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The spiritual church is made up of all believers who are born-again, otherwise known as the body of Christ. As Jesus is now the spiritual head so His body (us) is spiritual as well. In Ephesians 1:22-23, the Apostle Paul says, “And He put all things under His feet, and gave Him to be head over all things to the church, which is His body, the fullness of Him who fills all in all”. Spiritually speaking, we are the Body and Jesus is the Head!

The gifts of grace of God are for His body of believers. As important physical churches and organizations are, they are not what Jesus died for… He died for you and me. The original word for church in the New Testament is the Greek word, Ecclesia, or “called out ones”. Those who have been called out of the World into the Kingdom of God, the Spiritual Church on earth!

Jesus empowered the church with spiritual leaders to lead the way in Ephesians 4:11, “And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers”, these five gifts are often referred to as the “Five-fold” Ministry gifts. Let’s briefly look at each one of these gifts to the Church.

1. Apostles– are ambassadors of the Gospel; officially a commissioner of Christ with miraculous powers: a messenger, one that is sent. Apostles go to new places to establish the body of Christ, and to ensure that churches are operating under correct doctrines or teachings. Missionaries are examples of those who are sent to establish works in foreign lands.
2. Prophets- are forth-teller not fortune-tellers; they are inspired speakers of and for God. A Prophet speaks forth what Christ is saying to the church for today. A prophet encourages, edifies, and exhorts the Body of Christ.
3. Evangelists- are preachers of the gospel. The gift of the Evangelist is to produce new converts with the simple Gospel of Jesus; the message of love, forgiveness, and acceptance.
4. Pastors- are shepherds or those who are responsible for the care and health of the Body of Christ.
5. Teachers- are instructors who teaches the truths of Jesus Christ and the Bible.

All of these are people who are called by God to equip or prepare the saints (you and I) for the work of ministry or serving. All of this is revealed in Ephesians 4:11-16.

Let me take a moment to talk about a sensitive issue regarding leaders in the church. It is easy to put leaders “on a pedestal” and then to be so disappointed when they don’t live up to expectations. Always keep in mind that ministers are human just like every other believer. They are still working through their own weaknesses and shortcomings as all believers do, even though they may be “anointed or gifted” by God. “God does not call those who are equipped to do ministry but equips those whom He calls”. This means that God is working through the Holy Spirit in bringing to maturity every leader too. Think of the greatest of the Apostles, Peter, and see the failures and disappointments that he experienced before becoming the leader that God ordained him to be.

Now the unbeliever looks at these lapses in Christian leadership and cries out “you see they are all hypocrites!” However, those who are mature Christians understand that all of us including Apostles, Prophets, Evangelists, Pastors, and Teachers are works in progress! While it is true that the “fivefold ministry” leaders are held to a higher standard by God (James 3:1) it is important, as believers, not to judge too quickly. 

Having said that, we should obviously avoid those who preach false doctrines or practice immorality, because there are those who are, as the bible describes them as, wolves in sheep’s clothing (Matthew 7:15).

The entire Old Testament of the Bible clearly points to mankind’s inability to live according to the Mosaic Law, under the Law no one could be “good enough”! Therefore, as far as the Old Testament is concerned it was impossible to live without sin.

Sin has two components, first, it results in eternal death or Hell, second, it separates one from the blessings of God and a wholesome relationship with Him. The Father sent Jesus to deal with the “death” issue by dying on the Cross and His resurrection is the assurance of our own resurrection or life everlasting. Jesus sent the Holy Spirit to us so that we would be able to live victoriously in a sinless relationship with Him and under His blessings.

The Holy Spirit is the third person of the Godhead or Trinity, He is not an “it” or some impersonal force. The Holy Spirit is God! When Jesus ascended to Heaven He sent the Holy Spirit to live in us. The moment we accepted Jesus into our lives our spirit was born-again, and the Holy Spirit came to live in us. The function of the Holy Spirit is to lead or guide us and teach us all truths about God. The Holy Spirit does this by making the Bible alive and meaningful to us. He “illuminates” the Word of God, He brings to “remembrance” the teachings of Jesus and “convicts” us when we go astray. The Holy Spirit is the agent by which we become “transformed” into the image of Jesus. In other words, we become more like Him.

