Intro
Today, we begin a series on the gifts of the Spirit.
This is a challenging subject because the goal is not just more knowledge about the gifts but knowledge that releases us into the actual exercise of the gifts in our personal lives and in the corporate life of this church. “Be ye doers of the word and not hearers only.” iTo obey James 1:22, we will need the grace of God. We will need the Holy Spirit making this real to our hearts. So, right here from the beginning, I want to ask you to bow your heads and join me in a prayer: “Lord, we all have a lot to learn about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. We need you to teach us that which only you can teach. We look into Your word for truth on this subject. We look to You to be our teacher. Use this teaching to equip us for service, supernatural service, grace-empowered service. We humble ourselves before you as Your dear children. Father, teach us Your ways. Open Your word to us. In Jesus name, Amen.”
I want to take a little time to transition us from the series on worship to this series. The worship series is a preparation for this teaching. First, we need to be genuine worshippers of God who know how to enter into the koinonia of worship. Then out of that relationship with God, we are positioned to hear from Him and operate in the gifts of the Spirit.
By way of review, what did we learn about worship in those six messages?ii
(1) In the first message, we learned that God is seeking worshippers, not because He has some egotistical need to be praised, but because worship is the appropriate relationship between the creature and the Creator. So, in John 4:23-24 Jesus gave the woman at the well the most fundamental truth about worship ever spoken. “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 24 God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
True worship is from the heart. External factors like style and technique are secondary. True worship comes out of a revelation of who God is and a heart of gratitude for His goodness. God is seeking people who will worship Him out of a sincere heart.
(2) In the second message, we saw an example of this in the woman with the alabaster box of ointment, the woman who washed Jesus’ feet with her tears, wiped them with her hair, and poured the fragrant, expensive oil on His feet. There in Luke 7, we saw a contrast between two worshippers: this woman and Simon the Pharisee who was not broken before God and not lavish in His respect toward the Lord. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of worship.iii The level of our regard for the Lord defines the level of our worship.
(3) In the third message, we examined five practical ways to improve our worship experience: (a) Consistency (b) expectancy (c) intentionality (d) focus (e) engagement. If we live worship as a lifestyle, then we will be able to move into corporate worship on Sunday mornings quickly. Then we can come expecting the Lord to meet with us. Be clear about what you come to do when you gather with God’s people for worship. Don’t allow yourself to be distracted from that. Get focused on the Lord and participate in the activity. Worship is not a spectator sport. We don’t come with an audience mentality. We come to engage the Lord and glorify Him.
(4) The next message dealt with a crucial preparation for worship. It was based on Jesus’s instruction in Matt. 5:23-24 “Therefore if you bring your gift to the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, 24 leave your gift there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.”
We cannot expect to have a rich vertical relationship of worship with the Father if we won’t address the broken relationships with our brothers and sisters in the Lord. So, we saw the priority of this in defining our worship experience. When we talk about the gifts of the Spirit, we will talk about the importance of having the right heart toward others. All the commandments of God hang on two great commandments. Matt 22:37-39 "'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.' 38 This is the first and great commandment. 39 And the second is like it: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.'” This is foundational to worship. This is foundational to operating in the gifts of the Spirit.
(5) The fifth message on worship is crucial to entering into the gifts of the Spirit. It was entitled the Koinonia of Worship. In 1 John 1:3-4, the Apostle introduced his epistle with these words: “That which we have seen and heard we declare to you, that you also may have fellowship with us; and truly our fellowship is with the Father and with His Son Jesus Christ.” The Greek word translated “fellowship” is koinonia. It means to have in common, to fellowship, to participate with.”
Worship is not a one-way expression of praise to God. It is a two-way experience of koinonia. We speak to God, but God also speaks to us. And that usually involves an operation of the gifts of the Spirit. So, if we just sing songs to God and express praise to Him and then stop, we have not experienced the fullness of koinonia that God wants for us in our worship.
