God at Work, Through Us
Sermon • Submitted • Presented • 41:53
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· 207 viewsThere was / is something that the Holy Spirit has planted in your life to do. We all are given an empowerment by the Holy Spirit. Fan and kindle that gift that God has given you.
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4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit;
5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord;
6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
Gifts - Ministries - Activities (NKJV)
Gifts - Service - Activities (ESV)
Gifts - Service - Working (NIV)
Gifts - Service - Ways (NLT)
Spirit - Lord - God
Varieties:
diairéō, diaíresis. diairéō has five meanings: “to dissolve,” “to distinguish,” “to decide,” “to distribute,” “to apportion.”
The last two are most common in the LXX (Gen. 4:7 etc.), and are the obvious meaning in the NT at Lk. 15:12
7 If you do well, will you not be accepted? And if you do not do well, sin crouches at your door; its desire is for you, but you must master it.
just as sin takes a hold of you and devolops, it is in the same meaning that a portion of the spirit is given to you.
what is this GIFT / GRACE?
Chárisma - Denotes the result of cháris as an action, i.e., “proof of favor,” “benefit,” or “gift.”
10 God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.
there are many types, but it is God who is given ONE to you.
it is given to serve others
it is not for your benefit. its for others.
Paul’s point here is that while spiritual gifts vary, unity lies in the three persons: the Spirit who gives, the Lord who is served, and God who is at work
It emphasizes that these three persons work together.
14 Don’t minimize the powerful gift that operates in your life, for it was imparted to you by the laying on of hands of the elders and was activated through the prophecy they spoke over you.
SPECIAL FOR YOU
7 I would wish that all of you could live unmarried, just as I do. Yet I understand that we are all decidedly different, with each having a special grace for one thing or another.
Paul could live an unmarried life. and he says that its ok to do so. if you are gifted in that then be so. this is a kind of person who has no sexual desire and does not fall into one and he’s also a person who cant have a baggage or a link to anyone in this life.
how do you know if being single is a gift is that you have devoted your single life to the service of others.
if you are a loner in life, that is not a gift from the Holy Spirit.
FAN / ACTIVATE
6 I’m writing to encourage you to fan into a flame and rekindle the fire of the spiritual gift God imparted to you when I laid my hands upon you.
6 God’s marvelous grace imparts to each one of us varying gifts and ministries that are uniquely ours. So if God has given you the grace-gift of prophecy, you must activate your gift by using the proportion of faith you have to prophesy.
7 If your grace-gift is serving, then thrive in serving others well. If you have the grace-gift of teaching, then be actively teaching and training others.
8 If you have the grace-gift of encouragement, then use it often to encourage others. If you have the grace-gift of giving to meet the needs of others, then may you prosper in your generosity without any fanfare. If you have the gift of leadership, be passionate about your leadership. And if you have the gift of showing compassion, then flourish in your cheerful display of compassion.
Activate the gift the God has given to you. do not neglect it.
so is it possible that you can neglect it and it lies dormant?
yes
if you dont use it it becomes inactive and dormant.
HOW TO IDENTIFY THIS PORTION OF EMPOWERMENT?
so the question you can ask yourself is that what is it that you can do or perform for others and it does not require preparation?
What is the difference between a talent and a gift
talent need preparation and practice but a gift does not require practice, it is an embodiment of the Spirit.
talent can be for you and your profit. but a gift from the spirit is for the service / benefit of others
Talents are always self centered. but gifts are for others and keeping them in your mind
eg
singing is a talent, worship is a gift
public speaking is a talent, revelation of the word is a gift.
nursing is a talent, healing is a gift
psychology, body language is a talent or training, but a word of knowledge of your past is a gift.
the gift is activated by faith.
so its not the you have the resources by which you are doing it. you actually believe that you will have it when you start to operate in it.
that is faith.
when other spirits that come upon you, you will get other kinds of effects.
some spirits give you a grace to be angry all the time.
some give you the grace to be negative all the time.
some makes you think its all about me only. whats in it for me.
some give you the gift of fear all the time.
6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone.
But God empowers each one of us with something always. he never leaves us empty handed.
EMPOWER:
energeo (ἐνεργέω, 1754) TO WORK
to put one’s capabilities into operation, work, be at work, be active, operate, be effective
physically if we are born with a body, we are already empowered to work. if we have a physical body means, we have muscles and that is given to us to work.
a pregnant mother knows the work of t he small baby. the movements, the kicks.
then after birth, the child is empowered to cry.
thats all the baby does, cry, drink, poop.
the baby is empowered to do that. if the child does not do that then there is something worng.
as we grow physically we are empowered to crawl, walk, jump etc.
sinfull passions were empowering / work in us
1 Once you were dead because of your disobedience and your many sins.
2 You used to live in sin, just like the rest of the world, obeying the devil—the commander of the powers in the unseen world. He is the spirit at work in the hearts of those who refuse to obey God.
3 All of us used to live that way, following the passionate desires and inclinations of our sinful nature. By our very nature we were subject to God’s anger, just like everyone else.
Word of God Empowers us
13 And we also [especially] thank God continually for this, that when you received the message of God [which you heard] from us, you welcomed it not as the word of [mere] men, but as it truly is, the Word of God, which is effectually at work in you who believe [exercising its superhuman power in those who adhere to and trust in and rely on it].
God empowers us. paul talks about this unusual power to all the churches
13 For God is working in you, giving you the desire and the power to do what pleases him.
20 Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us,
29 For this I labor [unto weariness], striving with all the superhuman energy which He so mightily enkindles and works within me.
in Christ we are empowered to his will
11 In him we have obtained an inheritance, having been predestined according to the purpose of him who works all things according to the counsel of his will,
John came home flushed with pride. “I’ve been promoted,” he announced. “I have a new job! They’ve made me an expediter.” “What’s an expediter?” asked his wife. “Well, it’s hard to explain but if you did what I’m supposed to do, it would be called nagging.”
Employee: “The stress my boss puts me under is killing me. I have migraines, my blood pressure is going through the roof, I can’t sleep at night, I just found out I have an ulcer, and as long as I stay in this job, the only question is whether I’ll have a stroke or a heart attack.”
A new employee stood before one of the office machines, looking confused. “Do you need some help?” asked a co-worker. “Yes,” the new man answered. “How does this thing work?” “Simple,” she said, taking his big report and feeding it into the shredder. “Thanks,” the new man replied, “but where do the copies come out?”
Pope John XXIII was a kind man with a marvelous sense of humor. Someone once asked him how many people worked at the Vatican. “Half of them,” he said.