What’s next Part 3
I want to continue this morning sharing about the gifts of the Spirit
Rick Warren author of the “Purpose Drive life,” and pastor of Saddleback church says this about the gifts of the Spirit
“God gave me a gift, not for me but for you, and God gave you a gift, not for you but for me. If you don’t use your gift, you’re depriving me; if I don’t use my gift, I’m robbing you.”
1 Peter 4:10,11
God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another. 11 Do you have the gift of speaking? Then speak as though God himself were speaking through you. Do you have the gift of helping others? Do it with all the strength and energy that God supplies. Then everything you do will bring glory to God through Jesus Christ. All glory and power to him forever and ever! Amen.
What are some of these gifts that Peter is talking about? Some are listed in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11 before we go there again…
As I mentioned through the Rick Warren quote and through Jesus words in Acts 1:8
But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes upon you. And you will be my witnesses, telling people about me everywhere—in Jerusalem, throughout Judea, in Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.”
The gifts are for us to touch the lives of others…salvation is for us but the world needs us to flow in the gifts of the Spirit so that they might know Jesus is real
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 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. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills
Part of the reason the gifts generally start more gently is they are given to any Christian regardless of level of maturity…always be aware just because someone has a particular gift doesn’t mean they are mature, that was part of the problem in the early church but hopefully it encourages you to not be afraid to be open to the gifts of the Holy Spirit because you are “not mature enough”
Two weeks ago I talked about words of wisdom, healing and discerning of spirits and how they may practically be seen in your life in the beginning stages…let’s see how far we get today
Lets start with the “word of knowledge”
Word of knowledge
1 Cor. 12:8 – “for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit”
- Information that was not be obtained naturally
- An utterance of facts given by divine inspiration through, mind, vision, dream, or some other insight that would otherwise remain unknown
- teaching based on divine insight and revelation.
This gift may start in you in one of two ways very naturally.
– You could be working on a project, car, craft, your taxes even and not have clue what to do, you stop and pray and the Lord gives you the understanding of how to solve the problem. God will use this type of thing as you are working at your job, in your hobby it is not a guess it is a divine insight given to you in a very naturally supernatural way to show everyone that God really cares
Another way this gift may start in your life is you may be struggling with something and not knowing what to do, not having any insight into a solution and the Lord gives you a dream that gives insight into the problem.
Reinhard Bonnke dream story
Standing on the street corner in the Hill
The Lord has the solution to every problem. He sees everything from every perspective…he wants to give us the insight we need and to help others through knowledge they know we would not know naturally.
God can give you this gift and make it effective in raising your children, doing better at your job, having greater success in your business and of course using it in the church to share with people things that you would not know other than the Lord communicating it to you
Gift of faith – 1 Corinthians 12:9, Acts 4:19,20
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit,
This is not to be confused with saving faith
The Holy Spirit distributes this gift to some in the church to encourage and build up the church in her confidence in God. Those with the gift of faith trust that God is sovereign and He is good. They take Him at His Word and put the full weight of their lives in His hands
Tegucigalpa – both the mortars and the flight
Kyrgyzstan – no connection
Sudan –
Flight into Pittsburgh
Meeting the president of Kyrgyzstan
A simple way this may develop in you is that you are no longer afraid. You hear the news, you see all that is happening around you
If we are afraid we will never do the things the Lord has called us to there is no reward without risk and faith is spelled R-I-S-K
We can not proclaim to trust the Lord and live in fear
You can have this gift easily but deciding to live this way and watch the Lord multiply your peace and joy…what an impact you will have on those around you
We need this gift more than ever in a world filled with nothing but division and fear…imagine what this will do for others
Working of miracles (1 Cor. 12:10; Acts 6:8)
The spiritual gift of miracles is described in Scripture much like the gift of healing. It is found in 1 Corinthians 12:10 and the Greek phrase
10 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.
energemata dynameon – literally translates “workings of powers.” The double plural most likely means that these gifts were diverse and were not permanently available at the will of the gifted believer, but instead were bestowed at various times and circumstances. Thus, the gifts are subject to the divine will of God and His purposes and are not decided by the one who performs the miraculous works.
We know that Jesus performed many miracles in His earthly ministry, even more than those recorded in Scripture (John 20:30-31, Acts 2:22).
I am not sure there is a simple and easy way to move in this gift other than when you need one just believe and expect it
Too often we believe God to be the God of the Old and New Testament but not the same God today.
I am here today in so many ways because of a miracle…don’t tell me God can’t do the impossible…every day I believe for one miracle after another
Siberian gas
Dead baby raised
This gift and faith often go hand in hand…however one way we can see this happen on a regular basis from my point of view is leading someone to Christ…every person who surrenders their lives to Jesus is a miracle every Mom that walks through this door for our outreach, every child that comes for VBS all of them being drawn by the Holy Spirit is a miracle
To me the greatest working of a miracle I am looking for is for you to begin to believe and walk in the fullness of the Spirit in a way that touches everyone around you…that you begin to see the power of God in your life.
Can I ask you today…can you see the need for these gifts in our everyday lives
Can you imagine with me a world where Christians are solving problems by the power of the Holy Spirit, where they are walking in the full confidence of God’s protection and purpose, and where the impossible is made possible on a regular basis
Can you imagine the hope, peace and life we could bring to the world if we lived this way…if God awakened a Christian to know that a shooter was going to a school, or simply that a child will need extra lunch money to help another child. You were never afraid because you had a supernatural trust in God
Our brothers and sisters in persecuted countries around the world live this way…I have seen it first hand…will you?