Do You Have It To Give It?

Text

Acts 3:6 KJV 1900

Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

TITLE: “DO YOU HAVE IT TO GIVE IT?”

Introduction

In Search of Something

Go around the room consistently looking and asking these questions:

“I can’t find it - do you know where it is?”

“Do you know what I need?”

“I need help! Can someone tell me what I’m looking for?!!”

…until someone is willing to to witness to you!

YES!!! YOU HAVE WHAT I NEED!!!

I’m on a mission this morning to reveal the truth of what is going on inside the people around you every day! They may not be expressing it the way I just did, but inside, they are asking the EXACT SAME QUESTIONS.

Their marriage is falling apart.

Their inner struggles are too much to deal with anymore.

They know they’re not living right.

They have a hole in their heart.

And many of them don’t even know what it is they’re searching for! But they certainly won’t ever know if somebody doesn’t SHOW THEM!!!

1 Peter 3:15 KJV 1900

But sanctify the Lord God in your hearts: and be ready always to give an answer to every man that asketh you a reason of the hope that is in you with meekness and fear:

In other words, be ready to give your testimony, and be ready to exercise your Holy Ghost!

If you don’t have the Holy Ghost today, it’s available to you!!!

Giving is Apostolic

Giving Season

Unless you’re just a very organized and prompt human being, there are probably still a few gifts you have left to get for Christmas.

Be honest… how many have ever re-gifted an item before???

Actually, some of the best gifts can be re-gifts. As a matter of fact, the Holy Ghost is ALWAYS meant to be RE-GIFTED! When you have it, it is supposed to overflow and be GIVEN to someone else!!!

I’ll never forget at Kids Camp one year, I witnessed one of the coolest things:

We were praying for a 7-year-old boy to receive the Holy Ghost. He got it, and when he stopped worshiping and rejoicing after that, I watched as he turned around right behind him (unprompted) and laid his hand on his friend’s head, began praying for him… and HE got the Holy Ghost, too!

And so in this giving season, giving is absolutely Apostolic!

1 Timothy 4:14 KJV 1900

Neglect not the gift that is in thee, which was given thee by prophecy, with the laying on of the hands of the presbytery.

It’s time for a re-gifting in the Church!!! What God supplies, we must apply!

Paul has some advice to give his younger colleague: “Do not neglect your gift” (charismatos). The term charisma occurs sixteen times in Paul’s Epistles and only once elsewhere in the NT (1 Peter 4:10). It comes from the root charis, “grace,” and so means “a gift of grace, a free gift, especially of extraordinary operations of the Spirit in the apostolic church.” - Direct quote from a Greek Lexicon of the New Testament!!!

You can’t neglect allowing the Spirit to move through you! There must be a demonstration of the Spirit!

Your Apostolic identity is A GIFT! It is not something to be ashamed of and cover up! It is not something like trash to be disposed of! IT IS A GIFT TO BE GIVEN!!!

Begich Towers

The town of Whittier, Alaska, is known for having nearly the entire population living in a single apartment building.

The building is called Begich Towers, a 14-story apartment complex that houses about 90% of the town's residents (total: 272). This has earned Whittier the nickname of a "town under one roof".

The building, originally constructed as an army barracks, now serves as a cozy condominium featuring a post office, general store, police station, laundromat, health clinic, mayor's office, and a heated indoor pool.

Whittier, Alaska is accessible only by air or through a single-lane tunnel that stretches over two miles through neighboring Maynard Mountain. The town's weather conditions can be harsh during winter, making the Begich Towers a convenient and practical living solution for the residents.

In addition to the Begich Towers, there is a second condo building in the town where the remaining residents live. The town's school and gym are located in a separate structure but are connected to the Begich Towers by a tunnel, allowing for easy access during the winter months.

While I’m sure it benefits them in this town’s unique situation, there is something that seems very sad about it to me. Because the personalities, the people, the culture of this small town of people… is never going to reach beyond a space under ONE ROOF! That makes it really hard to access.

If you want to find out what the people of Whittier are all about, you’re going to have to get in their building to find out.

But I’m thankful that on the day of Pentecost, people didn’t have to only be in the upper room to find out about the Spirit! It flowed out!!!

I’m thankful that for me, before I was filled, someone was willing to reach for me!!!

Let me share something today: We often benefit from the Upper Room when we come together (it certainly IS an Upper Room!). But that fire that comes on me in the Upper Room… it’s getting ready to touch somebody’s life!

You want to talk about impacting our community… It takes more than a busy church, a friendly church, or even an evangelical church to impact a community for Christ. It must be a church ablaze, led by leaders who are ablaze for God!

Come on, we’ve got some gifts scattered across this church! And I want you to understand… yes it’s powerful when you are used of God and something special happens - but it’s not just what you’re seeing before you. When you use your gifts, you are literally plundering the kingdom of darkness!!!

Peter and John Gave

Peter and John staggered out of the Upper Room. A sermon was preached! Many were filled!

They came to the gate called Beautiful… where there was a man who didn’t know about the Upper Room… didn’t know about the power!

Acts 3:4–6 KJV 1900

And Peter, fastening his eyes upon him with John, said, Look on us. And he gave heed unto them, expecting to receive something of them. Then Peter said, Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.

They prayed a quick prayer of faith, and the man got up, jumping and shouting!

Your spiritual gifts were not given for your own benefit but for the benefit of others, just as other people were given gifts for your benefit.

What would happen if on Christmas Day, at your biggest family Christmas event, everyone brought all the gifts they were to give, but at the end of the day, they hadn’t given them out… they got ready to leave, and they picked the gifts up and just left!!!

That would be about the dumbest Christmas party you’ve ever been to in your life!!!

You’d feel cheated!!!

Alright… if you’ve got an opportunity to minister to someone… you have an opportunity to pray with that person next to you in the altar… you feel a word coming to you to speak to them… you feel that you should lay hands on them and pray for their healing…

But then we NEGLECT the GIFT that is in us… here’s what happens:

If others don't use their gifts, YOU get cheated, and if you don't use your gifts, THEY get cheated.

I’ve come here today to RELEASE YOU IN YOUR GIFTS, my brother or sister!!!

YOU HAVE TO GIVE! IT’S APOSTOLIC!

Do You Have It To Give It?

And, you know how we are… we like to question. Like with Peter and John: “Well what happens if they pray the prayer of faith and the guy don’t get up?”

We ask that way too much!

“What happens if I pray for ‘em and they don’t get up?”

What happens if you pray for ‘em and they do?!

You do understand that Peter and John said, “Such as I have…”

It’s about to get tight for just a minute…

You know why we’re afraid to say it sometimes? Because I think we’ve got empty hands!

“Such as my Pastor has give I thee…”

“Such as the missionaries have give I thee…”

Brothers and sisters… thank God your Pastor’s not the only one with the Holy Ghost power!

I BELEVE GOD’S TRYING TO ACTIVATE SOMETHING IN THIS CHURCH RIGHT NOW!

God is calling someone out of your shell right now! He’s calling someone else to receive the Holy Ghost!

It wasn’t but just a few weeks ago that Sis. Jessica got the Holy Ghost on a Sunday morning!!!

Conclusion

Pray and get full of the Holy Ghost

Pray for God to use us to minister to someone

Act - GO!