business.

Those men chosen were to be men who were known among the believers because they lived the truth. They weren't novices in their walk with the Lord. They were also to be men who walked by the spirit of God. Now one could say, "Why is walking by the spirit necessary to hand out food?" Simply put, because they weren't merely handling food, they were handling the lives of people. God is concerned about every segment of every individual's life. He is looking for people who understand this and who are willing to be led by the spirit to minister to the individuals put before them.

Let's just say you're one of those handing out the food to these women. You come to one woman who is sick and God tells you to minister healing to her. You don't say, "Wait a minute God, that's not in my job description. I'm part of the "helps" union. We don't do that. Someone get my union steward." No, we are all part of the body of Christ with Christ working in us. The works that He did we can do also. Wherever we are, we are to minister on Christ's behalf. As members of the body of Christ we are to be an extension of his personage. How would he have you handle that situation?

I thank God that for years I was able to fellowship with a group of Christians who taught much about the importance of each believer's responsibility in the body of Christ. These truths have reaped wonderful benefits for me.
Years ago my wife and I volunteered to help out at a Christian camp where they were ministering the word of God to teens. Our job responsibility at that time was the third shift night patrol. Our physical responsibilities centered around safety, physical emergencies and last but not least keeping teenagers of the opposite sex from messing around in the bushes. But our first responsibility was to listen to our Lord.

One morning I had just finished my shift when a young guy and girl came up to me and complained about the treatment they had received by one of the camp staff. They were very angry and said they were leaving. This was at the beginning of the camp. Now I didn't know the complete story but one thing I did know was that God had brought them there to minister to their lives.

I asked God what to say, and the answer came very clearly to my mind. I answered them saying, "Look, if God sent you here why would you let anyone drive you away?" A light seemed to go off in their heads. The girl said she would give it "just one more day and see how it goes". Well, as the story goes they stayed the full week and the girl got prayed for and received instantaneous deliverance. Now I wasn't the one that ministered that deliverance to her, but in the position of "helps" I was able to minister a word from the Lord that put her in God's plan to receive that deliverance.

I heard a testimony about a young woman who was doing drugs to kill the pain in her life. She'd gone through some terrible things. She finally tried to commit suicide but didn't succeed. The next day her Grandma got a hold of her and told her in no uncertain terms that she was going to Church with her. The tug of war went on for a while until finally the young woman told her Grandma that she would go just to shut her up.

The man teaching that morning spoke words that seemed to be aimed to her personally. He said that there was someone present who had recently tried to commit suicide. Now you figure that surely would have been enough to get her to come forward for prayer. But not so! Her grief and her anger got her out of her seat, all right, but going in the other direction, and on her way out the door.

But do not fear, a "helps" gift ministry was there. Before she was able to leave the church an elderly gentleman, who had the responsibility of greeting people at the door of the Church, stopped her. He spoke some tender words and asked if he could pray for her. I can't remember all the details as to whether he cast a spirit out of her or his God given prayer broke the spiritual bonds that were running her off. Whatever the words spoken, she said it was spot on and at that moment, things changed in her soul. That was her turning point for her new life. Today she is ministering to others with similar problems. Praise the Lord for that man's gifting. He has a servant's heart and is equipped to minister on Christ's behalf.

Think about the Ananias who ministered to the great persecutor, Saul, who was wreaking havoc on the first century church. Saul was having Christians murdered and imprisoned (Acts 9:1-2). He was a mean, demented, religious individual. As Saul was on his way to Damascus to imprison more Christians he was met by the resurrected Christ who stopped him in his tracks. At that moment Saul got saved for obvious reasons. I do not think that there has ever been a quicker altar call resulting in salvation! Saul got knocked off his donkey, found out who was confronting him, and there you have it, a saved Saul (Acts 9:3-6 KJV).

Jesus Christ instructed him to go and wait in Damascus and there he would be told what to do. At this point he was physically blind so he was led there by his companions where he waited and prayed. Now who did Jesus Christ call on to complete this most monumental task to minister to this most dangerous man? It was "a certain disciple named Ananias" (Acts 9:10 KJV). It doesn't say a certain apostle nor a certain prophet but "a certain disciple".

