The Spirit – Part 2 “Gifts”
The Apple II:
introduced in 1977, In terms of ease of use, features and expandability
the Apple II was a major technological advancement over any of its
predecessors. The machine had a
motherboard with eight expansion slots, an array of random access memory (RAM)
sockets that could hold up to 48 kilobytes worth of memory, color monitor with
high-resolution graphics, sound capabilities and built-in BASIC programming
language, the Apple II, changed the way people worked, and spawned a succession
of more powerful computers that have revolutionized almost every aspect of our
ability to work and produce: Accounting,
desktop publishing, graphic design, music, film, all use powerful tools that
can accomplish in minutes things that would take days, or that were not even
possible. These machines give us the
ability to accomplish things that are beyond our natural ability.
1.
In a similar way, God knew that in order to
accomplish the things that He has called us to accomplish on this earth, you
and I would need gifts and abilities that go beyond our human capacity.
a.
Which is one of the reasons He sent the Holy
Spirit to us.
2.
Today we're going begin a walk through the
different gifts that are noted in scripture:
a.
What those gifts are, how they work, and what
they look like in our everyday life.
b.
We won't get through them all today - no need to
rush -
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.
Paul uses the word ignorant, which doesn't mean
stupid, it means “lacking knowledge or awareness” about something.
a.
EX: Going up Eastwood, didn't see sign that
speed limit dropped to 45 mph, so I was still going 60 and got a ticket.
b.
My ignorance was not an excuse, I was still
responsible.
c.
But once I knew that the speed limit dropped, I
drove according to that knowledge.
4.
In other words Paul is telling us “in the past,
you and I were not aware of spiritual things, so we lived in a way that was
ignorant to spiritual truth, not really knowing any better.”
a.
We lived in ignorance to the things of God…
b.
That’s why we were carried away into some of the
dumb stuff (idols!) we participated in, we were ignorant! (we can all think of
dumb things we did!)
c.
But then we were born again, we got saved, and
we were introduced to the things of God..
d.
We began to grow in truth and knowledge of Jesus
Christ,
5.
But Paul wants us to know that there is MORE -
The Spirit of God now lives in us,
a.
And because of that we have have access to a
whole set of gifts and abilities that we did not have before,
b.
And if we are aware of these truths, it will
change the way we live.
Gifts / Ministries
/ Activities
6.
Paul uses three words: Gifts, ministries, activities
a.
Gift is the Greek word “pneumatikos” or things
pertaining to the spiritual
i. “Gracious
endowments, leading to miraculous results” – CLARK
b.
Ministries has in mind the different “gifted
offices” in the church, or “callings,” such as apostles, prophets, evangelists,
and pastor-teachers (Paul also described these in Ephesians 4).
c.
The Greek word for activities is energemata,
where we get our words energy, energetic, and energize from.
i. It
is a word of active, miraculous power.
7.
What are the difference between gifts,
ministries, and activities?
a.
All of these are gifts.
b.
Some gifts are ministries – standing offices or
positions in the church.
c.
Some gifts are activities – miraculous events at
a particular time and place.
8.
Before speaking of the gifts, Paul makes a few
important points:
Glory to God
(Parameter)
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.
9.
Paul is using an extreme example (calling Jesus
“accursed”) as an introduction to the gifts of the Holy Spirit:
a.
Making the point that the ministry of the Holy
Spirit is not to promote Himself, or to promote any man, but to glorify and
represent Jesus.
10. Jesus
made it plain, saying that when the Holy Spirit came,
a.
He will testify of Me (John 15:26),
b.
and He will glorify Me, for He will take of what
is Mine and declare it to you (John 16:14).
c.
We can therefore trust that the true ministry of
the Holy Spirit will be according to the nature of Jesus, and will bring glory
to Jesus, not man.
Unity in Diversity
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.
11. Diversity
expresses the idea “the condition of having or being composed of differing
elements,”
a.
Over the past decade we’ve heard a lot about
“diversity” – the company I used to work for invested millions in “diversity
training”
b.
And its not a bad thing, understand and
accepting our differences as people is a good thing;
c.
But here’s the thing: Diversity without UNITY isn’t good.
12. Case
in point: in a 2009 poll, 79% of the people polled had a favorable view of race
relations, yet today only 52% have a favorable view of race relations – a
shocking downhill trend.
a.
WHY?
Because in our quest to promote diversity in our nation, we have lost
sight of unity: Diverse groups of people
are polarizing around their particular issues or causes, and it’s breaking down
the unity in our country.
13. The
same thing can happen in the church: We
are a diverse group: Race, gender, age,
financial status, season of life, political leanings, career
a.
And we also have different gifts and abilities
b.
And if the folks in a church start segregating
along these or other lines, we will lose our unity.
14. So,
before instructing us about the gifts that the Spirit of God has endowed upon
the members of a church, Paul wants to ensure that we keep this in mind:
a.
