Gifted For

Intro

We are in the 3rd week and final part of our series By My Spirit.

The title comes from our theme verse.

Zechariah 4:6

So he said to me, “This is the word of the Lord... ‘Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,’ says the Lord Almighty.

This word for Spirit in the Old Testament is Ruach the New Testament word used is Pnuema.

both meant wind or breathe.

A great way to think about it is the Holy Spirit is like the breathe of God.

We and can live spirit enabled and empowered lives.

Not from our own efforts, abilities, strength etc.

We’ve talked about living filled with the Spirit of God.

Last week we talked about being shaped and molded by the spirit.

Today I want to talk on a message that is so often misunderstood but is so crucially needed for our lives every single day.

Understand todays topic you will begin to understand why are you are here on planet earth, your purpose and bring meaning into your life.

This not only matters for you but it’s is critically important to what God is wanting to do on this planet.

Today we are talking about spiritual gifts.

There are so many varying views and understandings on this topic.

There are even some that believe that there are some things from the bible the ceased and went away after the bible days. That miracles and moves of God presence in certain ways just went away.

We don’t believe that.

We believe God is the same yesterday, today and forever.

Jesus always wanted to empower his church, that’s why he sent the holy spirit.

So that the same spirit that rose jesus from the dead would not live in us!

1 Corinthians 12:1

Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.

God is a good God.

And our good God love giving good gifts.

Who likes gifts??

I know I do.

There are 3 gifts of God I want you to understand and open.

1. ETERNAL LIFE.

This is the main gift that God wants us to have.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

This gift is available through what Jesus did on the Cross to pay for our sin

But we have to receive and open the gift.

The next 2 gifts God gives are separate from this gift but only come after this one first.

They are so you can have a God filled, fulfilled successful life until you do get to heaven.

2. THE HOLY SPIRIT.

The Holy Spirit is a gift.

Acts 1:4-5

...Do not leave Jerusalem, but wait for the gift my Father promised, which you have heard me speak about. For John baptized with water, but in a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

This is that spirit empowered, spirit shaped life.

3. SPIRITUAL GIFTS.

According to Fuller University, about 80% of Christians either don’t know about spiritual gifts, don’t know what theirs could be or aren’t operating in the area of their gifting.

This means that 80% of Christians still have this gift in the wrapper and unopened.

There may be a lot of reasons why but it is so important for us to get this!

Romans 12:6

We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us.

Greek word for gift - Charisma.

Grace word - Charis. (almost the same word)

spirit gift is a grace gift, something we didn’t deserve but is given as a grace on your life.

Almost just like, I was made for this!

We have different gifts.

I feel that God has gifted me to speak and bring is word.

That would panic and cripple some of you.

But you know that you just have a gift of patience, kindness, compassion.

Maybe a natural sense to feel what the Lord is saying or speaking in a moment.

We have a team that has a grace gift with children. they hand handle off of the things that makes by brain overload. They the have a gift.

I don’t have that gift. no grace for that gift.

WE all have a different gifting by God on our lives.

YOU DO TO!

And when you begin to find that think it will unlock so much about your life.

A spiritual gift is a supernatural empowerment given by God to his children, so that together we can move forward His kingdom and his purposes in this world!

This is Gods hope for his church.

A group of people fully activated and equipped for his purpose. Not just a place to have a spirit moment once a week. But a place to find your purpose.

Our Enemy is banking on us not living out our God given purposes.

If he can’t get us to go to hell, he’ll keep us from making a difference for heaven.

Keep up distracted, keep us in pain, bound up, in confusion. He’ll keep us from living this out.

Let’s get a clear picture of the gifts God wants us to walk in.

In the Old testament, before Jesus, God picked special people to speak to and use. Prophets would hear God’s voice and deliver it to the people. Priests could enter into special places in God’s presence, present offerings and only certain times with only certain people.

This was not God ultimate plan.

he was creating a better way.

When jesus came, he called ordinary people.

Fisherman etc. To follow him.

Its with these people that after Jesus died and ascended to heaven that God sent the gift of the Holy Spirit in acts 2 on the day of Pentecost. 50 days after Jesus' resurrection.

So now he’s not wanting to just use and empower specific special people, but everyone!

Acts 2:17-18

“In the last days, God says, I will pour out my Spirit on all people. Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your young men will see visions, your old men will dream dreams. Even on my servants, both men and women, I will pour out my Spirit in those days, and they will prophesy.”

(prophecy - to proclaim the word of God)

after this time the church began to hire people for positions and even give words like clergy which isn’t in the bible. And another term Laymen.

and somewhere a long the way we started to think that God still only uses special people to do this stuff.

That is not the case!!

We can think there are preachers and non preachers, the called and the non called.

This is not biblical!!!

I have so many stories like this.

But I remember going along with a friend to a jobsite one day.

