Gifting

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G i f t i n g

The New Testament teaches that God has empowered us by His Spirit with supernatural gifts in order to fulfill our calling and destiny in Him. As a New Testament gathering we encourage each believer is to be involved in body life ministry through their use their gifts for the edification of one another. Here each believer is important and needful for the Body to be a healthy organism (1 Cor. 12:20-27). Each believer is gifted and should use his/her gifts ("... a psalm, has a teaching, has a tongue, has a revelation...").

Everyone who believes on the Lord Jesus Christ has the Holy Spirit living in them (Rom. 8:11). The Spirit gifts (lit. graces) each and every believer for service (Rom. 12:4-6a; 1 Cor. 12:4-11). The Scriptures mention several different gifts of the Holy Spirit. Some examples are:

Prophecy, ministry, teaching, exhortation, leading, mercy (Rom. 12:6-8).
Preaching the gospel (apostles/missionaries/church-planters), prophecy, teaching, miracles, healing, helps, service, tongues (1 Cor. 12:28).
Apostleship, prophecy, evangelism, overseeing/teaching (Eph. 4:12)
Speaking (prophecy and preaching), ministry (1 Pet. 4:11).

As an apostolic people we recognize leadership gifts (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher) as functional distinctions and not an "office" to be lorded over the people. Paul is the typical apostle that ought to be emulated, in that he was a servant, and not one who was served. He equipped others for the ministry and nurtured and pastored and released others to the work of the ministry.

Being an apostolic people simply means we recognize that it is the Spirit of God who imparts gifts and graces so that the will of the Father might be fulfilled and Christ's Kingdom extended in the earth. Every person within the church can be apostolic if the Spirit of God births a ministry in them and they by the power of God released in them establish and nurture that ministry.

There are undoubtedly many other gifts that the Spirit graces believers with (1 Cor. 12:4). The above citations should not be viewed as exhaustive. The thing to remember is that all believers have either a gift or several gifts ("each of you," v. 26).

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