Receiving and Giving Gifts⤒🔗

is a pity that the charismatic movement has appropriated for itself the name “charismatic.” This creates the impression that only those groups and churches where one can discover the gifts of the Spirit, as this movement identifies these, can be called “charismatic.” The churches that have arisen from the Reformation are no less charismatic. We can even say that a church, of whatever denomination it may be, is charismatic — or it is no church in the biblical sense of the word.

The Reformed confession is very clear on this point. Unambiguously the confession about the church points to the charismatic structure of the holy, catholic Christian church. In the Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 21, Question 35 asks, “What do you understand by the communion of saints?” and the answer given is, “First, that believers, all and everyone, as members of Christ have communion with him and share in all his treasures and gifts. Second, that everyone is duty-bound to use his gifts readily and cheerfully for the benefit and well-being of the other members.” The gifts and treasures of Christ are in the first place the new life, redemption and forgiveness. But in the second place it is also the gift of the Holy Spirit and paired with it, the charismata. The charismata of Christ that he distributes and the charismata of the believers who have received these gifts are being dealt with here.

Christ shares his gifts with us and in turn we share the gifts we received from him with others. In the church it is a matter of giving and taking. Christ’s gifts are received in faith, and in love for each other these gifts are applied to each other’s benefit. If all is well, there is an intensive charismatic drive in the church of Jesus Christ. The church is either a charismatic community, or it is no church but only a fossilized institution.

The church has offices. Yet in order for the office to be truly a ministry in the biblical sense of the word, it has charisma as its spiritual base. Just as the body cannot function without its skeletal system, which really keeps the human body together, the charismatic body of the church needs the offices as structures necessary to function properly. For that reason, the contrast between the charismatic and the institutional is basically just as wrong as between charismatic and non-charismatic ministries in the church. It may well be true that in the enumerations of Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, and Ephesians 4 the accent is not so much on the institutional aspects, but on the qualitative aspects of the charismata that are mentioned — indeed, we find no mention of presbyters, bishops or deacons, but rather the charismata to provide leadership, to assist, to show mercy — yet it is clear that in some of these mentioned charismata there are clear indications of particular offices. In these Scripture passages we see that it is not so much the institutional aspect of the offices, but the substantive significance of the office that is being expressed.

When Servants Rebel←⤒🔗

We cannot deny that the church is threatened repeatedly with the lethal danger that the offices are being undermined and become unspiritual instruments, because the charisma has disappeared from the office. Office-bearers then become managers. Those who have been called to serve in their office start to rule instead. Shepherds of God’s flock change into wolves that tear up the body of Christ.

In one of his parables, Jesus pictures in a dramatic way what will happen to the church if it loses its charismatic character. In Luke 12:42-46, Jesus compares the church to a house. From the servants of that house the owner recruits a faithful and wise servant and appoints him as manager (literally, economist) over the other servants. He needs to provide food to the other servants in a timely way. Therefore, he has the key to the pantry. This privileged servant remains a servant, although now he is one with authority. If he does his work well, he will receive praise and appreciation from the owner.

But if the servant were to think, “My lord is delayed in coming back,” and he begins to terrorize the other servants, while in the meantime he eats and drinks well and even gets drunk, then there will be a revolution in that house. The servant has risen to rebel against his master. At the owner’s return there awaits a punishment for this rebellious servant.

In the church, all believers are servants of Christ, both male and female servants. Like the owner of the house in the parable, Jesus appoints wise and faithful servants over the other servants in his house, that is, the church (Ephesians 2:22). These wise and faithful servants are the office-bearers. They remain servants but are now servants with a special task: to minister to the needs of the other servants. They have the keys of the kingdom (see Heidelberg Catechism, Lord’s Day 31). But woe be to them if they begin to neglect their task, when they start to eat and to drink, become drunk, and benefit themselves and beat up other servants.

