Romans 12: 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another, 6 but having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: whether prophecy, [d]in agreement with the faith;
8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with [f]generosity; he who [g]leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Today, we finish our study of Spiritual gifts and that means that next week I will be giving you a spiritual gift survey to complete. A spiritual gift survey is simply a packet that further describes each of the spiritual gifts with a series of statements about each gift. The one I decided on is ten pages long. I considered distributing it to you this week, but I figured that you would probably work on that instead of listening to the message.
And let me review again why we are doing this. The first reason is so you can have a better understanding of yourself. I think that the better you understand yourself, the more likely you will find places of spiritual service. The second reason for the survey is for our church to get a sense of what spiritual gifts our members have. I would like us to consider whether there is some new ministry that we can launch. But I believe we need to know who we are before we can know what we are capable of doing.
At a meeting of the American Psychological Association, Jack Lipton, a psychologist at Union College, and R. Scott Builione, a graduate student at Columbia University, presented their findings on how members of the various sections of 11 major symphony orchestra perceived each other. The percussionists were viewed as insensitive, unintelligent, and hard-of-hearing, yet fun-loving. String players were seen as arrogant, stuffy, and unathletic. The orchestra members overwhelmingly chose "loud" as the primary adjective to describe the brass players. Woodwind players seemed to be held in the highest esteem, described as quiet and meticulous, though a bit egotistical. Interesting findings, to say the least! With such widely divergent personalities and perceptions, how could an orchestra ever come together to make such wonderful music? The answer is simple: regardless of how those musicians view each other, they subordinate their feelings and biases to the leadership of the conductor. Under his guidance, they play beautiful music.
Today in the Word, June 22, 1992.
The final two gifts that we are looking at today are giving and mercy.
prayer
I. Giving
Romans 12: 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another, 6 but having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: whether prophecy, [d]in agreement with the faith;
8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with [f]generosity; he who [g]leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
He who gives, with generosity. The passage gives us an added bonus with these two gifts. It not only tells us what the gift is, it tells us how we are to exercise it; He who gives, with generosity.
So, let’s start by defining the gift of giving. The definition I wrote for this gift was “Giving most liberally and beyond all human expectation.”
The gift of giving is a very “others focused” gift. It is expressed in selfless acts. The person with this gift is described with words like loving, magnanimous, charitable, altruistic, and philanthropic. They are someone who just likes to give to others. They derive great personal joy from giving a person something that will help them or bring them joy. And the Bible puts a special emphasis on this in both the Old and New Testament. Especially in regard to giving to the poor.
Now, right off the bat, I need to emphasize that the spiritual act of giving, especially to the poor, is expected of every Christian.
Proverbs 19:17 One who is gracious to a poor man lends to the Lord, And He will repay him for his good deed.
Matthew 5:42 Give to him who asks of you, and do not turn away from him who wants to borrow from you.Galatians 2:10 Only they asked us to remember the poor
Ephesians 4:28 He who steals must steal no longer; but rather he must labor, performing with his own hands what is good, so that he will have something to share with one who has need.
But a person with the gift of giving is someone who is gifted in going above and beyond those basic commands. That is the definition of this gift.
Now, how are we to give? And more specifically, how is the person with the gift of giving to give? With generosity.
Now, if you are reading this passage out of another translation, then the word you may find here is simplicity. Other translations say “with generosity.” So, what does that mean.
Well, the word can mean either one, or I think, both. Why did some versions choose sincerity or singleness? Translation is often a work of comparison. You look at how the author, in this case Paul, used the word in other places.2 Corinthians 1:12 For our boasting is this: the testimony of our conscience, that in [a]holiness and godly sincerity, not in fleshly wisdom but in the grace of God, we have conducted ourselves in the world, and especially toward you.
Here Paul is describing his motivation for the work that he does in the world and the churches. He works in “godly sincerity.” Godly singleness. He is saying that he doesn’t have mixed motives. He is not in the ministry for money, or for praise.
If it is translated sincerity or singleness...
“The word "simplicity" ἁπλοτής haplotēs is used in a similar sense to denote singleness, honesty of aim, purity, integrity, without any mixture of a base, selfish, or sinister end. It requires the bestowment of a favor without seeking any personal or selfish ends; without partiality; but actuated only by the desire to bestow them in the best possible manner to promote the object for which they were given.”
