The following is the first of at least two sermons on Spiritual Gifts which is a natural follow up to the just completed series "Doctrines Of Our Faith" We finished the series last week with the doctrine of Stewardship. There are four principles of Stewardship, 1) the principle of God's ownership of everything and everyone, 2) the principal of our responsibility to God the owner of everything, 3) the principle of our our accountability to God the owner, and 4) the principle of reward by the owner for the way we have managed those things God has placed in our care like our time, talents, finances, our environment, everything. I ended by saying that we can express our stewardship by giving ourselves away in the name and for the glory of Christ.
1 Peter 4:10 NIV Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
Every believer has at least one gift. It is totally unscriptural for one to say that he or she has no gift, for God has expressly declared that he has bestowed on all of his children a gift to be used, to be given away, for his glory.
Click the YouTube Link at the end of the manuscript for the audio recording of the sermon.
1 Peter 4:10 NIV Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
Every believer has at least one gift. It is totally unscriptural for one to say that he or she has no gift, for God has expressly declared that he has bestowed on all of his children a gift to be used, to be given away, for his glory.
Click the YouTube Link at the end of the manuscript for the audio recording of the sermon.
Scripture Reading
Romans 12:3-8 NKJV For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Introduction
We finished our Doctrines of our Faith series last week with the doctrine of Stewardship. There are four principles of Stewardship, 1) the principle of God's ownership of everything and everyone, 2) the principal of our responsibility to God the owner of everything, 3) the principle of our our accountability to God the owner, and 4) the principle of reward by the owner for the way we have managed those things God has placed in our care like our time, talents, finances, our environment, everything. I ended by saying that we can express our stewardship by giving ourselves away in the name and for the glory of Christ.
Which brings me to our text for today.
1 Peter 4:10 NIV Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
Peter in his letter said that every Christian has received a gift and that you should use it. These gifts differ from person to person; they are as varied as the ability to sing or play or preach, to communicate the gospel to children, to be a peacemaker, to be able to say the right word at the right time to soothe a troubled heart, to make money and use it for God’s glory—and on and on we could go.
Every believer has at least one gift. I am going to give you a list of those gifts today, and next week I am going to go into some detail about each gift but today I want to talk about the fact that God has given each Christian certain supernatural abilities for His glory.
Ephesians 4:7-8 NIV But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.”
This sermon, and the one next week, just scratches the surface but I hope it is enough for you to realize that you, everyone of you who is saved and a believer has at least one spiritual gift and it was given to you for you to use so in the church will benefit. We have different gifts and the combination of them when used will benefit and build up the church which is the body of Christ.
The word gift is translated from the Greek charisma (which is where we get charisma or charismatic) quite often associated with tongues, healings, word of knowledge, prophecy, miracles, and so on. Charisma means freely given or gift of grace.
These gifts were given by the grace of God so they were not earned through study or practice or genetics but by God's grace. These gifts are supernatural endowments given by the Holy Spirit.
I Corinthians 12:4-7 NKJV There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
These are the supernatural graces which individual Christians need to fulfill the mission of the church. The gifts are related to both seemingly "natural" abilities and seemingly more "miraculous" abilities, but all spiritual gifts are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Each Christian has a spiritual gift, or "manifestation of the Spirit." The gifts differ, but have these common elements.
(1) Each is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit's presence.
(2) Each is "for the common good," that is, each is intended to build up the body of Christ.
(3) Each is given "as He The Holy Spirit determines."
I Corinthians 12:11 NKJV But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
There is no true Christian in whom the Holy Spirit has not worked, providing a divine capacity enabling him or her to make a significant contribution to other believers. If those gifts operate in love the church will accomplish what God intends for it and that is to show the world His plan of salvation for all people regardless of race, position, status, poverty, or wealth.
We are all familiar with the fruit of the Spirit we've talked about it a lot in the past.
