Spiritual Gifts: What Do They Bring to the Church? (part one)

Spiritual Gifts: What Do They Bring to the Church? (part 1) 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28 November 11, 2018 THE BIG IDEA: All Christians are given a spiritual gift. There is no place for attitudes of elitism or defeatism when it comes to your place in the Body of Christ. Use the gift the Lord gave you and stop looking for the “gift returns” office. The gifts are incredibly diverse and are not a measure of your value to God or the Church. The best way to discover your spiritual gift is to get busy serving God! 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28 (ESV) 12 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. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 28 3 Schools of Thought Concerning Spiritual Gifts: Continuation Modification Cessation [1 Corinthians 13:10] 2. Some gifts were given to confirm the authority of the Word of God and the authenticity of the Gospel. 3. All gifts supernaturally empower Christians to build each other up in the Church. A Partial List of Spiritual Gifts: WISDOM: Ability to bring a profound God-centered, Scripturally based insight to a particular situation. The application of knowledge. Acts 6:10 KNOWLEDGE: Ability to grasp the deep truths of Scripture which are available to all believers, but not always understood. Acts 4:13; 2 Peter 3:18 FAITH: The strong conviction that God will move in one way or another in a specific circumstance. Matthew 17:20 HEALINGS: The gift of bringing healing, by God’s power and for His Glory, to an individual at a specific time. Even in Scripture, no one healed all sick people. James 5:13-16; 2 Corinthians 12:9 MIRACLES: An act of God that is contrary to the ordinary working and laws of nature. John 2:11; John 20:30-31 PROPHECY TONGUES/INTERPRETATION OF TONGUES DISTINGUISHING BETWEEN SPIRITS: An ability to distinguish between truth and lies. Acts 5:4; 2 Corinthians 11:14-15; 1 John 4:1 HELPING: “to nourish” -- with the idea of being there when there is need and doing what is necessary to help the one in need. Acts 6 ADMINISTRATING: from a word that has its roots in the navigation of a ship through a dangerous channel. The ability to give clear guidance (a plan to get to a desired destination). It can be understood as the gift of leadership. 1 Timothy 3:4 Key Principle for Discovering Your Spiritual Gift: The best way to discover your spiritual gift is to get busy serving God! 10 What is the purpose of spiritual gifts? 1. Some gifts were given to validate the authority of the Apostles as spokesmen for the Lord. As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 1 Peter 4:10 (ESV)