Page 46 - In His Image

would like to look at spiritual gifts and the disciple through the filter of these
three principles. But before doing that, allow me to set a firmer foundation
regarding God's gifts to the church.

We serve a triune God, Father, Son and Holy Spirit. They are co-equal, ALL three
persons are God; there is no pecking order or sense of priority, with One being
greater than Another. A manifestation of that truth is that all three have given
gifts to the church.

Gifts are presented to the church in the following New Testament chapters:
 Ephesians 4
 1 Corinthians 12

 Romans 12

Let's now look at each of these a little closer.

Ephesians 4:11: Gifts from Jesus
"And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some
pastors and teachers,"
They are sometimes referred to as the "five-fold" ministry gifts. Let me make a
key point here. We must be careful to distinguish between gifts and talents.
Talents are "natural," skills acquired via worldly means. God on the other hand,
divinely gives gifts according to His sovereign will. Talent alone should not define a
pastor, teacher, apostle etc. The gift of God must be present, for in the gift
comes the anointing, the very manifest presence of God.

Romans 12:6-8: Gifts from the Father
"Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if
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prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our
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ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives,
with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness."
These gifts are sometimes referred to as the "motivational, foundational or body"
gifts.

1 Corinthians 12:4-11: Gifts from the Holy Spirit
"There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of min-

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