Galatians 5:19-26 NKJV Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Spiritual gifts are different. Spiritual gifts are used for the benefit of others while the fruit of the Spirit results in personal sanctification
1. The fruit of the Spirit is the same for all believers. The Holy Spirit desires to develop in each Christian a character that is like Christ’s. When that character is developed, it will include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, which is the fruit of the Spirit.
2. The gifts of the Spirit are almost always different between believers. The Holy Spirit equips each Christian with a unique set of gifts and talents. There may be similarities in the gifts and talents different Christians have, but God never makes an exact copy or replica of a person.
3. The fruit of the Spirit is the goal.
Romans 8:29 NKJV For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
The fruit of the Spirit is the goal of the Christian journey.
4. The gifts of the Spirit are the way of achieving the goal. The gifts of the Spirit are given to help us and others toward the goal of a Christ-like character.
5.The fruit of the Spirit is about who we are becoming. The fruit of the Spirit defines what a Christian is, or is at least becoming. It is about the kind of person God wants us to be for eternity.
6.The gifts of the Spirit are about how we serve God in this life.
As I said before a spiritual gift as a divine endowment of a special ability for service. A spiritual gift is a special attribute given by the Holy Spirit to every member of the Body of Christ according to God's grace for use within the context of the Body.
Romans 12:3-8 NKJV For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
Introduction
We finished our Doctrines of our Faith series last week with the doctrine of Stewardship. There are four principles of Stewardship, 1) the principle of God's ownership of everything and everyone, 2) the principal of our responsibility to God the owner of everything, 3) the principle of our our accountability to God the owner, and 4) the principle of reward by the owner for the way we have managed those things God has placed in our care like our time, talents, finances, our environment, everything. I ended by saying that we can express our stewardship by giving ourselves away in the name and for the glory of Christ.
Which brings me to our text for today.
1 Peter 4:10 NIV Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God’s grace in its various forms.
Peter in his letter said that every Christian has received a gift and that you should use it. These gifts differ from person to person; they are as varied as the ability to sing or play or preach, to communicate the gospel to children, to be a peacemaker, to be able to say the right word at the right time to soothe a troubled heart, to make money and use it for God’s glory—and on and on we could go.
Every believer has at least one gift. I am going to give you a list of those gifts today, and next week I am going to go into some detail about each gift but today I want to talk about the fact that God has given each Christian certain supernatural abilities for His glory.
Ephesians 4:7-8 NIV But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. This is why it says: “When he ascended on high, he took many captives and gave gifts to his people.”
This sermon, and the one next week, just scratches the surface but I hope it is enough for you to realize that you, everyone of you who is saved and a believer has at least one spiritual gift and it was given to you for you to use so in the church will benefit. We have different gifts and the combination of them when used will benefit and build up the church which is the body of Christ.
The word gift is translated from the Greek charisma (which is where we get charisma or charismatic) quite often associated with tongues, healings, word of knowledge, prophecy, miracles, and so on. Charisma means freely given or gift of grace.
These gifts were given by the grace of God so they were not earned through study or practice or genetics but by God's grace. These gifts are supernatural endowments given by the Holy Spirit.
I Corinthians 12:4-7 NKJV There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
These are the supernatural graces which individual Christians need to fulfill the mission of the church. The gifts are related to both seemingly "natural" abilities and seemingly more "miraculous" abilities, but all spiritual gifts are empowered by the Holy Spirit.
Each Christian has a spiritual gift, or "manifestation of the Spirit." The gifts differ, but have these common elements.
(1) Each is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit's presence.
(2) Each is "for the common good," that is, each is intended to build up the body of Christ.
(3) Each is given "as He The Holy Spirit determines."
I Corinthians 12:11 NKJV But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
There is no true Christian in whom the Holy Spirit has not worked, providing a divine capacity enabling him or her to make a significant contribution to other believers. If those gifts operate in love the church will accomplish what God intends for it and that is to show the world His plan of salvation for all people regardless of race, position, status, poverty, or wealth.
