Subject: Introduction to spiritual gifts
Text: 1 Corinthians 12
Introduction
“Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.” (v1-3)
A.I do not want you to be ignorant about spiritual gifts.
Most of us probably have lots of questions about spiritual gifts
1.What is a spiritual gift?
2.Do I have a spiritual gift?
3.What is the purpose of the spiritual gifts?
4.How many different kinds of gifts are they?
5.Are the gifts for today?
B.I do not want you to fear spiritual gifts
2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. 3 Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.
Most of us probably also have lots of fears about spiritual gifts
1.What if God gives me a spiritual gift that I’m uncomfortable with?
Main points
•To answer some questions about spiritual gifts
•To alleviate some fears about spiritual gifts
•To ask you to seek to discover and use your spiritual gift
1. What is a spiritual gift?
“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (v7)
A. A spiritual gift is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit
B.A spiritual gift is a visible demonstration of God at work
2.How many Spiritual gifts are there?
There are many different kinds of spiritual gifts
There are 9 different kinds of spiritual gifts mentioned in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10
“To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.”
The 9 different gifts can be divided into 3 categories of 3 gifts each
In category 1 we have the 3 Power gifts
1. Healing.
With the spiritual gift of healing God’s supernatural power is applied to a person’s physical or emotional needs.
2. Faith (not saving faith but supernatural faith that moves mountains)
The spiritual gift of faith is to believe God with confidence for things unseen.
3.Miraculous powers
a.The supernatural ability to do the impossible
“With God nothing is impossible.”
C.The 3 Revelation gifts
A. Wisdom
The spiritual gift of wisdom is the distinctive ability to discern the mind of Christ and apply scriptural truth to a specific situation
B. Knowledge.
The supernatural ability to reveal something you could not have known
C. Distinguishing between spirits/Discernment
The supernatural ability to perceive whether a person’s actions originate from Godly, satanic or merely human sources.
Finally we have…
D.The 3 vocal gifts
A. Prophesy.
The supernatural ability to speak for God to people for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort. It is not primary a matter of prophesying the future. It is forth-telling, rather than foretelling.
B. Speaking in tongues.
The supernatural ability to speak in a language which you have never learned
C. Interpretation of tongues
The supernatural ability to interpret a language which you have never learned
Question: What are some of the purposes for God giving the church spiritual gifts?
The most important purpose for God giving the church spiritual gifts is…
A. Spiritual gifts are given to show us who God is
"God’s various expressions of power are in action everywhere; but God himself is behind it all. Each person is given something to do that shows who God is:"(v6-7)
1.When the power gifts are manifested they show us that God is all powerful
“Silver or gold I do not have, but what I have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth walk. Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.” Acts 3:6-8
Has God lost his power? Does He still wish to manifest his power through the spiritual gifts?
What does the revelation gifts show us about God?
2.When the revelation gifts are manifested they show us that God is all knowing
God knows everything. The Holy Spirit would lead us into all the truth
What do the vocal gifts show us about God?
3.The vocal gifts show us that God is still communicating to us today.
When God communicates to us through tongues and the interpretation of tongues he is communicating to us in a heavenly language.
Remember the most important reason spiritual gifts are given is to show us who God is.
Being ignorance about spiritual gift is being ignorant about who God is.
It’s one thing to know in my mind that God is all powerful. It’s another thing to experience how powerful God is through seeing a manifestation of the spiritual gifts
2.Spiritual gifts are also given to bless lives.
"There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good."
We should not be in fear any of the spiritual gifts.
A.Each one of the spiritual gifts is given to us in order to bless lives.
B.“Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (v7)
My spiritual gift is given to me by God in order to bless your life. Your spiritual gift is given to you by God in order to bless my life.
If I don’t use my spiritual gift I’m depriving you of a blessing. And if you don’t use your spiritual gift you are depriving me of a blessing.
A.I can’t have the blessing of knowing how powerful God is….
B.I can’t have the blessing of knowing how much God knows.
C.I can’t have the blessing of hearing God communicate to us in a different way…
Conclusion
I’m asking you to discover and use your spiritual gifts. I’m also asking that we would be open to seeing these spiritual gifts being manifested in our Sunday Morning service.
Of the 3 categories of spiritual gifts; the power gifts, the revelation gifts and the vocal gifts; it appears that the 3 vocal gifts are likely to be the ones manifested first.
I have a theory; It may be that the Holy Spirit might manifest the vocal gifts first in order to see how we might respond. It is no surprise that the vocal gifts are also the most controversial and most misunderstood of all the Spiritual gifts.
Thankfully the Apostle Paul devotes the entire 14th chapter of 1 Corinthians to the proper use of prophesy, tongues and the interpretation of tongues in the service. I would like to look at that passage of scripture in more detail in 2 weeks.
Here is the challenge
How can we make God known unless the spiritual gifts are manifested though us?
How can we bless lives unless the spiritual gifts are manifested through us?
Finally let us the words of Peter
“Each one should use whatever gift God he has received to serve others, faithfully administrating God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one who is speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen. 1 Peter 4:10-11
