R367 God’s Gift to the Church

God has an encouraging word for you and me today through the Bible-based preaching of Dr. Don Wilton and a message on God's gift.

The encouraging word. Yes, today we have the conclusion of the message God's gift to the church. We'll head to Ephesians chapter 4, continuing that message in just a moment, but Dr. Wilton wants me to remind you, we're here for you.

Connecting keyboard to keyboard right now on our website at www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org. And though we thought it would be old news, evidently you want more information about the fresh new book from Dr. Wilton released just a month or so ago called Saturdays with Billy.

Yes, we still have copies available, even some autographed copies if you're interested. All the details are on our website at www.tewonline.org. I hope you'll drop by today. Now let's open our hearts and God's word to Ephesians 4 with Dr. Don Wilton. The encouraging word.

Let's bow our heads for a moment. I'm really sensing in the congregation today a very special presence of the Spirit of God. I've really been sensing in my heart that God is moving amongst our people. I've really been sensing in my heart that God is doing something in our lives. Just open your heart to him.

Know how much he loves you. Now, Father, as we come to this time of studying your word, help us to learn more about you. In Jesus' name, amen. Please turn with me this morning to Ephesians chapter 4. But as I have begun to study the rapture and about what is going to take place with the awfulness of the tribulation, the antichrist, the political leader, the false prophet, the religious leader, the bold judgments, as we read all about the tribulation period, as we read about what's going on in heaven with the judgment seat of God, the marriage supper of the Lamb, the glorious reappearing of Christ, the second coming and the battle of Armageddon, the absolute defeat of Satan and the antichrist and the new kingdom and the new heaven and the new earth, I began to say to myself, isn't it a wonderful thing to think that God takes care of us right now?

We need to think about these things that are going to happen, but he does so many wonderful things for us today. And one of the most wonderful things God does for us is that he gives to each one of us gifts. All over this congregation, people worshiping with us today by way of television, the Bible tells us that there is not one believer who does not have God's gifts. There are no giftless children as far as God is concerned.

We're going to ask this question many, many times as we look at this particular subject again. I want to read just a few verses, Ephesians chapter 4 and verse 11. The Bible says it was God who gave some to be apostles and some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, some to be pastors and teachers to prepare God's people for works of service so that the body of Christ may be built up.

Did you get that? That the body of Christ may be built up. I want you to turn with me back to 1 Corinthians chapter 12 again.

Look at it just briefly with me. 1 Corinthians chapter 12, listen to what the Bible says. Now about spiritual gifts, I do not want you to be ignorant. I want you to know about these things. They're very important. You know that when you were pagans, that is when you didn't know the Lord Jesus Christ, somehow or other you were influenced or led astray by mute idols and too in the direction of mute idols.

Let me pause there for a moment. And it is a wonderful thing to think that God allows us as a church to have a part to play in the character building of children. Now if we were to ask all the adults here today what is important to you about children, I think all of us would agree we would want our children to grow up with godly character, that they would be people that would please the Lord Jesus Christ. Now the Bible says that the body of Christ, the church, is God's gift and God gives giftedness to the body of Christ, to every person who loves him. And every person who loves the Lord Jesus Christ has a part to play in the building up of the body of Christ, in the character building, the growing and the maturation of the body of Christ.

All of us do. Every person here today who loves Jesus Christ, you've been given special gifts by the Lord Jesus Christ to use in the body of Christ. Now I want to say something that's a little bit strong.

Would you listen to me please? I'm going to say to you that there are many believers. There are some in this congregation in every church. You love the Lord Jesus Christ.

That's no question. But you are very selfish because you are not using your gift to build up the body of Christ. You're not using the gifts that God has given to you. For example, if you've got a gift of music, if you sing, why are you not in the choir? If you play an instrument, if you are gifted in teaching, why are you not teaching children here at First Baptist?

If you're a member of this body or wherever your church may be, Methodist, Presbyterian, where you are. If you've got a gift in finances, why are you not involved in the finances of the church? If you've got a gift of encouragement, why are you not encouraging other people? If you've got a gift of hospitality, why are you not opening up your home and being hospitable?

If you love children and young people and you think they're very important as we all do, but you've got a special bent toward them, why are you not working with our young people? If you've got a gift of prayer, an intercessory prayer, why are you not involved in the prayer ministries of the church? Now you're going to say to me, pastor, why do you keep saying the church? Because the Bible says that is where our gifts are to be used in the local body of Christ. Some of you might say to me, well, pastor, I use my gift out there.

