Page 49 - In His Image

already received from the "gifts," the five-fold ministers! It is not a specialized
occupation limited to men with professional training. The word simply means ser-
vice. It includes every form of spiritual service. And what this verse teaches is
that every believer should be "in the ministry." When we edify the body we are
bringing glory and honor to our Lord, for the body is the Body of Christ!

Let me speak briefly about and bring some additional clarity as it relates to this
chapter's title; Spiritual Gifts the Tools of a Disciple. The word "tool," as defined
by Webster, is as follows: "a device that aids in accomplishing a task; something
used in performing an operation or necessary in the practice of a vocation or
profession." I submit to you that God's spiritual gifts are the
"devices" used to accomplish the "task" of discipleship. The "gifts" are necessary
for the successful practice of the "profession" of disciple making. As a carpenter
cannot build a house without hammer, saw and ruler (the tools of his trade), we as
disciple makers cannot raise up disciples without the gifts of wisdom, knowledge,
faith, exhortation, teaching and leadership. These are the tools of the disciple
makers trade!

Let me now begin to look at our spiritual gifts and the disciple through the filter of
the three principles previously mentioned, receiving, perceiving and using.

Principle 1: The gift must be received!
What good does a gift do me if I, for whatever reason, do not receive the gift? A
gift left on the shelf is of no value to anyone!

We need to begin our discussion of this principle with the understanding that none
of us deserve spiritual gifts! Just as salvation is given as a gift of grace without
any merit, worthiness or effort on the part of the recipient, so too are the gifts of
God. I have counseled with many believers who confess that they are not worthy of
God's gifts and as a result of their unworthiness are not actively involved in the
ministry of disciple making. We need to understand "grace." For if we don't have a
working understanding of this key spiritual truth, we will never function as God
intended. Grace, simply stated, is God's UNMERITED favor! UNMERITED is the
key word in the definition. Nothing we could ever do would warrant God's favor. No
act, regardless of how noble or beneficial, would ever qualify us for God's favor.
We cannot earn God's grace. If we could, Jesus' act of boundless love on Calvary
would have been in vain! Salvation could have been accomplished by another means -
man's good works! The perfect sin offering would not have been re-

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