Spiritual Gifts

BE FAITHFUL WITH THE FEW - parable of talents

A LIVING SACRIFICE - present yourself to God for His use

A LIVING TEMPLE - what 'gold and silver' has God supplied you with?

·         1 Corinthians 12:11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.

·         Ephesians 4:7-8 However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ.  That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.”

Q: WHAT ARE THE PURPOSES OF THE GIFTS?

·         1 Corinthians 12:7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.

·         1 Corinthians 14:26 Well, my brothers and sisters, let’s summarize. When you meet together, one will sing, another will teach, another will tell some special revelation God has given, one will speak in tongues, and another will interpret what is said. But everything that is done must strengthen all of you.

·         1 Peter 4:10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

Q: WHAT ARE THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS?

·         1 Corinthians 12:27-28 All of you together are Christ’s body, and each of you is a part of it. Here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church:  first are apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, those who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, those who speak in unknown languages.

·         1 Corinthians 12:8-10 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge.  The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing.  He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said.

·         Ephesians 4:11-13 Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers.  Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.  This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.

·         Romans 12:6-8 In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.  If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.  If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.

·         1 Corinthians 7:7 But I wish everyone were single, just as I am. Yet each person has a special gift from God, of one kind or another.

Q: WHAT ARE OUR RESPONSIBILITIES?

·         1 Timothy 4:13 Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received through the prophecy spoken over you when the elders of the church laid their hands on you.

·         2 Timothy 1:6 This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you.

·         1 Corinthians 12:31 So you should earnestly desire the most helpful gifts.

·         1 Corinthians 14:1 Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives—especially the ability to prophesy.

·         1 Corinthians 14:12 And the same is true for you. Since you are so eager to have the special abilities the Spirit gives, seek those that will strengthen the whole church.

GIFTS ARE NOT AN END IN THEMSELVES, BUT A MEANS TOWARD AN END - FULFILLING GOD'S PURPOSES IN THIS WORLD (Think parable of talents - the bags of silver were not the end goal, but a tool by which to invest and gain a return for the Master; likewise, the gold, silver, temple elements were not for the personal prosperity of the individual, but for God's glory and the greater good)

Q: BUT I DON'T KNOW WHAT MY SPIRITUAL GIFTS ARE!  WHAT SHOULD I DO?

·         ASK God

·         ASK others

·         Study the Bible

·         SHAPE Survey (contact Pastor Joe for password)

o    Spiritual Gifts Assessment (128 questions!)

o    Heart

o    Abilities

o    Personality

o    Experience

·         Put them into practice.  If God gave you specific gifts, He will also give you opportunities to use them.

WHATEVER YOUR GIFTS ARE:

·         Use them for the glory of God.

·         Use them for the service of others.

·         Use them well.

Matthew 28:18-20  Jesus came and told his disciples, “I have been given all authority in heaven and on earth. Therefore, go and make disciples of all the nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  Teach these new disciples to obey all the commands I have given you. And be sure of this: I am with you always, even to the end of the age.”

THE GIFTS OF THE HOLY SPIRIT ARE GIVEN TO US TO CONFIRM THE GOSPEL, TO EQUIP AND STRENGTHEN THE CHURCH, AND TO SERVE ONE ANOTHER (AND THE WORLD) IN CHRISTIAN LOVE.

A Living Temple

Haggai 1

On August 29 of the second year of King Darius’s reign, the Lord gave a message through the prophet Haggai to Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and to Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest. 

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: The people are saying, ‘The time has not yet come to rebuild the house of the Lord.’” 

Then the Lord sent this message through the prophet Haggai: “Why are you living in luxurious houses while my house lies in ruins?  This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you!  You have planted much but harvest little. You eat but are not satisfied. You drink but are still thirsty. You put on clothes but cannot keep warm. Your wages disappear as though you were putting them in pockets filled with holes! 

“This is what the Lord of Heaven’s Armies says: Look at what’s happening to you!  Now go up into the hills, bring down timber, and rebuild my house. Then I will take pleasure in it and be honored, says the Lord.  You hoped for rich harvests, but they were poor. And when you brought your harvest home, I blew it away. Why? Because my house lies in ruins, says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, while all of you are busy building your own fine houses.  It’s because of you that the heavens withhold the dew and the earth produces no crops.  I have called for a drought on your fields and hills—a drought to wither the grain and grapes and olive trees and all your other crops, a drought to starve you and your livestock and to ruin everything you have worked so hard to get.” 

Then Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, and Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the whole remnant of God’s people began to obey the message from the Lord their God. When they heard the words of the prophet Haggai, whom the Lord their God had sent, the people feared the Lord. Then Haggai, the Lord’s messenger, gave the people this message from the Lord: “I am with you, says the Lord!” 

So the Lord sparked the enthusiasm of Zerubbabel son of Shealtiel, governor of Judah, and the enthusiasm of Jeshua son of Jehozadak, the high priest, and the enthusiasm of the whole remnant of God’s people. They began to work on the house of their God, the Lord of Heaven’s Armies, on September 21 of the second year of King Darius’s reign. 

Romans 12 

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 

Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.  Just as our bodies have many parts and each part has a special function, so it is with Christ’s body. We are many parts of one body, and we all belong to each other. 

In his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well. So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as God has given you.  If your gift is serving others, serve them well. If you are a teacher, teach well.  If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging. If it is giving, give generously. If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously. And if you have a gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly. 

