The Gifts Received

Last week we began a sermon series focused on the Holy Spirit. This series will lead us to the coming of the Holy Spirit at Pentecost. We saw last week that the Holy Spirit was promised to the disciples by Jesus. You can find that sermon and any of our sermons on our You Tube channel.

Today we turn our focus to what we receive when we receive the Holy Spirit. Our reading comes from 1 Corinthians 12:3-13. You will be able to see the words on the screen.

3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, rand to still another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Let us pray…

The Holy Spirit can be a great mystery. It does so much for us, but we often seem to have it working in the background instead of the forefront of our lives. But when we are willing to allow the Holy Spirit to take the front seat and drive our lives it can often offer us many insights into the ways that we are to choose to live.

The Spirit can guide us along the path that God chooses for us to walk. He can help us say what God wants us to say. The Holy Spirit can help us do what God wants us to do.  

What I have discovered is that when I choose to take my own route towards what I think God wants for me, often is the wrong route. We can get in trouble when we choose to decide for God instead of allowing the Holy Spirit to lead us.

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Paul in this section of his letter to the Corinthians, wants to make clear to them and us that the gifts we have and the work we do is not because of who we are. We are given what we are gifted by God.

Paul enters into this understanding with a three-step approach of gifts, service, and works. The order I believe is not by accident. We are given gifts by God to use in service to God and those around us through the works God has given us to perform.

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When we begin with gifts, we see eight distinct gifts mentioned within our text. These are broad in their uses but narrow in the way that God uses each person individually to serve him and those around us.

What I mean by this is that you may have gifts that generally fall into one of these distinct categories of gifts but none of us have all the gifts that would fall under a specific category. The gifts offered our broad, but we only have specific gifts within a specific category.

I have broken them down into four distinct categories: Wisdom and knowledge, faith and healing, working of miracles, and then the last one prophecy, discernment, and tongues. When we look at these categories we can see why the gifts that can be found within them would be important to the church.

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Wisdom and knowledge allow us to be able to look ahead while also have the ability to remain strong in our commitment to God. These gifts are used to allow the church to move forward while at the same time remain rooted with God as its center.

Faith and healing offers us a belief in that through God all things are possible. In our humanness we can forget that we are unable to understand all that is happening around us. A person who believes that God can overcome the obstacles of life offers the church the ability to look beyond our human expectations.

The working of miracles is a person who first believes that miracles are possible while also is willing to take the steps to allow a miracle to occur. The willingness to believe in miracles involves the belief that God is at work in all aspects of our lives.

This last group is one in which many of us struggle. It involves the understanding that God helps us in looking towards the future and gives some people the ability to speak into the future to help guide us individually and the church on where we are going and what we should do and not do for what we are doing to be from God.

It also includes those that seem to have a special language between themselves and God. We often in the United Methodist Church choose to ignore speaking in tongues but it seems to be something that God has given some people the ability to do and to understand.

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We are to use these gifts given to us by God to serve those around us. We have not been given gifts to focus on ourselves or to build ourselves up. We have been given these gifts in order for us both individually and as the church to be able to serve God and those he places before us.

This is where a problem can arise within the church. We can end up closing ourselves off from the world and not using our gifts to be the hands, feet, and voice to those around us. We can end up deciding to hoard our gifts for ourselves instead of sharing them with the world.

Paull is stating that the purpose of the church is to not to form ourselves into what has sometimes been called a holy huddle but to move from ourselves into the world. We are to choose to focus on those that are outside of the church.

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The early followers of Jesus had that same problem. The beginning of Acts has them among themselves serving God in Jerusalem but being unwilling to move outside of town. The focus was on the unity within instead of on those that were outsiders.

It was not until the stoning of Stephen that we heard of a large group leaving Jerusalem. It is really not until the conversion of Paul that we begin to see followers of Jesus reaching what would have been considered “the ends of the earth.”

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We first need to define our gifts. What gifts do we have individually and corporately here at The Church of the Good Shepherd to serve those around us. The next step involves us asking what are ways that we can use those gifts to allow us to serve those around us.

This is why it is important for us to be praying for the and as the church. It is important that we seek guidance from God on the ways he desires for us to serve those around us. Let us be willing to take the steps as a church to help us discover how God desires for us to use the gifts he has given to us to serve those around us.

(Transition)

That leads us to the last step, the one that can often be the hardest. We have todo the works. The word “works” within scripture is us choosing to use the gifts given to us by God to serve those around us. It means that we are implementing the way that God desires for us to use our gifts.

