Batteries not included

Thesis: What difference does the Holy Spirit make?

Electronic Toys on display in stores.

Electronic Toys on display in stores.

Jesus wants us to take our faith home.

Batteries not included in the gift we have been given.

Jesus gives us grace and His Holy Spirit makes it work.

Jesus gives us grace and His Holy Spirit makes it work.

John 7:37–39 NRSV

37 On the last day of the festival, the great day, while Jesus was standing there, he cried out, “Let anyone who is thirsty come to me, 38 and let the one who believes in me drink. As the scripture has said, ‘Out of the believer’s heart shall flow rivers of living water.’ ” 39 Now he said this about the Spirit, which believers in him were to receive; for as yet there was no Spirit, because Jesus was not yet glorified.

- You can keep your faith to yourself without the Holy Spirit

- You can keep your faith to yourself without the Holy Spirit

- But you will keep running dry

- If you keep running dry, it is very difficult to share your faith

- That may be part of the reason why Jesus's disciples did well when He was right there with them, but fell so quickly once He was arrested and taken away.

1 Corinthians 12:3b–13 NRSV

3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says “Let Jesus be cursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except by the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in the one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.

- Activates - Energizes - Runs power through

- Activates - Energizes - Runs power through

- All gifts have the same source... why is that Good News?

- we don't have to go hunting for gift-specific teachers.

- You can learn and grow from anyone who has God's spirit in them

- What's more, it means we all share those gifts

- No need to be jealous of someone else's gift because they belong to all God's people... We serve one another

- Counseling, teaching, encouragement, healing, miracles, prophecy, wisdom, and a variety of gifts that help us communicate the message of Christ.

- We don't have to figure it all out on our own. God leads us himself.

Challenge

- What gifts has God given you?

- Do you use those gifts to serve others or just yourself?

- Do you need help using your gifts better?

Teamwork

- These gifts are not meant to use by ourselves.

- We need God for them to even work at all

- They are really made to work alongside the gifts of others as well. Our gifts enhance each other's gifts.