These are the things you must insist on and teach.  Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct, in love, in faith, in purity.  Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching.  Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders.  Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress.  Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers.

Speaking to a large group of pastors at the Billy Graham School of Evangelism, Rev. Allan Dunbar said that the preachers of this age have done something horrible to Jesus Christ.  Worse than what Pilate tried to do, worse than what the Devil tried to do, we who should know Jesus Christ and the Christian life as exciting, dynamic, powerful and life-changing have been guilty of making Jesus boring.

And so we have thousands of people - thousands of young people who are leaving the church because they find it boring.

I'd love to preach in a black church.  Tony Campolo preaches in a black church in Philadelphia.  He says that in a black church you know if you are preaching well because the women of the church wave white kerchiefs in the air and say, "Well, well!".  And the deacons and elders of the church all sit at the front of the church and shout, "Preach it brother, preach it brother!"

And, says Campolo, put your gift into practice and you will be following God's will and you will enliven your Christian walk.  Two supplementary reasons for exercising your spiritual gift.

He also knows when he's getting no where fast because then women will shout, "Help him Jesus, Help him Jesus!"

When you think about it, right at this moment, in this hour all across Ontario, and Canada, there are hundreds of people who are sleeping in church today.  People who have gotten up out of bed, got dressed, gone to worship and are now about to settle down for a nap as the preacher begins his or her sermon.

But not only do many people find the sermon and Christian worship boring.  They find the whole Christian life boring.  There is no vim in their Christian walk, there is no joy, no emotion, no challenge - some have suggested that we are all afraid of becoming fanatics so we try to keep an even keel and temperament and so our faith becomes mediocre and boring.

This is a great tragedy - to see the most dynamic organism on earth, the body of Christ crippled by inactive, bored members.  Members who simply come in to do their time at worship and occasionally attend a church bored meeting.  Appropriately named in their opinion.

And this of course is a real paradox, given the movement that we belong to, and the message that has been entrusted to us.  The message of the New Testament is that Jesus Christ came so that we might have life, and have it more abundantly.  That is a magnificent adjective isn't it?  Abundantly.  Not a boring life, not a mediocre life, but an abundant life.

I believe that the tide in the lives of many Christians and many churches can be turned as individuals begin to realize that they are gifted by the Holy Spirit to serve our King Jesus.  I believe that it is as we put our gifts into practice that our spiritual life becomes a great adventure - no longer is it dull or routine and boring.  But as we offer our gift to God in service to the Kingdom we begin to see the church strengthened, the body built up and Christ glorified.

Indeed as we have studied the Spiritual gifts during the last number of weeks we have discovered that the primary reason for exercising our gift, for using that talent that he has given to us and infused with Spiritual power, is for the building up of the body of Christ and which results in glory given to Jesus Christ.  But there are other reasons for exercising our spiritual gift - one is to enliven our Christian life.

But not only, this but the exercise of your Spiritual gift will direct your Christian walk.  When you put your Spiritual gift into practice it will function as a signpost directing you in God's will for your life.  People often ask, "How can I know God's will?", "Where should I get involved?" "Should I pursue this avenue or this life path or this life path?

Of course we discover God's will through reading Scripture, prayer and the advice from godly people, but also, we need to remember that God has gifted us and those gifts are always in perfect harmony with the Lord's will for your life.  Do you think that God would give you the gift of teaching and then not expect you to use it?

I remember having a great struggle just a couple of years ago about where God wanted me to be what he wanted me to do.  I was nearing the end of my pastoral work in Acton and I was thinking of a career change.  My wife Janet was very patient with me, she was very understanding as every day I came home with a new idea for a career.  The one that kept coming up was truck driving.  It was something that I had done as a student and enjoyed it very much.  Janet was very patient asking me what kind of truck I would like to drive, and I'd do some dreaming - not one of those namby-pamby cube vans, but a real truck.  And in the midst of my reverie Janet said to me, "You have the gift of preaching, I wish you would simply focus on that." And it was one of those "aha" moments for me.  "Really?" I said.  "Oh, I guess you're right, I suppose that is where my focus needs to be.  I suppose that is what God wants me to do - seeing He has gifted me in that area." And there was a peace about that decision, and there was a clear direction for me now.  It wasn't in driving a truck.

So it was that I discovered that as a person practices his or her gift that they discover God's will.

Two supplementary reasons for exercising your gift - enlivening your Christian walk, and giving direction to your Christian walk.

Now the question arises, How can I know my Spiritual gift?  What are the steps for discovering our Spiritual gift?  I will tell you right now that you will if you search Scripture for a ten-step process or even a three-step process for discovering your spiritual gift you will look a looooong time.  Because it simply isn't there.  We do not find any command from God, any injunction in His word for his people to seek their spiritual gift.

So you may ask, how can I know what my gift is and put it into practice if I don't seek it?

The answer to that is that there are different ways of discovery and when it comes to Spiritual gifts Scripture says nothing of seeking but it does say a lot about being available.  Here is the small boy Samuel - he hears the voice of God and mistakes it for the voice of his mentor Eli, but once he gets it figured out that it's God speaking - he says, "Speak Lord for your Servant is listening." (I Samuel 3:10)

Then here is the prophet Isaiah and he sees a great vision of God and hears God's voice saying, Whom shall I send, whom shall go for us?" and Isaiah is there with his hand waving in the air, "Here I am, send me." (Isaiah 6:8)

Then there is Paul - you know he has such a vision of the Saviour - it actually blinds him for a time and when the first question he asks the Lord is "Lord what is it that you would have me do?" (Acts 22:10)

You see all these people are examples of what God wants from each one of us, - availability.  You know that chorus we sing - it is beautiful and it goes, "Here I am wholly available..." That is key, that is the important idea behind discovering your spiritual gift.  This the meaning of the text we studied two weeks ago, in Romans 12, "Offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God - this is your spiritual act of worship." (Romans 12:1b)

So, it's not that you discover your Spiritual gift and then go and do it - but you make yourself available to God you step out in service to Him in whatever way or area in which He calls and He enables you with spiritual power to do that which He needs done.  And often you look back and say – wow, God enabled me to do that!  He gifted me so that I could accomplish that.  I couldn't have done it without the enablement of His Holy Spirit.

