The Ministry of The Holy Spirit (Part 3)
Notes
Transcript
Doxology:
This is my Bible. It is God’s Holy Word. It is a lamp unto my feet, a light unto my path, and I will hide its words within my heart, that I might not sin against God. Amen!
Scripture Reference: 1 Corinthians 12
Context
Context
We are still in our series titled “Who Am I”. The heart behind this series is to answer the question, “What does it mean to be a Christian?” or “Who does God say that I am?”
For the last couple of weeks, we have been discussing the Ministry of the Holy Spirit. What does it mean that we have the Holy Spirit of God dwelling within us? What all does the Holy Spirit do, exactly?
We have seen that it is through the movement of the Holy Spirit that we have this Book. He moved upon the hearts of men throughout history to write these things down, therefore providing us with the Living, Breathing Word of God.
As we read the Word of God, He then works upon our hearts to understand the spiritual truths imbedded within this sacred Book, which in turn allows to learn more about our Heavenly Father. This brings us deeper into a relationship with our Father.
Last week, we were able to see that the more we learn of God, the more of a desire we have to worship Him, and it is through the working and power of the Holy Spirit within us that we able to do so. He equips us to worship our Heavenly Father in spirit and in truth, which is the type of worship the Father desires. He also helps us to pray to the Father, uttering the feelings and emotions and intentions of our hearts, even when we cannot seem to muster those words for ourselves.
Today, we want to look at yet another function or operation of the Holy Spirit within us, which is that He equips us for serving God.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
Content
Content
The Holy Spirit Commissions Us For Service
The Holy Spirit Commissions Us For Service
11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
The first thing we need to understand about our spiritual giftedness is that it is determined by the Holy Spirit. This verse tells us plainly that it is the Holy Spirit who works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. God determines your gift.
If you were to ask 10 people, who knew for sure exactly what their spiritual gift was, if their spiritual giftedness was something they would have chosen for themselves, I would venture to say that at least half of them, if not more, would tell you no.
What I mean by this is that many of those serving within the kingdom today, utilizing their spiritual gifts for God, are serving in areas of ministry that they would have never seen themselves serving in before the work of God upon their lives. I can tell you with assurance, that being a pastor would have been way down on the list of what I would have picked for myself. When I was a kid, I hated getting up in front of the class. I would have told you that my personality was more in line with those acts of service that are behind the scenes. But God saw fit to call me into the preaching ministry. This is the gift he gave me. This is what He chose for me.
It’s important to know that God does not always gift an individual in ways that they would choose for themselves, because this greatly helps us to distinguish between natural talent and spiritual giftedness.
Everyone is born with natural talent towards something. Some are naturally athletic and are good at pretty much any sport they try, while others are not. Some are naturally talented learners and perform very well in academic settings while others struggle in that same setting. It should also be noted that there have been many non-believers who were severely talented in certain areas of life that led to national, or even world, recognition.
Natural talent is something that you are physically born with and it naturally develops over the course of your early life. Spiritual giftedness is accomplished through the Holy Spirit, which does not take place until after one is saved and indwelt by the Holy Spirit. After one is born again, the Holy Spirit imparts unto that person a spiritual gift from God.
As we have already stated, the spiritual gift one receives will many times be outside of the natural talent one is born with. But this will not always be the case. There are also instances when the Holy Spirit will gift an individual in ways that perfectly line up with their natural talents, which is evident in the fact that they have been equipped to serve the kingdom in ways that far surpass what their natural talents would have allowed.
With this being said, that does not mean that we shouldn’t use our natural talents in service to God, to the church, or to others. We all have natural talents that are beneficial to one another and we should use those talents to help one another.
We simply must be sure not to confuse our natural talents with the spiritual gifting of God. These are not the same thing.
It is the Holy Spirit that commissions us for service.
The Holy Spirit Compels Us To Service
The Holy Spirit Compels Us To Service
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
Notice that the “manifestation of the Spirit” is given to each one. Every child of God has been gifted by God for service. When it says that each person has been given the manifestation of the Spirit, it means that there is a clear indication of the existence, or presence, of the Holy Spirit in that person. The presence of the Holy Spirit is clearly indicated when a person moves and operates through the spiritual gift that has been given to them by that same Holy Spirit.
13 For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, whether slaves or free—and have all been made to drink into one Spirit.
The baptism of the Holy Spirit is referring to the new birth. It is that moment that we were saved by the grace of God, and it is in that moment that we are brought into the body of Christ. Notice that this is referring to all Christians, not just certain ones.
It goes on to say that we “have all been made to drink into one Spirit”. This is referring to the ongoing process by which the Holy Spirit moves and operates in our lives.
Exploring 1 Corinthians: An Expository Commentary Part 4: Difficulties in the Church (1 Corinthians 7:1–14:40)
The baptism puts the believer into the body of Christ; the drinking puts the Spirit into the body of the Christian. They are simultaneous, sovereign acts of God that comprise two of the many marvelous things which happen to a poor, lost sinner of Adam’s ruined race when he accepts Christ as Savior.
So we are all gifted by the Holy Spirit, but notice that we are not all gifted with the same gifts:
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
Though each of us are given a spiritual gift from God, we are not all given the same gift. Each of us are gifted in different areas according to the will of God. And we should give thanks to God that we are not all gifted the same.
If everyone in this church was gifted with preaching, we would never leave. You could forget about Casa on Sunday afternoon… you would never make it.
On the other hand, if everyone in this church was gifted in the realm of service, which is normally done behind the scenes, who would teach Sunday School and who would preach the Gospel?
