NASHVILLE (BP) – This weekly Bible study appears in Baptist Press in a partnership with Lifeway Christian Resources of the Southern Baptist Convention. Through its Leadership and Adult Publishing team, Lifeway publishes Sunday School curricula and additional resources for all age groups.
This week’s Bible study is adapted from the MasterWork curriculum.
Bible Passage: Ephesians 4:7-8
Discussion Questions:
- Why should “consider the source” be a good rule to follow related to receiving gifts?
- Why is it important that we consider the source of spiritual gifts?
Food for thought:
Before we identify our spiritual gifts and exercise them to build up the body of Christ, we should understand where spiritual gifts come from. The Bible tells us in Ephesians 4 that after Jesus conquered sin, death and the grave, He ascended to heaven and sent the Holy Spirit to empower His new people – the Church – to spread the good news of the Gospel around the world:
Now grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. For it says: When He ascended on high, He took the captives captive; He gave gifts to people … to equip the saints for the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son, growing into maturity with a stature measured by Christ’s fullness. (Ephesians 4:7-8, 12-13)
The equipping of the saints for ministry fulfills a promise given by God in the Old Testament through the prophet Joel, who declared that one day the Spirit of God would be poured out on His people (Joel 2:28). This prophecy is what Jesus had in mind when He promised, as He left His disciples, that they would not only do the works He did, but even greater works than He.
The news that He was going to leave, die, rise again and ascend to heaven would have shocked those closest to Him. How could it be that they would be better off without His physical presence? We get the answer when the prophecy of Joel and the promise of Jesus was fulfilled at Pentecost: But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come on you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth. (Acts 1:8)
You will receive power refers to the empowering of every follower of Jesus from Pentecost until Jesus’ return. Every single Christian has the power of the Holy Spirit dwelling inside and has been given spiritual gifts – gifts from Jesus – to enable us to do “the work of ministry, to build up the body of Christ, until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of God’s Son” (Ephesians 4:12-13). The very second you became a Christian, the Holy Spirit entered your life and gave you supernatural gifts to fulfill your unique calling within the body of Christ.
The ultimate purpose of our spiritual gifts, then, is not about “being true to ourselves” or gaining prominence in the church, or building a platform to elevate ourselves. Jesus has bestowed us with the gifts of the Holy Spirit so we can know Him better and be empowered to share the Gospel around the world.
Understanding and exercising our spiritual gifts should always move us toward worship of the One who gave us our gifts. We don’t do ministry in isolation or on our own, but within the community of the church, with Christ our King as the head of the body.
Masterwork
MasterWork is an ongoing Bible study curriculum based on works from a variety of renowned authors and offers pertinent, practical messages that adults will find uplifting and enriching. The list of authors and their books to be studied in upcoming months can be found at Lifeway.com/masterwork.
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