How can this happen? Jesus provides the answer. When “that servant says to himself, ‘My master is delayed in coming.’” When the looking forward to Christ’s return is no longer present with the office-bearers, things will start to go wrong. Then an office-bearer no longer wants to serve, but starts to rule instead; when he thus appeals to his position, his status — then the charismata, the gift, are no longer administered.

Church history is replete with sorrowful examples. The spiritual decline in the church did not always begin with the ordinary servants, but with the servants who had authority; not with the members of the church, but with those who occupied a special office in the church: popes, prelates, cardinals, bishops, and church leaders. But then the church is dying. But just to give the impression or appearance of life, the offices become ruling institutions instead of serving institutions.

The Congregation as a Centre of Ministry←⤒🔗

The charismatic church is richly endowed with gifts Christ grants in his care for her. We must be careful not to identify these gifts as garlands that only serve for decoration. The charismata are not merely ornaments hanging on the body of the church to look great but serve no further function. However, Calvin did indeed view the gifts as beautiful ornaments given to the church, but then as ornaments that definitely have a purpose. In his commentary on Acts 8:14-17 he identifies the gifts of the Spirit, which the believers in Samaria have received just as the disciples in Jerusalem, an ornament of the kingdom of God. Calvin stresses the abundance of exceptional gifts in which the glory of Christ’s kingdom shines abundantly. Through the use of these gifts the lustre of Christ’s realm needs to be displayed. It certainly cannot be denied that something beautiful is glittering in the gifts Christ grants the congregation, through his Spirit. The gifts reflect, as Calvin points out, the glory of God’s kingdom. But beware, because the Spirit’s gifts are not intended for showing off. History teaches us that this danger is not just imaginary.

In the church we do not all receive the same gifts. Christ distributes his gifts in his wisdom according to a divine plan, and in this he acts sovereignly, without being accountable to us. The diversity of gifts in the congregation, writes Calvin, does not find its origin in the discretion of people, but in the fact that God has deemed it right to distribute his gifts in this particular manner. Therefore, Paul calls us to be modest. The congregation can only be a devout church when everyone is satisfied with what has been given to him or her. Each member needs to share the gifts they received with others, and on the other hand also let ourselves be helped by the gifts of others.

The gifts are there to be used. In their wide diversity all gifts are to serve the body of Christ with the ultimate goal of the service and the glory of God (Colossians 3:16-17). The word-charismata and the deed-charismata must be applied for the well being of the congregation, for the upbuilding of the church and to the honour of God.

In Romans 12:7-8 Paul calls the believers to serve one another. He exhorts them that each one is to put his gift into practice in the right way. He writes (in a somewhat compressed manner), “If [it is the gift of] service, [it must become evident] in our serving; … the one who contributes, [he/she is to do it] in generosity; … the one who does acts of mercy, [he/she is to do this] with cheerfulness.”

It is not always easy to get to know how exactly we should apply these gifts. For example, how do we distinguish between contributing and showing acts of mercy?

It is possible that the former identifies more with help for the poor, while the latter is more about the work of mercy in a general sense. It is however very clear that Paul points to those charismata that have a bearing on practical and mutual assistance. We need to be on guard that we do not turn the church into a social service centre. The danger of mere social activism is not merely fictional. We can have a clear social vision and we are moved when there are people who are in need, and think that now we will, in our own strength, bring about all these urgent social renewals in the church. However, the Holy Spirit does not give us, either inside or outside of the church, a program in which the unique position of Christ as Redeemer tends to end up in the background.

When the apostle provides further guidelines in the rest of this chapter (Romans 12:9-21), he points out how we are to interact with one another in church. All tasks are molded on the principle of mutual and genuine love (Romans 12:9). The love here is meant as more than a natural affection. It is conceived from our communion with Christ. In Christ the believers are one body, and as such they are members of one another (Romans 12:4). Communion with Christ, in complete dedication to him, is the key to the application of the charismata in the congregation. Christ must be present, so to speak, in our service of one another. In this connection the simple phrase “each other” plays an important role in the New Testament. Versteeg, in his thorough study of this phrase, has pointed out how foundational the mutual relations are, in the service to one another to build up the church as the body of Christ. We need to serve one another with the gifts we have received.