When we first come to Christ our spirit is renewed, but our minds or souls initially are unchanged. Romans 12:2 says, “do not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. In a very real sense, we have been brainwashed by our society and culture and many of the things we have learned are contrary to God’s view of right and wrong.

The Book of Judges in the Old Testament is an account of how the Israelites betrayed God’s faithfulness to them time and time again. God provided a series of Judges or leaders to get them back to the worship of the one true God. An important phrase that is used in Judges to describe the rebellious people was, “They did what was right in their own eyes”. In other words, ignoring what was right in God’s eyes and doing what they wanted. Doesn’t that sound like life today?

Getting back to Romans 12:2, “do not be conformed to the world but be transformed by the renewing of your mind”. Conforming is a human work, transformation is a Holy Spirit’s work. Conforming means if you talk like a Christian, dress like a Christian, act like a Christian you must be a Christian. Well, that isn’t necessarily true!

A Christian is one who has accepted Jesus and has surrendered themselves to the work of the Holy Spirit in their lives. Their minds are being changed as they accept by faith the truths that have been revealed by God. They are replacing the old ways with new ways. You see the change must begin with a mind that is being renewed or changed by the Holy Spirit. This transformation process will produce the outward characteristics of a true Christian.

I can’t stress enough the importance of the Bible especially the New Testament, which was written for the Christian. The Holy Spirit can only draw out of you what you put in. The more you put into your spirit the more truths the Holy Spirit can bring to your remembrance, illuminate, and convict- as you face decisions throughout the day.

In closing, let me say that God the Father provided for your salvation through Jesus Christ. Jesus provided the Holy Spirit to enable you to live the Christian life as you are being transformed from the inside out and becoming more like Jesus.

The Grace of Father God is that He provided a way to restore the broken relationship in the Garden of Eden, between mankind and Himself. The Father did this by providing a “Seed”, a Messiah in Hebrew, a Christ in Greek, a Savior in English, and in any language- Jesus.

The Grace of Jesus Christ is revealed in the Gift of the Holy Spirit to the believer. The Holy Spirit empowers us to live the Christian life in grace and power.

When Jesus walked the earth, His followers had the benefit of His presence. They felt His love, experienced His fellowship, witnessed His signs and wonders that only God could produce. Jesus came to the earth to live as a human being for approximately 33½ years. Jesus made it very clear that when He departed He would leave us “another like Himself” or a “Helper”, but this time instead of a physical person the Helper would come in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit.

Jesus in the flesh could only be in one place at one time, but in the spirit, He could live in every believer. 1 Corinthians 6:19 says, that we are the temple of the Holy Spirit and that He lives in us.

In Acts 1:4 Jesus appeared to His disciples and commanded them to stay in Jerusalem where they would be baptized with the Holy Spirit. They were to wait in Jerusalem for the Promise of the Father, of which Jesus had already told them about before He was crucified. Listen to what Jesus said in John 16:7, “Nevertheless I tell you the truth. It is to your advantage that I go away; for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you; but if I depart, I will send Him to you”. In Acts 1:8 Jesus assures his disciples that they would receive power when the Holy Spirit came upon them.

Power to do what you might ask? Power to live the Christian life and to be a bold witness in words and action of the Gospel or Good News of Jesus Christ.

You see, Jesus had to leave or ascend to heaven, in order to send the Holy Spirit to us. In the gospel of John 14:16 Jesus says the following, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever— the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you. I will not leave you orphans; I will come to you”.

