Embracing Christ's Gifts for Church Unity and Growth

This morning, the focus is on the essential gifts that Christ has given to the church—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—and the need for the body to embrace the fullness of these gifts rather than gravitating toward just one or two. Each gift is designed not only to serve but to shape the church into a more complete, mature reflection of Christ. The tendency to favor one gift or style over another can limit the church’s growth and maturity, keeping us from experiencing the fullness God intends.

As we launch into the “Old Time Religion” series, the aim is not to return to the past for nostalgia’s sake, but to recover eternal truths that have been lost or neglected as each generation moves forward. One of these truths is the principle of God’s presence. Looking at the devastation described in Joel, where grain, new wine, and oil are all lost, we see a prophetic picture: grain represents the harvest of souls, new wine the move of God’s presence, and oil the anointing of the Holy Spirit. The loss of these is a warning to the church about shifting focus—from God and others to ourselves.

Over time, the church has become more self-centered, seeking messages and experiences that cater to personal needs rather than prioritizing God’s presence and the lost. Prayer requests have shifted from interceding for the salvation of others to personal comfort and success. The call is to recognize this drift and repent, as Joel instructs, so that God can restore what has been lost—bringing together the former and latter rain, uniting generations, and pouring out His Spirit afresh.

The challenge is to hold fast to eternal principles, not generational preferences. Every generation has its own move of God, and the greatest threat to the new is often the resistance of the old. The wineskin must change, but the wine—God’s presence—remains the same. The heart cry is for every generation to experience God in a real and powerful way, not necessarily in the same style, but with the same authenticity and depth. The invitation is to lay aside personal preferences and make God’s presence and the salvation of souls our highest priority, responding in worship and openness to whatever God wants to do.

Key Takeaways

• 1. Embracing the Fullness of Christ’s Gifts God has given the church a diversity of gifts—apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, and teachers—not to create silos, but to equip the body for maturity and unity. When we only value the gifts that match our own preferences, we limit the church’s growth and miss out on the fullness of Christ’s design. True maturity comes when we honor and receive from all the gifts, allowing the church to become balanced, equipped, and unified in purpose. [42:20]
• 2. The Principle of Presence Over Preference The most vital legacy from previous generations is not a style of worship or a set of traditions, but a hunger for God’s presence. When the church prioritizes comfort, style, or personal application over encountering God, we risk losing the very thing that makes us distinct. The presence of God is not an accessory to our gatherings—it is the essential, transformative reality that must shape everything we do. [50:21]
• 3. Recognizing and Repenting of Self-Centered Drift A subtle but dangerous shift occurs when the church becomes more focused on meeting personal needs than on seeking God and reaching the lost. This is reflected in our prayers, our worship, and our expectations of church. The call is to recognize where we have drifted, repent, and return to a God-centered, others-focused posture, trusting that God will restore what has been lost when we humble ourselves before Him. [69:42]
• 4. Generational Unity Releases God’s Fullness God’s promise of restoration in Joel is tied to the coming together of the former and latter rain—symbolizing the unity of previous and current generations. When generations honor each other and pursue God together, the result is an outpouring of harvest, presence, and anointing that neither could achieve alone. The church must intentionally bridge generational divides, valuing both the wisdom of the past and the passion of the present. [82:52]
• 5. Eternal Principles, Not Generational Preferences Every move of God comes with its own methods and styles, but the danger is in confusing the method with the message. The wineskin must change to hold new wine, but the wine—God’s presence and eternal truth—remains unchanged. We must be willing to let go of our preferences for the sake of the next generation’s encounter with God, ensuring that what we pass on is not just our style, but the unchanging principle of His presence. [89:38]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [38:24] - Introduction: The Gifts in the Body
• [39:32] - Understanding the Fivefold Ministry
• [40:59] - The Church’s Comfort Zones
• [42:20] - Purpose of the Gifts: Equipping the Church
• [46:19] - Launching “Old Time Religion” Series
• [50:21] - The Principle of Presence
• [55:08] - Joel’s Context: Devastation and Loss
• [59:15] - The Tabernacle: Outer and Inner Realities
• [63:11] - Grain, New Wine, and Oil: Their Meaning
• [69:42] - The Shift to Self-Centeredness
• [74:56] - The Cost of Anointing and Worship
• [77:43] - Repentance and Restoration in Joel
• [82:52] - Generational Unity and the Outpouring
• [89:38] - Eternal Principles vs. Preferences
• [94:44] - Responding to God’s Presence
• [101:40] - Closing Prayer and Worship Invitation

Bible Reading

Ephesians 4:11-13 (ESV) — > And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.

Joel 1:10 (ESV) — > The fields are destroyed, the ground mourns, because the grain is destroyed, the wine dries up, the oil languishes.

Joel 2:23-29 (ESV) — > “Be glad, O children of Zion, and rejoice in the Lord your God, for he has given the early rain for your vindication; he has poured down for you abundant rain, the early and the latter rain, as before. The threshing floors shall be full of grain; the vats shall overflow with wine and oil. ... And it shall come to pass afterward, that I will pour out my Spirit on all flesh; your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, your old men shall dream dreams, and your young men shall see visions. Even on the male and female servants in those days I will pour out my Spirit.”

Observation Questions

1. According to Ephesians 4:11-13, what is the purpose of the different gifts (apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors, teachers) given to the church?
2. In Joel 1:10, what three things are lost, and what do they represent according to the sermon? ([55:08])
3. What does the “former rain” and “latter rain” symbolize in Joel 2, and how does the sermon connect this to generational unity? ([01:21:23])
4. The sermon describes a shift in the church’s focus over time. What are some practical examples given of how the church’s prayers and priorities have changed? ([01:08:37])

Interpretation Questions

1. Why does Paul emphasize the need for all five gifts in Ephesians 4, and what might happen if a church only values one or two of these gifts? ([42:20])
2. The loss of grain, new wine, and oil in Joel is described as a warning. What does this loss reveal about the spiritual condition of God’s people, both then and now? ([01:06:28])
3. The sermon talks about “presence over preference.” Why is God’s presence described as more important than style, comfort, or tradition? ([01:30:25])
4. What does it look like for a church to repent of self-centeredness and return to a God-centered, others-focused posture? ([01:18:36])

Application Questions

1. The sermon challenges us to honor and receive from all the gifts Christ has given the church, not just the ones we prefer. Which of the five gifts (apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher) do you naturally gravitate toward, and which do you tend to overlook? How can you open yourself to receive from the others? ([42:20])
2. Think about your own prayer life. Are your prayers more focused on your personal needs or on God’s presence and the salvation of others? What is one way you could shift your prayers this week? ([01:08:37])
3. The sermon describes a drift toward self-centeredness in the church. In what ways have you noticed this in your own expectations of church or worship? How can you intentionally make God’s presence and reaching the lost a higher priority? ([01:12:34])
4. The “former rain” and “latter rain” represent different generations coming together. Are there generational divides in your church or family? What is one step you could take to bridge that gap and honor both the wisdom of the past and the passion of the present? ([01:22:52])
5. The wineskin must change, but the wine remains the same. Are there church traditions or personal preferences you hold tightly to that might be getting in the way of what God wants to do in this generation? How can you let go of style for the sake of substance? ([01:29:38])
6. The sermon invites us to respond in worship and openness to whatever God wants to do. What would it look like for you to come to church with a heart ready to encounter God, even if it’s outside your comfort zone? ([01:34:44])
7. The pastor shared about longing for the next generation to experience God in a real way, not just in the same style as before. How can you support or pray for the next generation to have their own authentic encounter with God? ([01:40:42])