(6) Last week we found that God meets with us on the basis of Jesus’s sacrifice. We are called to holy living. But our good works are not the basis of our acceptance before God. Jesus’s sacrifice opened the way for us to meet with the Father in worship. So, we looked at the Tabernacle and focused on the Mercy Seat, which is where God says He will meet with His people. In Ex 25:21-22 God tells Moses, “You shall put the mercy seat on top of the ark, and in the ark you shall put the Testimony that I will give you. 22 And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat, from between the two cherubim which are on the ark of the Testimony….” Annually the blood was applied to the Mercy Seat as the place of atonement.
So, we talked about a mindset of coming to God with the full weight of our faith resting on Jesus’s finished work at Calvary in our behalf. Not a mixed faith that trusts partly in His work at the cross for us and partly in our good behavior. This principle is profoundly significant in the operation of the gifts. They are “gifts” based on God’s provision of the cross, not something earned by our good behavior. The same mindset that we talked about last week for worship must be maintained for operating in the gifts of the Spirit.
All of that lays an important foundation for what we will say next about the gifts of the Spirit. True worshippers of God are excellent candidates for operating in the gifts of the Spirit. When we get at that Mercy Seat in worship, God not only hears our praise, but He promises to speak to us. Where does He say He will speak with us? Ex. 25:22 “And there I will meet with you, and I will speak with you from above the mercy seat….”
Now we are ready to talk about the gifts of the Spirit. Turn with me to 1 Cor. 12:1 and let’s see what Paul had to say about the subject. He begins by stating his desire for these believers. “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant….” The English Standard Version says, “…I do not want you to be uninformed.” The Amplified says “misinformed.” Paul is going to teach on this subject because every Christian needs to be taught on this subject. Who is Paul writing to? “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren,” This teaching is for believers. Is it possible for believers to be misinformed on this subject? Yes, and I would suggest that many sincere believers today in the Body of Christ are misinformed concerning spiritual gifts. Even these Corinthian believers who were operating in the gifts needed more instruction.
Paul begins this subject in 1 Cor. 12:1 and completes the teaching on the gifts at the end of 1 Cor. 14. How many know what 1 Cor. 13 is about? It is about the love of God, but often, people take this chapter out of context. Love is to be the motive behind the gifts of the Spirit. We will talk about that more later. 1 Cor. 12 identifies the gifts, 1 Cor. 13 gives the motive for the gifts, and 1 Cor. 14 gives instructions for operating in the gifts.
In the broader context, Paul has been instructing on worship since chapter 8. How many remember what 1 Cor. 15 is about? It’s about the resurrection of the just when that which is perfect comes. As long as we are in these mortal bodies, we know in part and prophesy in part. But when we enter into the full completion of our salvation, including a glorified body, we will no longer need the operation of the gifts. So, this periscope of three chapters is also set in the context of the chapters that surround it.
God does not want us to be uninformed concerning the gifts of the Spirit. This is a subject I have pursued for 50 years. Yet I feel I have much to learn on the subject. As we approach this series, I am asking the Lord to increase my understanding so that I can cooperate with Him more in this area of my life. I don’t want to be uninformed concerning the gifts of the Spirit. I encourage you to ask the Lord to do the same for you. I don’t care how much you know about the gifts of the Spirit, there is always more to learn. God makes a wonderful promise to His people in Ps 81:10. There He says, “Open your mouth wide, and I will fill it.” Is your mouth wide open for more of God? How many have ever seen baby birds waiting for their mother to come with food. They are all mouth. You look into the nest and all you can see is open mouths. That is the way I want to be concerning the gifts of the Spirit. I am entering this subject with a heart wide open for revelation from God.
Why does God give the gifts of the Spirit? For the remainder of our time today let’s talk about the PURPOSE of these Gifts.
