Spirituality and Spiritual Gifts

OCTOBER 12, 2022 STUDY NOTES SERMON SERIES: “SPIRITUALITY AND SPIRITUAL GIFTS” SCRIPTURE: 1 CORINTHIANS 3:7-9 BIBLE TEACHER: CLIFTON JONES INTRODUCTION Our previous study was “Carnal Christians” (1 Corinthians 3:1-6) “Carnal Christians” are those who are saved but not living a life according to God’s Word Their daily life follows the way of the world instead of the “Will of God” “Carnal Christians” are living under the influence of the sinful flesh instead of the Holy Spirit The Corinthian church had the evidence of “Carnal Christians” within their membership There was a division among the believers within the church, 1Co 3:4 For while one saith, I am of Paul; and another, I am of Apollos; are ye not carnal? God had given the church gifted men for them to follow and learn from, 1Co 3:5 Who then is Paul, and who is Apollos, but ministers by whom ye believed, even as the Lord gave to every man? Ministers who followed the leadership of the Lord and ministered to the church, 1Co 3:6 I have planted, Apollos watered; but God gave the increase. Every Christian is a minister gifted to serve the Lord and should be faithfully serving God God gives every Christian a spiritual gift and God gives us the opportunity to use our spiritual gift When we are faithful to minister through our spiritual gift, God gives the increase (1 Cor. 3:6-7) GOD IS THE GIVER--1Co 3:7 So then neither is he that planteth any thing, neither he that watereth; but God that giveth the increase. This is a verse that we must keep in mind as we plan and organize all that we do as a church Without God’s leadership no program will work to win lost souls or spiritually mature saints Without prayer unto God for His will and His way all organization is a wasted effort We must keep in mind that our ministry as a Christian and as a church is God’s work Paul came to the city of Corinth to plant the seeds of the Gospel (Matthew 28:18-20) But Paul was no more than a servant of God who was called upon to plant spiritual seeds Jesus often spoke of “sowing seed” and explained that the “seed” was the “Word,” Mar 4:14 The sower soweth the word. The seed of the “Word of God” is to take root in us and grow, and then produce fruit Christians working together to plant spiritual seed is very important, we must “all” minister Paul is telling us that when we do, that does not make one more important than another God and God’s Word are that which must be foremost and glorified, not the church or Christian “So then,” presents the answer to the question of verse 5, “who is Paul and who is Apollos?” Jesus once stated the point that Paul is now making, Joh 15:5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. “Neither he that planet,” one plants, one waters, we “all” are to be involved in ministry Planting seed is sharing the gospel to those who are lost encouraging them to receive Christ “Neither he that watereth,” watering is ministering where the seed has been planted Watering is ministering the Word of God, instructing truth to those who are saved or lost Even though you plant seed in a garden, there will be no growth without water Get a good rain and you can watch the garden grow (Showers of blessing we need) The ministry of a Christian is to share the good news for the salvation of lost souls Christians must also minister God’s Word to the saved so that they will grow spiritually We must all grow in the knowledge of God, Col 1:10 That ye might walk worthy of the Lord Page 1 of 5 unto all pleasing, being fruitful in every good work, and increasing in the knowledge of God; God’s grace allows us to grow, 2Pe 3:18 But grow in grace, and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. To him be glory both now and for ever. Amen. Paul is telling us that whether we plant or water, we are yet servants, the high calling of God Don’t think that we are “anything” else, Gal 6:3 For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself. “Nothing” is a word of warning it conveys the impossibility of man by himself being something This verse does not teach that you are unfit or worthless, it teaches the truth of “Spirituality” If someone thinks that he by himself is somebody, he is deceiving himself The word “deceiveth” refers to a person who is leading his own mind astray (With Satan’s help) Do not have the attitude that you are “super spiritual,” and others are “sorry sinners” Do not be deceived by a false evaluation of yourself, on your own you are not a “Super Saint” Do not lead yourself astray by overestimating yourself (What would God do without me?) Don’t sing, “How Great I Am,” Sing, “How Great Thou Art” Do not convince yourself that you are great by comparing yourself to others (Proves nothing) Comparing yourself with a “sinning saint” will not qualify you as “spiritually superior” When you are too high on self you cannot reach down to help someone else When you are conceited, you cannot be concerned about others When you are egotistic you cannot be evangelistic We must have the confidence of the Spirit and not the spirit of overconfidence