07-24-11 AM - A Glance At Spiritual Gifts

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A GLANCE AT SPIRITUAL GIFTS

Romans 12:3-8
3For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned. 4For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

1.    Ten Truths about Spiritual Gifts

1st Only believers have spiritual gifts.
1 Corinthians 12:7, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”

2nd Every Christian has at least one spiritual gift.
1 Corinthians 7:7, “I wish that all were as I myself am. But each has his own gift from God, one of one kind and one of another.”

3rd No one receives all the spiritual gifts.
Romans 12: 6-8, “Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.”

4th No single spiritual gift is given to everyone.
1 Corinthians 12:29-30, “Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret?”

5th  You cannot earn or work for a spiritual gift.

6th The Holy Spirit decides what spiritual gift you get.
1 Corinthians 12:11, “All these [spiritual gifts] are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.”

7th The spiritual gifts you are given are permanent.
Romans 11:29, “For the gifts and the calling of God are irrevocable.”

8th You must develop the spiritual gift God gives you.
1 Timothy 4:14, “Do not neglect the gift you have, which was given you by prophecy when the council of elders laid their hands on you.”
1 Timothy 4:16 “Take heed unto thyself, and unto the doctrine; continue in them: for in doing this thou shalt both save thyself, and them that hear thee.”

9th It is a sin to waste the spiritual gift that God gave you.
Matthew 25:14-30, Jesus said, “For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money. Now after a long time the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them. And he who had received the five talents came forward, bringing five talents more, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me five talents; here I have made five talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ And he also who had the two talents came forward, saying, ‘Master, you delivered to me two talents; here I have made two talents more.’ His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant. You have been faithful over a little; I will set you over much. Enter into the joy of your master.’ He also who had received the one talent came forward, saying, ‘Master, I knew you to be a hard man, reaping where you did not sow, and gathering where you scattered no seed, so I was afraid, and I went and hid your talent in the ground. Here you have what is yours.’ But his master answered him, ‘You wicked and slothful servant! You knew that I reap where I have not sown and gather where I scattered no seed? Then you ought to have invested my money with the bankers, and at my coming I should have received what was my own with interest. So take the talent from him and give it to him who has the ten talents. For to everyone who has will more be given, and he will have an abundance. But from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away. And cast the worthless servant into the outer darkness. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

10th Using your spiritual gift glorifies God and grows you.
John 15:8, “By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit and so prove to be my disciples.”

II. The Purpose of Spiritual Gifts

First, spiritual gifts are not for your benefit but for the benefit of others.
1 Corinthians 12:7, “To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
1 Peter 4:10, “As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace.”

Second, spiritual gifts are to produce maturity and harmony in our church family.                                                                                          
Ephesians 4:11-14, “And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes.”

Third, recognize that you have both a primary and a secondary ministry in the church.                                                                                                             

Body –Soul- Spirit

III. The Definition of a Spiritual Gift

A spiritual gift is a special ability, given by the Holy Spirit to every believer at the moment of conversion, to be used to minister to others and therefore to build up the Body of Christ.

IV. Cautions about Spiritual Gifts
First, don’t confuse spiritual gifts with natural talents.                           

Second, don’t confuse spiritual gifts with the fruit of the Spirit.

In Galatians 5:22-23 Paul says, “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,selfcontrol.”

The fruit of the Spirit show your maturity, whereas spiritual gifts show your ministry.

Third, don’t confuse gifts with roles.                                                                    

Fourth, realize that using your gifts without love is worthless.                
1 Corinthians 13:1-3, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing.”

There should be no excuses for not getting involved in ministry.