SPIRITUAL GIFTS Open 264 RR 752 Close 258 ___________________________________________ Children's Story I want you to imagine with me that you are flying a kite. You have done that haven't you? I want you to imagine that you are holding the string in your hand. Can you feel a tug on it. Can you see the kite dancing in the air? Do you feel a breeze on your face? Well, today, I ask you, who flys a kite? "I did," said the wind! "I did," said the paper! "I did," said the string! "I did," said the tail! "I did," said the boy! But in reality they ALL flew the kite! If the wind had stopped, if the paper had torn, if the sticks had broken, if the tail had caught in the tree, or the boy had fallen, then the kite would have come down! EACH HAD A PART TO PLAY! God has given eacy of you a special job in His church! You are important to your church ministry. Just use your gift to the Glory of God and leave the results to Him. ___________________________________________ Four neglected areas of instruction.--Ministers frequently neglect these important branches of the work,--health reform, spiritual gifts, systematic benevolence, and the great branches of the missionary work. RH Dec. 12, 1878 Those who would be successful in winning souls to Christ must carry with them the divine influence of the Holy Spirit. But how little is known concerning the operation of the Spirit of God. How little has been said of the importance of being endowed by the Holy Spirit, and yet it is through the agency of the Holy Spirit that men are to be drawn to Christ, and through His power alone can the soul be made pure. The Saviour said: "And when he is come, he will reprove the world of sin, and of righteousness, and of judgment" (John 16:8). Christ has promised the gift of the Holy Spirit to His church, but how little is this promise appreciated. How seldom is [the Spirit's] power felt in the church; how little is His power spoken of before the people. The Saviour has said: "Ye shall receive power, after that the Holy Ghost is come upon you: and ye shall be witnesses unto me" (Acts 1:8). With the reception of this gift, all other gifts would be ours; for we are to have this gift according to the plentitude of the riches of the grace of Christ, and He is ready to supply every soul according to the capacity to receive. Then let us not be satisfied with only a little of this blessing, only that amount which will keep us from the slumber of death, but let us diligently seek for the abundance of the grace of God. God grant that His converting power may be felt throughout this large assembly. Oh, that the power of God may rest upon the people. What we need is daily piety. We need to search the Scriptures daily, to pray earnestly that by the power of the Holy Spirit God may fit every one of us up to work in our place in His vineyard. No one is prepared to educate and strengthen the church unless he has received the gift of the Holy Spirit.--Review and Herald, Mar. 29, 1892. As we look at the last part of this year, we are going to be focusing on Spiritual Gifts. Actually, we should keep this topic in our minds at all times. The apostle Paul mentions three things of which he does not want us to be ignorant: of Satan and his schemes (2 Cor. 2:11... lest Satan should take advantage of us; for we are not ignorant of his devices.), the condition of the dead (1 Thes. 4:13 But I do not want you to be ignorant, brethren, concerning those who have fallen asleep, lest you sorrow as others who have no hope.), and spiritual gifts (1 Cor. 12:1. Please turn in your Bibles to chapter twelve of First Corinthians. 1 Cor 12:1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant: 2 You know that you were Gentiles, carried away to these dumb idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 There are differences of ministries, but the same Lord. 6 And there are diversities of activities, but it is the same God who works all in all. 7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all: 8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills. Now the word for "gift" is "charisma", which refers to the word "charis" or "grace." So each gift is the result of God's grace to the believer. It's also a spiritual blessing that enables you to function in the Body of Christ. Who gives the gifts, and how? The Spirit gives as He wills (vs. 11). Who receives the gifts, and why? Every follower of Jesus "for the common good" (vs. 7). In other words, all gifts are charismatic gifts--based on God's grace--given as He decides to every Christian. And "there are diversities of gifts" (vs. 4). The Bible has six lists of spiritual gifts. Three in this chapter, the others in Romans 12:6-8, Ephesians 4:11, and 1 Peter 4:11. If you were to group these lists together, you'd discover three basic categories of gifts. 1. SUPPORT GIFTS These are public in style and deal primarily with the proclamation of the Word of God. There is the gift of: Apostleship--Those who saw Jesus in person, were specially chosen by Him, and who spoke with authority, working miracles. Prophecy--Those who speak for God, who communicate Divine revelation to guide the Church. Evangelism--Those who devote themselves to carrying the Gospel to those who haven't heard, basically itinerant preachers. Pastor/Teacher--These have a double ministry (1 Peter 5:1-4), not only to lead the believers of a congregation by example and comfort, but also to instruct by applying the Scriptures. Teaching--This is the gift listed most often, and means "to give instruction." The teacher takes the Word of God and explains it. 2. SERVICE GIFTS Administration--(Romans 12:8) These people have creative ideas, problem-solving ability, and practical sense as to how to lead the church with vision and direction. Exhortation--This means to "call alongside". This person, so gifted, calls people to act on their knowledge of God's word. The teacher tells people WHAT to believe, the exhorter tells them HOW. Faith--(l Cor. 12:9) This too is a gift. God has given each of us "a measure of faith." But some are able to believe the promises of God, to pray, and to get answers beyond the average Christian's experience. They thrive against the odds, almost ignoring the circumstances. You walk away from people with this gift, shaking your head and saying, "I wish I could believe like that." Then there are the often overlooked gifts: Giving--This enables a person to recognize and be sensitive to the needs of the saints. They are generous with their resources. Helping/Serving--These people love to be of help, always asking what else they can do for the Lord, busy in deeds of kindness. Showing Mercy --"pity" or "compassion"--These can identify with the feelings of others--to weep with those who mourn--to rejoice, encourage, and care like Jesus. 