The Purpose of Gifts:

A. To Glorify God: 1Peter 4:11.

God's Tool Chest: 1Cor.1:26-29. Foolish, weak, base, despised & things that are not!

B. To Establish our lives: Romans 1:11.

C. To Equip saints to edify one another: Eph. 4:12,13. We need to understand that:

i). Each has a ministry (function): finding our role is not an optional extra.

How do we find our ministry? : Romans 12: 1-8.
-Present yourself- your body & mind.
-Receive Grace& Faith: grace- the right, faith- the might.
-Receive the gift: Rom. 1:11; 2Tim. 1:6.
Four Aspects:
* Desire the gift: 1Cor.14:1.
* Seek the gift: 1Cor.14:12.
* Realize the gift: 1Cor.12:7.
* Ask the gift: 1Tim.4:14.
-Give yourself to your gift: look for an area of need.

ii). Each is Important: 1Cor. 12:17-19.; Eph. 4:16; Col. 2:19. Note the words: 'every one', every joint, every part, etc.

iii). Each is different: 1Cor. 12:27.

There are 3-levels: -'individual' Rom. 12.-
-'incorporate' 1Cor. 12.
-'ministry'Eph. 4.

There are five groups:

- Revelation
- Power
- Utterance
- Serving
- Order.

iv). Each should appreciate and accept others: ROm. 12:5; 1cor. 12:12.
Realize that without their contribution we are incomplete. We do this by-
- Esteeming others better: Phil. 2:3.
- Proferring others: Rom.12:10.
- Knowing your limit: Rom.12:3.
- Seeking to serve: Matt. 20:26-28.

D. To Meet the Needs: Here's how the needs are met by the gifts:

E. The Distribution of Gifts is the Lord's Delegation of Authority:
"A person's authority is based on his ministry and his ministry is based in turn on the 'Resurrection' (gift). If there is no resurrection there can be no ministry, and if there is no ministry, there is no autority. God has never set up as an authority anyone who is without ministry.

Authority flows from ministry. It flows into people's hearts and makes them conscious of God.

The measure of ministry determines the measure of authority. If authority exceeds ministry it becomes positional and is therefore no longer spiritual." (by Watchman Nee in 'Spiritual Authority").

1 Cor. 12:28. Paul's emphasis here is one of "Order of function"
Note: "first" (Gr. protos)= firstly in order of importance, before, at the beginning chiefly,.."
- after that (Gr.epiefa)= from root: a particle (i.e. of such ordinate importance of succession in logical enumeration.

Continued to the Gift description