We are all familiar with the fruit of the Spirit we've talked about it a lot in the past.
Galatians 5:19-26 NKJV Now the works of the flesh are evident, which are: adultery, fornication, uncleanness, lewdness, idolatry, sorcery, hatred, contentions, jealousies, outbursts of wrath, selfish ambitions, dissensions, heresies, envy, murders, drunkenness, revelries, and the like; of which I tell you beforehand, just as I also told you in time past, that those who practice such things will not inherit the kingdom of God. But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. Against such there is no law. And those who are Christ’s have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live in the Spirit, let us also walk in the Spirit. Let us not become conceited, provoking one another, envying one another.
Spiritual gifts are different. Spiritual gifts are used for the benefit of others while the fruit of the Spirit results in personal sanctification
1. The fruit of the Spirit is the same for all believers. The Holy Spirit desires to develop in each Christian a character that is like Christ’s. When that character is developed, it will include love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control, which is the fruit of the Spirit.
2. The gifts of the Spirit are almost always different between believers. The Holy Spirit equips each Christian with a unique set of gifts and talents. There may be similarities in the gifts and talents different Christians have, but God never makes an exact copy or replica of a person.
3. The fruit of the Spirit is the goal.
Romans 8:29 NKJV For whom He foreknew, He also predestined to be conformed to the image of His Son, that He might be the firstborn among many brethren.
The fruit of the Spirit is the goal of the Christian journey.
4. The gifts of the Spirit are the way of achieving the goal. The gifts of the Spirit are given to help us and others toward the goal of a Christ-like character.
5.The fruit of the Spirit is about who we are becoming. The fruit of the Spirit defines what a Christian is, or is at least becoming. It is about the kind of person God wants us to be for eternity.
6.The gifts of the Spirit are about how we serve God in this life.
As I said before a spiritual gift as a divine endowment of a special ability for service. A spiritual gift is a special attribute given by the Holy Spirit to every member of the Body of Christ according to God's grace for use within the context of the Body.
"What is the difference between a talent and a spiritual gift?"
There are similarities and differences between talents and spiritual gifts. Both are gifts from God. Both grow in effectiveness with use. Both are intended to be used on behalf of others and not for selfish purposes.
I Corinthians 12:7 NKJV But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
We should use our talents and gifts to obey the two commandments that Jesus said were the greatest.
Matthew 22:37, 39-40 NKJV Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
But to whom and when talents and spiritual gifts are given differs. Any person (regardless of his belief in God or in Christ) is given a natural talent as a result of a combination of genetics and surroundings ( some have natural ability in music, art, or mathematics growing up in a musical family will aid one in developing a talent for music), God has given desired to endow certain individuals with certain talents for a specific assignment.
Exodus 31:1-6 NKJV Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship. “And I, indeed I, have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you:
Spiritual gifts, however, are given to all believers by the Holy Spirit at the time they place their faith in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.
The Bible clearly teaches that spiritual gifts are a work of the Holy Spirit and a person does not receive the Spirit until salvation
Romans 8:9 NKJV But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
Ephesians 1:13-14 NKJV In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
At that moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit gives to the new believer the spiritual gift(s) He wants the believer to have.
I Corinthians 12:11 NKJV But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
Here are the differences between spiritual gifts and talents:
1) A talent is the result of genetics and/or training, while a spiritual gift is the result of the power of the Holy Spirit.
2) A talent can be possessed by anyone, Christian or non-Christian, while spiritual gifts are only possessed by Christians.
3) While both talents and spiritual gifts should be used for God’s glory and to minister to others, spiritual gifts are focused on these tasks, while talents can be used entirely for non-spiritual purposes.
Ok now that we have some background what are these Spiritual Gifts I have been talking about.
What are these Spiritual Gifts?
