Together We Are Being Built
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Handout
OPENING
OPENING
Making a marriage work isn’t easy — anyone with a spouse would know.
There will be good times and bad times, but you manage to make it through it all by remembering the little things that make you love your significant other
Of course, over the span of many years, arguments will arise.
And many fear that this may be the argument that will make or break a couple.
But now one pair is revealing how one woman’s wedding gift changed how they saw marriage
Kathy Gunn and her husband have been married for 9 years, and have children together.
On their wedding day, her great aunt gave them a wedding gift.
Only they couldn’t open it right away.
Instructions was left for them told them to wait until their first argument. (Show Gift Box)
But it’s only now that they remembered the gift, and have chosen to reveal what was inside…
One night after they tucked their kids to bed, Kathy and Brandon enjoyed a glass of wine on their deck excitedly discussing their upcoming trip to attend a wedding of a couple they met back in college
During that conversation they were reminded of their still unopened gift from their great aunt Alison
So they thought back to their marriage nearly 9 years earlier and tried to recall the gifts that had meant most to them
The funny thing was, the gift that meant the most to them was still sitting in a closet, unopened
On their wedding day Kathy and Brandon received a gift from their great aunt Alison
n the plain white box was a card that read, “Do not open until your 1st disagreement.”
On a plain white box was a card that read, “Do not open until your 1st disagreement.” (Show Gift with Wine Glasses)
Obviously, there had been plenty of arguments, and slamming of door that took place but they decided not to open the gift
There were even several instances when they both considered giving up, but they never opened the box
They said that opening the box could symbolize the failure of their marriage
It would mean to them that they didn’t have what it takes to make their marriage work
So, it forced them to reassess their situation, and asked themselves, was it really time to open the box?
They’re asking themselves, what if this is not our worst fight? What if there is worse one ahead, then they will no longer have a gift to open?
All along, they assumed that the contents of that box held the key to saving a marriage
an age old trick – not known to them as rookies.
Their Great Aunt and Uncle had been married for nearly half a century. So, they thought the box would save “their marriage” – and in a way it did to their great aunt and uncle
For 9 years (and three moves) that box sat high on a shelf in various closets gathering dust, yet it somehow taught them about tolerance, understanding, compromise and patience.
Their marriage strengthened as they became best friends, partners, and teammates.
Today, we decided to open that box, because I finally had a realization. I realized that the tools for creating and maintaining a strong, healthy marriage were never within that box – they were within us.
That day, they decided to open that box, because they finally had a realization.
They realized that the tools for creating and maintaining a strong, healthy marriage were never within that box – they were within them.
Do you want to know what was inside the box?
(Show the rest of the photos)
Kathy, go get a pizza, shrimp or something you both like… Get a bath ready.. Aunt Alison
Brandon, go get flowers and a bottle of wine… Aunt Alison
PAUSE
But today I will not be talking about marriage, I want to talk to you about GIFTS
I have a couple of gifts here but you’ll never know what’s inside unless you open them
Who wants to have them?
There you go! First you have to desire the gift..
In the words of Apostle Paul he said…
1 Corinthians
31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.
Paul also said…
1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.
In essence the Apostle Paul was saying to the church in Corinth, and to us that we must open the gifts
Let me give these gifts to Pastor Justin & Pastor Ritchie
But first, they must desire it, before they can open it!
Since they desired it, I give these to them
And now that they owned it, they can discover what’s inside, by opening them! Go ahead and open it!
Who else wants to receive a gift today?
Tell the person next to you. First you have to desire it!
And tell the other person. Then you must open it!
PAUSE
Open your Bible and browse with me on the first letter of Paul to the church in Corinth
But first let me tell you something about the church in Corinth..
After lying dormant for nearly a hundred years, Corinth was refounded by Julius Ceasar in 44BC as a Roman Colony because of its strategic location for commerce (show map)
A hundred years later later, it had become the largest city in Roman Greece. Quickly became a cosmopolitan city (show map zoomed)
Corinth is located in the modern day Greece (show modern map)
It was also a very religious city with all the immigrants brought their religion and deities
Believers were from among this diverse population, both slaves and free, Jews and Gentiles who brought a lot of their baggage to the christian faith
It is important for us to note that the opposition to Paul in this letter was not from the outside of the church as in Galatians, 2 Corinthians and 1 Thessalonians, but from within the church itself
The church in Corinth faced so much troubles and chaos
Reports about sexual immorality, leadership bickerings, lawsuits among believers, prostitution and many more reached the knowledge of Paul
In response to the reports that Paul received from the household of Chloe, he wrote them this letter
This letter was written somewhere between 53-54 AD by Paul while he was at Ephesus
There were about 11 different issues that he dealt with on this letter, the primary place where he and they are at odds is over the question of being spiritual
What it means to be a person of the Spirit? And so one of the things he discussed was the Gift of the Holy Spirit
one of which is the Gift of the Holy Spirit
TEXT:
TEXT:
Like I said earlier, Paul doesn’t want us to be uninformed about these gifts
He wants us to eagerly desire the greater gifts
1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.
