spiritual gifts

Tonight we are going to be talking about the Holy Spirit

You know we typically divide people into two different groups inside the church. The clergy and the laiety. The clergy are the so called professional ministers, and the laity would be everyone else out in the pews.

There are all kinds of Christians out there that are tired and frusterated with their Chrisitan faith. And if you ask them what they are doing for the Lord they will say well I am going to church. I am sitting there listening the sermon, enjoying the music. Your problem is you need to find a ministry.

Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive Introduction

There are three kinds of people in every church: there are those who make things happen, those who watch things happen, and those who don’t even know anything is happening

Adrian Rogers Sermon Archive Introduction

A wise man, some years ago, said that the average church is like those people at a football game. Down there on the field are 22 men desperately in need of rest, and up there in the stands are 50,000 people desperately in need of exercise. And, that’s the way we have in our church. We have our church staffs—a few people who are doing so much—and then the rest, who are just sitting around. I’m telling you, friend, that the need is great and the hour is late

Prayer

Now last Wednesday I asked you to join with me in prayer and lets see if there was a noticeable difference in our service Sunday. I would say that there was a very noticeable difference. For one we had a lady that said she would not come forth in front of everyone to get saved. She was the first one down. May I tell you that type of response to the gospel only comes through prayer.

Now I am about to ask you to continue this week commiting yourself to prayer, asking God to continue to bless in a powerful way, but to make the prayer even more specific and praying for the members of this church. In two years I have seen the enemy pick off a lot of people and I have asked the Lord, Lord what in the world is going on. But its Spiritual Warfaare and we need protection from the enemies lies.

But tonight we are going to be talking about perhaps one of the greatest hidden truths in the Christian faith and that is spiritual gifts.

I want you to see tonight that if you are a born again child of God he has given you a

DESCRIPTION OF THE GIFTS

1 CORINTHIANS

1 Corinthians 12:1 ESV

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.

fIRST OFF i WANT YOU TO SEE THAT THESE ARE SPIRITUAL GIFTS, AND NOT NATURAL TALENTS.

BY THE WAY THIS IS WHERE THE WORD CHARISMATIC COMES FROM-

i. In verse 4 they are called charismata; that’s the word that’s translated “gifts”

c. And they literally mean grace gifts. charis, is grace. charis mata is a grace gift.

D. That is when a person is converted from the old into the New God givers that persona grace gift. Now some people find that grace gift fairly quickly, others sort of stumble into it. But God has a gift wrapped for you and it is your job to uncover it, unlock it and unleash it.

E. And these gifts, are supernatural abilities given by God to serve Him in the Kingdom.

Distortion of the Gifts

1 Corinthians 12:2–3 ESV

You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.

1 Corinthians 12:

Now raise your hand if you were raised in a Baptist church? I wasn’t raised in one, but I don’t ever remember ever hearing much about the holy Spirit. But in most churches there is an unspoken apprehension about the Spirit of God and the spiritaul gifts.

Why is that because of a distortion of the Gifts.

Now this is nothing new this church in Corinth was going wild with the gifts, some to such a degree that they were working themselves up into a frenzy

Now some would say that when you have a church full of people overblown with craziness that you would call that revival. Barking like dogs, squaking like birds. Intoxicated liek drunks.

But Satan is the great perverter. And anything that God calls good, Satan can come and twist.

That is what was happening here in Corinth. The people were out of control and some really bizarre things were happening. Not so

1 Corinthians 14:40 ESV

But all things should be done decently and in order.

1 Corinthians

When you see worship that draws away from the person of Jesus Christ , it is false worship. When you see worship that even draws away from Jesus and focuses on the Holy Spirit, or the gifts of the holy Spirit that is false Worship.

aND WHEN REAL REVIVAL FALLS, WHEN THE SPIRIT IS REALLY IN CONTROL, IT WONT BE MANIFESTED SO MUCH BY THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT BUT BY THE FRUIT OF THE SPIRIT. yOU ARE GOING TO SEE LOVE

John 16:

John 16:13–14 ESV

When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

If Jesus was the Quarterback of the Football Team, the Holy Spirit would be the cheerleader on the side saying look at him, watch him go!

THE DIVERSITY OF THE GIFTS

1 Corinthians 12:4–6 ESV

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.

1 Corinthians 12:4 ESV

Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;

1 cORINTHIANS

nOW WHAT DOES VARIETIES MEAN? iT MEANS THAT THERE ARE DIFFERENT KINDS

NOW YOU SEE THE WORDS (GIFTS) (SERVICE) (ACTIVITIES). bUT IT