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/romans/12-8.htm
If here he means that we are to give with singleness, it means with no ulterior motives. What might be an ulterior motive when giving? Well, last week we talked about Ananias and Sapphira who sold some property and gave part of the money to the church to distribute to the poor, probably because they wanted praise for their generosity. Jesus addressed this motive.Matthew 6:2 “Therefore, when you [a]give to the poor, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they may be glorified by men. Truly I say to you, they have their reward in full.
So, I think “giving with simplicity, or singleness” makes sense as a translation. But other versions translate it “with generosity.” If you are going to give, give generously. Well, why did they choose that word? Because the job of the translator not only involves looking up the meaning of a word. Some words have multiple meanings. So the translator has to do some comparative work. They have to look at how that author used that word in other places. Well, in 2 Corinthians 8, Paul used this same word to describe the generosity of the believers in the Macedonian churches in giving an offering to Paul for the work of the ministry.
2 Corinthians 8 Now brothers, we make known to you the grace of God which has been given in the churches of Macedonia, 2 that in a great testing by affliction their abundance of joy and their deep poverty abounded unto the richness of their [a]generosity. 3 For I testify that according to their ability, and beyond their ability, they gave of their own accord, 4 begging us with much urging for the grace [b]of sharing in the ministry to the saints, 5 and this, not as we had [c]expected, but they first gave themselves to the Lord and to us by the will of God.
So, when looking at the gift of giving from that angle, Paul is saying that if you have the gift of giving, then give generously. Give with generosity or openhandedness.
So how is the giving person to give? Since the Greek word can mean with simplicity or with generosity, I think both can be employed. If you give, give generously and from the single simple motive of pleasing God, not for praise.
How do you know if you have the gift of giving? I believe this gift is measured in the heart. A person with this gift has only a very light hold on their possessions and money. They are thinking of others in regard to their possessions, not themselves. They are not trying to hold on to and squeeze every penny out of this life. Let’s say this, their motto is not “He who dies with the most stuff wins.” In fact it could be the opposite. They know the Scripture that says,
1 Timothy 6:7-8 For we brought nothing into this world, and it is certain we can carry nothing out. 8 And having food and raiment let us be therewith content.
Well, the second gift we want to look at today is the gift of mercy.
II. Mercy
Romans 12: 4 For just as we have many members in one body and all the members do not have the same function, 5 so we, who are many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another, 6 but having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us: whether prophecy, [d]in agreement with the faith;
8 or he who exhorts, in his exhortation; he who gives, with [f]generosity; he who [g]leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
He who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. Again this passage gives us an added bonus. It not only tells us what the gift is, it tells us how we are to exercise it; He who shows mercy, with cheerfulness. But let’s begin by defining this gift.
The definition I wrote for this gift was “Being sensitive or empathetic to people who are in affliction or misery and lifting internal burdens with cheerfulness.”
To further define mercy, let’s look at the word in Greek. The word is eleon. It means to have pity on someone and to show them compassion.
“The verb "eleeó" is used in the New Testament to express the act of showing mercy or compassion towards someone. It often implies a deep sense of empathy and a desire to alleviate the suffering or need of another. This term is frequently used in the context of divine mercy, where God or Jesus extends compassion to humanity.”
https://biblehub.com/greek/1653.htm
The implication behind the words mercy or pity is that the person is in some sort of trouble.
I think a good Scriptural illustration of it is the parable Jesus told about forgiveness. Remember that Peter came to Jesus and asked how many times he should forgive a brother who sins against him. Jesus answered by telling this story of a king whose slave owed him 10,000 talents.
Now, a talent is a unit of measure of weight. One talent equals about 75 pds. So if the slave owed him that in gold, it would be about 750,000 pounds of gold. At todays’ prices of 1,900 dollars an ounce, it debt comes to around $22.8 billion.
But if we are talking about silver, it would be less, he would only owe 5.76 billion dollars. That’s why it is so farcical that when comfronted with his debt, the slave replies, “have patience with me, and I will pay you all.” Yeah sure, 5.76 billion dollars, I’ll put you on an installment plan. Now, the point of the parable is that God has forgiven us a debt exponentially larger than anything anyone else owes us.
But our point is to look at that word mercy or eleon. It says that the king had mercy on the slave and forgave him the debt. So, the mercy or pity he had was because this guy was in a trouble for which he could not recover. He is in far to deep to ever get out by his own efforts. And that’s how the gift of mercy works.