What's interesting is Ananias' immediate response when the Lord called was "Behold I am here, Lord." As a particular member in the body of Christ each of us should grow in our trust of the Lord's leading because surely there is nothing insignificant to any of His instructions.

As the story goes, Ananias received his instructions from the Lord, then asked some questions of grave concern (and rightfully so) which Jesus Christ answered. Then off goes Ananias to meet Saul (Acts 9:11-17 KJV). The result was that Saul got healed, spent some time with the disciples at Damascus, and then began preaching about Christ Jesus as the Son of God (Acts 9:18-20).

As we take this farther down the road of time, we can ask the question "Why do we have the revelation of the mystery of Jew and Gentile being part of this body of Christ with every member having Christ in them?" (Ephesians 3:3-6 KJV & Colossians 1:25-28 KJV). We have it because the resurrected, ascended Christ sent an obedient disciple named Ananias who ministered to Saul, who later became the apostle Paul.

The conclusion is that every member in the body of Christ is supernaturally placed and equipped to carry out the Lord's will in ministering to others. This is the God chosen way whereby people get saved and grow in the Lord. It's how the body of Christ is set up.

Ephesians 4:15-16 KJV
But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ:
From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love.

At this point I believe two questions need to be Biblically addressed to keep giftings in the perspective that God intended. God's anointed prophets, priests and kings of the Old Testament were sent by Him to lead His people, therefore He temporarily put His spirit upon them. The only nature His people had back then was sin nature as the new birth was not yet available. One can readily see how important it was for them to listen to the man or woman of God. These God chosen men and women had a contact with God that the rest of humanity did not have. These select few were there to minister on God's behalf to fulfill His purposes.

In the time in which we live today, God's purposes are fulfilled through Christ. He fills every member in His body with God's spirit. Because Christ is the head, there is no such thing as "The man of God", as there was in the Old Testament. Now each member has the spirit of God in them, as incorruptible seed, and is led as sons by the spirit of the living God!

Jesus Christ has made a way unto the Father. The moment he died on the cross for our sins the veil in the temple that separated the Holy of Holies from all people was torn in half by God from the top down (Mark 15:37-39 KJV). This Holy of Holies was where God chose to dwell in His dealings with Israel. This tearing of the veil is God saying that there was no longer a need for a go between. There was no longer a need for a high priest or a priesthood because Jesus Christ was our high priest (Hebrews 9:11-12 KJV). Through him we can come boldly to the throne of grace (Hebrews 10:19-21 KJV).

This needs to be understood so that we do not give giftings in the body of Christ a position that God never intended. I bring this up because there is a very human tendency to give an inordinate respect to a man or woman because of the wonderful impact made by their ministries. What constitutes an inordinate respect? Quite simply, giving that person or persons a place in your heart that displaces the Lordship of Jesus Christ and/or setting their words in a greater place of honor than God's word, the Bible. For the most part this usually transpires without the participants realizing it. For our spiritual well-being we need to guard against this.

Here's the scenario; a believer has received some deliverance under a ministry. Whether it be a healing ministry, prophetic, pastoral, teaching or what have you, the supernatural influence upon the believer's life brings deliverance, victory, joy etc. This believer is tremendously thankful, rightfully so and continues to fellowship with this ministry. This is all fine and wonderful. However, where the error comes in is when that believer then allows this ministry to become the means by which his or her life is now guided.
One of the tells that this may be happening is when a believer needs guidance and the very first place he goes is to that leader or leaders in this ministry. Most ministers I have known will direct such individuals to seek the Lord's guidance, and to point them to Christ. God's will for each of us is to grow up into Him, Christ, who is the head.

A second tell is when the believer begins conducting his life as a disciple of this leader. We are not called to followers of men. We are of Christ and connected one to another through Him. Let us glory in Christ!

1 Corinthians 3:4-7,21-23 KJV
For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal?
Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man?
Therefore let no man glory in men. For all things are yours;
Whether Paul, or Apollos, or Cephas, or the world, or life, or in death, or things present, or things to come, all are yours;
And ye are Christ's and Christ is God's.