The Church of the First Century and the Church Today←⤒🔗

We are at the threshold of the twenty-first century. This leads us to the question of what is the relation between the church in this new millennium and the charismatically gifted church of the first century after Christ Do we need to go back to the practice of congregational life as it blossomed in the early church? There is a great deal of attraction to such a point of view. The charismatic movement wants to return to Pentecost, and would like to continue the day of Pentecost. This urge can be understood from the fact that this movement in principle is not thinking historically. We cannot set back the clock of history, nor the clock of church history.

In this connection Dr. C. Trimp made some important remarks:

1. He points out that we must not try to copy the first period of the Christian church. To do so would mean that we go back to the source, or the well, and then forget how the river has taken its course throughout history.
   In the familiar chapters of 1 Corinthians 12 and 14 the apostle Paul calls the young church toward spiritual growth. The work of upbuilding needs to take place with the help of the charismata and needs to be continued. Also today we need to hear this exhortation.
   God gave many gifts to the early church. But in the course of church history several charismata have hardly or not at all come to the fore. From this we may draw the conclusion that these gifts were clearly not constitutional for the upbuilding of the church. If so, is it then necessary or even desirable to demand our full attention to those gifts specifically, and to argue that these must return in the church?
2. In the second place Trimp warns us that we should not forget this beginning period of the early church. Church history teaches us that in the ecclesiastical offices, it happened often that church members were repressed, weighed down and made inactive. The river silted up because the source of the river was no longer recognized.
   The offices started to disconnect from the Spirit and resulted in a rigid institute. We may therefore not ignore the charismata. For that reason, we also cannot say that the gifts of healing or speaking in tongues would or could never be given to the church again.

Coetzee leaves the possibility that in the last days, when Satan’s last show of strength will flare up again, there will once more be a strong stream of special charismata. “The time of Jesus and the time of the early church was also a period of great satanic display of power. That was the time that the charismata burned brightly, in which the Lord let his rule and the power of his Spirit over Satan flashed intensely. But Scriptures teach us that in the last days Satan and the Antichrist will bewilder the world by their performance of great signs and miracles (2 Thessalonians 2:9-10; Revelation 13:11-14). Should the Spirit then not also let his gifts flare up stronger?”

In this connection the question would be which gifts we then would need. Is this a time that it becomes of vital importance that the congregation speaks in tongues? Or is it really important that we must have the gift of working of powers in order to do great deeds in God’s kingdom? We should not need to look anxiously for a return of these special charismata. It does not help us to exert great efforts in looking for these. It is better to wait in faith. If the Lord will provide it, we can be joyful and accept and use these gratefully.

On the other hand, we would be ill-advised to banish the charismata entirely from our attention, in thinking that the Spirit’s gifts are only the specialty of the charismatic movement. With the groups outside of the church we find the free initiative, the spontaneity of the worship services, the preaching by ordinary folks — and with us in the church there are the fixed forms of an orderly worship service and the work of the office-bearers. This is an unbalanced representation of these matters, which does not help us to move forward. The offices in the church rest on the charisma. Without the Spirit’s gifts the offices in the church are simply inconceivable. Then they are no longer offices in the biblical sense of the word.

There needs to be synergy between the members of the church and the office-bearers. Ministers, elders, and deacons have the responsible task to identify the charismata in the church, to encourage them, and to integrate them. It is in this framework that the work of equipping the saints in the church needs to take place. It is certainly not the case that the gifts that have been detected and that are now being mobilized must immediately function in an optimal manner in the church. Graafland made the admirable comment that the gifts of the Spirit in the congregation are not merely exercised, but they also require exercise. Guidance and direction are needed here.