3. SIGNS GIFTS These are the supernatural manifestations of miracles, healings, tongues, etc. that the Lord gives in specific instances and at critical times of church history. If you can imagine the church as a structure, you can visualize how these gifts relate somewhat to each other. Jesus is the Foundation. We build on the apostles and prophets. The evangelists, pastor/teachers, and teachers provide the supporting framework. The service gifts are the wiring, plumbing, heating, walls, doors, etc. The sign gifts decorate. Each contributes to the total beauty and quality. Your gift/gifts is an expression of one of these. How are you using your gift? The Lord's purpose in giving you a gift is plainly stated in Ephesians 4:12,13...... Service is the theme. Beyond that, every talent or ability is a gift from God. As is every breath that we breathe. The apostle Paul repeatedly likens the spiritual body (the church--Christ's body) to a physical body. This analogy contains several eternal truths: 1. The body has only One Head. Ephesians 5:23 For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Christ is the Head of His church. Problems come when people want to run the church and their opinion is more important to them than knowing what the will of Christ is for His church. 2. There are rules of health. 3 John 2 Beloved, I pray that you may prosper in all things and be in health, just as your soul prospers. To violate them will bring suffering--to cooperate with them will bring vibrant living. If the body has a malady, there are also ways to restore it to health. (There are a lot of voices claiming to have the cure-all truth to remedy the church's ills. But if the church took them all, mixing the potients, it would be "sicker" than what is is now. Jesus says, "Buy of Me." He is the Cure! Just like in treating the common cold/relieving hiccups, there are numerous opinions, not all proven, and some can even complicate recovery.) 3. Every part of the body effects every other part. Cor 12:26 And if one member suffers, all the members suffer with it; or if one member is honored, all the members rejoice with it. When any part hurts, the entire body hurts. And we, like the body, should invest ourselves to restore the injured part. Some think a quick solution would be to cut it off, and even though sometimes necessary, it is a drastic measure, and certainly a last resort because of the permanent impact on the body. 4. Every part of the body is needed and equally important. Again from 1 Cor 12, "The eye cannot say to the hand, I have no need of thee." Some Christians don't feel very important, but we all are. And some try to "go it alone", "independent" instead of "cooperative" ministries. There is a story of a father who left his son in charge of building a house, but left explicit detail, plans, and instructions as to how the work should be done. He also asked his son to be careful to follow all the instructions. The son took great care in building the house, but when it came to placing the well, he decided that it should be located at a different place than what the plans had shown. He thought that perhaps the father had made a mistake, or that the father would change his mind if he knew more about the given circumstance, so he moved the location of the well. Upon his return the father was given a grand tour of the house, and was well pleased at his son's faithfulness. The he noticed the well, and asked for an explanation. The son told how he had followed the father's instructions explicitly in everything else, but felt it would be best for the well to be placed differently. Then the father said, "You haven't followed my instructions at all." The son protested that he had in everything but one item. "No," said the father, "You didn't follow my instructions in anything. You did what you wanted to, because you only followed my instructions when you agreed. When you disagreed, you did what you wanted to do." What is church authority (Hebrews 13:17) unless there is cooperation when we disagree? 5. Cooperation is necessary for maximum efficiency. There may be some parts of the body that have a cramp, twitch, seizure, or Parkinson's disease. The whole body feels the trauma and must compensate. The western mind thinks in terms of the individual (his rights, fulfillment, somewhat self-centered even in terms of being saved). The Biblical view is the "people of God" (community, benefit to the group). God usually doesn't sing in a duet--He sings in a choir. "A house divided against itself, cannot stand." My request to you today is threefold: a.) As the apostle begs his readers in the first few verses of Romans 12--Don't have an inflated opinion of yourself or your gift(s). b.) That you use your "charisma", your gift of grace-- gracefully. Use it to build up the body and not to tear it down or cause it pain. c.) That you allow the Holy Spirit to fulfill Christ's promise to His disciples in this community of believers. (Read from the Desire of Ages, page 680). John 16:12 "I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 "However, when He, the Spirit of truth, has come, He will guide you into all truth; for He will not speak on His own authority, but whatever He hears He will speak; and He will tell you things to come. 14 "He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you. If this is your decision and promise, then I invite you to stand with me.....Heavenly Father, we stand before you today united in Christ Jesus. We are committed to the perfection of the saints, to the work of Christ's ministry, and to the edifying of His church. Humbly we seek a greater measure of your grace. May it come and cleanse so we can be trusted with its power. For your glory, and in the name of Jesus we pray, Amen.  This material gathered from a number of sources and is not original I have lost the original sources.