The following "Question" was asked by a member of the congregation at Grace Community Church in Sun Valley, California, and "Answered" by their pastor, John MacArthur Jr. It was transcribed by Anjela Paje of Spokane, WA, from the tape, GC 1301-W, titled "Bible Questions and Answers Part 25." A copy of the tape can be obtained by writing, Word of Grace, P.O. Box 4000, Panorama City, CA 91412 or by dialing toll free 1-800-55-GRACE. ©1983. All Rights Reserved.
Questioner
I was talking to a friend today who is preparing for the mission field,
and it’s been awhile since I’ve seen him, and he seemed kind of down. So, I
talked to him for awhile, and it appeared to be that he was getting down because
he's realizing what he's doing. He’s going to be going
out there, and it’s like walking out on a limb that he knows is going to break that won’t hold him. Only God can help him.
So I
came up with this question, “What do you think the key factor or
difference is in those Christians who seem to give every ounce of energy to
seeing God glorified, and how does Romans Chapter 12, verse 6, and 1
Peter Chapter 4, verses 10, 11 relate? And then, how can I see my level of
commitment grow?
John MacArthur's Answer
I think what you’re asking is, "What makes a difference between a Christian
who just sort of floats along and one who really has gifts and really has a
strong ministry and dynamic in his life?"
That’s an important question. You're really asking important
questions. That’s great! I’m excited to hear about your friend who wants to
go to the mission field, but it isn’t like getting out on a limb that might get
cut off. If he’s going where God wants him, it’s like going up the trunk of
the biggest tree in the universe. I mean, it’ll stand forever. It’s a
great adventure to serve the Lord. And, he doesn’t need to fear anything. If
he’s in the place of God’s will, he ought to go after it with a tremendous
amount of exhilaration. There’s a balance. I mean, there’s a certain amount of
fearfulness because the thing is more than you can handle. But, there’s a great
sense of joy because it isn’t more than God can handle. The difference, and
he’s referring to Romans 12:6, which talks about ministering your spiritual
gift, and 1 Peter 4:10, 11, talk about as each man has received the gifts, even
so, minister the same. Those who have received speaking gifts according to the
power of God. Those who have serving gifts according to the power of God. That
Christ may be glorified and all that.
Questioner
Well, with a certain amount of strength, I think, they put
the phrase in there, "according to the amount of strength" that God has given.
John MacArthur's Answer
Right. The measure of faith. The measure of faith. The amount of strength God has given you. Now, let me just answer that in this way.
1
Corinthians 12 also says, and you can read the first seven verses there, and,
you’ll find that there are differing gifts of the Spirit, differing operations
of the Spirit, and differing manifestations of the Spirit.
In other words, we
have different capabilities. We have different power, and we have different
manifestations. Now, everybody is different. Some are given visibly more outward
power than others. I mean, I say visibly because it may not be the case in
reality. But, there are some people who are more dynamic, who see things happen
more readily, more visibly, more outwardly. And, the answer to your question is
this, part of it has to do with the choice of the Spirit of God. That that’s
part of it, okay? In other words, my grandfather used to say that. He used to
say that there are some Christians who just have a greater capacity for certain
ministry than others. And, there’s no way to explain it. It’s just the way it
is. Some people have great faith. Some people have great ability to teach. Some
people have tremendous ability to serve, and other people seem like they have
less quantitatively, right? I mean, that’s right. You look, for example, at the
church, and you’ll see all different kinds. You look at the pastors, all
different kinds. And, missionaries, all different kinds. So, part of it is the
giftedness thing.
The second part of it is the commitment issue. And, because you can’t read a man’s heart, when you see a great ministry, you don’t really know how those two blend. I mean, it may be a guy with very average gifts and super commitment or it may be a guy with super gifts and only average commitment. You know what I am saying? I mean, some people can preach great sermons because they have tremendous gifts and do so rather half-heartedly, if you really knew the inside. Other people can be so exercised in their heart that they are literally pouring out all that they have, and it doesn’t come off outwardly maybe as great as somebody else’s. So, how you know that, I really don’t know.
Let me just sum it up by saying this, the power you have in your ministry is a combination of the gifts that God gives you and the commitment you make to the exercise of those gifts. And, the only thing you really can be responsible for is that commitment. And, that’s why, in Ephesians 5:18, it says, “Be being kept filled with the Spirit of God.” As you walk in obedience to God’s word and as you walk under the power and control of the Holy Spirit, you are energized to serve God at the capacity that’s maximizing your gifts. See.
To put it another way, a spiritual gift is only a channel through which the Spirit flows. I used to illustrate it in a simple way. It’s like a glove. If I have a glove lying here, and I say, “Okay, glove, go play the piano,” What would the glove do? It doesn’t do anything. But, if I put my hand in that glove and play the piano, what happens? Chaos! I can’t play the piano. But, no matter what happens on the piano, that glove does what my...you know, there never was a glove that said, “oh-h-h, fingers show me the way to go. I dedicate myself.” No, you see, and there never was a glove that argued. Just basically the glove does what the hand does.
So, the Spirit of God, in filling the life of a believer, energizes that believer to spiritual ministry. And, a spirit-filled believer under the control of the Holy Spirit, is going to be functioning at maximum capacity. Now, his maximum capacity may apparently not be equal to another’s. But, that’s only apparent, and God evaluates the heart, right? Not the results. 1 Corinthians 4, Paul says, “It’s a small thing that I should be judged by you.” It’s a small thing that I should, in fact, I don’t even judge myself, but I await that day when the Lord will reveal the secret things of the heart, it’s motive, it’s inner attitude. It’s the heart that God is after. So that’s why we say, “You want to be a Spirit-controlled Christian.”
Now, what do we mean by that? Well,
Ephesians 5 says, be filled with the Spirit, and it says as a result of that, it
lists a whole bunch of things that’ll happen. Well, Colossians 3 says, “Let the
word of Christ dwell in you richly,” and lists the same results. Compare
Ephesians 5 and Colossians 3 and you’ll see they’re the same. So, you have all
these results of being filled with the Spirit, all the same results of letting
the word dwell in you richly, therefore, we can conclude that those two things
are the same. So, being filled with the Spirit is the same as letting the Word
of Christ dwell in you richly. You become a saturated Christian where the Word
of God is the controlling agent in your life. You live in obedience under the
power of the Spirit, and He’ll manifest through you His power in the gifts that
you have. You don’t need to be analytical. Don’t worry about it. The question
with you and me and anybody else is, am I allowing the spirit of God to control
my life, and, if I am, then, He’s maximizing my giftedness. That’s the issue.
Added to Bible Bulletin Board's "MacArthur's Questions and
Answers" by:
Tony Capoccia
Bible Bulletin Board
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