Jesus is serving the church from heaven by giving gifts to equip believers for works of service. He gives himself through salvation, the Holy Spirit to be with believers, spiritual gifts to each person, and people as gifts to the church. The purpose is to build up the body of Christ and bring unity in faith until believers reach spiritual maturity in Christ. Jesus remains actively involved with and committed to the growth and strengthening of the church.

3. EPHESIANS 4:1-16
1
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge
you to live a life worthy of the calling you
have received. 2
Be completely humble
and gentle; be patient, bearing with one
another in love. 3
Make every effort to
keep the unity of the Spirit through the
bond of peace.

4. EPHESIANS 4:1-16
4
There is one body and one Spirit, just as
you were called to one hope when you
were called; 5
one Lord, one faith, one
baptism; 6
one God and Father of all, who
is over all and through all and in all. 7
But
to each one of us grace has been given
as Christ apportioned it.

5. EPHESIANS 4:1-16
8
This is why it says: “When he ascended
on high, he took many captives and gave
gifts to his people.” 9
(What does “he
ascended” mean except that he also
descended to the lower, earthly regions?

6. EPHESIANS 4:1-16
10
He who descended is the very one who
ascended higher than all the heavens, in
order to fill the whole universe.) 11
So
Christ himself gave the apostles, the
prophets, the evangelists, the pastors
and teachers,

7. EPHESIANS 4:1-16
12
to equip his people for works of service,
so that the body of Christ may be built up
13
until we all reach unity in the faith and in
the knowledge of the Son of God and
become mature, attaining to the whole
measure of the fullness of Christ.

8. EPHESIANS 4:1-16
14
Then we will no longer be infants,
tossed back and forth by the waves, and
blown here and there by every wind of
teaching and by the cunning and
craftiness of people in their deceitful
scheming.

9. EPHESIANS 4:1-16
15
Instead, speaking the truth in love, we
will grow to become in every respect the
mature body of him who is the head, that
is, Christ. 16
From him the whole body,
joined and held together by every
supporting ligament, grows and builds
itself up in love, as each part does its
work.

10. WHEREWHERE IS JESUSIS JESUS
ANDAND WHATWHAT IS HEIS HE
DOING TODAY?DOING TODAY?

11. EPHESIANS 4:1-7
As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge
you to live a life worthy of the calling you
have received. 2
Be completely humble
and gentle; be patient, bearing with one
another in love. 3
Make every effort to
keep the unity of the Spirit through the
bond of peace.

12. EPHESIANS 4:1-7
4
There is one body and one Spirit, just as
you were called to one hope when you
were called; 5
one Lord, one faith, one
baptism; 6
one God and Father of all, who
is over all and through all and in all. 7
But
to each one of us grace has been given
as Christ apportioned it.

13. EPHESIANS 4:10-13
10
He who descended is the very one who
ascended higher than all the heavens, in
order to fill the whole universe.) 11
So
Christ himself gave the apostles, the
prophets, the evangelists, the pastors
and teachers,

14. EPHESIANS 4:10-13
12
to equip his people for works of service,
so that the body of Christ may be built up
13
until we all reach unity in the faith and in
the knowledge of the Son of God and
become mature, attaining to the whole
measure of the fullness of Christ.

15. JESUS IS INJESUS IS IN
HEAVEN WITHHEAVEN WITH
BELIEVERS.BELIEVERS.

16. EPHESIANS 4:10
10
He who descended is the very one who
ascended higher than all the heavens, in
order to fill the whole universe.)

17. JESUS ISJESUS IS
SERVING THESERVING THE
CHURCH.CHURCH.

18. EPHESIANS 4:4-7
4
There is one body and one Spirit, just as
you were called to one hope when you
were called; 5
one Lord, one faith, one
baptism; 6
one God and Father of all, who
is over all and through all and in all. 7
But
to each one of us grace has been given
as Christ apportioned it.

19. The church is like a bodybody.

20. EPHESIANS 4:11-13
11
So Christ himself gave the apostles, the
prophets, the evangelists, the pastors
and teachers, 12
to equip his people for
works of service, so that the body of
Christ may be built up

21. EPHESIANS 4:11-13
13
until we all reach unity in the faith and in
the knowledge of the Son of God and
become mature, attaining to the whole
measure of the fullness of Christ.

22. Jesus has not abandoned us; in fact,
he says, “I’ll never leave you nor“I’ll never leave you nor
forsake you.”forsake you.” Jesus sends the HolyHoly
SpiritSpirit. And God the Holy Spirit, the
third member of the Trinity, is present
with the church.

23. He’s present with the people of God,
and so he brings the presence of God
among us, and so he’s the one who
connects us to the Lord Jesus. He’sHe’s
the one who, in every way, brings tothe one who, in every way, brings to
us the life of the Lord Jesus.us the life of the Lord Jesus.

