“Charisma is the instantaneous enablement of the Holy Spirit in the life of any believer to exercise a gift for the edification of others.” (Dr. Spiros Zodhiates)
Charisma comes from the Greek word chairo which is usually translated “rejoice.” It was also used as a greeting – “Hail!” (Matthew 5:12; 26:49) (br>
Translated “grace’ in English, charis means undeserved kindness or unmerited favour. Included in the word is the joy and the gratitude that result from charis being granted. Charis is the opposite to effort. In the life of a Christian, charis is first revealed in the joy of sins forgiven, and in the freedom from guilt and condemnation that follows God’s forgiveness.
Charisma, then, is a gift of grace. (Its plural is charismata.) God’s great grace is shown in the wonderful gifts He has given to us. Again; a charisma is a grace-gift.
In a believer’s experience, it is difficult to separate “the grace shown” from “the gift given.” Like true faith and good works, each is shown in the other. I believe that “the measure of faith” is also synonymous with “the grace shown” and “the gift given.” It is only the Western mind that seeks to separate them.
When used interchangeably (allowing for minor shades of difference in the Greek), the three expressions are keys to understanding how God wants the Body of Christ to function.
The apostle Paul “received grace” from Christ for his ministry to the Gentiles. (Romans 1:5) In other words, he received divine favour, kindness, and acceptance. Paul’s ministry was the result of “the grace of God given to me” (Ephesians 3:7,8).
In Romans 15:15, Paul again refers to “the grace that is given to me from God.” The apostles at Jerusalem perceived “the grace that had been given” to Paul, and received him into fellowship. (Galatians 2:9)
It was the “grace given” to Paul that inspired him to write that God had apportioned to every believer “the measure of faith.” (Romans 12:3) The phrases “measure of faith” and “grace given” are interchangeable. God’s grace is visible in what it produces. The outcome of persecuted Jews in believers in Jerusalem being “scattered abroad” was that “a great number” of Greeks came to the Lord, Barnabas saw their salvation as “the grace of God” (Acts 11:19-23).
Every believer has been given “the measure of faith” (or “a measure of faith,” as the NKJV puts it). This is not an abstract term, as many have supposed, wondering exactly what “measure” they possess! No, “the measure of faith” is “the gift given,” which also is “the grace given” — three ways of saying the same thing.
This grace given/gift given/measure of faith is to be put to good use.
“But unto every one of us is given grace according to the measure of the gift of Christ. Therefore he writes: “When he ascended up on high, he led captivity captive, and gave gifts unto men.” (Ephesians 4:7,8)
As the Amplified Version puts it: “Yet grace (God’s unmerited favor) was given to each of us individually [not indiscriminately, but in different ways] in proportion to the measure of Christ’s [rich and bountiful] gift.”
“Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith.” (Romans 12:6) Not just in the number of prophecies spoken but in the accuracy of their content.
The “proportion of faith” is “the measure of faith” given, manifested (in this case) in the gift of prophecy. That “measure” or “proportion” of faith which enables one person to prophesy, enables another person to minister, another to teach, another to exhort, another to give, another to rule, and another to show mercy. (Romans 12:6-8)
“We being many are one body” – diversity in unity. (Romans 12:5) Your spiritual gift was not given to make you independent of others but interdependent with others!
“We being one body are many” — unity in diversity. (Romans 12:5) Unity does not have to mean uniformity: each one of us has a particular part to play.
“As every man has received the gift, even so minister the same one to another, as good stewards of the manifold grace of God.” (1 Peter 4:10)
The Amplified Bible puts it very well:
“As each of you has received a gift (a particular spiritual talent, a gracious divine endowment), employ it for one another as [befits] good trustees of God’s many-sided grace [faithful stewards of the extremely diverse powers and gifts granted to Christians by unmerited favor].”
As we share the faith that we have, gifts are imparted and believers are established.
“For I long to see you, that I may impart unto you some spiritual gift, so that you may be established; that is, that I may be comforted together with you by the mutual faith both of you and me.” (Romans 1:11, 12)
While Paul would have “imparted” to the believers in Rome the gift of miracles that he undoubtedly had — the measure of faith he had been given — they in turn would have imparted to him through their gifts. Hospitality would have been one; prophecy another; generosity yet another. Paul would not have been a Big Name preacher: God’s Lone Ranger, or anything of the kind; he would have been as dependent on their measure of God-given faith as they were on his measure of the same faith.