And on these sites not every conversation is what you’d call biblical.

I remember him introducing me as the preacher, everyone else was oh watch what you’re doing the preach is here.

But Im not the preacher, From Ephesians I’m the pastor and the pastor helps equip the believers to go out and be the preachers!

I am doing my thing, but now it’s youre turn.

God has something for you too!

We want to call out everything inside of you, to get you on purpose and living with purpose.

1. GOD CALLS ALL OF US.

We all called to be ministers. Not just a few.

I am a pastor. I’m an equipper.

We are all ministers.

Ephesians 4:11–12 (NLT)

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.

I’m doing my part, but we all have a part!

God is ready and desiring to supernaturally empower and equip you through his spirit to do something that will impact another person’s life.

it’s so fulfilling!! Knowing that God is within me, equipping me to reach others.

Something deeper comes alive us when the Holy Spirit begins to use us!

Acts 10:38 (NLT)

And you know that God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and with power. Then Jesus went around doing good and healing all who were oppressed by the devil, for God was with him.

He want’s to do the same with us!

Holy Spirit is more than just goosebumps in a church service!

he is not here for our personal entertainment, he is here to anoint us to do good for His kingdom!!!

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

1 Corinthians 12:7 (NLT)

A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.

You have kingdom purpose and there is more in you than you think there is.

It takes his breathe in all of us to advance the kingdom of God.

2. EVERY GIFT IS UNIQUE AND IMPORTANT.

I am not you and you are not me.

I can’t get stuck trying to be who I’m not, instead I need to discover who I am.

1 Peter 4:10 (NLT)

God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.

Just each person is unique so each gift set God will give you is unique.

But it takes each one working together.

There is not one more important than the other, simply different functions.

Spiritual gifts are explained in 1 Corinthians 12.

He uses a picture for to explain each function of a body.

And it says you can say to the eye or hand, ah I don’t need you.

Because it takes all of the parts to form the complete functioning body.

Chris Hodges, the pastor of Church of the Highlands, explains it in a real fun way.

He says imagine your at a banquet.

Someone got a dessert and trips spills the dessert on the floor.

In that same room you can see all of the differing gifts in action.

Mercy - Ohhh I’m so sorry that happened to you! Are you ok?

Preaching - That’s what happens when you’re not careful

Serving - I’ll clean that up!

Teaching - It fell because youre plate wasn’t proportional in weight.

Exhortation - I couldn’t happened to anyone!

Giving - Here have mine.

Administration - Jim you get a mop, John you clean it you, Mary you go fix another desert for them.

All of the gifts are needed!

How do you know youre gift?

Seek God. Ask Him!!

Start serving. See where you start lighting up!

Spiritual gifts test, citychurchlufkin.com/disc

We want to help pull this out of you.

Next Steps and Serve Team.

Your design begins to reveal your destiny.

it’ll point to what you are supposed to do.

You are uniquely wired.

Too many people are disappoint in your lives instead of being able to celebrate the life God has given you because you haven’t found your meaning in this!

Fulfillment comes when you discover how God make you and you get busy doing what you are designed to do!

it’s when is spirit is in you, you are living in your gifting and you can breathe in and say.

I was made for this!!

This is will change your life.

What if you got convinced of this and you began living on purpose with meaning in each step?

There are a lot of spiritual gifts.

Some more supernatural, some more ministry practical but all are of God.

Some of us get hung up on a couple spirit gifts.

I don’t know about that tongues and healing and stuff.

All I know is if he said it I believe it, and if he has if for me I want it.

If God can breathe and make man from dirt and all we see from a word, what is too far for him to enable his people with a heavenly language.

Personal tongues is to edify and lift up the believer.

Corporate tongues with an interpretation is to edify and lift up the church.

There is a gift set waiting for you.

What if you came alive with his spirit to truly make a difference for the kingdom.

3. THE GIFTS SHOW WHO I REALLY AM.

There is a generation and a world right now that is is just so confused about who they are.

Everyone wants to identify as whatever they can now.

it’s just a world screaming for true identity.

God says I know who you are, God has the answer to the how am I designed question.

Romans 12:3–6 (NIV)

Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts...

Can’t live out the gifts without these three things.

Highly, Sober, faith.

Don’t think of yourself highly - This isn’t a conceited highly.

It means you have the wrong view of you.

You don’t see yourself correctly.

Sober - Having a right mind.

Have to get your mind right.

We need deliverance of the wrong thinking so that he can unlock something within us.

Some us us have believed the wrong things based off of what someone said or did and you have disqualified yourself from stepping into who God has called you to be based off of wrong thinking.

We renew our right minds with FAITH.

Faith - is allowing the one who created you to renew your view.

You have more in you, you are created to live out a God purpose, grace gifted by God.

Let’s step into all he has for us!

RESPONSE

Prayer - wrong minds. Set free

Salvation - first gift.