Romans 12:3-8 NKJV For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
I Corinthians 12:1-12 NKJV Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-15 NKJV And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ--
I'm going to give you the list today and we will talk about them next week
There are similarities and differences between talents and spiritual gifts. Both are gifts from God. Both grow in effectiveness with use. Both are intended to be used on behalf of others and not for selfish purposes.
I Corinthians 12:7 NKJV But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all:
We should use our talents and gifts to obey the two commandments that Jesus said were the greatest.
Matthew 22:37, 39-40 NKJV Jesus said to him, “ ‘You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.’ And the second is like it: ‘You shall love your neighbor as yourself.’ On these two commandments hang all the Law and the Prophets.”
But to whom and when talents and spiritual gifts are given differs. Any person (regardless of his belief in God or in Christ) is given a natural talent as a result of a combination of genetics and surroundings ( some have natural ability in music, art, or mathematics growing up in a musical family will aid one in developing a talent for music), God has given desired to endow certain individuals with certain talents for a specific assignment.
Exodus 31:1-6 NKJV Then the Lord spoke to Moses, saying: “See, I have called by name Bezalel the son of Uri, the son of Hur, of the tribe of Judah. And I have filled him with the Spirit of God, in wisdom, in understanding, in knowledge, and in all manner of workmanship, to design artistic works, to work in gold, in silver, in bronze, in cutting jewels for setting, in carving wood, and to work in all manner of workmanship. “And I, indeed I, have appointed with him Aholiab the son of Ahisamach, of the tribe of Dan; and I have put wisdom in the hearts of all the gifted artisans, that they may make all that I have commanded you:
Spiritual gifts, however, are given to all believers by the Holy Spirit at the time they place their faith in Christ for the forgiveness of their sins.
The Bible clearly teaches that spiritual gifts are a work of the Holy Spirit and a person does not receive the Spirit until salvation
Romans 8:9 NKJV But you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells in you. Now if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he is not His.
Ephesians 1:13-14 NKJV In Him you also trusted, after you heard the word of truth, the gospel of your salvation; in whom also, having believed, you were sealed with the Holy Spirit of promise, who is the guarantee of our inheritance until the redemption of the purchased possession, to the praise of His glory.
At that moment of salvation, the Holy Spirit gives to the new believer the spiritual gift(s) He wants the believer to have.
I Corinthians 12:11 NKJV But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.
Here are the differences between spiritual gifts and talents:
1) A talent is the result of genetics and/or training, while a spiritual gift is the result of the power of the Holy Spirit.
2) A talent can be possessed by anyone, Christian or non-Christian, while spiritual gifts are only possessed by Christians.
3) While both talents and spiritual gifts should be used for God’s glory and to minister to others, spiritual gifts are focused on these tasks, while talents can be used entirely for non-spiritual purposes.
Ok now that we have some background what are these Spiritual Gifts I have been talking about.
What are these Spiritual Gifts?
Romans 12:3-8 NKJV For I say, through the grace given to me, to everyone who is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think soberly, as God has dealt to each one a measure of faith. For as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function, so we, being many, are one body in Christ, and individually members of one another. Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, let us prophesy in proportion to our faith; or ministry, let us use it in our ministering; he who teaches, in teaching; he who exhorts, in exhortation; he who gives, with liberality; he who leads, with diligence; he who shows mercy, with cheerfulness.
I Corinthians 12:1-12 NKJV Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. For as the body is one and has many members, but all the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ.
Ephesians 4:11-15 NKJV And He Himself gave some to be apostles, some prophets, some evangelists, and some pastors and teachers, for the equipping of the saints for the work of ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ, till we all come to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to a perfect man, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ; that we should no longer be children, tossed to and fro and carried about with every wind of doctrine, by the trickery of men, in the cunning craftiness of deceitful plotting, but, speaking the truth in love, may grow up in all things into Him who is the head—Christ--
I'm going to give you the list today and we will talk about them next week
- Exhortation
- Giving
- Leadership
- Mercy
- Prophecy
- Service
- Teaching
- Administration
- Apostle
- Discernment
- Faith
- Healings
- Helps
- Knowledge
- Miracles
- Tongues
- Tongues Interpretation
- Wisdom
- Evangelism
- Pastor
Here are several principles that relate to God's design for spiritual gifts:
1. Every Christian has one or more spiritual gifts.
To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all (1 Cor. 12:7).
