HOLY SPIRIT (Part-9)
GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT
– (Romans 12:4-8, 1 Corinthians 12:8-11, Ephesians 4:11-13, 1 Peter 4:10-11)
– Each Christian is given at least one gift.
– (1 Corinthians 12:4-6) God holds us responsible for the way we use our gifts.
– The gifts are given by the Holy Spirit.
– We do not know His selection process.
– We may desire certain gifts, and even ask for them,
but we are not to covet what someone else has been
given, or to be envious of that person.
– Every believer should have the same fruit of the Spirit as every other
believer, but not every believer will have the same gifts as other believers.
– We might very well be sinning if:
– We are dissatisfied with the gifts we have been given.
– We do not use the gifts we have been given.
– There is a fuzzy line between talents and gifts.
– God provides both.
– He may choose to take a special natural talent
and transform it into a spiritual gift.
– Purpose of gifts.
– (Ephesians 4:12)
To build up the body of Christ.
Note:
(2 Corinthians 5:10)
We will stand before the judgment seat of Christ
to give an account of how faithfully we have used our gifts.
Note:
This is not the judgment for unbelievers,
but a special judgment for Christians.
– (1 Corinthians 12:7)
For the common good.
– We are not to use our gifts selfishly, but to help each other.
– (Ephesians 4:3-7)
To help unite the body of Christ.
– Recognizing our gift, or gifts.
1. Realize that God has given you at least one gift.
2. Realize that God wants you to know
what your gift is, and to use it for His glory.
(2 Timothy 1:6) Bring life to the gift of God in you.
3. Pray that God will guide you in discovering your gift.
4. Be sure you are willing to
use the gift (once discovered) as a way of honoring God.
Note:
If we are reluctant to know our gift because we are afraid
of what God might call us to do with it, we need to be honest
and confess this to God (ask Him to help us overcome our fear).
5. Be willing to research and understand
what the Bible says about spiritual gifts.
6. Evaluate your abilities.
– We may discover personal experiences
that tend to lead us one way or another.
– We may find we like to do certain things,
and we are good at them.
– We may have to try various ministries in the church
before we discover the spiritual gift God has for us.
– We may have to solicit input from others
in our quest to discover our spiritual gift.
7. Be willing to accept that you may not find your gift quickly.
Note:
Don’t let time discourage you from trying to find your gift.
8. Strive for a closer relationship with Christ
(in order to be more sensitive to His guidance).
A first step in growing closer to Him is obedience.
9. Prepare yourself to humbly and gratefully
accept the gift He gives you.
Note:
This means to anticipate your gift with excitement and when
you discover it, let others discover your are using your gift
through what they see ‘new’ in you (as you use your gift),
rather than running around and telling everyone.
Note:
Our gift may call us to service in a prominent position
(with its special difficulties), or to some less visible area.
At any rate, they are all equally as important.
Let’s take a brief look at a few of the spiritual gifts:
– Apostle:
– In Greek it means, “one sent with a commission”.
– In the broadest sense,
we all share in the apostolic mission of the church.
(John 17:18, John 20:21).
– (2 Corinthians 8:23, Philippians 2:25) “apostles of the church”
– Messengers sent on a particular errand from one church
to another (could be referring to missionaries).
– Could include church planters, which means he would need to:
– Be sent with a message.
– Be responsible for establishing a church.
– Exercise authority in setting policies and enforcing them.
– Prophet:
– In Greek, “public expounder”.
– In apostolic times it had two parts:
1. The communication of Words – from God to men.
2. Discerning the spirits to unbelievers
(ability to discern between true and false prophets).
– (1 Corinthians 14:4-15)
Strengthen, encourage, and comfort others.
– The Holy Spirit illumines the minds of apostles in order for them
to better understand God’s Word and its practical application;
it also provides the ability to share God’s Word
in a way that is simple and easy to understand.
– (2 Corinthians 11:4, 13)
Warns us to be on guard and
to be sensitive to the presence of false prophets.
Note:
The best preparation for discerning false prophets
is to be grounded in the Word.
– Evangelist:
– In Greek, “one who announces good news”.
– Mentioned three times in the New Testament:
1. (Acts 21:8) Philip was called to be an evangelist.
2. (Ephesians 4:11) Paul said God gave evangelists to the churches.
3. (2 Timothy 4:5) Paul urged Timothy to do the work of an evangelist.
– Has a special ability for communicating the gospel.
– His message centers on the content of the gospel (the good news).
– He may teach, but his message is primarily the death, burial,
and resurrection of Christ, His coming again, and the need for
everyone to repent and believe.
Note:
As constant targets of Satan, we need to pray for them continually.