How Should the Word-Gifts Function in the Church?←⤒🔗

One of the most important Word-gifts is the charisma of teaching. It is the third charisma mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:28, after the gifts of apostles and prophets. In Ephesians 4:11 the teachers are mentioned in the same breath as the shepherds. It is not that easy to clearly define the work of the teacher versus the work of the other gifts such as the prophets. The speaking of the teacher does differ from that of the prophet. The prophet speaks by a direct inspiration of the Spirit. In the beginning period of the Christian church he received a direct revelation from God, while the teacher was busy with the unfolding of what the congregation had already received in the teaching of salvation. The task of the teacher included providing proof from the Old Testament to show how God’s promises were fulfilled in the new dispensation. The work of the teacher, who has received the gift of teaching, consists of providing instruction, to convey the apostolic tradition, both in terms of its redemptive-historical content and also in regard to the paraenesis (the exhortation) that flowed from it. Speaking in a revealing and admonishing way is what typifies the prophet; speaking in an explanatory and assertive way is what typifies the teacher. However, the work of teachers and prophets does overlap, in that both also have the task to admonish.

We are faced with the situation that there are also members in the church who have received the gift of teaching, and who are yet not called to the office of teacher. This formal call is not necessary either, for not everyone in the congregation can take on the office of teacher. The gift of teaching can also be exercised in the office of the believer. In any case, it needs to be happening at home where the children need to be instructed. The mother has an important task here as well.

But believers can use the gift of proclamation and teaching also in the congregation if this has been given to them. In Acts 8:4 Luke tells of members of the congregation who were scattered after the death of Stephen, and who proclaimed the gospel wherever they went. It is remarkable that both Luke and Paul, in speaking of the spreading of the Word by members of the church, usually make use of the expression “Word of the Lord” (logos tou kuriou: Acts 12:24; Acts 13:49; Acts 19:10, 20; 1 Thessalonians 1:8; 2 Thessalonians 3:1). It appears even that where there is mention of gospel preaching by those not in office, the New Testament uses its own terminology, though not in an exclusively unique way.

The question is how we work with God’s Word in the church. The minister preaches as a teacher, and sometimes he will act as a prophet and proclaim God’s will in a specific situation to the congregation. But the church members also have the task of busying themselves with the Word of God. They must seek the gift of prophecy and then also put it to use. In the sermon discussion by members of the congregation together with the minister, there can be surprising instances of insight. A member may see something in the text that has escaped the attention of the minister, who can gain from this. The church members can use this gift especially in Bible study. The Holy Spirit can at times give a brother or a sister an unexpected insight and shed light on a difficult situation in the church or in someone’s personal life. The gift of prophecy can also be exercised in personal conversations. When we base our spiritual upbuilding, admonishing, or comforting on God’s Word, we are involved in a prophetic way.

The gift of admonishment certainly needs to be counted as one of the Word-gifts (Romans 12:8). The word used for “admonishing” can also mean comforting and/or encouraging. Here it concerns the gift of the pastoral, exhorting and reassuring word. In the mutual interaction of church members, the gift of admonishing should play a significant role. It is especially in the first letter to the Thessalonians that Paul demands much attention for this gift. The apostle calls his readers to encourage one another (1 Thessalonians 5:11) and where necessary, to admonish one another (1 Thessalonians 5:12). The words “encourage one another” are explained in the words that follow, “build one another up.” Mutual encouragement must promote mutual upbuilding. In 1 Thessalonians 5 it is not, as in Ephesians 4:12-16, the believer who builds up himself, but here the upbuilding of a fellow member is in focus. We can see here how closely the charisma of encouragement, and therefore of comforting and upbuilding, are related to the gift of prophecy. Both of these charismata stand very close to each other.