Friend, listen to me, I hope that you do. But the Bible says this is the gathered church. Here's how it happens. We all come together as the body of Christ. That's what God has instituted. This is part of God's purpose and plan. We all come together and we exercise our giftedness. We teach, we encourage, we lift up, we build, we do everything we can within the context of our giftedness.

Guess what happens on Monday morning? On Monday morning, the gathered church becomes the scattered church and all of the body of Christ from all denominations and all churches scatter out into the workplace and into the marketplace, into the high schools and the middle schools and into elementary schools, into city hall, into government, into the hospitals and into offices everywhere and they begin to translate their character building through the body of Christ into the fabric of society. You want a strong society and a strong community, you must have a strong body of Christ.

That is God's blueprint for mankind. Now listen to what he says in 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Therefore I tell you that, verse 3, that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says Jesus be cursed and no one can say Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. Now there are different kinds of gifts but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service but the same Lord.

There are different kinds of working but the same God works all of them in all men. And look at verse 7. Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. Isn't that a wonderful thing to think about? Isn't it amazing to think that God brings all of God's children together, each one of us as individuals, all for the common good and that is that we might all play our individual part in the building up of God's people. I hope that God willing in some small way that every one of us when our children are grown can all look back and say thank you Lord Jesus for allowing us to play just a small part in the growing of our children into the kind of people they have become today.

That's how the world changes my friends. That's how the principles of God remain intact. Now what can we say about this? Let me say several things about this giftedness that God talks about. Number one, each believer's gift is unique. All of us are unique. We don't have to tell one another that but all of us are very unique and the Bible says that our giftedness is so unique that God's word goes on further and tells us next that each believer is given the exact amount of giftedness needed to do the job that God wants us to do.

Not only are we unique in our giftedness but we are given just the right amount. I happen to be one of those people who loves coffee. I enjoy coffee and my wife and I love to go to coffee shops and get a good cup of coffee. Or a coffee connoisseur, you'll know that sometimes coffee can be not quite right. Sometimes a little burnt, sometimes it's too strong, sometimes it's too weak, too sweet, too sour, whatever it might be. But every so often you get a cup of coffee and you look at each other and say it's just right. It's got just the right mix in it. Cooking is like that. We love to sit down to a meal and say this meal is just right.

It has just the right amount of ingredients. Listen, the Bible tells us not only is our giftedness unique to each one of us as individual personalities but God gives to us the exact amount needed to do what God wants us to do. And how does he work this? He brings in two facts to bear at this juncture. First of all, he provides us with his enabling grace. That's found in verse 7 of chapter 4. But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned. It is God's enabling grace.

What does that mean? It means God gives us our unique gifts to the exact amount in order to enable the body to function as a body. He knows just how much the hand needs and how much the foot needs and how much the head needs and how much the body needs and how much the eyes need and how much the tongue needs. He gives to us as the body the exact amount with his enabling grace in order to enable us by his grace to be the body of Christ that he's called us to be.

But then he juxtaposes this and he runs parallel with that. Not only he's enabling grace but he's enacting faith. What is enacting faith? Well, God gives his gifts to us by enacting faith in order to bring about what God wants to be brought about. See, God wants us to be blessed, folks. He wants you to be blessed. He wants your children to grow up right. He wants you to be happy. He wants you to be healthy. He wants your marriage to be good. And God not only gives us the enabling grace and enables the body to do what it needs to do but he gives to us his enacting faith which enables us to bring about what God's plan is for each one of us.

Now what happens? When the two of these are combined together, listen, when enabling grace and enacting faith are combined together we begin to understand that God gives both the grace and the faith to parallel things to energize whatever gift he gives to the full intent of his purpose. Listen to what the Bible says. The Bible tells us, my friends, that all things work together for the good of those that love God. He's not just talking about gifts. At least he's not just talking about circumstances. He's talking about gifts.

He's talking about everything. God brings everything. He brings the sadness of our hearts. He brings the heartbreaks and he brings the joys and he brings together a group of people, men and women and boys and girls and young people and single adults and old and young and he gives to us gifts and he says, why don't you come together in the fellowship, the koinonia, the fellowship of God's believers and out of that fellowship I want you to know that you and your lives are going to be enriched in a way that you can never understand. Well, it follows then in the third place that no gifts ought to be sought after.

Why? Because they are given by God. 1 Corinthians 12, verse 4 through 7 tells us. Now the Bible says that we must desire gifts. We need to say, Lord Jesus, I will do anything you want me to do and I sure wish that I could do this or I could teach or I could preach or I could ministrate or I could be hospitable or I could be wealthy so that I could help a lot of people.

