Gifts: 1 What Are the Spiritual Gifts?

Illustration

Are you a techlover or a technaphope?

A lover of technology, embracing new gadgets and gizmos, or someone who doesn’t like all this modern technology?

As I was preparing for this sermon, I had to make sure my laptop was plugged in as I wrote studied and typed away. I needed my tablet to be charged ready to preach this message. My watch was charging so it could be a stop watch for me and will buzz my wrist when I’ve got 5 minutes left.

I don’t know if you’ve noticed how much techno language we embrace in our lives.

“I just need to switch off...”, “I really need to recharge”, “I’m overloaded”, “I think my memories corrupted”, “Computer says no”, “I can see the cogs turning” more of a clockwork expression, “I’m looking forward to unwinding” or “don’t wind me up”.

There are loads more, so look out for them in day to day speech.

And I wonder if you ever feel like a machine that’s running out of battery. Sometimes we see sleep as that time to recharge our physical batteries, but what about spiritually?

Do you ever feel like you’re coming to church for a bit of a recharge and then heading back into the rest of life ready to face it with the power boost you’ve just received? Hoping that your spiritual battery will last until the next Sunday before you crash?

But we all know that our machines work at their maximum when they’re fully charged. If I want to make a video (and I’ve made a lot of videos since the pandemic) I know that after piecing all the different parts together, I then need to set my video editing software to render the video, and if I’m still working on battery a little message comes up. “To make sure there is no loss of quality, please connect your power supply”

In other words, “plug in to the source”

St Mark’s, I believe Jesus is calling us to turn up the spiritual temperature of our Church. Since arriving at St Mark's, there have been many pictures I’ve had or received from others of St Mark’s as a place where the glory of God is experienced. Not just his presence, but His glory. That St Mark’s can be a rest-bite for those who are weary and need loving and then sending back to their communities, and a place where we see the power of God at work on a regular basis.

We’re embarking on a new sermon series exploring the Spiritual gifts. Understanding what they are and how to practice them.

As we enter this series, I pray that the Spirit of God will empower us a fresh. Much of this won’t be new to those of you who have been members of St Mark’s for years, but I believe the Lord has more for you. And for anyone who has joined us more recently, much of this may be new. We believe that God is living and active in His world, but sometimes we don’t believe just how much he has chosen to partner with us. Sometimes we don’t realise just how much He is ready to equip us.

Delving in

So let’s delve in. Most of our teaching comes from the apostle Paul because he wrote extensively to Churches after the day of Pentecost. He actively practised and encouraged the churches to use the spiritual gifts. And so it is in 1 Corinthians 12 we’re exploring today.

1 Corinthians 12:1 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.

Paul’s writing to inform and equip the Church in Corinth. Why? Because we, like the Corinthian Church, are prone to worship things that are powerful, and he reminds them of what they used to worship.

1 Corinthians 12:2 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to dumb idols.

So as we embark on exploring these amazing powerful gifts from God, Paul warns us not to make these idols. But he teaches us how to use these gifts from God.

And with the warning he teaches that we know who is genuinely using gifts from God because of the fruit they display and the way they speak.

1 Corinthians 12:3 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

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.

Our hearts need to be right. If we are with God, then we wont’ blaspheme his name. And we certainly can’t speak evil of God as some of our friends might, and we can only truly say “Jesus is Lord” through the Holy Spirit in us. Already, we can see that partnership with the Spirit of God is essential for us to even cry out to Him in obedience. As we subject ourselves to his rein in our lives.

Now onto the gifts of the Spirit. Note these are not the fruit of the Spirit. We’ll do them at another time. These are the gifts given by the Holy Spirit to empower the Church to be Christ’s hands and feet on earth.

1 Corinthians 12:4–6 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

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.

[slide of Different and Same]

Notice how as Paul starts talking about the different giftings for the Church, he points directly to the source of this power

This is the trinity at work. These gifts, given by the Spirit, are from the Godhead, from our One God, who is Father, Son and Holy Spirit.

To be empowered in these giftings, we need to plug into the source.

1 Corinthians 12:7 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.

2 big points here. Firstly, who are these gifts given to? Each One!