2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
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, and 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.
On your outline is a compilation of various spiritual gifts from the different parts of the Bible (Show Table of Gifts)
You can refer to it to know the 21 gifts of the Holy Spirit
10 TRUTHS CONCERNING SPIRITUAL GIFTS
10 TRUTHS CONCERNING SPIRITUAL GIFTS
Only Believers Has Spiritual Gifts
14 The person without the Spirit does not accept the things that come from the Spirit of God but considers them foolishness, and cannot understand them because they are discerned only through the Spirit.
Every Christian Has at Least One Gift
7 I wish that all of you were as I am. But each of you has your own gift from God; one has this gift, another has that.
No One Receives All the Gifts
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. 28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
No Single Gift is Given to Everyone
29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret?
You Can’t Earn or Work for a Spiritual Gift
7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it.
The Holy Spirit Decides What Gifts You Get
11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
The Gifts You’re Given are Permanent
29 for God’s gifts and his call are irrevocable.
You Are to Develop the Gifts God Gives You
14 Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through prophecy when the body of elders laid their hands on you.
It is a Sin to Waste the Gifts God Gave You
1 This, then, is how you ought to regard us: as servants of Christ and as those entrusted with the mysteries God has revealed. 2 Now it is required that those who have been given a trust must prove faithful.
14 “Again, it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted his wealth to them. 15 To one he gave five bags of gold, to another two bags, and to another one bag, each according to his ability. Then he went on his journey. 16 The man who had received five bags of gold went at once and put his money to work and gained five bags more. 17 So also, the one with two bags of gold gained two more. 18 But the man who had received one bag went off, dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money. 19 “After a long time the master of those servants returned and settled accounts with them. 20 The man who had received five bags of gold brought the other five. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with five bags of gold. See, I have gained five more.’ 21 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ 22 “The man with two bags of gold also came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘you entrusted me with two bags of gold; see, I have gained two more.’ 23 “His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’ 24 “Then the man who had received one bag of gold came. ‘Master,’ he said, ‘I knew that you are a hard man, harvesting where you have not sown and gathering where you have not scattered seed. 25 So I was afraid and went out and hid your gold in the ground. See, here is what belongs to you.’ 26 “His master replied, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! So you knew that I harvest where I have not sown and gather where I have not scattered seed? 27 Well then, you should have put my money on deposit with the bankers, so that when I returned I would have received it back with interest. 28 “ ‘So take the bag of gold from him and give it to the one who has ten bags. 29 For whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 30 And throw that worthless servant outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’
The Parable of the Talent
Using Your Gifts Glorifies God and Grows You
8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.
PAUSE
THE PURPOSE OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS
THE PURPOSE OF SPIRITUAL GIFTS
To Serve the Community
10 Each of you as a good manager must use the gift that God has given you to serve others.
10 Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
To Produce Personal Maturity
11 He also gave apostles, prophets, missionaries, as well as pastors and teachers as gifts ⌊to his church⌋.
13 This is to continue until all of us are united in our faith and in our knowledge about God’s Son, until we become mature, until we measure up to Christ, who is the standard. 14 Then we will no longer be little children, tossed and carried about by all kinds of teachings that change like the wind. We will no longer be influenced by people who use cunning and clever strategies to lead us astray.
,
To Produce Church Stability
25 so that there should be no division in the body, but that its parts should have equal concern for each other.
25 God’s purpose was that the body should not be divided but rather that all of its parts should feel the same concern for each other.
“Mind Your Own Spiritual Maturity, But Be Part of Church Stability, To Better Serve the Community”
“Mind Your Own Spiritual Maturity, But Be Part of Church Stability, To Better Serve the Community”
24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it,
1
“Mind Your Own Spiritual Maturity, But Be Part of Church Stability”
“Mind Your Own Spiritual Maturity, But Be Part of Church Stability”
4 Each one should test their own actions. Then they can take pride in themselves alone, without comparing themselves to someone else,
How Do You Uncover Your Spiritual Gifts
Do not compare yourselves to someone else
24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it,
Do not size up maturity or immaturity of your fellow believers
God has put us “together”
One body with many parts
We were all baptized by one Spirit
Your maturity is not dependent on someone else’s immaturity
Wether Jews or Gentiles, Slaves of Free
It is God’s pleasure that we are all placed in this church
Even those that seems weak are indespensable
No one must be left alone or left behind
If one suffers, every part suffers with it
If one part is honored, every part rejoices with it
“Mind your own spiritual maturity, but be part of church stability, to better serve the community.”