On our own we are not moral, spiritual, or powerful, we are “Nothing” Only “In Christ” are we “Something,” which is the truth found in, Php 4:13 I can do all things through Christ which strengtheneth me. (In-Christ you are “something” and can do something) Don’t say, “I can’t,” believe that Christ can, go ahead and work for God “In-Christ” We are workers for God, we are to sow seed and share water, continually depending upon God It is “God that giveth the increase,” the second time Paul stated that fact (1 Cor 3:6-7) The word “increase” means “to grow” or become greater, which is the work of Christ in us The early church was faithful in their work for God and God “gave the increase,” Act 6:7 And the word of God increased; and the number of the disciples multiplied in Jerusalem greatly; and a great company of the priests were obedient to the faith. The church of today must seek God for all church planning and organization in order to increase Without God, Jesus Christ, the Word of God, and the Holy Spirit there will be no “increase” Without God there will be no “increase” in souls saved, spiritual life, or spiritual growth God gives the spiritual growth when Christians come to church to prepare for spiritual work God gives the increase when Christians leave the church spiritually prepared to do their work Which is wherever we are, the field is white unto harvest, but there is a problem, Mat 9:37 Then saith he unto his disciples, The harvest truly is plenteous, but the labourers are few; WE ARE ALL LABORERS--1Co 3:8 Now he that planteth and he that watereth are one: and every man shall receive his own reward according to his own labour. The emphasis is upon the goal, the aim, and the purpose Why are we a church member? Why do we serve? What do we want to accomplish? We should be a part of the church ministry because we want to see God give the increase So, we should each one be here to do our part, we should each one be here ready to go to work Paul shows us that each one must do their part, we must each one exercise our spiritual gift “Are One” reveals the purpose of every spiritually gifted believer, we must work together We “are one” because of God’s grace bestowed upon each one of us We are “each one” saved by grace, and we “each one” serve by the grace of God We cannot look upon one Christian as better than the other (a problem in the Corinthian church) Page 2 of 5 God does look upon our individual faithfulness to Him and our work that we accomplish for Him We “each one” are personally responsible toward God and must faithfully do our work God knows what we do, when we do it, how well we do it, and why we do it God knows when we “plant,” God knows when we “water” “And every man shall receive his own reward” “Every man” identifies with our individual spiritual gift and our personal accountability Every man’s own work will be made manifest, 1Co 3:13 Every man's work shall be made manifest: for the day shall declare it, because it shall be revealed by fire; and the fire shall try every man's work of what sort it is. The word “reward” means wages, the pay you receive for your labor, Joh 4:36 And he that reapeth receiveth wages, (rewards) and gathereth fruit unto life eternal: that both he that soweth and he that reapeth may rejoice together. Each Christian servant will receive wages for their service, it will not be in cash Our reward is not what the popular “prosperity preaching” of today proclaims People want to hear, serve God today and you can take your reward to the bank tomorrow God’s reward for working Christians is not a personal bank account It is not man who pays the servants of God for God’s work Just as it is God who gives the increase, it is also God who will give the rewards Churches can compensate those who minister for their time spent in ministry And that allows them to spend more personal time in their preparation for ministry But only God can “reward” the servant for his service, the worker for his work Man does not know what has truly been earned and who should truly be paid In the work force of this world there are those who are under paid and those over paid But in God’s work force that will never happen, you are paid according to your “own” work Only God can give according to the servant’s “own labor” It is common in our world today to find those who brag about how much money they have made It is also common to find in the church those who brag about their work for God We must remember that it is only by the grace of God that we can work for God We are saved by grace, Eph 2:8 For by grace are ye saved through faith; and that not of yourselves: it is the gift of God: We do not work to receive salvation, Eph 2:9 Not of works, lest any man should boast. We are saved by the grace of God so that we can serve by the grace of God, Eph 2:10 For we are his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus unto good works, which God hath before ordained that we should walk in them. Never forget that working for God is God working in us To live a daily Christian life of service to God requires