…AND GAVE GIFTS UNTO MEN

CONCLUSION

As I begin to bring this study to a conclusion I wanted to mention how an attempt to categorize all the gifts of the Bible under Apostle, Prophet, Evangelist, Pastor, and Teacher is futile. I say this because some gifts mentioned in the Bible are necessary for all five ascension gifts of Ephesians 4:11 to operate. For example, the gift of faith is necessary for an evangelist to function and for an apostle to function. The apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher should all serve (Rom 12:7 NIV). Paul said he wished we had the gift of prophecy (1Co 14:24, 31). How many of us should love (1Co 12:9)? All five ascension gifts should operate with the gift of wisdom (1Co 12:8). In other words, we all need other gifts to function properly in our primary gift.

In conclusion, my point is placing the gifts into specific categories may tend to say one gift doesn’t need to function in one person while another gift does. The truth of the matter is all five ascension gifts reside in every one of us (Eph 4:7) at one level or another. If this is true, and it is, then every gift available by the Spirit resides in you and me. How can this be? It’s because we all have the Holy Spirit, and He did not come in pieces. He desires to fill us with Himself. When I function in an ascension gift, although it may not be my primary gift, I draw from all the Holy Spirit’s available gifts so the total gift can operate through me.

Ephesians 4:1 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received.

Ephesians 4:4 There is one body and one Spirit – just as you were called to one hope when you were called

We each have a unique calling. However, there is but one Spirit. When the Holy Spirit came to us, He came with all His gifts. All the Spirit’s gifts are within you if He is.

Following is a chart attempting to show what I’ve said. We will note some gifts spoken of in the Scriptures are necessary for a specific ascension gift to operate, yet all gifts reside within each one of us.

I wanted to cover this in conclusion. In the preceding list of close to forty gifts, note we expect several to operate in all the ascension gifts across the board. We also note some are more prolific in one ascension gift than in others. The important point to remember is we each have access to all the gifts because we all have the same “one Spirit,” same Lord, same God, and Father. Though I have a primary teacher gift, there are times I must summon the evangelist within me to win a soul into the kingdom. I mean, I’m very comfortable teaching. However, I’m not comfortable evangelizing, but knowing the evangelist is within me because the Holy Spirit is within me gives me assurance.

It is interesting how many gifts root in, or spring from, the ascension gift of the prophet.

Many prophetic people are of a high Eagle temperament[1] or, what some call, the Melancholy temperament. This temperament is the person who is the natural perfectionist. They are gifted and intelligent. Many musicians are of this temperament. Many high dollar occupational people are of this temperament such as lawyers, doctors, architects, accountants, and more. They are talented people in the natural dimension. It stands to reason they possess great talents in the spiritual.

So, in conclusion to this section of my conclusion, I want to make sure you know you have all the gifts of the Spirit available to you. You are comfortable doing a few, and you are not comfortable doing many. However, the gifts are within you to pull up and utilize when the appropriate time comes.

You are a gifted person full of abilities. Within you lives an apostolic ability and a prophetic ability. Living within you is the ability to reach people and help bring them into the kingdom of God by telling them of the tremendous love of God. You possess the ability to pastor people by caring for them and encouraging them. We can all teach what we now know and can learn and communicate more when we study. However, though all the gifts are within you, one of the five ascension gifts is your dominate gift. The Lord wired you this way, and He expects us to use the gift He gave us.

FINAL CONCLUSION

Ephesians 4:7-16 But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men. And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; 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.

Grow Up

Why did the Lord give those gifts and why did He give them to you and me? Scriptures tell us why. Our preceding passage from Ephesians says things like, For the perfecting of the saints, the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ, That we henceforth be no more children, and that we may grow up into him in all things. The Greek word translated perfecting means mature. Saints are to mature. Our Lord gave us gifts so we all can grow up in God. This conclusion is the final conclusion to gifts. We are to grow up.

Following is one of the most amazing verses in the Scriptures to me.

John 14:12 I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father.

Jesus said once He ascended, “ANYONE WHO HAS FAITH IN ME WILL DO WHAT I HAVE BEEN DOING.” The conclusion is there is nothing you or I cannot do concerning gifts. Jesus said, “anyone who has faith in me…” This promise was not only for the apostles sitting around Jesus when He said this. Jesus said anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. Then Jesus went on to say, and they will do even greater things! What? Can you believe this? My point is the conclusion of the gifts given to us is so we can grow up and do what Jesus did and even greater things than Jesus did.

Growing in the natural is as simple as eating and breathing.

If raised in a home with decent meals, we grow in the physical dimension. It’s the natural way of life. If a child were to stop growing at age two, it would be abnormal. Parents would try to discover why the child was not growing. They would spend money. The parents would contact specialists and specialists would run tests. We expect children to grow.

This truth should be the same in the spiritual. Growth should be normal and automatic. Abnormal would be the person who did not grow rather than the person who grows. Today we make an issue when someone grows in their gifts and calling. Our growing up in the Lord should be normal. My conclusion is we should make an issue of the person who does not grow. We need specialists and need to run tests. Discovering why people in the body of Christ do not grow up should be an emphasis. Could it be the apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher are not functioning as they should?

Conclusion: No matter who you are, you have gifts and abilities necessary for the body of Christ to become what the Lord intended the church, AKA body of Christ, be. You have gifts given you by the Lord Jesus to do what He did. The body of Christ will never be all it should be without your gifts.

My prayer is this study helped you not only discover your primary, secondary, third, fourth, and fifth gifts but encouraged you to operate in the power of the gift. When you do, the Lord will bless you. It’s a promise.