Sermon Central
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How The Holy Spirit Gifts Us - Part 11 Series
Contributed by Randy Hamel on Apr 7, 2008 (message contributor)
Summary: Continues to look at the gifts of the Holy Spirit such as Faith, Giving, Intercession, Knowledge, Wisdom, Discernment, Craftsmanship, Apostle
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What We Believe Series -Part 11
How the Holy Spirit Gifts Us
(Acknowledgement: Dr. Heny Schorr, Centre St. Church, Calgary AB)
In his book the Holy Spirit Billy Graham says that man has two huge spiritual needs
o One is for forgiveness; the other is for goodness, to make a positive contribution to this world
o God heard that first cry for forgiveness
o He answered that when Jesus died on the cross for our sins
o This is God’s gift of salvation to us, Jesus Christ God’s Son
o Paul describes it as God’s indescribable gift
o Were going to celebrate that gift as we celebrate communion near the end of the service
o The second need is for a life of goodness, what Rick Warren calls purpose
o The Holy Spirit enters into our lives when we embrace Jesus as savior, giving us at least one spiritual gift
o In God’s kingdom the person with a behind the scenes gift is just as important in God’s sight as the person with an up front gift
o God calls you to serve Him with your gift to the glory of God
o We need to serve the Lord, not our ego
o As you serve God transforms you into the character of Jesus
o It is the Holy Spirit who gives each at least one spiritual gift just as he determines
o But are you aware of what He has given you?
o Are you using that gift?
o Two weeks ago I preached on the Serving and Management Gifts and the Speaking and Motivational Gifts
o As we go through these gifts you may realize that is me – I believe I have that gift Randy is now speaking about (follow along with the sheet)
o The other thing is you may realize when I speak on a particular gift – that is Bill or Jane
o When you do call them up and affirm them in the ministry
o Support Mentoring Gifts
1. Faith – is the divine enablement to act on God’s promises, believing that God is trustworthy and He will fulfill His promises
o The Christian with a faith gift trusts God through difficult circumstances, believing God for the seemingly impossible
o The person with the gift of faith is not deterred
o For example, someone may say I am in financial trouble; the person of faith will say when you take care of the things of God, He will take care of you; then they will pray that God will meet your needs
o People say I don’t feel God’s presence but the person of faith gracefully shares that God’s says ‘don’t fear. I am with you. I have called you by name.’
o Your goal oriented and you thank God for what He is going to do in advance
o You love verses like “I tell you the truth, anyone who has faith in me will do what I have been doing. He will do even greater things than these, because I am going to the Father (John 14:12 NIV).”
o I know some of you have this gift of faith
o The question I have for you this morning is ‘are you using it?’
2. Gift of Giving
Definition: is the divine enablement to give in faith trusting that God will use and multiply the gift to his glory
o If I could summarize in one word the person with this gift it would be generous
o The Bible says we are all required to give and support the ministry
o Everywhere in the Bible covetousness and greed are condemned, and generosity and charity are encouraged
o I can tell you the truth about something – many people try to cheat the government out of taxes
o We owned a business called ‘Hamel’s Tax Service’
o One of the most important words accounting words you have to learn if you have a tax business is no (help me out now)
o Can I deduct my dog care expenses from the doggie day care
o Answer: no
o Can I deduct my running shoes because I use them daily for work
o Answer: no
o Can I deduct my lures that I use for recreational fishing
o Answer: no
o You guys are really good
o Your almost ready to start a tax business
o Well some may get away with cheating the government but you will never get away with cheating God (Mal. 3:8)
o The Bible says don’t be deceived ‘you will reap what you sow’
o Paul says we must be cheerful as a giver and not give grudgingly
o You don’t give to the church; you give to God for His work
o My story (tires)
o Those without the gift of giving look at their budget and say ‘how much can I afford to give to God this week’