If Satan can discourage them, or cause them to stumble,
the “trickle down” effect will impact many others.
– He speaks to the intellect and will of the people
(it may or may not produce emotion in the listeners).
– Sometimes (not always) the gift of
teaching and evangelism are given to the same person.
– Although most want to see results, the gift
does not guarantee that the results will be immediate
(which may be difficult to accept for some with this gift).
Note:
The scriptures do not tell us to seek results;
the scriptures do not rebuke evangelists if the results are meager.
Note:
When the gospel is proclaimed,
decisions might be made privately, or publicly
(some say, “yes”, some say, “no”, and some procrastinate).
– Some may subdue this gift for fear of being nonintellectual,
emotional, commercial, or too concerned with statistics
(we can see the need for praying for those with this gift).
– Teacher:
– In Greek, “instructor”.
– When people have made a profession of faith,
they need to be taught.
– The goal is for all believers
to conform to the likeness of Jesus.
– It does not require a formal education.
– He has, or develops, a compassionate, concerned sensitivity
to the needs of others, and the scriptures’ instructions
regarding those needs.
– He may enjoy preparing lessons more than presenting them;
some with this gift, may be excited about new discoveries
to the point they cannot wait to share what they have found.
– He may be moved to emotional responses by the scriptures,
or by others’ responses to the scriptures
(including its application to their lives).
– Should guard against being too authoritative
(especially since they are held more accountable
due to the potential influence they could have on others).
– Wisdom:
– There are three kinds of wisdom:
1. A natural wisdom.
2. A wisdom gained from learning.
3. A wisdom given by God, and is associated
with a particular work of the Holy Spirit.
Note:
Wisdom of this type is not arrogant,
but causes a person to be caring and kind.
– He makes decisions based on the guidance of the Holy Spirit.
– We should all pray to be given this gift
(some will be used in a public setting, but others
will be used in a private setting – both are important).
– Knowledge:
– Familiarity with the scriptures.
– (Mark 13:11)
This gift should work together with wisdom.
Note:
(1 Peter 3:15)
Wisdom is the Spirit gift
which shows us how to use our knowledge.
– Nurturing this gift may require long hours of disciplined study
(hours that someone with this gift would gladly spend).
– Faith:
– In Greek, “faithfulness or steadfastness”.
– He has an ability to believe in things that the Bible is silent about
(all of us can have faith in the Biblical promises,
but this gift is different).
Example:
A missionary who has faith that God will
provide money or supplies at just the right time
(Note: we may be the venue God chooses).
Example:
Someone who has a pending job decision has faith
that God will make his choice obvious
(even if it defies human logic).
– Discernment of Spirits:
– Discernment:
In Greek, “to see, consider, examine, understand, judge closely”.
– This gift is important because:
2 Corinthians 11:12-15
1 John 4:1
1 Timothy 4:1
– He has the ability to determine
what is of God, and what is not.
– Example of this gift:
(Acts 8:9-24) Peter saw through Simon of Samaria.
– Each of us should pray to be given this gift.
– Helps:
– In Greek, “supporting or assisting”.
– Example of this gift:
(Acts 6:1-6)
Apostles appointed deacons to handle church business affairs.
Their duties included waiting on tables
and distribution of funds to the poor.
– This gift is available to many Christians
who can help in such ways as:
– Counseling.
– Prayer.
– Witnessing.
– Handling the church business affairs.
– Social services.
– Caring for orphans and widows.
– Writing letters of encouragement.
– Sharing with those in need.
– Special areas of the church.
– The support for, and purpose of this gift.
(1 Peter 4:11) Starts with, “if anyone serves”.
– Examples:
(Acts 12:25) Mark was the helper for Paul and Barnabus.
(Philippians 2:25) Epaphroditus helped Paul.
(Philemon 1:11)
Paul writes to the slave’s (Onesimus) master (Philemon)
about how Onesimus had helped him.
– Governments:
– In Greek, “steering, piloting, or directing”.
– Also known as the gift of administration.
– Each church requires a form of this type of leadership.
– Christ spent much time developing his disciples into leaders.
– Wherever the apostles went,
they appointed leaders over the churches they founded.
– Example: (Acts 14:23) Paul and Barnabus appointed elders.
– (1 Timothy 3:1-7) Outlines the qualifications.
– One with this gift needs to guard against
being dictatorial, egotistic, or dogmatic.
He should embrace the characteristics of humility,
graciousness, courteousness, kindness, and love.
He also needs to be firm and combine knowledge with wisdom.
– The most perfect example
of a leader with the right attitude is Jesus Christ
(Mark 10:45, Philippians 2:7, John 13:16).
BREAD FOR BELIEVERS 
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