The word “Helper” means intercessor, advocate, or one who is alongside you through thick and thin. Jesus calls Him another Helper, in other words one like Himself. God will never leave you or abandon you. How wonderful it is to know that although Jesus in the flesh is not here, His Spirit lives in us. The Holy Spirit provides the love, the fellowship, the signs and wonders that only God could produce, but now though us!

An important function of the Helper is to guide you into doing what Jesus would do. Jesus says in John 14:25, “These things I have spoken to you while being present with you. But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to your remembrance all things that I said to you.

Now what are some of the truths that the Holy Spirit brings to our remembrance? Here is a list of ten out of hundreds that the Holy Spirit reminds us of:

1. The Holy Spirit confirms to us that we are the children of God (Romans 8:16).
2. The Holy Spirit is our down-payment or guarantee of the our future resurrection (2 Cor. 1:22; 2 Corinthians 5:5).
3. The Holy Spirit reveals Christ to us and in us (John 16:14-15).
4. The Holy Spirit teaches us how to pray (Rom. 8:26-27; Jude 1:20).
5. The Holy Spirit sets us free from the law of sin and death (Romans 8:2).
6. The Holy Spirit reveals to the world what sin is, what is righteousness and the coming judgment(John 16:8).
7. The Holy Spirit guides us into all truth (John 16:13).
8. The Holy Spirit fills us (Ephesians 5:18).
9. The Holy Spirit empowers us (Acts 1:8).
10. The Holy Spirit produces in us the fruit [character] or evidence of His work and presence in our lives (Galatians 5:22-23).

As you can see Jesus’ gift of the Helper or the Holy Spirit is actively revealing to us that we are loved, forgiven and accepted by Father God!

As Christians we believe in one God in three persons, God the Father, God the Son (Jesus), and God the Holy Spirit. The Trinity is a difficult spiritual concept, if not impossible concept to fully understand, therefore we accept it by faith! A natural, but simplistic view would be that a man can be father, husband, and son at the same time. Not three persons but one.

What we see in the scriptures is that the Father, Son and Holy Spirit share the same nature. The Father, Son, and the Holy Spirit are gift-givers or givers of grace.

1. Father God gave us the Son Jesus. John 3:16
2. The Son, Jesus, gave the Holy Spirit to all believers and ministry gifts to the church. Acts 1:8, Ephesians 4:11
3. Holy Spirit gave Spiritual Gifts to believers 1 Corinthians 12

Now let’s examine in more detail the Gift or Grace of the Father. You may recall the account in the Garden of Eden with Adam and Eve which is found in Genesis two and three. Before they sinned, they lived in a state of innocence in relationship with God, they “walked” with Him in the Garden of Eden. When they were deceived by Satan and disobeyed God by eating of the fruit of the “Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil”, this became the defining moment for sin. Sin is simply not believing God, in essence disobeying what He has said.

At that moment of disobedience, Sin entered the world and mankind would now be separated estranged from Father God. Yet, because of the love of the Father for His creation He cursed Satan and made a promise to mankind; Genesis 3:14-15, “The Lord God said to the serpent, “Because you have done this, cursed are you above all livestock and above all beasts of the field; on your belly you shall go, and dust you shall eat all the days of your life. And I will put enmity (hostility) Between you and the woman, and between your seed (offspring) and her Seed (Offspring- Messiah); He shall bruise your head, and you shall bruise His heel.”This singular verse in the beginning (Genesis) holds the hope of all mankind.

In verse 15, Father God is speaking to the serpent (Satan) and addresses his offspring as seed (note the lower-case “s” in the word seed). His head will be bruised, crushed, or destroyed. Satan’s end is coming!

Whereas the capitalized Seed represents the Messiah, Christ, or Jesus. He will be the seed (offspring) of a woman (human or incarnate) and His heel will be bruised or crushed which represents Jesus’ heel bruised on the cross of Calvary.

God the Father promised a gift (Grace) and that gift was in the person of Jesus Christ who would come to restore the relationship between the Father and His creation or mankind. Jesus would do this by forgiving our sins.