In 1 Cor. 12:7, Paul says, “But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all….” God will use you in the gifts of the Spirit to help other people, to benefit them. A word of prophecy is designed to “strengthen, encourage, and comfort”iv other believers. Discerning of spirits is given to protect the community and initiate deliverance for the oppressed. Healings are given to relieve the suffering of the sick. We have to think of the gifts as initiated by the Holy Spirit for the benefit of individuals and the Christian community as a whole.
The gifts are not a demonstration of our own spirituality. The gifts are not designed to verify a person. Gifts do not prove Christian character or spiritual maturity. So, if we pursue the gifts for any of those reasons, we are already off track. The central motive for the gifts of the Spirit is God’s love for people.
The gifts are not given to make church more entertaining and exciting. Yes, when God manifests His presence supernaturally, it is exciting. It is even encouraging to see God work in obvious ways. But we have to keep all of that in perspective. When Jesus worked miracles, He did it to relieve the suffering of humanity. He was not putting on a show. In fact, Herod tried to get Him to use God’s power in that way, and Jesus refused to do it. At Jesus’ trial, He was brought before King Herod. Luke 23:8 “Now when Herod saw Jesus, he was exceedingly glad; for he had desired for a long time to see Him, because he had heard many things about Him, and he hoped to see some miracle done by Him. 9 Then he questioned Him with many words, but He answered him nothing.” Jesus did not give Herod the show he wanted.
The issue I’m talking about here is the motives in the heart of those ministering and those in the congregation. I am very uncomfortable when it begins to feel like somebody is putting on a show, and the congregation is simply watching the show. Those operating in the gifts are to build up, edify, and strengthen God’s people—not entertain them. When God is moving, every believer should be participating in the process through prayer.v We should all be engaged in what God is doing, not just watching it. This is delicate to maintain once God is moving in spectacular ways.
God gives the manifestations of the Spirit to advance His kingdom. Remember what Jesus told His followers after His resurrection in Luke 24:46 “Then He said to them, ‘Thus it is written, and thus it was necessary for the Christ to suffer and to rise from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations, beginning at Jerusalem. 48 And you are witnesses of these things. 49 Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.’"
This is Luke’s version of the Great Commission. The objective is “that repentance and remission of sins should be preached in His name to all nations.” How is this to be accomplished? Verse 49: “Behold, I send the Promise of My Father upon you; but tarry in the city of Jerusalem until you are endued with power from on high.’" The power of the Holy Spirit is given to believers for the accomplishment of the Great Commission. Without the supernatural manifestations of the Holy Spirit, we cannot accomplish the task we have been given to do. This is one reason the church in America is in decline. A survey by the Pew Research Center in 2015 found Christianity in America dropped 8% in just seven years.vi Is that the Devil’s fault? No, he has always tried to knock out Christianity. He tried it in the first century. But that generation of believers turned the world upside down and grew by leaps and bounds. How did they do it? The book of Acts tells us how they did it. They did it by the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit. And that is the only way the trends in America will turn around. The Church was never designed to advance the Gospel through its own ingenuity. A supernatural Church will defeat a supernatural enemy. “The weapons of our warfare are not carnal but mighty in God…” (2 Cor. 10:4). A carnal Church with lots of talent, lots of good ideas, great marketing, and plenty of money, will be defeated by our supernatural enemy, the devil.
We must have the power of the Holy Spirit operating in our lives to advance the kingdom of God on earth. Acts 1:8: “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth." Nothing short of that will do. It is not only unscriptural but absolutely crazy to think that God would withdraw the supernatural power of the Holy Spirit from the Church after the first century. That would be like a general putting his men into battle but giving them ineffective weapons for the fight or initially giving them effective weapons but then taking those weapons from them and telling them to do the best they can without them. No general would do such a foolish thing, and God certainly would not!
So here is a fundamental principle we must understand concerning the gifts of the Spirit. God gives these gifts to advance His kingdom. He does that in two fundamental ways.
(1) The first is to edify and strengthen His people for the service they are called to do. 1 Cor. 12:7 says, “for the profit of all.”
