The importance of knowing your Spiritual Gifts
Introduction:
1. My message this morning is entitled: The importance of knowing your spiritual gifts
2. I had asked three folks sitting in this room about spiritual gifts and what they thought of the subject.
1st I don’t want to know, then I won’t have to do anything
2nd My gift is warming church benches
3rd If I find out what my gift is, and I don’t like it, I don’t want to do it
Text: 1 Cor. 12:4-11,
A. Lets start by defining, what we mean by spiritual gifts?
1. A spiritual gift is abilities given to us by God, and carried out through us
by the Holy Spirit.
2. Can aublievers possess gifts? Uunbelievers also possess gifts given to them by God, yet there is a difference.
An unbeliever can have the gift of mercy, the ability to show mercy, but only the Christian can be said to have the spiritual gift of mercy, because that has the Holy Spirit on the actions.
B. We should identify our spiritual gifts for the following five reasons…
1. Because most people are not aware what their spiritual gifts are…
and are less aware what to do with them when they know.
2. The apostle Paul tells us in 1 Cor. 12:1, now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
.
3. Spiritual gifts are God’s gifts to us personally
a. 1 Cor. 12:7-11 tells us we are given these gifts to profit us, benefit us, literally, to make it happen.
b. He does not just dump them all on the church and say, now go dig through them and see which one fits.
Illustration… dump all the gifts on the floor…
c. "But now hath God set the members every one of them in the body, as it hath pleased him." (1 Corinthians 12:18, KJV)
4. The spiritual gifts we possess are God’s gift to the church family also.
a. Read Eph. 4:1, 11-12
b. 1 Cor. 12:, the whole chapter deals on gifts and how they function and relate together
If all where legs, we might have a lot of pretty legs walking around here, but where would the seeing be?
c. Read Eph. 4:16- simply says, the body parts, gifts working together edifies and builds the body
5. The spiritual gifts we have been given, gives purpose and meaning to our lives.
a. When we understand what we were created for, it becomes the rudder of our life
Illustration…
1. I went to Desoto correctional facility with a small group of men and on the way home, they asked me if I was aware what my spiritual gifting was.
2. I still remember the first time I preached the word. It was in a little country church in Myakka city.
I remember the second time I talk. Spur of the moment. An older brother encouraged me. I just took the Word opened it to Rom. 121-2 and preached on it for 20 minutes.
b. God began to show to the church and myself, the gift of handling the word was on me. I then began to hold a lot of teaching offices in the church.
What spiritual gifts have you been given that you have not been using?
C. How can we find out what our gifts are? By the following three things…
1. Pay attention to what stirs your heart.
2. By listening to what others are saying about you
3. By taking a spiritual gift test to help determine your gifting.
In Closing… Lets recap…
We should identify our spiritual gifts because of the following five reasons…
1. Because most people are not aware what their gifts are and what to do with them.
2. The word tells us not to be ignorant – without understanding on this subject as our text says in 1 Cor. 12:1.
3. The spiritual gifts are God’s gifts to us personally
4. The spiritual gifts we possess are God’s gift to the church family
5. The spiritual gifts we possess gives purpose and meaning to our life.
My life is more than about… me, myself and I. Its about me… its about you… (point to the church family) doing God’s work together.