We are to choose not only figure out our gifts and the ways that we can serve those around us. We also have to go out. We are able to fulfill the calling that God has for us individually and as a church when we are willing to be the hands, feet, and voice of Jesus to the world.

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We can recognize from scripture Jesus using these gifts in his ministry and how the disciples used the same gifts to elevate their ministry. It was why Jesus left them the Holy Spirit. God wanted them and us to have some help.

He knows that it is through a close connection with him that we are able to be all that he wants for us to be. Jesus knows this because he experienced it in his own ministry. He felt the power of the Holy Spirit. He was able to recognize its importance in following the ways of God.

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We may receive different gifts from the Spirit but verse 6 makes sure we recognize that the power comes from God. I want to reiterate that the gifts we receive are given to us not for our own good but for the good of those that we interact with in ministry. We are not to be the beneficiary of our own gifts. It is those around us that should benefit from what God has given to us.

We are able to see that this was one of the problems that Jesus had with the Pharisees. They had gifts but they were using their gifts to lift themselves up instead of to lift up others. Jesus made it clear to them and us that we are not to brag about our gifts. The gifts are to be used for the common good.

This works in our favor not just for the church but also individually. We have areas that we need assistance. We are able to benefit from the gifts of others. We are able to be the person that we can be when those around us are using their gifts to help us become who God wants us to be.

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In our first reading we can receive a glimpse of what this may mean. Isaiah lays out to his audience why God has given him his gifts. He is to bring good news to the poor. He is to bind up the broken hearted. He is to proclaim liberty to the captives.

We bring good news to the poor when we make people feel worthy to hear the good news. The poor were often seen as not blessed by God. This scripture states that the poor are able to be blessed by God. They have the opportunity to become rich in love and joy and peace through following the ways of God.

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To bind upthe brokenhearted. God desires for us to use our gifts to help those that are struggling with their lives and what is happening around them. This may be the most important aspect during the times that we are in.

There are many struggling right now for various reasons. Some of them are seeking an answer that can help them overcome their struggles. Our gifts can be used to offer relief and to show love to those that need love the most.

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And related, is to proclaim liberty to the captives. There are many that are being held captive by sin. They know things aren’t as they should be, but they are unable to figure out how to be made free.

We can use the gifts of the spirit to help them comprehend that what they are missing is a relationship with God through Jesus. What they are missing is the hope that they can receive when they are willing to turn their lives over to him.

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When we use our gifts for these purposes, we are using them to build up the people around us. We are using them to let people know who God is and what he does for us and can do for them. We have a God that loves all people and wants us to express that love to those around us.

That is why when we uplift those around us, we are also uplifting God. We are uplifting God because we are showing that God cares for all people. We are giving proof through our actions and an understanding through our words that we have a caring God.

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We are uplifting God because we are showing those that we interact with that he is compassionate. I define compassion as empathy in action. We see a need and are willing to help fill that need through serving those that need us.

We can discover this through the actions of Jesus. Many times, Jesus performed miracles because scripture says he has compassion on them. We are showing God’s compassion when we have compassion for those that are a part of our everyday lives.

We are uplifting God because we are showing others that God loves all people. If we are using our gifts to show our love to people than we are showing God’s love for all people. We are God’s representatives here on earth, so when we serve others using the gifts given to us by God, we are showing God’s love to them and for them.

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These gifts also should be engrained into our lives. We can many times find ways to compartmentalize our lives. We can choose to make this part our Christian part, and this part another aspect. God wants us to choose to have us not live our lives this way. He would choose for us to live our lives focused on him 24/7 365 days a year.

This is not always easy, but it should be something that we strive for. We should desire to be as close to God as often as we can so that we can allow him to guide and direct our lives each and every day.

(Transition)

 It is important for us to remember that it does not matter if your gifts are one of these or another one. No gift is more important than another for God. What we receive from him is a gift to be used for his glory and not our own.

This point is made at the end of our scripture where we are reminded that

12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.

The Church of the Good Shepherd should be united together under the banner of Christ. We are many but at the same time we are one. We are “all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body.”

It also doesn’t matter your past or current situation. This is probably the most controversial statement of this whole scripture. “Whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—we were all given the one Spirit to drink.

Everyone is accepted by God therefore no one should be left out of the body of Christ. We are to be people of love and grace to those around us. God loves each one of us which is why we were given the gifts we were given by God

We didn’t earn them or deserve them. Our gifts were given to us because of God’s love for us. You have gifts to use. Let God speak to you through your gift and the let the Holy Spirit help you as you use your gift to love and serve those around you.

Let us pray…