Filled Up to Build Up - A Spiritual Gifts Podcast from CHBC

Today is our last episode! As we wrap up the series, we return to the full metaphor. First though, let’s review our key scripture passage, Ephesians 4:11, 12 & 16: “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,... when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love." Our metaphor for the church and all the gifts within the church for this series was the components of an automobile - from steering to the drivetrain to where the rubber meets the road. Let's review that metaphor again and where all the spiritual gifts fit into that metaphor.

Today, we are looking at two gifts that display God’s power like none other: Healing and Miracles. So here is our charge today, listener: If we believe God is sovereign, then we believe He is the ultimate Healer. But as Reformed Evangelicals, we also recognize that God sometimes sovereignly allows suffering, like Paul's thorn in the flesh, for our sanctification. We hold two truths: God uses suffering to conform us to Christ, AND God delights in breaking into our fallen world with miraculous healing to validate the Gospel and show His compassion.

Today, we are looking at three engine components that work together: Words of Wisdom, Words of Knowledge, and the Gift of Prophecy. Like last episode’s gifts, these gifts are not required for the church–or car power train–to work normally. However, when engaged, they provide an exceptional capability to both!

In this week’s episode, we are combining three POWER gifts today: Discernment of Spirits, the Gift of Tongues, and the Interpretation of Tongues. In our car metaphor, we are looking at the oil filter–discernment, and the one of the special systems of the car engine like ones that provide extra power or traction–the gifts of Tongues and Interpretation of Tongues. And, let's be clear, there's a lot of debate about the gift of Tongues, which is exactly why we need the filter of Discernment!

When a church opens itself up to the POWER gifts—when the engine is pulling in a lot of power—we become a target for counterfeit spiritual activity. We need a mechanism to filter out the impurities, ensuring our worship remains anchored in the truth of Christ. We also need discernment in a ton of other ways in Church life. So, let's define these 3 gifts...

Last week, we talked about the Gift of Faith—the engine’s fuel. This week, we turn to another essential component of our powertrain.

Last week, we introduced the POWER gifts—which collectively represent the power train of our church “car.” They provide the power that moves the church forward. We also stated that our posture on the POWER gifts at CHBC is one of “biblical expectation”: we want everything God has for us, governed by the peace and order of the Gospel.

We’ve talked about the LOVE Gifts (the tires) and the WORD Gifts (the steering wheel). Today we introduce the POWER Gifts—the Engine. And for many Christians, the fear is that "Power" means "unpredictable" or "unbiblical." That’s why we’re starting today not with an experience, but with a theological anchor. We want to see how these gifts fit within the Five Solas—specifically Sola Scriptura—and how the greats of our tradition, like John Calvin, actually pointed us toward the power of the Spirit.

Today we are reaching the end of the "WORD Gifts"—the steering wheel of the church. We’ve covered Leadership, Encouragement, Pastoring, Teaching, and Apostleship. And, today, we are talking about the gift that brings people into the car in the first place. We are talking about the gift of Evangelism.

Now, before everyone tunes out because they think, "I'm not Billy Graham," let’s clarify what this gift actually is. We think an "Evangelist" is only someone holding a crusade in a stadium. But biblically, the gift is much more personal. While every Christian is called to witness—just like every Christian is called to give—the gift of Evangelism is a special empowerment. People with this gift often see fruit that the rest of us struggle to see. They have a supernatural ability to help people cross the line of faith.

We are nearing the end of our WORD gifts series. If you remember our car analogy, the LOVE gifts are the tires giving us traction, and these WORD gifts are the steering wheel, providing direction and truth. Today, we’re looking at a steering wheel gift that takes the car completely off-road: The Gift of Apostleship. And, to be honest, "Apostle" is a heavy, intimidating word. Most people immediately think of the original Twelve Apostles, or Paul, or maybe a hyper-authoritative church leader on TV. Thus, we need to distinguish we're not referring to the "office" here, but the "gift".

The word itself, apostolos in Greek, literally means "a sent one." The gift of Apostleship is the God-given ability to be sent out to pioneer, establish, and oversee new ministries or church communities.

We are deep into the "Word Gifts"—the gifts that function as the steering system for the church, clarifying God's nature and purposes. We've covered Leadership, Encouragement, and Pastoring. And today we are talking about the gift that often fuels all the others. We are talking about the gift of Teaching.