“It is probable, says Calvin, that this refers to those who had the care of the sick and infirm, the aged and the needy; not so much to provide for them by charity, as to attend on them in their affliction, and to take care of them. To the deacons was committed the duty of distributing alms, but to others that of personal attendance. …. There were no hospitals and no almshouses. Christians felt it was their duty to show personal attention to the infirm and the sick; and so important was their function, that it was deemed worthy of notice in a general direction to the church.”
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/romans/12-8.htm
And God gives a special gift to some Christians. Their heart goes out to people who are in deep trouble. They want to be able to alleviate their suffering.
Now, why did Paul choose mercy? As I stated before, when we studied the gift of faith, I think that these gifts are not the only gifts that God gives. If God gives to one person the gift of extra faith, might He not also give someone else the gift of extra peace? But peace is not listed as one of the Spiritual gifts.
And here, the gift is mercy. Someone has the Spiritual gift of feeling an extra pull of mercy. Is it also possible to someone may feel an extra pull of love? So, why did the Spirit of God choose to list mercy over peace and love?
I think it is for two reasons. The first is that we have experienced great mercy from God. We have sinned against Him up to 10,000 talents worth, yet He had pity on us. And the second reason is that there is a great need for mercy in the work of the church. The church is a ministry of mercy. Historically, and at present, the people who come to the church are spiritually, and sometimes literally beggars, diseased, maimed, beaten down, depressed, disfunctional, discouraged, weak, blind, and in pain.
So we need people in the church with an extra dose of mercy.
Now, how are we to show mercy? And more specifically, how is the person with the gift of mercy to show mercy? With cheerfulness. The word here for cheerfulness...
“Only here in the New Testament. It reappears in the Latin hilaritas; English, hilarity, exhilarate. "The joyful eagerness, the amiable grace, the affability going the length of gayety, which make the visitor a sunbeam penetrating into the sick-chamber, and to the heart of the afflicted."
It is to be done with cheerfulness, pleasantness, joy; with a kind, benign, and happy temper. The importance of this direction to those in this situation is apparent. Nothing tends so much to enhance the value of personal attendance on the sick and afflicted, as a kind and cheerful temper. If anywhere a mild, amiable, cheerful, and patient disposition is needed, it is near a sick bed, and when administering to the wants of those who are in affliction. And whenever we may be called to such a service, we should remember that this is indispensable. If moroseness, or impatience, or fretfulness is discovered in us, it will pain those whom we seek to benefit, embitter their feelings, and render our services of comparatively little value. The needy and infirm, the feeble and the aged, have enough to bear without the impatience and harshness of professed friends. It may be added that the example of the Lord Jesus Christ is the brightest which the world has furnished of this temper. Though constantly encompassed by the infirm and the afflicted, yet he was always kind, and gentle, and mild, and has left before us exactly what the apostie meant when he said, "he that showeth mercy with cheerfulness."
https://biblehub.com/commentaries/romans/12-8.htm
Holiday Inn, when looking for 500 people to fill positions for a new facility, interviewed 5,000 candidates. The hotel managers interviewing these people excluded all candidates who smiled fewer than four times during the interview. This applied to people competing for jobs in all categories.
Bits & Pieces, March 3, 1994, p. 11.
We can further define cheerfulness with another Scripture passage that uses the same word. 2 Corinthians 9:7 Each one must do just as he has purposed in his heart, not grudgingly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver.
In this passage of Scripture, it is instructing us to be cheerful in giving. And it defines cheerfulness by what it is not. Someone who gives cheerfully does not begrudge losing the money he gives. Someone who gives cheerfully does not do it because somebody is making them do it.
The same holds true for mercy. If you are going to go out and do ministries of mercy, you don’t do it out of begrudging, “I gotta go serve food at the Lord’s diner, I gotta go on a nursing facility visit. Boy, I wish I didn’t have to do this.” They don’t do it because somebody guilted them into it or made them do it.
Now, that is not to say that even the best of us don’t feel that way sometimes. He is just saying that as we go out to help people, that we check our thoughts and attitudes. For our own sake, and for the person we minister to, we need to try and think on positive cheerful things.
I think it is fitting that we conclude our gift study with these two gifts; giving and mercy. Because they are gifts that I think we all can strive toward. We are all to be giving and merciful.