24. Jesus is servingserving the church, he’s lovingloving
the church, he’s payingpaying attention to the
church, he’s devoteddevoted to the church, he’s
concernedconcerned for the church, and he’s
workingworking in the church through the person,
and the presence, and the power of the
God the Holy Spirit.

25. Nations come and go, circumstances come
and go, and the people of God continue
moving forward. Across all the cultures, and
all the opposition, and all of the persecution,
and all of the ostracism, and all of the
complexity, the church just keeps pressingchurch just keeps pressing
forwardforward.

26. What is on Jesus’ heart is every local church
that loves and serves him. And so we love
Faithworks Christian Church, and we love all
the churches that love and serve Jesus.
We want our heart to be his heart.We want our heart to be his heart.

27. JESUS IS GIVINGJESUS IS GIVING
GIFTS.GIFTS.

28. If you’re a Christian and the Holy Spirit’s in
you, you should like to giveyou should like to give. You realize
God’s a giver, and to be a giver is a good
thing. See, the more you give, the more joythe more you give, the more joy
you have.you have. That’s why no one is more joyful
than God. No one’s more joyful than GodNo one’s more joyful than God.

29. God loves to giveGod loves to give. We don’t have to beg
God to give. “God so loved the world he gave
us his only Son.” God loves to give. Our God
loves to give, and the more you get to knowthe more you get to know
the God who gives, the more you becomethe God who gives, the more you become
like the God who giveslike the God who gives.

30. One of the easiest tests for ChristianChristian
maturitymaturity is whether you’re a giver or a
taker.

31. (1)(1)
HE GIVESHE GIVES
JESUSJESUS

32. EPHESIANS 4:7
7
But to each one of us grace has been
given as Christ apportioned it.

33. God gives himself.God gives himself. Jesus gave his life, he
gives his righteousness, he gives his
salvation, he gives his love, he gives his
affection. And when the Bible uses the
language of grace, that’s what it’s talking
about. Our God, the Lord Jesus—he’s a giver.

34. (2)(2)
HE GIVESHE GIVES
THE HOLYTHE HOLY
SPIRITSPIRIT

35. EPHESIANS 4:3-4
3
Make every effort to keep the unity of
the Spirit through the bond of peace. 4
There is one body and one Spirit, just as
you were called to one hope when you
were called;

36. God has given us his Spirit, so we’re not
orphans, we’re not abandoned, we’re not
alone. We don’t have to live by our own power;
we can live by the power of God. We’re notWe’re not
left to our own thinking; he can direct ourleft to our own thinking; he can direct our
understanding. The Holy Spirit is present inunderstanding. The Holy Spirit is present in
the church.the church.

37. (3)(3)
HE GIVESHE GIVES
PEOPLEPEOPLE

38. God gives us people as gifts.God gives us people as gifts.
You need to know that you are a gift.
You’re a gift to others; you’re a gift to
our church.

39. People don’t just have gifts; they are gifts. And
if we only think that people have gifts, then we
use them for their gifts. But if we believe thatBut if we believe that
people are gifts, we love and appreciate thepeople are gifts, we love and appreciate the
person, not just their function.person, not just their function.

40. People are gifts.People are gifts. And some of you, let
me just say, are great gifts. Others of
you are painful gifts, but you’re all gifts.
You’re all gifts.

41. (4)(4)
HE GIVESHE GIVES
SPIRITUALSPIRITUAL
GIFTSGIFTS

42. EPHESIANS 4:8
8
This is why it says: “When he ascended
on high, he took many captives and gave
gifts to his people.”

43. SPIRITUALSPIRITUAL
GIFTSGIFTS

44. It doesn’t really matter
whether it’s a naturalnatural
talenttalent or a supernaturalsupernatural
giftgift.

45. A natural talentnatural talent is something you just
innately have from birth; a
supernatural giftsupernatural gift is something you
have from your new birth.

46. A natural talentnatural talent is something you can do
before you’re a Christian; a supernaturalsupernatural
giftgift is something that accompanies the
presence and the power of the Holy Spirit
when you become a Christian.

47. The way you find your
spiritual gift is trial andtrial and
errorerror.

48. CONSUMERCONSUMER
MENTALITY vs.MENTALITY vs.
CHRISTIANCHRISTIAN MENTALITYMENTALITY

49. EPHESIANS 4:12-13
12
to equip his people for works of service,
so that the body of Christ may be built up
13
until we all reach unity in the faith and in
the knowledge of the Son of God and
become mature, attaining to the whole
measure of the fullness of Christ.