The gifts are unique, the ministries are
different, and the activities are diverse: but the same Spirit, the same Lord,
is doing the work through these gifts, ministries, and the activities.
b.
Yes we are all different, and we’ll have
different gifts and callings, but its important that we not divide up over
these differences, thinking some are more valuable or spiritual that others,
c.
So that we maintain our unity in order to be
effective as a church!
15. Goes
to one of our Values…
We are united
under one vision
Calvary Chapel is
committed to the vision God gave Pastor Clay, to reach the lost and broken in
our city with the life-changing gospel of Jesus Christ. We will maintain our
unity and that vision.
Purpose
7 But the manifestation (activation) of the Spirit is given
to each one for the profit of all:
16. The
Spirit gives gifts to each one, not just some, and the purpose of these gifts
of the Spirit is for the profit / benefit / building up the whole church
family, not just a particular individual.
a.
Again, describing a diversity of gifts, but a
unity in purpose!
Fruit vs Gifts
17. There
is a difference between the fruit of the Spirit, and the gifts of the spirit.
a.
Each one will have a gift/gifts, ALL will have
fruit:
But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, longsuffering,
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control… – Gal 5:22-23
18. Singular,
not plural: ALL of the fruit of the Spirit is present in a believer when they
are walking in the Spirit.
a.
We can’t say “Oh, I just don't have the fruit of
kindness…”
b.
The gifts are distributed selectively, the fruit
is present collectively
Ownership
19. I
believe we shouldn't look at the specific gifts as a permanent “you have it or
you don’t” ability.
a.
The Spirit is able to give any gift, at any time
that it might be needed, Ephesians 1 declares:
Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus
Christ, who has blessed us with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places
in Christ… - Eph 1:3
b.
Certainly we see that certain gifts are given to
individuals, and it may be that it is a primary gift working in that particular
believer,
c.
But we shouldn’t assume that will be the only
gift that believer will have, or that the gift would always be available.
20. According
to scripture the Spirit distributes gifts as He wills:
one and the same Spirit works all these things,
distributing to each one individually as He wills. - 1 Cor 12:11
a.
You may be given a specific gift for a specific
season, or in a specific situation, as the spirit wills.
b.
We don’t make it happen, the Holy Spirit does.
21. Another
point: We shouldn't have the view that is a gift is exercised, that we say “Now the Holy Spirit is present:”
a.
Because the Holy Spirit is always present
in and among believers.
b.
Jesus said of the Holy Spirit, “He may abide
with you forever” (John 14:16).
c.
However, there are times when the Spirit’s
presence will be more apparent
than other times.
…So lets look at the
Gifts
The Word of Wisdom
8 for to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit,
22. What
is wisdom? Wisdom is simply the application of knowledge. It is a natural
characteristic that can grow with age and experience.
a.
For example, a young person may be quite
brilliant at solving mathematical equations (knowledge) but may be lacking in
wisdom concerning the deeper matters of life.
23. But
this verse is describing a supernatural wisdom:
a.
The word of wisdom, which is a gift of the
Spirit that provides insight, guidance and counsel in a supernatural way.
(Beyond your natural wisdom)
24. What
does it look like?
a.
The word of wisdom might give insight on how
existing biblical truth and knowledge should be best applied in a given
situation.
b.
It may involve application of the scriptures in
a way that brings clarity to a situation.
c.
It may involve the ability to give sound
counsel, or make a right decision, during a time of indecision.
d.
A person may receive it as a flash of revelation
in their mind
e.
It may come as a vision or dream.
f.
Sometimes it's a deep inner 'knowing'.
g.
We may receive words of wisdom for ourselves, or
for others as we minister to them.
25. So
we could say that the “word of wisdom” is simply the unique ability to speak
forth the wisdom of God, especially in an important situation.
a.
Example:
Say going through a difficult time with a friend, or your spouse, or a
child. The things you say, and the
decisions you make, can have long-term implications on that persons life.
b.
That would be a situation where you need a word
of wisdom from the Lord to help you make the right call.
26. Another
example: John 4:16-17
Jesus said to her, 'Go call your husband, and come
back'. The woman answered him, 'I have no husband' – John 4:16-17
27. Jesus
knew this woman didn't have a husband, He knew she had been married five times,
and was now living with a man,
a.
But had He confronted her outright, "You're
living in sin! You better get right with God!" ...she may have become
defensive and not listened to Him.
b.
Jesus knew by the Spirit to approach her in a
manner where she would be open to hearing His words.
28. My
example: About 6 months before the Lord
called us to Wilmington, I received a call from a corporate head-hunter, who
had a job opportunity for me in another state.
a.
It was a great opportunity with a fast-moving tech
company, great pay, a lot of responsibility – it would have been a great career
move.
b.
But as I prayed about it, I didn't have a peace
about it. And the more I prayed, I felt
the Lord tell me to say no to the job.
c.
It didn't make sense at the time, but it made
total sense once the Lord began to call us, and then He sent us to Wilmington.
d.
It would’ve been hard to come to ILM had we
lived in Washington state!
