I'm Going All In: An Issue Of The Hands Part 1 Series

Intro: We know the power of snow. Snowflakes are all uniquely made and beautiful frozen water. Snowflakes that don’t stick together don’t stay around very long. When they do their unique properties allow them to become an avalanche, a blizzard, a snowman and a snow covered landscape that is beyond any painting in the world. It produces joy for skiers, children who make snowmen, laughter when snowballs are thrown by families. This happens because the snowballs stick together.

The same principle applies to us as followers of Jesus. Each and every one of us has been uniquely gifted with the capacity to contribute to the work of Jesus. We were never intended to stand alone we were given the gift of God’s Holy Spirit in order to stick together and strengthen one another. Part of being all in means being all in together.

We learned that the Gospel should be engraved on your heart, ingrained in your head and this will lead to it be expressed by your hands. If God has your heart and head he will always have your hands.

Spiritual gifts when not used correctly or understood properly can cause problems. This is why Paul told the Church at Corinth

1 Corinthians 12:1 “Now concerning what comes from the Spirit: brothers, I do not want you to be unaware.” Paul didn’t want confusion or division in regard to spiritual gifts. As we discover more about the Spiritual gifts we will discover the way God gifted us to be hands on and All in!

What is a Spiritual Gift? A spiritual gift is a special empowerment given by the Holy Spirit to do ministry under God’s direction and grace for the good and growth of His body the church.

I. God gives gifts to everyone

1 Corinthians 12:7 “A demonstration of the Spirit is given to each person to produce what is beneficial:”

The original word that translates demonstration comes from a word that means exhibition. I remember the first art exhibit I ever went to. It was a 6th grade field trip. The display was in Memphis TN and was all about King Tut. It was amazing that they could display so much about Tutankhamen in so many pieces. That is what the spiritual gifts are supposed to do in us. The Spirit of God takes each individual piece of His church and displays Jesus. There is no insignificant piece because the same Spirit gives all the gifts. The ability to teach a SS class. The ability to organize events. The ability to be welcoming to a visitor. The ability to preach. We are pieces of the display.

A) Who gives the gifts? Ephesians 4:11 “and He personally gave some”

Jesus personally gives gifts to the church. There is only one way you do not have a spiritual gift. If you don’t have a personal relationship with Jesus Christ you will not have a gift. Your gift will grow as you live closer to Jesus and serve deeper in His church.

B) When do I get the gifts? Ephesians 1:13 “When you heard the message of truth, the gospel of your salvation, and when you believed in Him, you were also sealed with the promised Holy Spirit.”

The moment you believed Jesus died for your sins and confessed Him as Lord you received His righteousness and His gift. The Holy Spirit is the promised gift of God’s indwelling presence in your life. You cannot be all in without the Holy Spirit living in you. If the Holy Spirit lives in you then at the moment he moved into your body you were given gifts.

II. Everyone gets different gifts (Romans 12:4-6a)

12:4 “Now as we have many parts in one body, and all the parts do not have the same function, 5 in the same way we who are many are one body in Christ and individually members of one another. 6 According to the grace given to us, we have different gifts:”

A) Unity that the gifts should build

Notice that many parts are one body. There is one body of Christ. Denominational labels don’t mean anything to God. A friend of mine once said he was asked what he would be if he weren’t a Southern Baptist, he said, “I’d be ashamed.” Being a member or a Southern Baptist Church will not get you into heaven. Being Southern Baptist Church does not make us wrong or right. Following Jesus and being led by the spirit and building His church makes us right.

B) Diversity that the gifts should build

God does not make Xerox copies. John was not like Peter, Peter was not like Paul, Paul was not like Barnabus. God purposefully puts different people from different backgrounds into the same body. All of us are needed to display the marvelous grace of God. If we were all alike there is no way we could reach Carlisle, Des Ark, Lonoke, Humnoke and beyond for Jesus.