50. • In a consumerIn a consumer
mentality, thementality, the
leadership exists toleadership exists to
serve you.serve you.
• In a Christian mentality,In a Christian mentality,
the leadership exists tothe leadership exists to
equip you to serveequip you to serve
others.others.
CONSUMER MENTALITYCONSUMER MENTALITY CHRISTIAN MENTALITYCHRISTIAN MENTALITY

51. • It’s more like a
businessbusiness
transaction. “How“How
can I give the leastcan I give the least
amount of moneyamount of money
and commitment andand commitment and
get the most returnget the most return
on investment?”on investment?”
• ““How can I give myHow can I give my
money, my time, mymoney, my time, my
gifts, my capacities,gifts, my capacities,
my abilities, andmy abilities, and
where could I helpwhere could I help
bring unity and healthbring unity and health
to our churchto our church familyfamily?”?”
CONSUMER MENTALITYCONSUMER MENTALITY CHRISTIAN MENTALITYCHRISTIAN MENTALITY

52. YOUR GIFT ISYOUR GIFT IS NOTNOT
YOUR IDENTITY.YOUR IDENTITY.

53. And Paul says over, and over, “In Christ, in“In Christ, in
Christ, in Christ, in Christ.”Christ, in Christ, in Christ.” He does it in
this section as well. Let me just be very
clear: you’re not what you do; you’re what
Jesus has done. You’re not what you do;You’re not what you do;
you’re what Jesus has done.you’re what Jesus has done.

54. NINETEENNINETEEN
SPIRITUAL GIFTSSPIRITUAL GIFTS

55. • 1 Corinthians 12:8–10,
• 1 Corinthians 12:28–30,
• Romans 12:6–8,
• Ephesians 4:11
• 1 Peter 4:11
• 1 Corinthians 12
• Romans 12,
• Ephesians 4,
• 1 Peter 4
BIBLE REFERENCES FOR SPIRITUAL GIFTSBIBLE REFERENCES FOR SPIRITUAL GIFTS

56. (1)(1)
GIFT OF WISDOMGIFT OF WISDOM
1 Corinthians 12:81 Corinthians 12:8

57. If you have this gift, you love giving timely,you love giving timely,
helpful insight.helpful insight. You can read people and
circumstances, and everybody’s looking at it
like a knot.

58. (2)(2)
GIFT OFGIFT OF
KNOWLEDGEKNOWLEDGE
1 Corinthians 12:81 Corinthians 12:8

59. If you have this gift, you love to study. Youyou love to study. You
love to researchlove to research. You might like books and
footnotes and dead people.

60. (3)(3)
GIFT OF FAITHGIFT OF FAITH
1 Corinthians 12:91 Corinthians 12:9

61. If you have this gift, you just—you trustyou trust
God, but it’s not a naïveté; it’s a childlikeGod, but it’s not a naïveté; it’s a childlike
faith.faith. It’s not a childish faith, but it’s a
childlike faith.

62. (4)(4)
GIFT OF HEALINGGIFT OF HEALING
1 Corinthians 12:91 Corinthians 12:9

63. If you have this gift, you love to pray foryou love to pray for
those who are sick.those who are sick. You love to pray for
sick people because you fully know that God
is a great physician and that he can heal
people. So, we don’t heal people; Godwe don’t heal people; God
heals people.heals people.

64. (5)(5)
GIFT OFGIFT OF
MIRACLESMIRACLES
1 Corinthians 12:91 Corinthians 12:9

65. If you have this gift, you love to pray andyou love to pray and
see God show up in power to dosee God show up in power to do
extraordinary, amazing things that revealextraordinary, amazing things that reveal
his power and his might and his majesty.his power and his might and his majesty.

66. (6)(6)
GIFT OFGIFT OF
DISCERNMENTDISCERNMENT
1 Corinthians 12:101 Corinthians 12:10

67. If you have this gift, you love truth andyou love truth and
holiness. This is where you can discernholiness. This is where you can discern
teaching. Some of you can discern theteaching. Some of you can discern the
presence of Satan and demons.presence of Satan and demons.

68. (7)(7)
GIFT OFGIFT OF
APOSTLESAPOSTLES
1 Corinthians 12:281 Corinthians 12:28

69. If you have this gift, you love leading ayou love leading a
movement. These would be missionaries,movement. These would be missionaries,
church planters, cross-culturalchurch planters, cross-cultural
missionaries, and that would includemissionaries, and that would include
those who work across multiplethose who work across multiple
churches.churches.

70. (8)(8)
GIFT OFGIFT OF
TEACHINGTEACHING
1 Corinthians 12:281 Corinthians 12:28

71. If you have this gift, you love to impartyou love to impart
biblical truth. You love that. What makesbiblical truth. You love that. What makes
you so excited is when you teachyou so excited is when you teach
something, and they got it.something, and they got it.