We can do all these things. There's nothing wrong with denying it, but the Bible says, my friend, because it's a gift, you cannot demand it from God. God's the one who gives them to you. Trophies of grace, what a powerful concept. Forgive the interruption, we'll be back with the completion of today's message, God's gift to the church with Dr. Don Wilton in just a moment, but as we continue to wrap up this entire week of Bible study, we want to remind you that there are opportunities to stay connected to God's Word with resources like the Daily Encouraging Word email. It's available for free, of course, just by signing up on our website at www.tewonline.org. That's www.tewonline.org. The Daily Encouraging Word is a moment from Dr. Don sharing a bit of Scripture, some application of that Scripture to our daily life, an opportunity to launch our day in prayer. It takes just a little while, and you can receive it absolutely free if you'll sign up right now at www.tewonline.org. You sign up today, and more than likely, you'll have it tomorrow or the next day.

That's online at www.tewonline.org. Now, today's conclusion of God's gift to the church with Dr. Don Wilton. I love Christmastime, but we're very good at that. What nullifies a gift? What makes a gift not a gift? Well, some of our children get awfully close to making gifts non-gifts, don't they?

And that's okay, we understand. Husbands and wives are notorious. We usually get down to Christmastime, we say, well, honey, what do you want? And honey says, well, I want this, and honey says, well, I want that. Most husbands are very poor at getting gifts. Honey says she wants this, then she goes and gets it and wraps it for herself and puts it under the tree.

Now, I know it never happens in any of your homes, but it happens a lot, doesn't it? And we know that, and we love it, and Christmas is such a special time, and we understand that, but friend, listen to me. A gift is a gift because it is given by the giver, and it is given out of the free heart of the giver. We cannot seek after these gifts. We cannot demand them, but we can desire the gifts of God. It follows then in the fourth instance that no gift should go unused.

Why? Because they are essential elements in God's plan, that's why. Do you know that if you do not use your gift that you are cheating somebody else in the church? You know that if you have a gift of teaching and you're not teaching, you're cheating God, you're cheating yourself, and you're cheating other people.

Did you know that? You're cheating them, you're robbing our children. If you have a gift of music and you can sing, and you're sitting down there now in the congregation, friend, listen to me, you are cheating God, you're robbing this congregation. You're telling God, I don't care what gift you've given me, I'm not going to use it according to what the Bible says. You say to me, pastor, what do I need to do?

You need to come and sign up. You need to say, I'm going to be teaching, I'm going to be opening my home, I'm going to be getting involved in this. Just one thing, you don't have to do everything. If God has blessed you, use it for the purpose of God. But it follows in the fifth place that no gift should ever be exalted above any other gift. No gift should ever be exalted above any other gift.

Why? Because all gifts come from the Lord Jesus Christ according to Romans 22 and verse three. All gifts come from the Lord Jesus Christ. Some of you Sunday school teachers and department directors, you know why God is blessing you? Because you're using your gift. You can see it. Your Sunday school class is vibrant because you're just giving it to God.

That's what the Bible says. Some of you've got gifts in your work and you're using your gifts to glorify the Lord Jesus Christ. Now, it's easy for me to talk about it, Steve and I, because I've got what I call a performing gift. Performing gift means that you all look at me and you know what I'm doing because you see me. Do you know the most precious gifts in the church, my friends, are gifts that very few people even know about.

It's all the things that go on behind the scenes, all the work and all the encouragement and all the giving and all the little touches, the gift of helps, and on and on and on it goes. I had such an experience this past week. I went into the home of one of my favorite people. He's a dear little boy and I just love him and his sister Caroline very much. We sat around and Zachary's given his heart to Jesus. And he told me about it and I said to him, well, Zachary, now that Jesus is coming to your heart, can you show me anyone in this room who's going to go to heaven one day? And he said, yes, my daddy's going to go.

And I said, why? I said, because daddy gave his heart to Jesus and my mother's going to go because my mother gave her heart to Jesus and Caroline's going to go to heaven because Caroline gave her heart to Jesus. I said, and Zachary, can you see anybody else in this room that's going to go to heaven?

And he thought for what seemed like 10 minutes. And then he pointed and he said, you are. I said, boy, am I grateful for that? And I said, well, Zachary, why am I going to go to heaven? He said, because you've given your heart to Jesus. I said to him, wait a minute, Zachary, isn't it because I'm the pastor of First Baptist Church? He said, oh no. I said, well, it must be because I preach. He said, oh no. I said, well, maybe it is because I went to seminary.