In Jeremiah 31:31-34, Father God makes a promise of a New Covenant of Grace which will replace the Old Covenant of Law in which He says, “I will forgive their iniquity, and I will remember their sin no more”.

In the New Testament, Father God fulfilled the promise of the greatest gift of grace to all of mankind in that He sent Jesus the Son to die for us so that we might receive forgiveness of our iniquity and remember our sins no more. John 3:16 states, “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.

Have you received this great gift of Jesus Christ from the Father? There is no better time than right now!

Next time we will look at:

1. Gift of the Son, Jesus – As He gave the Holy Spirit to all believers and ministry gifts to the church. Acts 1:8, Ephesians 4:11
2. Gift of the Holy Spirit – He gave Spiritual Gifts 1 Corinthians 12

Until then—

If you been following along you have an idea of what faith and works are:
1. Faith is trusting in Jesus to keep His promises and living in a manner that is consistent with that trust or faith.
2. Works, in this verse, are those things that we do to try and earn or deserve God’s acceptance.

“For by Grace you have been saved”, now, what is this thing that we see in Ephesians called Grace? The Greek word for Grace is “Charis” and is most often defined as “unconditional gift”. We could spend a lifetime trying to figure out what this magnificent thing called God’s grace is. Grace is so awesome, unexpected and undeserved. God’s grace in the area of salvation is that if we put our faith in Jesus we are forgiven of all our sins and receive the guarantee that we will go to Heaven and spend eternity with Him. In other words, Heaven is actually a free gift to those whose faith is in Jesus! To truly understand God’s Grace, you must understand God’s love first.

In the New Testament, there are three important words that are translated from the Greek into the word “Love”.

1. Storge: This is the type of love signifies the natural affection between family members. 
2. Phileo:  This Greek word for love signifies, to be a friend to…fond of an individual or object; having affection for; a matter of sentiment or feeling.
3. Agape: This Greek word for love appears most frequently in the New Testament.  It is most often understood in the Bible as “unconditional love”, or a choice to love.

Agape love is a love that is the outcome of a moral principle, rather than a feeling of liking or affection. As a result, Agape love means to love the undeserving, despite disappointment and rejection. At no time, does it mean to love as a duty or a cold religious obligation.

Parents of children can appreciate this kind of Agape love. No matter what the children do, no matter how they may disappoint you or hurt you… you still love them and want the best for them. That is the kind of love God has for you. No matter what you have done, no matter what kind of person you have become… God sent Jesus just for you! Romans 5:8 says, “But God demonstrates His own love toward us, in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us”.

God’s nature is Agape love, 1 John 4:8 tells us that, “He who does not love does not know God, for God is love”. This doesn’t mean that God is capable of love, it is more than that. He is the embodiment of Love! Everything He does is from the perspective and motivation of Agape love. God loves His creation even when the creation rejects Him. This kind of love is quite foreign to our life’s experience. Honestly, most of us have experienced a performance type of love. If we are “good” we experience love. If we are not “good: we are punished or rejected.

 Ephesians 2 says, “It is the gift of God”, The word “gift” makes it undeserved and unearned. “Not of works” clearly means that it is not based on “how good you are”! For most of us, we are taught and go through life believing that if we are good we will be rewarded. While there is a practical and natural truth to this it does not apply to God’s view of us. John 3:16 clearly shows us what motivates God to give us wonderful gifts ”For God so loved or Agape the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life”. You see, God gives out of love”.

So here are two things that are quite impossible to fully understand, God’s love and God’s grace. They are difficult to understand with our natural minds or intellect because they are spiritual principles. How then do we comprehend them, it must be by faith! When we accept by faith that God loves us, it then naturally follows that we can then accept that He wants to bless us.

Take these steps of faith today, see yourself, not as the world sees you, but see yourself as God sees you… you are loved by the Father, forgiven by Jesus, and accepted into the family of God by virtue of the Holy Spirit living in you.

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