72. (9)(9)
GIFT OFGIFT OF
ADMINISTRATIONADMINISTRATION
1 Corinthians 12:281 Corinthians 12:28

73. If you have this gift, you love stewardingyou love stewarding
resources. Your life verse is in 1resources. Your life verse is in 1
Corinthians: “Do everything in a fittingCorinthians: “Do everything in a fitting
and orderly way.” For you, you’re likeand orderly way.” For you, you’re like
label maker, files, charts and graphs. Youlabel maker, files, charts and graphs. You
like to organize things.like to organize things.

74. (10)(10)
GIFT OFGIFT OF
EVANGELISMEVANGELISM
1 Corinthians 12:281 Corinthians 12:28

75. If you have this gift, you love non-you love non-
Christians. You love them, and you loveChristians. You love them, and you love
talking to them about Jesus, and you lovetalking to them about Jesus, and you love
seeing them meet Jesus.seeing them meet Jesus.

76. (11)(11)
GIFT OFGIFT OF
SHEPHERDINGSHEPHERDING
Ephesians 4:11Ephesians 4:11

77. If you have this gift, you do become ayou do become a
pastor, there’s a pastoral office, but thispastor, there’s a pastoral office, but this
is also a pastoral gift. What this means isis also a pastoral gift. What this means is
that you love to help people, you love tothat you love to help people, you love to
care for people, you love to nurturecare for people, you love to nurture
people, you love to invest in people.people, you love to invest in people.

78. (12)(12)
GIFT OFGIFT OF
ENCOURAGEMENTENCOURAGEMENT
Romans 12:8Romans 12:8

79. If you have this gift, you love motivatingyou love motivating
people. They’re super helpful, and somepeople. They’re super helpful, and some
of you don’t know that that’s such a hugeof you don’t know that that’s such a huge
gift.gift.

80. (13)(13)
GIFT OF GIVINGGIFT OF GIVING
Romans 12:8Romans 12:8

81. If you have this gift, you love meeting needs.you love meeting needs.
You love to give. So, you’re even the personYou love to give. So, you’re even the person
when people are talking, you’re like, “Oh, dowhen people are talking, you’re like, “Oh, do
you need that? I’ll get it. Do you need that? I’llyou need that? I’ll get it. Do you need that? I’ll
do that. I want to give. I want to meet thatdo that. I want to give. I want to meet that
need. I want to help.”need. I want to help.”

82. (14)(14)
GIFT OFGIFT OF
LEADERSHIPLEADERSHIP
( Romans 12:8)( Romans 12:8)

83. If you have this gift, you love mobilizingyou love mobilizing
people for a cause. You love to be thepeople for a cause. You love to be the
point leader, and this isn’t just out ofpoint leader, and this isn’t just out of
pride.pride.

84. (15)(15)
GIFT OF MERCYGIFT OF MERCY
Romans 12:8Romans 12:8

85. If you have this gift, you love hurtingyou love hurting
people.people.

86. (16)(16)
GIFT OFGIFT OF
HOSPITALITYHOSPITALITY
Romans 12:13Romans 12:13

87. If you have this gift, you love welcoming inyou love welcoming in
strangers and entertaining them.strangers and entertaining them.

88. (17)(17)
GIFT OFGIFT OF
TONGUESTONGUES
1 Corinthians 12:8-101 Corinthians 12:8-10

89. There’s a private gift where you pray in the
language of angelslanguage of angels, Paul says, and that’s a
private, personal time for you to connect with the
Lord. Then there’s also a public ability to
communicate the gospel of Jesus in a language
that you don’t know. So, you speak one language;
somebody else speaks another language.

90. (18)(18)
GIFT OFGIFT OF
INTERPRETATIONINTERPRETATION
OF TONGUESOF TONGUES
1 Corinthians 12:8-101 Corinthians 12:8-10

91. Jesus wants them to get saved, so he allows you
to speak their language, because the word
“tongue,” literally translated, means “language.”
But if you have this gift, it’s either private, and youyou
love to pray and connect and be filled with thelove to pray and connect and be filled with the
Holy SpiritHoly Spirit and/or a public ability to proclaim the
gospel of Jesus.

92. (19)(19)
GIFT OFGIFT OF
PROPHECYPROPHECY
1 Corinthians 12:8-101 Corinthians 12:8-10

93. If you have this gift, you love to eitheryou love to either
speak or write the truth of God’s Word.speak or write the truth of God’s Word.
You’re not writing the Bible, but you’reYou’re not writing the Bible, but you’re
taking what the Bible says and not justtaking what the Bible says and not just
imparting the information but doing so inimparting the information but doing so in
a very forceful way that elicits aa very forceful way that elicits a
response.response.

94. HOW ARE YOUHOW ARE YOU
GIFTED?GIFTED?