Word of Knowledge
to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit,
29. Knowledge
is simply learning information. You read a book, watch a video on how to do
something, you memorize scripture; you're gaining knowledge.
a.
The Word of Knowledge is the ability to know
something which could only be revealed supernaturally.
30. What
does is look like?
a.
It could be a warning: You’re about to leave for a trip, and in your
prayer time the Spirit says, “don’t go.”
b.
Could be information that is useful (what car or
house to buy)
c.
Could be to expose something
d.
The Spirit may give to you for yourself, or for
another.
31. Ex: Man a CC Cary, the Spirit told me to give him
a specific amount of money. I put it in an envelope, gave it to another person,
and they passed it to him.
a.
As I left church that day, I overhead him
talking with some people that He needed a certain amount of money, he hadn’t
told anyone, he was blown away: someone and walked up to him and given him that
exact amount.
32. Another
example: The situation Previous example in John 4, how did Jesus know that the
woman have five previous husbands? Word of knowledge!
33. Its
sometimes hard to live with someone that receives words of knowledge;
a.
My wife often has this gift, and there have been
times when God would show her something about one of our kids, and they’d be
like “How’d you know that?”
b.
Simple, God told her! (yes, its hard having a
mom with that gift!)
Wisdom &
Knowledge
34. I
want to point out that there is a interworking between the word of wisdom, and
the word of knowledge;
a.
These two gifts often work together:
35. Wisdom
needs to be sought when a word of knowledge is received, because wisdom
includes the revelation of how to apply the God-given knowledge.
a.
One may have great knowledge, even supernatural
knowledge; yet have no wisdom from God in the application of that knowledge.
b.
Don’t assume you are to act: Just because the
Spirit reveals something to you, it doesn't mean you are supposed to run out
and act on it; there are several courses that might be wise:
i. It
might be that God wants you to pray about what has been revealed (person,
situation, etc).
ii. It
might be that God wants you to act, but there is a time of preparation before
you act.
36. We
should also use discernment in the receiving of a word of knowledge,
a.
Not every word is from God - God is not the only
source of supernatural knowledge.
i. I've
heard many people say "the Lord told me" but it didn't come to pass, so
that word wasn't from God.
b.
Even if a word is true, it does not mean that it
is from God, or that the one speaking the word is truly representing God.
c.
Beware of those who generalizations: Some people
conjure up words: They’ll generalize,
“The Lord is telling me someone here has a health issue….”
i. Get
more than ten people together, someone
has a health issue!
37. Confused?
We can CONFIRM: A word from God…
a.
#1 A word of knowledge or wisdom will ALWAYS
align with God’s word, His character, and His nature, (we can’t sat “the Lord
told me to steal that...”)
b.
#2 – The Lord will confirm a word, either
through His word, or by others, (my example at men’s conference)
c.
#3 it
will come to pass!
38. We’ll
talk more later on discerning of spirits.
Faith
9 to another faith by the same Spirit,
Faith is the confidence that what we hope for will
actually happen; it gives us assurance about things we cannot see. - Hebrews
11:1 (NLT)
39. Faith
is an essential part of every Christian’s life,
...God has dealt to each one a measure of faith -
Romans 12:3
40. But
there is also the gift of faith: The unique supernatural ability to trust God
in all circumstances,
a.
It could be described as the ability to envision
what needs to be done, and to trust God to accomplish it, even though it seems
impossible to most people.
b.
One example was when Peter walked out of the
boat on onto the water (Matthew 14:22-33).
c.
Another mighty example of the gift of faith was
George Mueller, who in nineteenth century England provided for thousands of
orphans completely by prayer, without even asking for donations
41. What
does it look like?
a.
Those with the gift of faith trust God in
difficult, even impossible situations when others are ready to give up.
b.
People with the gift of faith are often
visionaries who dream big dreams, pray big prayers, and attempt big things for
The kingdom
c.
They tend to be optimistic, hopeful,
persevering, change-oriented, and future-focused.
d.
People with the gift of faith tend to be very
convincing about the truth of Scripture because they themselves are so
convinced of the truth and power of God and his Word.
42. That’s
all we have time for today, but in closing;
Have you ever heard from God? Is
there a situation in your life that you need wisdom, guidance, or knowledge?
a.
Cannot make gifts happen, but you can ask the
Lord, and have faith that God will answer!
Copyright © 2013 Clay Ritter. This data file is the sole property of Clay Ritter. It may be copied in its entirety or in part for personal use, or teaching, freely without charge. Please include a citation to this website. This data file may not be copied in part, edited, revised, copied for resale or incorporated in any commercial publications, recordings, broadcasts, performances, displays or other products offered for sale, without the written permission of Clay Ritter. Requests for permission should be made in writing and addressed to Pastor Clay Ritter, c/o Calvary Chapel of Wilmington, 2831 Carolina Beach Rd, Wilmington NC, 28412, or via email to office@calvaryofwilmington.org.
No comments:
Post a Comment