2. Some believers have received more than one spiritual gift.
3. Spiritual gifts are given at the salvation, but they may lie undiscovered and dormant for a long period of time. Multi-gifted Christians often discover their combination of gifts through a gradual process.
4. Spiritual gifts can be abused and neglected, but if they are received at salvation, it would appear that they cannot be lost.
5. Spiritual gifts are not the same as the fruit of the Spirit, but the fruit of the Spirit, especially love should be the context for their operation.
6. Spiritual gifts are not the same as natural talents.
7. All Christians are called to a ministry, and their gift enables them to perform their ministry.
Ministry is determined by divinely given gifts and opportunities.
8. Gifts are God's spiritual equipment for effective service and edification of the body.
They are not given for the self-promotion of the recipient, but for the profit and edification of the Body of Christ. The possessor is only the instrument and not the receiver of the glory (J. Oswald Sanders).
9 Spiritual Gifts without love do not accomplish God's intended purpose.
When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians he was writing to a church where all the spiritual gifts were in operation. God had given them for the edification of the body and each of them, but they were misusing them, they were abusing each other, they thought one gift was superior to another, they were puffed up with knowledge.
I Corinthians 8:1 NKJV Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.
He went on to write
1 Corinthians 12:27- 13:3 (NKJV)27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way. 1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
Next week we are going to talk about each one of the Spiritual gifts I listed and I will give you a guide to help you identify your gift if you don't already know what it is. It's not to late to start using it because we need it.
1. Every Christian has one or more spiritual gifts.
To each person the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the benefit of all (1 Cor. 12:7).
2. Some believers have received more than one spiritual gift.
3. Spiritual gifts are given at the salvation, but they may lie undiscovered and dormant for a long period of time. Multi-gifted Christians often discover their combination of gifts through a gradual process.
4. Spiritual gifts can be abused and neglected, but if they are received at salvation, it would appear that they cannot be lost.
5. Spiritual gifts are not the same as the fruit of the Spirit, but the fruit of the Spirit, especially love should be the context for their operation.
6. Spiritual gifts are not the same as natural talents.
7. All Christians are called to a ministry, and their gift enables them to perform their ministry.
Ministry is determined by divinely given gifts and opportunities.
8. Gifts are God's spiritual equipment for effective service and edification of the body.
They are not given for the self-promotion of the recipient, but for the profit and edification of the Body of Christ. The possessor is only the instrument and not the receiver of the glory (J. Oswald Sanders).
9 Spiritual Gifts without love do not accomplish God's intended purpose.
When Paul wrote to the Corinthian church in 1 Corinthians he was writing to a church where all the spiritual gifts were in operation. God had given them for the edification of the body and each of them, but they were misusing them, they were abusing each other, they thought one gift was superior to another, they were puffed up with knowledge.
I Corinthians 8:1 NKJV Now concerning things offered to idols: We know that we all have knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love edifies.
He went on to write
1 Corinthians 12:27- 13:3 (NKJV)27 Now you are the body of Christ, and members individually.28 And God has appointed these in the church: first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues.29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Are all workers of miracles?30 Do all have gifts of healings? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?31 But earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way. 1 Though I speak with the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I have become sounding brass or a clanging cymbal.2 And though I have the gift of prophecy, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and though I have all faith, so that I could remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing.
Next week we are going to talk about each one of the Spiritual gifts I listed and I will give you a guide to help you identify your gift if you don't already know what it is. It's not to late to start using it because we need it.
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