The Gift to Believers
Notes
Transcript
Introduction
The Ugly Duckling, Hans Christian Anderson
- the struggle of finding our place in the world. He did not fit in anywhere.
-he wasn't a duck, he was a swan, the most beautiful of all.
We have been created for a purpose. Many go through many struggles trying to understand why they were created. We are created to have a relationship with God. We are created to be part of the body of Christ.
God has given us all special gifts. We will not have fulfillment until we learn to use those gifts within the church.
1 Corinthians 12:1-11
1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.
2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.
3 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.
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.
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
8 For 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 ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
4 Characteristics of our Spiritual Gifts
The Spirit's Gifts Are Unique (2-3)
The Spirit's Gifts Are Unique (2-3)
1 Corinthians 12:2-3
2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.
3 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.
Corinthians knew before becoming Christians what they called "ecstasy" or "inspired utterances".
The evidence of the Spirit was not "inspired speech" but rather what was being said.
If no one knows what is said how are they any different than pagans in the temple?
This is the reason in chp 14 Paul tells them to never speak in tongues in church without an interpretter. The message, not the demonstration, is what makes it Christian.
Moses against Pharaoh's sorcerers.
Exodus 7:10-13
10 So Moses and Aaron went to Pharaoh and did just as the Lord commanded. Aaron cast down his staff before Pharaoh and his servants, and it became a serpent.
11 Then Pharaoh summoned the wise men and the sorcerers, and they, the magicians of Egypt, also did the same by their secret arts.
12 For each man cast down his staff, and they became serpents. But Aaron’s staff swallowed up their staffs.
13 Still Pharaoh’s heart was hardened, and he would not listen to them, as the Lord had said.
Evil has it's power. Christians have greater power but the point of our power is to reveal the truth of God.
Even these mute idols have power. They represent darkness.
"mute"= Jews pointed out that Greek gods did not talk. The One True God talks to his people. Spoke world into existence, spoke to Moses, spoke through Christ and now through Christians.
There is power in evil. Paul had told them earlier...
1 Corinthians 10:20-21
20 No, I imply that what pagans sacrifice they offer to demons and not to God. I do not want you to be participants with demons.
21 You cannot drink the cup of the Lord and the cup of demons. You cannot partake of the table of the Lord and the table of demons.
"Jesus is accursed!"= an actual curse phrase. Using the Lord's name in vane. Cursing Jesus is not the result of the Holy Spirit.
The Holy Spirit will only lead us to confess Jesus.
Romans 10:9-10
9 because, if you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.
10 For with the heart one believes and is justified, and with the mouth one confesses and is saved.
The Spirit's Gifts Are Diverse (4-6)
The Spirit's Gifts Are Diverse (4-6)
1 Corinthians 12:4-6
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.
Variety and Unity go together. (4)
Carole Robbins, "Variety is the spice of life."
1 Corinthians 1 sets the stage of the book to the church at Corinth. He is writing to get the fragmented church to unite around their differences.
1 Corinthians 1:10-12
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment.
11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers.
12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.”
We will see this in greater detail next Sunday.
Variety of gifts, service and activities -- parallel the Trinity- Spirit, Lord, God
Diversity has its roots in God himself. God is both diverse and unified!
Spiritual Gifts- result of Holy Spirit
Service or Place of Service (position)= result of Jesus being Lord- you use your gifts. You use your gift in a certain position.
Activities or things you do through your position= empowered by God the Father= He works all of them in all people.
Example:
Gift of Teaching: Position of Teacher: Teaching a Sunday School class.
Gift of Prophecy: Position of Pastor: Proclaiming God’s Word to the church.
Gift of Evangelism: Position of Block Party Coordinator: Sharing Jesus with those who show up.
Gift of Encouragement: Position of Greater: Welcoming people as they come into worship.
Use the gift in your position as you work in the Body of Christ.
We are all called to teach, evangelize, pray etc. We use the gifts God has given us to be obedient to God in these areas.
Paul is not trying to be specific so don't take this too far.
The point of this list is not to give an exhaustive list of spiritual gifts. Nor is he giving a detailed teaching on the work of the Trinity within the church.
The point is to show the diversity within gifts and the unity of their source.
The Spirit's Gifts Are Purposeful (7-10)
The Spirit's Gifts Are Purposeful (7-10)
1 Corinthians 12:7-10
7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
8 For 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 ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues.
Individual gifts are for the common good (7)
Spiritual gifts are for their use within a local community of believers. The local church.
When variety is given by the same person for the same purpose, variety will unite.
How often do you make decision based on the "common good" of our church?
God gives us our gifts for the common good of the church.
Notice he calls gifts "manifestation of the Spirit"
It is proof of the Spirit working in their midst.
vs 8- gifts come "through the Spirit"-- they are supernatural.
Again- the list is not exhaustive. Different lists in Ephesians and Romans. 19 all together but these may not be all of them.
Some are used only for special times. Miracles and healings were necessary to prove the validity of the messenger before the New Testament. God still works miracles and healings but not usually through a person with that gift. It is not a common gift in the church today like teaching or prophecy (preaching).
ILL-- Tara in hospital after gallbladder surgery. Jim Moore's prayer. Things changed that moment. Jim does not have the gift of healing but the Spirit of God showed up in that room and things changed.
He chose some of the most visible gifts to demonstrate that they serve the purpose of showing the power of God and helping the church.
We will deal with these over the next couple of weeks in greater detail.
The Spirit's Gifts Are Determined (11)
The Spirit's Gifts Are Determined (11)
1 Corinthians 12:11
11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.
You don't get to chose your own, they are chosen for you.
I want the gift of names. They go beyond what I want. Determined by God on how he wants to use you in the church. I’ve prayed for it often.
How do you find where you should serve in the church?
Where is your heart?
homeless
children
youth
music
What is your spiritual gift?
How can you use it to help in the area God has burdened you?
CONCLUSION
What is your place in the church?
What is your place in the church?
First must become part of the church.
-salvation
-God will give you your spiritual gifts.
-Don’t know? Ask your closest Christian friends. They can help. On-line tools.
-commitment to a local body of believers.
Then you must find where to use these gifts. There is a place for you and you are needed.