It is through the divine operation of the Holy Spirit that we are all given different gifts so that the whole Church might prosper because of it.
7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
… The profit of all. We all benefit from one another’s gifts. To put it another way, we need each other.
When you think about the various operations of a church body, it takes so many different talents to make it work. You need all of these different people, with all of their differing gifts, so that all might benefit from it.
Understanding this truth actually compels us into service for God. God has gifted you for service… and… God has brought you here. That means that God has brought you here because He feels that your spiritual gifting is needed in this place. He wants you to serve here. He needs you to serve here. That is why He brought you here.
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the hearing? If the whole were hearing, where would be the smelling?
18 But now God has set the members, each one of them, in the body just as He pleased.
19 And if they were all one member, where would the body be?
20 But now indeed there are many members, yet one body.
Each member of the body is necessary in order for the body to function at full capacity. We need the ears of wisdom; we need the eyes of knowledge; we need the noses of discernment; we need the hands and feet of service. I want every single person here today to hear me… Allons Baptist Church needs you. Regardless of age… regardless of experience… regardless of your resume… we need your gifts and we want your gifts.
It is only when the whole body comes together that this body can be everything that it was designed to be. I hope that no one ever feels like they are unwanted, or unneeded. I hope that no one ever feels like they are being pushed out or overlooked. And if you feel that way, I beg you, come talk to me. Come tell me what has happened that made you feel that way.
As the Pastor of this church, I am telling you that you are necessary for this body to function well. “God has set the members, each one of them, in the body as He pleased.” If you have been led to Allons Baptist Church, then you have been led here to serve, and we need your service. This body cannot function properly without all of the members doing their part.
So if you are not serving, but you feel led to be serving in this church, I want you to come to me after the service so that we can discuss where to get you plugged in.
Now some of you may be hesitant to do that because you are not sure what your spiritual gift is. Let me give you a word of encouragement… that is perfectly ok. Understanding your spiritual gift takes time and effort. Most people do not get saved one day and step into the ministry God has called them to on day two. It takes some time to figure that out, but we would love to be a part of that process alongside you.
But I will say this. Many people are held back from learning what their spiritual gift is simply because they are unaware that they are spiritually gifted in the first place. They feel that spiritual giftedness is for roles like preaching, evangelizing, or other things of the sort. I want to be clear that spiritual giftedness is for all functions of the church, not just those functions that are seen and heard the most.
Let me give you an example. Every Sunday morning we have door greeters at the front door welcoming people as they come in. The person in charge of those door greeters is none other than Glenn Honeycutt. He is absolutely perfect for that position… perfect!!!
I have lived in Overton County for two years now, and I have only directly spoken to one person who did not know Glenn Honeycutt.
***Tell about the guy at Dragon Express.
The reason everyone knows Glenn is because he is such a relational person. Glenn loves to make people laugh. It is his passion. Hardly a Sunday or Wednesday evening service goes by without Glenn saying something to make everyone laugh. And he does this by picking at people.
There is a small group of men who get together at 7am every Friday morning to go eat breakfast (to which all of you are invited to by the way). We have eaten at several different places: Dairy Queen, Hwy 111 market, Cowboy Cafe, Waffle House in Algood, and right now we meet every Friday at Stovers. At every single one of those places we have eaten at, people come in and know Glenn. They instantly come over and start giving him a hard time, and within just a few seconds, they are laughing and cutting up with each other.
When I called Larry Thomas to come preach our Homecoming service, he said, “I’ll come under one condition… you tie Glenn Honeycutt up and keep him in the corner away from me.”
Listen, that is a spiritual gift. And I could give you other examples of how certain people in this church are serving exactly where they need to be serving, because that is their spiritual gift.
If you are unsure what your spiritual gift is, don’t let that hold you back. It is through your willingness to serve that God will reveal unto you exactly where you need to be serving.
The Holy Spirit commissions us for service; The Holy Spirit Compels us to service… And:
The Holy Spirit Connects Us Through Service
The Holy Spirit Connects Us Through Service
God accomplishes all of these things concerning spiritual giftedness so:
25 that there should be no schism in the body, but that the members should have the same care for one another.
26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it.
That word schism means that there is a gap. God says that he has gifted each person individually and then placed them within the body as it pleased Him, so that there would be no gaps within the service of the church.
As we come to realize how important each person is to the body as a whole, it says that the members will have the same care for one another. We will come to appreciate each person for what God has done in them and for what God is continuing to do in them. We will appreciate their gifts… we will welcome their gifts… we will put their gifts to use within the body.
The Holy Spirit, in this very beautiful way, brings us together in this way. And every single person that is serving within the body plays a part in the success of that body.
When a child gets saved at Good News Club, do you know who is responsible for that? Everyone:
The person who printed the flyers and took them to the school.
The person who created the facebook posts to advertise the program.
The person who organizes the program and makes it all work.
The person who drive the church bus to go pick the kids up from school.
The person who got here early to unlock everything, turn all of the lights on, and get everything moving.
The person who showed love to that child by getting here early and preparing a meal for them.
The person who sat with them in small group and answered their questions.
The person who cared enough to notice that the Holy Spirit had brought conviction upon their heart, pulled them aside, and prayed with them.
Every member of the body is responsible for that soul being saved and every member of the body gets to rejoice together as the glory of the Lord shines through.
We are connected together in Christ, and everything that everyone does matters on a monumental level.
We rejoice with one another and we suffer with one another. We are interconnected through the Holy Spirit and the individual members of the body function as a whole.
Commitment
Commitment