Each One!

[slide with the same question]

Every member of the body of Christ (as we see in the rest of chapter 12)

Every disciple, every follower of Jesus

If you have invited Jesus into your life, and you call him Lord, and when you mess up, you come back to Him in repentance, being sorry for what you’ve done, then you’re a follower of Jesus. And Paul means you!

The Holy Spirit of God, has a gift, or gifts to empower you!

Secondly, these gifts are given for the common good. They’re not for your private use, except the private use of the gifts of tongues (which we’ll come to). All other gifts are given for the benefit of the whole Church, and for the benefit of our local community. You are given gifts of the Spirit to use to bless others, to build up other people and to see the glory of god displayed on earth.

And what are the gifts Paul mentions here

1 Corinthians 12:8–10 NIV (Anglicised, 2011)

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.

[slide of gifts]

Notice how he emphasises that these gifts are all given through the same Spirit, and the implication is that most people don’t have all the gifts. God is the gift giver and he gives each believer at least one of these gifts for us to practice and to use for his glory, for the common good of His world.

Over the next term, we’re going to delve into each of the gifts. For new Christians, it’s a series to open you up to recieving the spiritual gift or gifts which God has prepared for you. For the not-yet Christian who attends St Mark’s, it’s a series to demonstrate the empowering love of God, that he isn’t distant, but close and active in His world specifically through us.

For the mature disciple, it’s an opportunity to be challenged and grow in practising the spiritual gifts God has given you for the building of His church and the outreach of His kingdom.

We will explore each of these gifts in turn. And my prayer is that firstly, God will help you understand the gifts which he is specifically giving you, but secondly that you would understand the gifts he has given your brothers and sisters in Christ.

John Wimber, a great man of God who died in 1997 and who founded the Vineyard Charismatic movement of Churches, taught clearly that the Spiritual gifts are tools not toys. We need to practice using them and we will not become experts in one try. If God has empowered us with a gift, then we must commit to using it in partnership with Him. He writes

Releasing Spiritual Gifts Today 1.What Are the Spiritual Gifts?

Spiritual gifts are the expression of God’s power at work in the Church today. A believer does not possess gifts; a believer receives gifts from God to be used at special times for special occasions. Gifts are the attestation of the empowering of the Holy Spirit and are vital in a “signs and wonders” ministry.

Spiritual empowering equips one for service. The gifts are the tools which enable one to fulfill the ministry required.

The gifts of the Spirit are received by impartation. The gifts (except the private use of tongues) are given to us and through us to use for others, and are developed in a climate of risk-taking and willingness to fail.1

You are made for more than just existing. You are created to be a co-creator with God in His world. To see this world become more the world God created it to be, and to reunite God’s lost children with Him. So much of that happens when we do what He’s called us to do.

So we’re going on a journey. A journey which I hope you’re up for. A journey which will see us more effective in our ministry to Haydock and the communities we live and work in. It requires us to be open to the Spirit of God, plugging into the source, and practising with Him these amazing tools and gifts which he designed for us.

And we will practice these together. I’ll be sitting down with James and Alison tomorrow to plan various evening opportunities to go deeper in these gifts, but the best place to practice these gifts will be in small groups.

Many of you know that we have launched new small groups called Connect groups, who exist to connect with Jesus, connect with each other and connect with the community. Just like cell groups, they meet together weekly or fortnightly to go deeper in their faith together. These are the prefect place to explore and practice your spiritual gifts. I’ll be writing to everyone who attended the Lent course or who said they were interested in a connect group this week, and if you would like to hear more about them, then get in contact with me and we’ll plug you in.

So the Spiritual gifts are given to all believers. The Spiritual gifts are given for the common good of God’s Church and His world. The Spiritual gifts are tools not toys, and every believer is given one if they accept the gift from God.

So I invite you to respond this morning by standing, opening your hands, and asking “Holy Spirit, what do you want to give me this morning? How do you want to use me this week?”

And we will spend some time allowing the Spirit of God to release in the place, His gifts, His power and His glory.

The prayer ministry team will be ready to pray with you, behind the green screen in the corner if you want to pray with someone this morning.

[move to the Piano]