Don’t just pretend to love others. Really love them. Hate what is wrong. Hold tightly to what is good.  Love each other with genuine affection, and take delight in honoring each other.  Never be lazy, but work hard and serve the Lord enthusiastically.  Rejoice in our confident hope. Be patient in trouble, and keep on praying.  When God’s people are in need, be ready to help them. Always be eager to practice hospitality. 

Bless those who persecute you. Don’t curse them; pray that God will bless them. Be happy with those who are happy, and weep with those who weep.  Live in harmony with each other. Don’t be too proud to enjoy the company of ordinary people. And don’t think you know it all! 

Never pay back evil with more evil. Do things in such a way that everyone can see you are honorable.  Do all that you can to live in peace with everyone. 

Dear friends, never take revenge. Leave that to the righteous anger of God. For the Scriptures say, 

“I will take revenge; 
    I will pay them back,” 
    says the Lord. 
Instead, 

“If your enemies are hungry, feed them. 
    If they are thirsty, give them something to drink. 
In doing this, you will heap 
    burning coals of shame on their heads.” 
Don’t let evil conquer you, but conquer evil by doing good. 

Living Sacrifices

Five Types of Old Testament Sacrifices: 

• Burnt 
• Grain 
• Peace 
• Sin 
• Trespass 

These sacrifices were performed for any number of reasons:  

• Atonement 
• Reconciliation 
• Communion 
• Worship 
• Dedication/devotion 

The offerings to be sacrificed were to be:  

• The best (ie - without blemish) 
• Identified with offerer 
• Sanctified (made holy) 

Hebrews 9:22b For without the shedding of blood, there is no forgiveness. 

However, what does the Old Testament say about God's desire for sacrifices? 

• 1 Samuel 15:22 “What is more pleasing to the Lord:  your burnt offerings and sacrifices or your obedience to his voice?  Listen! Obedience is better than sacrifice, and submission is better than offering the fat of rams."
• Psalm 51:16 You do not desire a sacrifice, or I would offer one.  You do not want a burnt offering. 
• Proverbs 21:3 The Lord is more pleased when we do what is right and just than when we offer him sacrifices. 
• Hosea 6:6 I want you to show love, not offer sacrifices.  I want you to know me more than I want burnt offerings. 
• Micah 6:6-8 What can we bring to the Lord?  Should we bring him burnt offerings?  Should we bow before God Most High with offerings of yearling calves?  Should we offer him thousands of rams and ten thousand rivers of olive oil?  Should we sacrifice our firstborn children to pay for our sins?  No, O people, the Lord has told you what is good, and this is what he requires of you:  to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God. 
• Amos 5:21-24 “I hate all your show and pretense—the hypocrisy of your religious festivals and solemn assemblies.  I will not accept your burnt offerings and grain offerings.  I won’t even notice all your choice peace offerings.  Away with your noisy hymns of praise!  I will not listen to the music of your harps.  Instead, I want to see a mighty flood of justice, an endless river of righteous living. "

Jesus reinforces this view: 

• Mark 12:28-34 Two Greatest Commandments -- (33) "And I know it is important to love him with all my heart and all my understanding and all my strength, and to love my neighbor as myself. This is more important than to offer all of the burnt offerings and sacrifices required in the law.” 

Hebrews 10:1-10 - Jesus fulfills the sacrificial system 

The old system under the law of Moses was only a shadow, a dim preview of the good things to come, not the good things themselves. The sacrifices under that system were repeated again and again, year after year, but they were never able to provide perfect cleansing for those who came to worship.  If they could have provided perfect cleansing, the sacrifices would have stopped, for the worshipers would have been purified once for all time, and their feelings of guilt would have disappeared. 

But instead, those sacrifices actually reminded them of their sins year after year.  For it is not possible for the blood of bulls and goats to take away sins.  That is why, when Christ came into the world, he said to God, 

“You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings. 

    But you have given me a body to offer. 

You were not pleased with burnt offerings 

    or other offerings for sin. 

Then I said, ‘Look, I have come to do your will, O God— 

    as is written about me in the Scriptures.’” 

First, Christ said, “You did not want animal sacrifices or sin offerings or burnt offerings or other offerings for sin, nor were you pleased with them” (though they are required by the law of Moses).  Then he said, “Look, I have come to do your will.” He cancels the first covenant in order to put the second into effect.  For God’s will was for us to be made holy by the sacrifice of the body of Jesus Christ, once for all time. 

Romans 12:1-2 - Our Sacrificial Requirement  

And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind he will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship him. Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect. 

Be transformed - metamorphoō 

• 'to change into another form, to transform, to transfigure' (think butterfly) 
• Jesus - Mount of Transfiguration (2x) - Matthew 17:2, Mark 9:2 
• 2 Corinthians 3:16-18 But whenever someone turns to the Lord, the veil is taken away.  For the Lord is the Spirit, and wherever the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom.  So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image.  So all of us who have had that veil removed can see and reflect the glory of the Lord. And the Lord—who is the Spirit—makes us more and more like him as we are changed into his glorious image. 
• Death > Life 
• Sin > Righteousness 
• Stranger > Son 

Next Steps: 

• Continued next Sunday - Read rest of Romans 12
• Christ & Coffee: Romans 12 - Thursday 7:30 AM 
• Acres of Hope Planning/Vision Meeting - 3/1/15  
• Spiritual Gifts/SHAPE Assessment online 
  • Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experience