The Gifts of Love

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.

(1 Corinthians 12:27-28 NIV)

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

(Romans 12:6-8 NIV)

As a church we're enjoying a worship series this summer based on Jon Thompson's book, Convergence. It's about the convergence of the effects of spiritual disciplines and the empowerment of the gifts of the Holy Spirit in the life and ministry of the church. In the book, Thompson identifies three categories of spiritual gifts: Love gifts, word gifts and power gifts.

The first group of spiritual gifts, the love gifts, manifests the love of God in practical ways. When the Holy Spirit stirs up these gifts, the result is the people of God incarnating the love of Jesus Christ in other's lives.

And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.

The first love gift that Thompson identifies is the gift of guidance, or as in some translations, the gift of administration. Guidance or administration is the gift of organizing ministry in practical ways so the visionary leader(s) of the church is free to focus on their calling and ministry. The office of deacon was originally established in the church in Acts, chapter 6, to organize and oversee the distribution of food to widows so the Apostles could continue to focus on the ministry of Word and prayer.

Guidance represents a humble, second-chair kind of ministry that is willing to be and fulfilled in roles behind the scenes. Those with the spiritual gift of administration do not want to be, or even feel comfortable being the one up front. Through this gift, God's love is manifest in humble service. A person with the guidance gift enjoys organizing, streamlining, clarifying and communicating the ministries and vision established by the lead pastor or other visionary leader.

And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.

The next love gift is the gift of helping, or helps. The helping gift embodies the capacity to unselfishly meet the needs of others in practical ways. This gift is common in congregations in my experience. People with the gift of helping are the backbone of the church. They love to serve in small or big ways, and they love to see other people flourish. Helping is often expressed in hospitality, like the example of Martha opening her home to Jesus in Luke 10:38.

One might have the gift of helps if they find great joy in welcoming others. Sadly, it is a common experience for people who visit a church for the first time to see love being shared all over the room as people interact with their good friends in the congregation while having few, if any, people actually greet them and engage in conversation. A few people with the gift of helping will naturally step up, greet newcomers, help them find the nursery or rest room or coat rack and welcome them warmly to worship. Methodist churches (and Baptist and Lutheran and others) are famous for the hospitality and welcoming expressed in the church dinner, with homemade food lovingly prepared in the ever-present casserole dish.

If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. 

The third love gift identified by Thompson is the gift of giving. This gift represents the capacity and orientation to give graciously and generously from what God has given to us. Perhaps a Biblical example of the stirring up of the gift of giving occurs in Acts 4, where the members of the church share our of their resources to care for those in need, and Barnabas sells a field, bringing the money to the offering for others. The spiritual gift of giving causes us to be perpetually ready to give into what we see God doing around us.

Generosity should, of course, mark the lives of all Jesus followers. We have received the great gift of unmerited grace and redemption, along with all the temporal blessings God has lavished on us. We are all called to give of our time, talents and treasures in the tithe and beyond that in offerings. The particular expression of the spiritual gift of giving results in the giver producing deep joy when exercising it. Those with the gift of giving can give over and over without experiencing "compassion fatigue" when giving is the exercise of their gift.

...if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. 

The last love gift Thompson names is the gift of mercy. People with the gift of mercy demonstrate God's heart of compassion to those around them, showing gracious favor, especially to those in great need. In Acts 9, verse 36, we see that Tabitha (or Dorcas) was "...always doing good and helping the poor." Another quality of the mercy gift is that mercy sees someone's need, even if they don't readily see it themselves. This gift is both the heart of compassion and practical action in meeting the need. Those with the mercy gift feel the presence of Jesus when they are with the disenfranchised, the broken and the struggling.

Thompson mentions a subtle difference between helping and mercy, which are similar to each other. The gift of helps seems to be primarily expressed within the church to release leaders to fulfill their calling. The gift of mercy is primarily directed toward individuals or groups in need, sometimes within the church and often beyond the walls of the church.

A final thought about spiritual gifts in general. In Convergence, Thompson says, "God wants to use His gifts through us while He continues to work on us." That's a simple and crucial concept for us to grasp. God does not require that we be some super spiritual saint to operate in the spiritual gifts and embody His love in the world in practical ways. He knows He is using growing, flawed, still-on-the-journey-to-sanctification people to do supernatural things in others' lives as the Holy Spirit gives and directs the working of His gifts through the church. The qualification to operate in these supernatural spiritual gifts is growing dependence on and yieldedness to the Holy Spirit. Like our redemption, they are gifts of grace, not by works, so that no one may boast (Ephesians 2:9).

In the next two weeks we'll be looking at the word gifts and the power gifts. For now, let's seek the Holy Spirit's filling and gifting and serve together in humble, Christlike love.

As the Apostle Paul says, "If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.