Yes, we should fellowship with a ministry that helps meet our needs. Gift ministries are gifts given by God to the church for that very purpose, and to grow us up unto Him. Who am I to reject the gifts that God says I need? That would be like slapping the hand of God and saying, "No thanks, I don't need that." However, we need to keep in mind that there is only one Lord who is the head of His body - and it's not us.

Another area where we as believers can give inordinate respect to an individual's ministry is their words. We should not build our lives upon an individual's words without checking to see if it's verified by God's word, the Bible. We are to use God's word, the scriptures as our measuring stick of what someone else teaches, preaches or shares. Paul called this a noble act.

Acts 17:11 KJV
These were more noble than those in Thessalonica, in that they received the word with all readiness of mind, and searched the scriptures daily, whether those things were so.

These Bereans had a readiness of mind to hear what Paul had to say. In other words, they didn't sit there with crossed arms and closed ears. They listened willingly and then afterward they examined the scriptures to see if what he taught was correct. There wasn't a New Testament at this point so most likely Paul was teaching from the Old Testament scriptures that proved Jesus of Nazareth was the promised Christ.

When these Bereans checked Pauls' preaching notice that Paul didn't get his ego in an uproar. He didn't respond by saying "Don't you know who I am? I'm an apostle! How dare you question me, the man of God." No indeed. The exchange between these two parties was done right on both sides.

By the way, if someone does teach something wrong according to the scriptures we shouldn't be quick to start screaming "False teachers! False Teachers!" None of us have an errorless understanding of all the scriptures. If God had to wait for any of us to have a complete understanding of the scriptures to carry out our ministries, there wouldn't be any ministries. Yes, the gift from above is perfect, but we are imperfect vessels. Do not fear though, He will continue to perfect that which is lacking in our walks as we continue with Him. We are to take His hand and walk with Him.

Unless we know that there is spiritual deception going on, we should be merciful and gracious toward others as God surely is and has been with us. Take the advice of that old saying - "Eat the fish but spit out the bones." Do not let human failures stop you from benefitting from God given gifts. We need to be thankful for those gifts that touch our lives.

Colossians 3:14-15 KJV
And above all these things put on charity [the love of God] which is the bond of perfectness.
And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to the which also ye are called body, and be ye thankful.

To sum this article up, every born again believer has a God given gift ministry or ministries. That gift is to the church, the body of Christ. It is God who has set the members in the body of Christ as He has chosen. Each believer through the new birth is supernaturally enabled to carry out that ministry (John 14:12 KJV & Ephesians 1:19-23 KJV). This is the process by which Christ helps each of us grow up unto Him.

Your spiritual gift is as unique as your DNA. You are God's handiwork. No one can be you but you. (that's profound in a stupid kind of way). I am thankful to you my brother, to you my sister for what you bring to the table. No one can take your God given place in the body of Christ. OK unique ones let's be about our Father's business. God bless you.

My name is Joseph. I became serious about walking with the Lord back in 1972. My wife and I have been married since 1975, and have two grown daughters. We presently live in Texas. Our e-book -"Come Walk With The Father" is available at amazon.com.

Article Source: http://www.faithwriters.com-CHRISTIAN WRITERS

If you died today, are you absolutely certain that you would go to heaven? You can be! Click here and TRUST JESUS NOW

Read more articles by Joseph LaValley

Like reading Christian Articles? Check out some more options. Read articles in Main Site Articles, Most Read Articles or our highly acclaimed Challenge Articles. Read Great New Release Christian Books for FREE in our Free Reads for Reviews Program. Or enter a keyword for a topic in the search box to search our articles.

Enter comments below. Due to spam, all hyperlinks posted in the comments are now immediately disabled by our system.

Please type the following word below:

Not readable? Change text.

The opinions expressed by authors do not necessarily reflect the opinion of FaithWriters.com.

Hire a Christian Writer, Christian Writer Wanted, Christian Writer Needed, Christian Content Needed, Find a Christian Editor, Hire a Christian Editor, Christian Editor, Find a Christian Writer