The role of ministry gifts (church eldership) is to train, perfect, mend, equip and join together God’s people so that they – as the whole body of Christ — can minister. The comma after “saints” in the KJV should not be there. It wrongly places “the work of the ministry” entirely in the hands of the leadership — the apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers; but “the work of the ministry” is a job for the whole body.
As the church body matures, childish behaviour among believers and deception from false teachers are no longer problems. (Ephesians 4:13, 14)
The church body grows up into Christ in all things, because he is its authoritative Head. The five ministry gifts are not the church’s head – Jesus Christ is its head! The role of ministry gifts is to impart the spiritual gifts that bring healthy growth. As the church comes to see Jesus as its Head it functions “from” Him (Ephesians 4:16) in the same way that your own body functions as your head so instructs. If it did not, it would be dysfunctional. However, the church has “the mind of Christ”.
“For because of Him the whole body (the church in all its various parts), closely joined and firmly knit together by the joints and ligaments with which it is supplied, when each part [with power adapted to its need] is working properly [in all its functions], grows to full maturity, building itself up in love.” (The Amplified Bible)
The church body is only as good as the “effective working” of all its members! Those members — parts of the body — who are either not present or not working are the cause of its dysfunctional condition. The church body has its own, intrinsic growth potential. Visiting ministries can bless the body, and encourage growth. If the church body is damaged, they can give it the helpful spiritual equivalent to chiropractic treatment or physiotherapy.
What it really needs, though, is to grow up into Jesus Christ, its Head; and it can do that only as the ministry gifts of apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor and teacher impart what helps it to grow. The body itself must begin the work; recovery must come from within the church itself.
May the church grow into full maturity – into Christ’s full stature — “the completeness found in Him.” (The Amplified Bible)
Your God-given gifts are the measure of your faith.
1. God’s grace comes to you through Jesus Christ. (Romans 1:5)
2. It is revealed in your God-given ministry. (Ephesians 3:7-8)
3. That grace is recognized by others. (Galatians 2:8, 9)
4. Ministry gifts are anointed people placed by the Lord in the Church. (Ephesians 4:7-11)
5. Ministry gifts impart spiritual gifts to the church and set them in order. (Romans 12:3)
6. God’s multifaceted grace can only be experienced as each and every believer ministers the gifts they’ve been given. (1 Peter 4:10, 11)
7. Imparting of spiritual gifts results in mutual faith and encouragement. (Romans 1:11, 12)
8. Spiritual gifts, like ministry gifts, differ according to the grace given. (Galatians 2:8; Romans 12:6)
9. Each believer has at least one spiritual gift. (1 Peter 4:10; Romans 12:3; 1 Corinthians 12:7, 11)
10. Ministry gifts help members to cooperate, so that the Church as a whole remains healthy while growing to maturity and functioning efficiently. (Ephesians 4:16)
The local church exhibits diversity in unity because its many members are “one body” in Christ. United in fellowship, it also displays unity in diversity, the church body working through a variety of members.
When too much stress or over-emphasis is placed on any one member the church body loses its ability to work as God intended. When members are out of fellowship with one another the body cannot work properly because it is dysfunctional.
Most dysfunctional churches become so after they fail to see that gifts differ according to grace given. (Romans 12:6) The gift received expresses the grace given. It is by God’s grace that we are what we are in the body. In trying to do more than our gifts enable us to do, we suffer — first through disunity, then through separation, and finally through disfunction.
The Holy Spirit works all the gifts, distributing to each believer individually, as He wills. (1 Corinthians 12:11) As members of the body of Christ, we are meant to function interactively, not independently.
Why do the inspired apostles use the human body so often as a model for the Church? Because we live in one! Because we know how bad we feel when some parts aren’t working as they should. And because we know how good we feel when every part is working perfectly.
Good enough reasons for every one of us to study Romans 12 and 1 Corinthians 12 prayerfully.
Not only will this enable us to learn more about the Body of Christ which is the Church — it also will result in each one of us treating the wonderful and irreplaceable physical body we’ve been given with a lot more respect!
The first will be good news for functional churches; the second will be bad news for fast-food style church takeaway outlets.