Preached at Harvester Reformational Church, Cape Town
20 November 2022

Introduction
This message aims to explore the gifts and functions God place in the church. The keys to access the gifts and functions are explained in the Bible. When Jesus was ascended to heaven, He gave gifts to men. The Holy Spirit is our Comforter and leads us. John 14:26 But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in My name, He will teach you all things, and bring to you remembers all things I said to you.

Keys to access the gifts
1. Faith
Faith reaches out into the unreal world of hope where you cannot see it or feel it. What happened in Garden of Eden? Faith keeps the door open- keep the door open to Gods power the force of faith. Paul suffers for the gospel. Rom 5:3-5-Rejoice in tribulation, experience, and hope made not ashamed. Patience brings experience. Keep the Faith-Force active by making your actions correspond with the faith-filled words. Speak the Word of God. The power of Word bring light. God created the heaven and earth with a spoken Word- Gen 1:1-3. As in gym, exercise your faith muscle- Meditate on God’s Word and night
Seek and Know the Giver of Gifts- James 1:17 Every good thing given, and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of Light, with whom there is no variation or shifting.
He wants to give us good things like a father to his son or daughter. He is a good Father.

2. Activation and apply gift within /
God design the fivefold ministry for special purpose. Eph 4:11 And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, to equipment the saints for the work of ministry.
Apostles- first to influence- 1Cor 12:28-
8 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracle, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.
The apostolic is the foundation because the Bible says God laid first this mentality. True apostles carry the weight of the Body.
Prophets- awake to the spiritual realm
Office and gifts of the prophet is different in relation to authority in the spiritual realm. They function in governmental prayers.
Gift of prophecy is to:
Edification- oikodome- meaning ‘’the building of a house’’- instruct and improve, enlighten. Act 20:32
Exhortation- strongly encourage or urge someone to do something.
Comfort-a relief or encouragement- Holy Spirit is our Comforter. Paul comforts the churches in his letter.
God use prophecy to rebuke and reprove but he will exhort and comfort. Do it in love in the spirit of meekness. Expect it to change the hearer. The Word of Wisdom digs the hole and put the seed in and then word of prophecy comes up the hole and pull it up again.
Evangelist- reaching the lost and make discipline of all nations- Matthew 28:19- Go therefor and make disciplines of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit.
Pastor- the grace to gather the flock and looking after the sheep
Teacher- teaching the Word of God by explaining and simplification the Word.

Seek the kingdom of God firstly all the other things will be added. Everyone must know his or her function and gifting in the body of Christ. Lead people out of comfort zones by applying pressure.

3. Miracles as a sign to unbelievers, not to believers.
Believers should stop following signs and wonders and let signs and wonders start following them! Jesus promised that signs and wonders would follow those who believe on His Name. Signs and wonders and miracles are to convince the unbelievers that God does exist and that He hears us when we pray. Words of knowledge and wisdom convince them that God knows about them. Miracles make them realize that God has power over nature and tongues and interpretation tells them there are languages in the universe that they will never understand!

4. Willingness to face dangers, hardships and persecution.
He wants men and women, boys and girls who are willing to suffer for what they believe. Temptation comes to everyone and the only way to overcome it is to use the word of God like a sword and your faith as a shield, just like Jesus did in the wilderness. Your greatest temptation is to doubt that you are a child of God. The devil wants you to behave like a child of the devil.
Tests come to see if you really believe what you have been taught. A trial of your faith is an extended test. It lasts longer and if you hold steady you will be rewarded. Trials are given to select people for service. If you pass the test and the trial, you will be promoted in the spirit!
Troubles come because the troubles of a righteous person are many, but the Lord delivers them out of them all! Andrae Crouch wrote in his song “Through it All”” “If I never had a problem how would I ever know that God could solve them? I would never know what faith in God could do!”
Tribulations are part and parcel of the Christian walk. Jesus warned us that we would have much tribulation in this world. Paul said that we have to enter the kingdom through much tribulation. Tribulations come because the god of this world hates you and wants to destroy you. But if you hold firm during tribulation, you will receive a reward and an entry point will be created for you into new dimensions of the spirit.
Unless we are sure of the enemy’s strategies we will always be confused about our lives. A lot of harm has been done by the teachings of the so-called positive-faith preachers who refuse to talk about suffering. When their church members face tests or tribulations, they think God has deserted them. They are living in a false Utopia where they deny the real world around them in order to stay positive. This teaching is a humanistic teaching that is anti-scriptural and should be exposed. Jesus taught self-denial not self-preservation!

Temptation is overcome by using the sword of the Spirit the Word of God. Whenever you conquer temptation like Jesus did in the wilderness you return in the power of the spirit. Your ministry grows after every personal victory until Satan comes and has nothing in you. When you have broken off all the sin handles in your life he can no longer control or manipulate you to do his will. You recover yourself out of the snare of the devil through accepting the gentle teaching of the Word of God and true repentance and godly sorrow.
Trouble comes to everyone especially to the righteous, but David said the Lord delivers them out of them all. So, encourage your soul to rejoice when you face troubles because God is about to deliver you again! The mistake the devil makes to bring trouble your way is that he does not realize that it will turn into yet another testimony of the greatness and the goodness of God. If he knew that he would no longer bother, you. But if he knew that Jesus’ death on the cross would bring victory over sin to the whole world, he would not have crucified our Lord!

Tests come so that you may find out how much you have learned. If you pass the test, you get promoted. A test is not a temptation because God does not tempt any man, but he does allow your faith to be tested. Faith is not faith until it is tested. If you hear a message on healing, you will be tested with sickness coming your way. But you will be tested on what you have learned. Jesus would teach about the bread of life and then demonstrate it to the disciples by asking them how would they feed a multitude? He would teach and demonstrate and then put them to the test. This is the only way we can find out what we have actually absorbed in our spirits.

Trials are extended tests. This is survival of the fittest! You need to really grit your teeth and go through the fiery trial of your faith. This builds patience and when patience has her perfect work you will be entire wanting nothing! Patience is the power-twin of faith. Without patience your faith will regularly fail. Patience holds your faith steady while you are waiting for the promise of God to materialize.

5. Understanding suffering and experiencing glory
Tribulations are the doors to the kingdom blessings of God! Paul said we enter the kingdom through many tribulations and hardships. Tribulations and persecutions come because the spirit of glory rests upon us. They do not come because you did anything wrong. It is actually proof that you are doing something right! You must rejoice in tribulation because God has confidence in you that you will go through that suffering for his sake and come out with a glorious testimony on the other side. If the tribulation means martyrdom, there will be sufficient grace to carry you through.

6. Desire spiritual gifts and operates in the Gift of the Spirit
Desire spiritual gifts. The Word of God is not subject to the gifts of the Spirit; the gifts of Spirit are subject to the Word of God.

1 Cor 12: 4-12- -There are adversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
The Lord Jesus Christ is the Advocate; things operate at His command in heaven and earth. Jesus is the Administer of gifts. The Holy Spirit is here on earth.