He said, oh no. And we came to the conclusion, my friend, that there is no gift which can be exalted over another as far as God is concerned. We're all one in Christ and it's an absolute joy.

Listen to what the Bible says in First Peter chapter four and verse 10, as each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God. Bible says we're all like snowflakes. Men, I'm not calling you snowflakes. I'm just saying we're all like snowflakes.

This is a simile, not a metaphor. We're all like snowflakes. Have you ever looked at a snowflake? They're so beautiful and so unique, but you know that every snowflake is unique.

It's a snowflake. You think of a ball team, basketball or football, how unique all the players are, but they all play their part in making the team what it needs to be. You see, the Bible says, my friends, all of us are unique. Listen to First Corinthians chapter 12 and verse 11, one in the same spirit works all these things, distributing each one individually just as he wills. Isn't that a beautiful statement? Listen to what Romans 12 verse five says, that we are not interchangeable parts in Christ's body, but we are individually members of one another. And so there is a final point this morning.

Here it is. No Christian can replace another in God's plan. Are you being used of God? Are you allowing God to use you? The question is a very simple one, dear friend. God has no giftless children.

The question is this. What are you and I doing for the Lord Jesus Christ? Here in the body of Christ, we can deal with the community and out there forever. What are you doing in the body of Christ? That is God's mandate. What are you doing for the body of Christ, for the group of believers God has called you to minister unto? God will bless you as a result. What a challenge to take God at his word.

You've been listening to Dr. Don Wilton. You've heard him as he's been teaching from Ephesians, preaching from the pulpit, but now as he steps into the studio, would you open your heart to what he wants to say next? Are you ready to give your heart and life to the Lord Jesus Christ?

I'm so happy to hear that. Why don't you pray this prayer with me today? Dear God, I know that you love me very, very much, and I know that the Lord Jesus Christ came and died on a cross so that I might be forgiven of my sin. Today, I repent of my sin. I confess my sin to you, and I invite you to come into my heart and into my life by faith. In Jesus' name I pray. If you've prayed that prayer, let me be the first one to welcome you to the family of God.

This is wonderful. I hope that you know how much I'm going to be praying for you and how very important this is for me. Call us so that we can talk to you and connect you in the right place so you can begin this wonderful journey.

And in just a moment, I'm going to come back with a final word. If you just prayed along with Dr. Wilton moments ago to give your life to Christ or rededicate your life to Jesus, welcome to the family of God. Perhaps welcome home to the family is exactly what you need to know. We are rejoicing with you right now and would love to pray with you, pray for you, and put resources in your hands that will help you grow successfully in your walk with Jesus Christ. If you'd give us a call at 866-899-WORD, we'd love to put these resources in your hands in the next couple of days.

Again, our number is 866-899-9673. And that number is not only to connect you with great resources and let us know what God's doing in your life, but it's also a powerful resource for prayer. 1 Timothy 2, 1-2 says, Then, first of all, that petitions, prayers, intercession, and thanksgiving be made for all people, for kings and all those in authority, that we may live peacefully in quiet lives in all godliness and holiness. In the times that we live, our lives are anything but peaceful and quiet. How can we find peace? We can find it in daily prayer and Bible reading. God wants to give us his peace.

We just need to ask for it. We would be honored to pray for you. We would be honored to pray for his peace in your life. The Encouraging Word has a 24-hour live prayer line. You can call 866-899-WORD.

That's 866-899-9673 and talk to a real person who will be glad to pray with you. The Encouraging Word is a viewer and listener supported ministry. Thank you for listening today. It's been a great time of studying God's Word together, but our pastor is such an encourager.

Before we get away, he has a final word. Before we go today, what a day of worship we've had. You and I have in the middle of our hearts our beloved nation, don't we? How much I love America.

I'm so proud to be an American. You know, this broadcast is seen by so many of our armed forces across the world, and we hear from many, many of them, and we love them, we admire them, we respect them. They are our real heroes, and I want you to join with me as we are praying for them, that God would protect them and their families and loved ones. Let's do that right now, shall we, just before we go? Why don't you join with me? Lord Jesus, I'm joining with thousands of people right now and praying for our members, our brave, brave members of our community and our world who are in uniform.

Many are overseas in strange and difficult places, families left behind. Lord Jesus, bless them, keep your hand upon them in every way. In Jesus' name, amen. Our time's gone for now, but we're still connecting on our website at www.tewonline.org. 24 hours a day, that's www.tewonline.org. As a matter of fact, you can find resources and ways to worship with us over this weekend and join us either via television on Daystar or right here online. We would love to connect with you. That's online at www.tewonline.org. Take care and God bless. 1