The author of the letter to the Hebrews also gives much attention to the exercise of this charisma. He calls upon his readers to “exhort one another every day, as long as it is called “today”, that none of you may be hardened by the deceitfulness of sin” (Hebrews 3:13). The original text is formulated in a play on words, translated by Van Oyen in the words “as long as the present is calling, call out to one another daily.” This word “daily” does not refer to a daily gathering of the church, but it presupposes random daily encounters of people where we need to be mindful of one another’s well being. When admonishing, it is very important how we give one another the right answer (Colossians 4:6). Much wisdom is needed for this, and therefore the gift of wisdom is very important.

In Hebrews 10:24 the task to exhort one another is refined even further. We are to “consider how to stir up one another to love and good works.” Both expressions “consider” and “stirring up” could be translated as “to spy on one another” (Greek: katanoein) and “to provoke one another” (following the Latin Vulgate: in provocationem charitatis). Although the ability to admonish is not given to every member of the congregation, it is still a task, and we may look out for this gift.

Paul describes a very clear use for the exercise of the Word-charisma: “to teach and admonish one another,” (Colossians 3:16). This prophetic calling, which is valid for every believer, can only be put into practice when the Word of Christ dwells richly in us. Calvin writes that Christ’s Word, the teaching of the gospel, needs to have a permanent address. With this word “richly,” the apostle aims to indicate that the gospel needs to have a significant place among us. It must be at the focus of our attention and it must control us. Paul adds to it that this Word needs to be handled in all wisdom in the mutual and pastoral care of the soul.

This brings us to the important question as to how large a place Christ’s Word has, in the church as well as in our personal life. How can the Word-charisma function in the congregation when there is a limited knowledge of the Bible, and how can it function when there is only a superficial conversation where God’s Word is barely mentioned?

What we need, writes Augustine in a sermon on Galatians 5:22, is that “God changes the heart of man by bringing into it a heavenly flavour, conquering the delights of the flesh. It causes man to recognize on the one hand his mortality and insignificance, and on the other he discovers God’s greatness and eternity, while finding his highest joy in God.”

How Should the Gifts-in-Deed Function in the Church?←⤒🔗

The gifts-in-deed are the charismata that relate to the mutual acts of service in the congregation. These are the “gifts of Samaritan-ship” (J.I. Packer). These are gifts of which some have a typical diaconal character. For these gifts of service and ministry the word “diakonia” is used. The gifts-in-deed that are mentioned in the New Testament are sometimes difficult to separate from each other. We encounter the following gifts in the New Testament:

• the gift of service (Romans 12:7; see also 1 Peter 4:11): This concerns the ability to undertake acts of love in practical and material ways.
• the gift of contribution (Romans 12:8): This concerns the willingness to help others who are less fortunate with one’s own resources. Paul adds a note: This gift must be exercised with genuine generosity. There may be no ulterior motives.
• the ability to help (1 Corinthians 12:28): This expression may relate to the provision of practical and administrative assistance. The connection in which the applicable verb is used elsewhere in the New Testament (Luke 1:54; Acts 20:35) has more to do with providing assistance to those who are vulnerable or who are in trouble.
• showing acts of mercy (Romans 12:8): This gift indicates help for people who are sick, lonely, handicapped, weak on account of age and those who are dejected. It is very important that this gift is carried out not with groaning or aversion, but with a cheerful heart, as the apostle adds.

Many of these gifts become crystallized in the office of deacons, but here too we find a significant task for all members of the congregation. These gifts-in-deed are not about all sorts of human capabilities. Also outside of the church in social spheres, we encounter quite a bit of charity and philanthropy. At times there can be examples of altruistic and dedicated help for people that put church members to shame.

Where things are properly in place, the gifts-in-deed are also gifts of the Holy Spirit. The inspiration of the Spirit needs to be the driver; the strength of the Spirit needs to have our recognition, and the love created by the Spirit needs to be the motivation.

The members of the church may not leave this activity of faith in the work of ministry and service to the office-bearers. The office-bearers are there to notice the gifts-in-deed in the congregation, to encourage these gifts, and to integrate them in such a way that each member knows his place in the body of the church and knows how he can be of service.