Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Adult Sunday School Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/bb/bb20080316.htm

THRU THE BIBLE EXPOSITION
Romans: Charter Of Salvation Grace
Part VI: The Practical Application Of God's Spiritual Provisions To Living
B. Applying God's Spiritual Provisions To Our Role In The Church
(Romans 12:3-8)
  1. Introduction
    1. Much confusion and hence unrest exists in today's churches as to what the ministry roles of believers should be. People have varying ideas of what "ought" to be the tasks or achievements of one in a given ministry, and, often when someone fails to attain them, he either flees the ministry or oppresses his critics.
    2. In contrast, the Apostle Paul revealed that God's grace toward the believer directs him into the ROLE he is to take in ministry in HUMBLE CONTRAST to such troubling carnality (as follows):
  2. Applying God's Spiritual Provisions To Our Role In The Church, Romans 12:3-8.
    1. Paul's Epistle to the Romans was penned to both Jewish and Gentile believers in Rome (Bible Know. Com., N. T., p. 435), and, as such, it addressed a tension for preeminence between these groups: Jewish believers knew God had chosen Israel for blessing, and considered themselves favored while Romans saw themselves as elite members of the powerful capital of the Roman Empire, and important before the Lord.
    2. Accordingly, Romans 1:18-11:36 extensively exposed the unmerited favor of God toward ALL believers, be they Jewish or Gentile Romans (cf. especially Romans 11:30-32).
    3. That being so, Paul applied the truth of God's unmerited favor, His grace, toward all believers, showing how every believer, be he Jewish or Roman, was obliged to give his earthly life back to God as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, achieving the perfect will of God, Romans 12:1-2.
    4. In extending that application to one's ministry in the local church, regardless if he be Jewish or Roman, Paul directed believers to have a REALISTICALLY HUMBLE view of their service, Romans 12:3-8:
      1. Because of the grace God had exhibited toward himself, Paul wrote that every believer in Rome was not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think realistically, Rom. 12:3a ESV.
      2. Namely, every believer was to realize he has been assigned a certain measure of faith by God by which he is to serve Him in a special focus of ministry to edify the rest of the local body, Romans 12:3b.
      3. To illustrate, Paul explained that the Church, like a human body, has many parts, but every part belongs to the whole body in Christ, and that each part has a special role toward the good of the whole, 12:4-5.
      4. Thus, each individual believer is obliged by God's grace to use his unique, God-assigned spiritual gift in humility in the local church in order to edify fellow believers, Romans 12:6a with 1 Peter 4:10.
      5. Paul then named some of the gifts, and provided admonitions for ministry in each case, Rom. 12:6b-8:
        1. If one was gifted with prophecy, he was to prophesy "'in agreement to the (not 'his') faith.'" (Ibid., p. 488), Romans 12:6b. By "the faith", Paul here meant the body of truth previously revealed in Scripture or in other credible New Testament prophets, so the prophet was to prophecy in agreement with previous divine revelation. [No believer today predicts the future perfectly this way, so this gift is no longer in existence, cf. Deuteronomy 18:20-22!]
        2. If one was gifted with a service gift, he was to focus on serving, Romans 12:7a.
        3. If one was gifted as a teacher, he was to focus on teaching, Romans 12:7b.
        4. If one was gifted with exhorting, he was to focus on exhortation, Romans 12:8a ESV.
        5. If one was gifted with giving, he was to give with generosity, Romans 12:8b (Ibid.).
        6. If one was gifted with a leadership gifting, he was to lead earnestly, not halfheartedly, Ibid. (12:8c)
        7. If one was gifted with showing mercy, he was to do so cheerfully, not with sadness, 12:8d (Ibid.)
        8. [In application, as there are other spiritual gifts listed elsewhere in Scripture, whichever of these any believer has, he must use it in humility and with high motivation to meet other believers' needs!]
Lesson: In GREAT UNMERITED FAVOR, God has saved and gifted each believer to serve Him as HE wills, so each must USE his GIFT in HUMILITY and HIGH MOTIVATION to meet believers' needs!

Application: In view of God's great unmerited favor unto us, may we sensibly focus on using our gift for service in humility and with great motivation, doing our best to meet the needs of fellow believers!