How Do You Uncover Your Spiritual Gifts
I MUST DESIRE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
I MUST DESIRE THE GIFT OF THE HOLY SPIRIT
31 Now eagerly desire the greater gifts. And yet I will show you the most excellent way.
Greater gifts refers to the gifts that benefit the entire church community
I SHOULD ASK GOD FOR WISDOM
I SHOULD ASK GOD FOR WISDOM
5 If any of you lacks wisdom, you should ask God, who gives generously to all without finding fault, and it will be given to you.
Wisdom refers to the knowledge of God’s plans & purposes and the ability to live accodingly
I WILL DISCOVER MY GIFTS WHILE BEING INVOLVED IN MINISTRY
I WILL DISCOVER MY GIFTS WHILE BEING INVOLVED IN MINISTRY
28 And God has placed in the church first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, of helping, of guidance, and of different kinds of tongues.
It’s easier to discover your gift through ministry than to discover your ministry through your gift
DISCOVER YOUR MINISTRY THROUGH YOUR GIFT
CLOSING
CLOSING
IT'S EASIER TO DISCOVER YOUR GIFT THROUGH MINISTRY THAN TO DISCOVER YOUR MINISTRY THROUGH YOUR GIFT
Together We Are Being Built
Together We Are Being Built
24 while our presentable parts need no special treatment. But God has put the body together, giving greater honor to the parts that lacked it,
God has put us “together”
One body with many parts
We were all baptized by one Spirit
Wether Jews or Gentiles, Slaves of Free
It is God’s pleasure that we are all placed in this church
Even those that seems weak are indespensable
No one must be left alone or left behind
If one suffers, every part suffers with it
If one part is honored, every part rejoices with it
CHALLENGE
CHALLENGE
Spiritual Gifts are Like an Orchestra (Drum & Bugle)
Back when I was still in High School, I remember some of my friends and classmates who became part of our drum and bugle corps.
Our school wasn’t as rich that they had few musical instruments distributed among the members of the drum and bugle corps
My friends and classmates doesn’t really have a choice on which instrument they will each play. They were given instruments depending on what the school had
Unsure if that was the instrument that matches their skills, they took them and played them anyway.
They brought their instruments home so they may practice with it.
When the time to play their instruments together, in unison, it sounded like a train wreck if not a crashing car!
They played different tempos. They played at different volumes. They didn’t watch the conductor. And they didn’t listen to each other.
They were just like a bunch of soloist, and their objective was to play louder than everyone else, and it was terrible!
Kinda like how this orchestra performed (this is where you play failed orchestra video)
See! That’s what happens when members of the orchestra aren’t sure of the instruments they’re playing
Similarly, that is what will also happen to a church whose members doesn’t know what their spiritual gifts are..
That’s is why, it is imperative for each one of us to discover our spiritual gifts
We must desire the gift of the Holy Spirit
We must ask God for Wisdom
We will Discover our Spiritual Gifts while being involved in the ministry
PAUSE
I’d like to pass out this “Spiritual Gifts Inventory” forms for each of you to accomplish
If you consider yourself to be a part of this church family, you will do this without procrastinating
I am calling on all the Life Group HOSTs to use your meeting time this week to discuss this amongst yourselves
I will expect that you will turn this in back to me on Sunday, November 3rd
You should definitely retain a photocopy of of it for your file and reference
I will use this to update your profiles in our members database
This will guide me, and my fellow Pastors on how we may effectively help you to reach your personal and communal goals, while experiencing joy in the process
This “Spiritual Gifts Inventory” will help you in your quest to discover your spiritual gifts
This is how
Pray for God’s guidance and complete the inventory to continue the process of seeking the Lord for how He Has gifted you
Here’s how you do it (show Spiritual Gift Inventory)
There are total of 126 questions
Answer each of the questions by placing the corresponding number on the appropriate blank
And then once you completed answering all 126 questions
Transfer the value you entered for each question to the corresponding boxes on this chart (show page 48)
Add up all the values in those boxes for every row, and write the sum in the boxes under the “total” column
At the bottom part, using the results of the chart, write down your three highest-rated gifts
This will give you tentative evaluation of where your gifts may lie
PAUSE
Through our consistent prayers, seeking God’s grace and guidance, and getting involved in our church’s ministries,
We will gain spiritual maturity, church stability and better service to the community
That instead of being like that failed performance of that orchestra earlier, we may be able to better work together just like how how this orchestra better played together (this is where you play the Here I am)