(2) The other is to give witness to the resurrection of Jesus primarily so unbelievers can be brought into the kingdom.vii Acts 4:33: “And with great power the apostles gave witness to the resurrection of the Lord Jesus. And great grace was upon them all.” When Peter and John told the beggar at the Gate Beautiful in Acts 3:6 to “rise up and walk”, they were giving visible witness to the fact that Jesus had risen from the dead and healed the man. When all the people came running together to see what had happened, Peter said to them (Acts 3:12), "Men of Israel, why do you marvel at this? Or why look so intently at us, as though by our own power or godliness we had made this man walk? 13 The God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, the God of our fathers, glorified His Servant Jesus….”
Notice, operating in that gifts of healing brought some serious persecution on Peter and John. It cost them something to do the real thing. That is why there is a human tendency to draw back from it.
Christians tend to want all the spectacular demonstrations of the Spirit without the hardships of New Testament ministry. But the gifts of the Spirit are an equipping to do the work of the ministry. If we use them for anything else, they will dry up? In the Pentecostal movement in America there was a tendency to use the gifts to simply make everyone feel better. I was in services in the 1960s when God was moving, and people were profoundly enjoying the emotion of it all. For most of them, it did not thrust them into the harvest. They simply came week after week and got excited about God. It lasted for a while, but it dried up because God did not intend for the gifts to be used so people could simply have fun at church. The self-centeredness of what was going on grieved the Holy Spirit.
Why am I sharing this? So that we will pursue the gifts of the Spirit for the right reasons. Do you want God to move supernaturally at Life Church so it will be more exciting? That is not an adequate reason. Do you want God to move supernaturally at Life Church so we can attract more people, grow in numbers, and feel more successful? That is not an adequate reason. Do you want God to move supernaturally at Life Church so you can have a better week? That is too selfish of an orientation. Now, let me ask it this way. Do you want God to move supernaturally in your life so that you can reach lost and hurting people? If so, you’re on track. Do you want to operate in the gifts of the Spirit to relieve human suffering and destroy the works of the devil? God wants that. Do you want the gifts of the Spirit operating in Life Church so that we can rise up as a congregation and fulfill the mission God has assigned to us, even if it’s a demanding assignment? Then you shall receive power after the Holy Spirit comes upon you for that purpose.
The operation of the Gifts of the Spirit must be understood in the context of the Great Commission. Mark 16:15 "Go into all the world and preach the gospel to every creature…17 And these signs will follow those who believe: In My name they will cast out demons; they will speak with new tongues; 18 they will take up serpents; and if they drink anything deadly, it will by no means hurt them; they will lay hands on the sick, and they will recover." By God’s grace, we will press into the gifts of the Spirit with the right purpose in mind. Amen?
ENDNOTES:
i All Scripture quotes are from the New King James Version unless indicated otherwise.
ii These messages can be accessed at Sermon Central and videos are at YouTube Life Church Springfield, MO.
iii Appropriate respect toward God flows out of a revelation of who He is and worship flows out of that high regard for God.
iv 1 Cor. 14:3 NIV
v Unbelievers witnessing miracles is a different matter. Those miracles can serve to get their attention and convince them of the message that Jesus is risen from the dead.
vi Sarah Pulliam Bailey, Christianity faces sharp decline as Americans are becoming even less affiliated with religion, The Washington Post, May 12, 2015. Retrieved at https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/acts-of-faith/wp/2015/05/12/christianity-faces-sharp-decline-as-americans-are-becoming-even-less-affiliated-with-religion/?utm_term=.2adedecc761a. This sermon was preached March 19, 2017.
vii In Mark’s account of the Great Commission, we have further verification of this. In Mark 16:15-16 gives the task the are to fulfill; and in the following verses (Mark 16:17-18) He tells them how that will be accomplished (through the supernatural operation of the Holy Spirit).