effort, discipline, and diligence Spiritual maturity and faithful service unto God takes time, effort, and experience You must manage your time and discipline your life in-order to work for God You may have to get up early or go to bed late as you prepare for work In-order to prepare for work you may have to turn off your computer, put aside your smart phone Notice that Paul did not say, “according to his own success” In man’s work force success is that which receives the reward God’s reward is not based upon “success,” especially success in the eyes of man Your reward is according to the effort, the labor, the determination to do the job God knows what part you had in the harvest, and the harvest was not just your work alone Christians never work alone the Holy Spirit unites the work of Christians to bring forth harvest CO-LABORERS--1Co 3:9 For we are labourers together with God: ye are God's husbandry, ye are God's building. Page 3 of 5 Don’t miss the emphasis of this verse, it is God, “God” is stated 3 times in the verse We are “Co-laborers,” we are “fellow-workers,” we each one work for “God” Each-and every Christian has been gifted by God so that we can each one labor for God We must “labor together,” we are working “together” as we each one work with God “You” work for God, “I” work for God, and together “we” work for God The work of every Christian is important, “my” work is important, “your” work is important One Christian is not more important than another, it is important that “we all work” Paul now illustrates how we each one work through two illustrations The first is agricultural and the second is architectural “You are God's husbandry,” “husbandry” means something that has been tilled or cultivated The agricultural illustration takes us back to verse 8, one plants, and one waters God is growing a spiritual garden and Christians are that garden Through “us” God is planting and growing life, “we” are the spiritual farmland of God Which certainly represents the work of evangelism, preparing hearts to receive Christ Christians are to work sowing the seed so that one day there will be a harvest Jesus often used agricultural terms in His teaching, He spoke of “sowing the seed” He spoke of wheat and tares growing together; He spoke of fields white unto harvest God uses Christians to sow the seeds, pull the weeds, water, and glean the fields Now the architectural illustration, “you are God’s building” Paul’s architectural illustration would have been very meaningful to the Corinthians There were many large temples and buildings in Corinth and were constructed by man’s hands Men worked hard to build those magnificent buildings and super structures God is the One who is building but He uses the Christian as His work force, God works in us Once a person is saved, they receive a new life, a life which must now be fully constructed Building a Christian life is a daily process which includes our working with God Christians must work together so that each of us will be a super spiritual structure God has planned for spiritual growth, Eph 4:12 For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: When we work for God, God is working in us, which will result in Christ-likeness, Eph 4:13 Till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fulness of Christ: Satan is attempting to destroy Christian lives today, Eph 4:14 That we henceforth be no more children, tossed to and fro, and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the sleight of men, and cunning craftiness, whereby they lie in wait to deceive; We need Christian workers who are working for God from a heart of love, Eph 4:15 But speaking the truth in love, may grow up into him in all things, which is the head, even Christ: God builds the individual Christian life and the church through those who love to work for God, Eph 4:16 From whom the whole body fitly joined together and compacted by that which every joint supplieth, according to the effectual working in the measure of every part, maketh increase of the body unto the edifying of itself in love. CONCLUSION As Christians we must grow and mature spiritually in-order to do “our” work for God As we do, we are daily building a spiritual structure known as our Christian life It is through “our” daily Christian life that “we” serve God and together “we” must serve God There are times that we are to “sow seed” In-order for the seed to be planted the soil must be cultivated There must be water in-order for the seed to take root and grow into a plant The young plants must be watered, and the weeds must be removed Page 4 of 5 Only then will there be a harvest It is not easy to grow and harvest a garden, those who attempt it know how true that is Christians have a responsibility, “we” are to work for God, “we” are God’s work force “We” work and God gives the increase God builds through “our” work and God rewards “our” work, 1Co 15:58 Therefore, my beloved brethren, be ye stedfast, unmoveable, always abounding in the work of the Lord, forasmuch as ye know that your labour is not in vain in the Lord. Page 5 of 5