We tend to forget that everything that we receive comes from our Heavenly Father. The Scriptures tell us this very clearly.
Every good thing given and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights, with whom there is no variation or shifting shadow. (James 1:17 NASB)
We have, however, developed an attitude that makes it hard to believe that our Heavenly Father really wants to give us gifts. We want to make it so that we have to earn gifts from our Father. It is a lot easier for us to believe that we receive from our works rather than from the grace of our Father. Jesus clearly revealed the desire of our Father.
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven give what is good to those who ask Him! (Matthew 7:11 NASB)
This also makes it clear that we don't earn gifts but simply ask Him for them. As James tells us “ ...You do not have because you do not ask.” [James 4:2] Many times we don't ask because we don't know that a gift is available.
The primary gift of foremost importance is that God has given Himself in the person of Jesus Christ. The Lord emptied Himself and took on the form of a man. [Philippians 2:5-8] This was done so that His body, prepared for His purpose, could be offered as a sacrifice, the perfect lamb.
Therefore, when He comes into the world, He says, "SACRIFICE AND OFFERING YOU HAVE NOT DESIRED, BUT A BODY YOU HAVE PREPARED FOR ME; (Hebrews 10:5 NASB)
Jesus explains the meaning when, at Passover, He instigates what we call the Lord's supper, which we continue to do to honor Him and remember His sacrifice.
And when He had taken some bread and given thanks, He broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is My body which is given for you; do this in remembrance of Me." (Luke 22:19 NASB)
By giving us Jesus, the Father made a propitiation for our sins so that we might be restored to Him.
Therefore, He had to be made like His brethren in all things, so that He might become a merciful and faithful high priest in things pertaining to God, to make propitiation for the sins of the people. (Hebrews 2:17 NASB)
and He Himself is the propitiation for our sins; and not for ours only, but also for those of the whole world. (1 John 2:2 NASB)
By this the love of God was manifested in us, that God has sent His only begotten Son into the world so that we might live through Him. In this is love, not that we loved God, but that He loved us and sent His Son to be the propitiation for our sins. (1 John 4:9-10 NASB)
The gift of Jesus can be received by anyone in the world who is willing to repent, turn from sin, and believe in the atoning sacrifice of Jesus.
For there is one God, and one mediator also between God and men, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all, the testimony given at the proper time. (1 Timothy 2:5-6 NASB)
But the Scripture has shut up everyone under sin, so that the promise by faith in Jesus Christ might be given to those who believe. (Galatians 3:22 NASB)
Jesus is the gift available to everyone. He is the primary gift. However, the Father's other gifts are only available to those who have received Jesus, who have become part of the Family of God.
After Jesus' death and resurrection but before He ascended He appeared to His disciples on several occasions and spoke to them about the Kingdom of God. He also told them to wait for the promise of the Father.
Gathering them together, He commanded them not to leave Jerusalem, but to wait for what the Father had promised, "Which," He said, "you heard of from Me; for John baptized with water, but you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit not many days from now." (Acts 1:4-5 NASB)
Jesus said that they had heard Him speak of the promise of the Father previously. John records His words to them.
"I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it does not see Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-17 NASB)
"But 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 go, I will send Him to you. (John 16:7 NASB)
"I have many more things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come. "He will glorify Me, for He will take of Mine and will disclose it to you. "All things that the Father has are Mine; therefore I said that He takes of Mine and will disclose it to you. (John 16:12-15 NASB)
Luke identifies the promise of the Father with a gift of the Father that is available for the asking.
"If you then, being evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your heavenly Father give the Holy Spirit to those who ask Him?" (Luke 11:13 NASB)
After Pentecost, the gift of the Holy Spirit is available to all believers as Peter said to those who asked what they should do after hearing his powerful words about Jesus after the coming of the Holy Spirit.
Peter said to them, "Repent, and each of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins; and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. "For the promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off, as many as the Lord our God will call to Himself." (Acts 2:38-39 NASB)
So, the two great gifts from our Heavenly Father to us are Jesus first and then the Holy Spirit. Jesus so that we might be restored to the household of faith and know the Father and the Holy Spirit so that we might know the fullness of all that the Father has for us.
Now we have received, not the spirit of the world, but the Spirit who is from God, so that we may know the things freely given to us by God, (1 Corinthians 2:12 NASB)
[For a more detailed study of the Father's promise of the Holy Spirit see The Promise of the Father available on the website.]
As we saw at the beginning of this study all perfect gifts come down from the Father of lights; however, the Father has also made Jesus and the Holy Spirit administrators of various categories of His gifts.
But to each one of us grace was given according to the measure of Christ's gift. Therefore it says, "WHEN HE ASCENDED ON HIGH, HE LED CAPTIVE A HOST OF CAPTIVES, AND HE GAVE GIFTS TO MEN." (Ephesians 4:7-8 NASB)
When Jesus ascended to the Father, He gave gifts to men. These are detailed in the Scriptures.
And He gave some as apostles, and some as prophets, and some as evangelists, and some as pastors and teachers, (Ephesians 4:11 NASB)
These are not gifts of things or titles. They are gifts of people to the whole Body of Christ. The Father first gave us the person of Jesus, then the person of the Holy Spirit and, now, through Them He has given us men who function as apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers. They have a specific job to do among the people of God.
for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ; (Ephesians 4:12 NASB)
They are to equip the saints and they are to build up the body of Christ. They are to continue to do this for a specified time period.
until we all attain to the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a mature man, to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ. (Ephesians 4:13 NASB)
This time period is “until”:
we all attain to the unity of the faith;
we all attain to the knowledge of the Son of God;
we all attain to a mature man;
we all attain to the measure of the stature which belongs to the fullness of Christ.
It can easily be seen that the time period of the “until” is still ongoing for we certainly have not attained to all of these things. That means that the gifts given by Jesus on His ascension of apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers are still valid and ongoing gifts for today.
The Father does not give useless gifts. Each gift has value, function and purpose. We short ourselves if we do not receive what the Father has given.
The Father has given us Jesus and through Him, the Holy Spirit. Jesus has given us apostles, prophets, evangelists, shepherds and teachers. The Holy Spirit has given us the nine gifts of the Spirit.
But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; to another faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, and to another the effecting of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, and to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11 NASB)
In all of these gifts we see different types and varieties; but, in all of these the Father is working all things in various ways in all people for His own purposes.
Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. There are varieties of effects, but the same God who works all things in all persons. (1 Corinthians 12:4-6 NASB)
Let us not neglect the gifts of the Father. Let us receive all that He desires to give.
© 2011 Art Nelson lifestreamteaching.com