O my friends, I trust that you are making yourself available to God.  I trust that every morning you are waking up and saying "Lord Here I am - I am totally sold out to you - use me today in my work place, in my relationships in my school and in my church.  If there is a work of service You want me to do I will do it.  If You bring someone to my mind, or across my path who needs help I will give it.  If there is anything You want me to do I will try to do with reliance upon Your Holy Spirit trusting You to gift me to fulfill the task.”

Paul writes to the young pastor Timothy and says in verse 12 of our text, "Let no one despise your youth, but set the believers an example in speech and conduct in love, in faith, in purity." Paul is essentially saying to Timothy, don't negate yourself, rather be open to how God can use you.  Similarly we are not to negate ourselves saying, "O I can't teach".  Or "I can't offer hospitality", or "I can't help, what have I got to offer?" Instead we are to be open to what God calls us to do.

Right now we need people help be a part of a team to coordinate our outreach into the community.  We are in need of person to help coordinate the work of our Sunday School.  We are in need of ushers, and greeters, and care givers, and encouragers and pray-ers and teachers for Praise Place and Sunday School, people to work the sound, worship leaders.  There's always so much to be done - you don't need to do it all, but be available.

Be available and be willing to step out in faith and try it.  You know, that you would never know you had a talent for hockey if you had not tried it.  You would never know you could write poetry if you had never written some.  I wonder if I have a talent for hang gliding?  But I will never know for sure unless I try it.

So as a starting point in discovering your gift - make yourself available to God for anything He may ask you to do - and then do it prayerfully and diligently, persevering, realizing that discovering your gift does not usually come quickly.

Three other important truths are revealed in our text.  Verse 13 and part of 14 "Until I arrive, give attention to the public reading of scripture, to exhorting, to teaching.  Do not neglect the gift that is in you."  Once you have discovered your gift don't neglect it, instead give attention to it.  Timothy's gift was exhorting, teaching even the public reading of Scripture.  And Paul says don't neglect that gift.  Give attention to it, train it, nurture it, practice it don't neglect it.

Jesus once told a parable about a man who went out on a journey and he divided his wealth between three servants.  To one he gave 5 thousand dollars, to another two thousand and the last he gave one thousand.  The one with 5 thousand, and the one with two thousand doubled their master's money.  But the servant with one thousand buried it in the ground, fearing failure and his master's wrath.  And when the master came home and heard about it, he was angry - why?  Because the servant had done nothing with the gifts that had been given him - he didn't even try.

We Christians have a great privilege - we have received blessing upon blessing from Jesus Christ.  But we also have a great responsibility.  We have the responsibility of serving God as he calls us with the gifts he has given to us.  Do not neglect your gift, nurture it.  So Paul says in verse 15, "Put these things into practice, devote yourself to them, so that all may see your progress."

In discovering your spiritual gift - be available, once you have discovered it don't neglect - nurture it.

And then this.  The spiritual gifts are affirmed by the body of Christ.  In verse 14 Paul says, "Do not neglect the gift that is in you, which was given to you through prophecy with the laying on of hands by the council of elders."  The gifts Timothy had were affirmed and confirmed by the body of Christ.  As a body we are to affirm the gifts as we see them practiced in people's lives.  We need to affirm each other - we need to lovingly encourage the spiritual gifts that we see exercised in the body.

Let me say that I believe that this is one of the responsibilities of senior Christians.  You seniors, you older Christians can be a great help to young people or new believers in the discovery of their gifts.  A senior Christian with wisdom, objectivity and vision is invaluable to the life of the church.  A word of encouragement, a moment for evaluation, a telephone call, or even a short note will be an investment in the life of a person in the process of discovery.  I think of a number of mentors I've had who have been a great encouragement to me - I think of one retired pastor who attended a church where I was a student pastor.  And Charles Terry was so kind so encouraging, and telling me that I had the gift of pastoring and preaching and to keep at it.

And finally, verse 16 – “Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching, continue in these things, for in doing this you will save both yourself and your hearers."

In a word - persevere.  Continue in these things.  Keep on practicing your gift.  Examine yourself, your motives and your intentions.  Make sure they are godly.  Pay close attention to your teaching, be sure that it is in line with the word of God.  And Continue in these things.  Don't throw up your arms in defeat at the fist sing of conflict or lack of appreciation.

When you work with people conflicts will naturally occur.  This is just a fact of life.  And so is sometimes having o cope with the absence of affirmation.  But conflicts and thankless responses are part and parcel of serving Christ.  And if we let him, he will use such times to build a priceless character within us.

So how we do we discover our Spiritual gift?  By being available, willing to step out in faith in response to the needs that God presents before you.  Your Spiritual gift is maintained as we practice it, as we nurture it.  And our Spiritual gift is affirmed and confirmed by the body of Christ.

There is so much to be done my friends in the cause of Christ.  And our Lord waits patiently for us to hear His call to service - it may be in the nursery, it may be in evangelism, it may be in offering hospitality, or it may be in visiting the sick, it may be in coordinating the Sunday School, or decorating the Sanctuary, it may be in one of a thousand opportunities that God offers to you directly or through his church.  Whatever it is may you each respond, "Here I am Lord; send me."

Copyright MBC and Tom Cullen - November 2002

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