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.