But unto each one of us was the grace given according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Wherefore he saith, When he ascended on high, he led captivity captive, And gave gifts unto men. Ephesians 4:7-8
In America gifts are a big thing – Christmas, Birthdays, Anniversaries, Easter, Mother’s Day, Father’s Day, Graduations, and so many others. As heartfelt as each of these gifts are they are often discarded, given away, or tossed out with time. Few remain as treasured heirlooms as cultures and tastes change. They are temporal.
My favorite gifts as a mom have come in a HUG, an “I LOVE YOU,” a smile, and a prayer. The blessings of love, deep from the heart. More precious than gold. My gifts came in chubby little fists from the front yard or a neighboring field – a dandelion, flowering weed, beautiful rock, a regifted toy car or a project made in school or Sunday school. Treasures of love, spilling over with pride. I still have nearly all of them! These are treasures from my family, but there are Gifts more precious, more valuable, that never fade with memory or time, they are eternal! These are the Gifts of Christ (Ephesians 4:7-8).
Each and every person who has received Jesus into their heart receives what are called Salvation Gifts. These are gifts from the Father for our individual lives, specifically designed for each person and the life they have lived. God gives each and every confessed believer: Access to Him, Adoption into the Kingdom, a Free Basic Life, a Church Family, Faith, Forgiveness, Grace, Healing, Heaven, Hope, Joy, Mercy, Motivation to do more, Peace, Power, Prayer, Purpose, Salvation, Sanctification, Separation from the world, a place to Serve, Sonship, Subjection to the benefits of the Kingdom, and Understanding of the Suffering of Christ. These aren’t earned gifts, these are freely given to every believer.
As wonderful as these gifts are they are only the beginning of what each believer can receive, if they choose to go further in their walk with Christ. Each and every person, whether they become a believer or not, have been called from birth to a Spiritual Gift and a Calling in the Kingdom, it is their choice whether they will accept Jesus and receive the Gifts and Callings awaiting them, working towards the skills necessary to receive them.
The gifts that follow the Salvation Gifts are received when we begin walking out our faith as requested by The Father. As we grow and understand our belonging in the Body of Christ we find ourselves living out the Fruits of the Spirit: Faithfulness, Forbearance, Gentleness, Goodness, Joy, Kindness, Love, Peace, and Self-Control (Galatians 5:22-23, John 15:16). We find our lives are being molded by the examples God gave to each an every one of us and we “gentle” in our thoughts and behaviors. As we walk out the Fruits of the Spirit we see a difference in how we perceive things, how we interface with others, a calm enters our lives and the strife of daily life seems to dissipate (Ephesians 4:1-6, Jeremiah 29:11).
If a believer chooses to go deeper into the study of God in their faith walk, and they choose to receive the Baptism of the Holy Ghost, they may receive one or more of the 9 Gifts of the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:7-11). These are assigned by God to individuals based upon the depth of their faith and their specific abilities to handle those powerful gifts and accomplish the assignment they are given for each individual they are sent to, when that individual is needing a specific deep touch of the Holy Sprit. There are 3 aspects of these 9 gifts, the Revelation Gifts, the Power Gifts, and the Inspiration Gifts. Within these Gifts are the Gift of Discerning of the Spirits (R), the Gift of Faith (P), the Gift of Tongues (I), the Gift of Healing (P), the Gift of Interpretation of Tongues (I), the Gift of Knowledge (R), the Gift of Prophecy (I), the Gift of Wisdom (R), and the Gift of Working of Miracles (P). These Gifts are given to a chosen group of people, not for their own benefit, but to help build up other church members when they in times of illness, turmoil and confusion.
Some believers are given the gift of a specific Calling, ordained before their birth, by God the Father. These are those called to the 5 fold ministry (Ephesians 4:11). These are those who will become: Apostles, Evangelists, Pastors, Prophets, and Teachers. These ordinations require deep study specifically in the arena of the ministries that they have been called to. The believer working towards this area of ministry must have a the strength, determination, and abilities fitted to the particular position they are working towards. These positions require the Baptism of the Holy Spirit and the manifestation of the Gifts of the Holy Spirit. These are the deepest Gifts and Callings of the body of the Church.
There are Gifts known as Callings. Positions that God has been preparing us to receive all of our lives, even though we may not have recognized them. Callings are positions in the church that meet the needs of every area of the church and the people of the community that the church witnesses too. These are the back-up support positions for the 5 Fold Ministry and serve as a critical foundation for all the 5 Fold Ministry is called to do. This could be a training arena for those who are called to the 5 Fold Ministry, but haven’t had the hands on experience to take a fulltime position. These Callings/Gifts include: Administrations, Apostleship, Celibacy, Charity, Craftsmanship, Evangelism, Exhortation, Giving, Hospitality, Intercession, Leadership, Martyrdom, Pastorship, Prophetic, Serving, Special Graces, Spiritual Writing, Teaching, and Witnessing.
What God has given to each and every believer, the Gifts of Christ, are gifts that give and give and give, becoming more and more valuable each day. They aren’t gifts that we keep, they are gifts that we give away through our every day workings in the body of the church. They aren’t tangible gifts, they are Spiritual gifts, sent through us to a specific person for a specific time and place, to encourage and enable them to take these particular gifts forward to another. Building up each other along the way (Romans 12:4).
These are Anointed gifts of Life, and Breath, and Hope, and Peace, and a Spiritual Assignment in the body and family of God. These are precious gifts that never deteriorate, never go out of style, never diminish or fade. These are gifts assigned by the Holy Spirit as we mature in our faith in Christ, given to us to help others receive their gifts and assignments “all these worketh the one and the same Spirit, dividing to each one severally even as he will.” (1 Corinthians 12:11). All Gifts and Callings, working together through the Holy Spirit, each person given a specific role, if they will receive it, to accomplish the works of God on this earth (Romans 11:29).
Pray to hear God’s Gifts and Callings for your life. Meet with your Pastor or Church Counselor to begin the steps of preparation for where God has called you to. Are you ready? Your Gifts are awaiting! (Isaiah 6:8-9, 1 Corinthians 7:17, 2 Peter 1:10)
The Damascus Road – A Journey Through Ephesians – Chapter 4, Part 3
Written by Linda J. Humes
9-27-2023
Linda J. Humes 