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Spiritual Gifts
Part 3: Gifts in Scripture
By Rev. Bruce A. Shields
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SERMON TIMELINE
1. Introduction
2. Perfected by the Holy Spirit
3. Gifts in Scripture
INTRODUCTION
Today is Sunday. January 21st, 2024
Last week, we spoke about being made perfect by the Holy Spirit. A perfection that will not fully take place, according to scripture, until we stand before the Lord and are made complete.
Until that day, however, we are commanded to continue running the race toward the goal and to be mature as our Father in heaven is mature. Many scriptures instruct us to be spiritually mature in reason, behavior, and attitude.
In my latest book, Drowning in Milk, I state something I believe to be true with all my heart. Nearly every single problem arises in churches due to one or more parties being spiritually immature.
So we are called to be spiritually mature and imitators of the Lord, and although we are an unfinished work in Christ, who is continuously doing a work in us, we strive for the goal line.
The Lord knows the difficulty of doing this. He fully understands the trials and tribulations we face in life. And Jesus promised that when He ascended to sit at the Father's right hand, the helper would be sent to us and made available to all those who belong to the Kingdom.
Over the last year, we have discovered in the word of God how the Holy Spirit is given to us upon Salvation in Christ Jesus, how the Holy Spirit produces spiritual fruits in our lives, and gives us the Full Armor of God for living victoriously in a world filled with spiritual warfare. Over the last couple of weeks, we have just begun to scratch the surface of another great tool the Lord has given us through the Holy Spirit, called Spiritual Gifts.
Over the next few weeks, I would like to look at some of the gifts in scripture and discuss how they may be used to build and edify the Body of Christ, which IS the church.
What are the Spiritual Gifts for?
Ephesians 4:12 “for the equipping of the saints for the work of service, to the building up of the body of Christ,”
Who is the Body of Christ?
1 Corinthians 12:12 “For even as the body is one and yet has many members, and all the members of the body, though they are many, are one body, so also is Christ.”
SCRIPTURE READING
1 Corinthians 12:4-11 (Legacy Standard Bible)
“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit. 5 And there are varieties of ministries, and the same Lord. 6 And there are varieties of workings, but the same God who works everything in everyone. 7 But to each one is given the manifestation of the Spirit for what is profitable. 8 For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, and to another the word of knowledge according to the same Spirit; 9 to someone else faith by the same Spirit, and to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 and to another the workings of miracles, and to another prophecy, and to another the distinguishing of spirits, to someone else various kinds of tongues, and to another the translation of tongues. 11 But one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually just as He wills.”
Today’s Topic: Spiritual Gifts: Gifts in the Scriptures
I. MANY GIFTS – ONE SPIRIT
a. Many Gifts – One Spirit
i. Firstly,
the gifts are not earned; they are given. 1
Corinthians 12:18 “But now God has appointed the
members, each one of them, in the body, just as He desired.”
ii. Some of the gifts listed as found in Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 12; 1 Peter 4
1. Leadership
2. Administration
3. Teaching
4. Knowledge
5. Wisdom
6. Prophecy
7. Discernment
8. Exhortation
9. Faith
10. Evangelism
11. Missionaries
12.Service/Helps
13.Mercy
14. Giving
15.Hospitality
iii. These are just some of the Spiritual Gifts listed in scripture
iv. Though many, all are by the one Holy Spirit.
b. Varieties of Ministries – Same Lord
i. We also see five distinct ministries in scripture (Acts 2:1-47)
1. Evangelism (Acts 2:1-41)
2. Education (Acts 2:42a)
3. Fellowship (Acts 2:42b)
4. Worship (Acts 2:42c)
5. Service (Acts 2:43-47)
ii. A
variety of ministries all for the same Lord, Jesus Christ
c. Varieties of Workings – Same God
i. What are the “workings of the church”?
1. Preaching / Teaching
2. Bible School Teacher
3. Sunday School Teacher
4. Children and Youth Leaders
5. Administrators
6. Secretaries
7. Janitors and Maintenance
8. Outreach
9. Ushers and Greeters
10. Choir Members
11. Musicians
12.Music Directors
13.Audio and Video Technicians
14. Web Administrators
15.Treasurers and Accountants
16. Kitchen Workers
17. Nursery
Workers
ii. Every
member of a church should be serving in some way.
iii. Every
servant of the Lord should remember that it’s more than just serving others;
it’s loving them: “Serve one another humbly in love” (Galatians 5:13)
iv. Every
single one of us should be doing SOMETHING for this local body of believers…this
church.
v. There
is MUCH need, and many here who could help.
vi. And
all these working serve the same God
II. EACH ONE OF US IS GIVEN THE MANIFESTATION OF THE SPIRIT
a. How are we given the Spirit?
i. “For
also by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether Jews or Greeks,
whether slaves or free, and we were all made to drink of one Spirit.” ~ 1 Corinthians 12:13
1. The
apostle Paul clearly taught that we receive the Holy Spirit the moment we
receive Jesus Christ as our Savior.
ii. “However,
you are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God dwells
in you. But if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to
Him. 10 But if Christ is in you, though the body is dead because of sin, yet
the spirit is alive because of righteousness. 11 But if the Spirit of Him who
raised Jesus from the dead dwells in you, He who raised Christ Jesus from the
dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through His Spirit who dwells in
you.” ~ Romans 8:9-11
1. Romans 8 tells
us that if a person does not possess the Holy Spirit, he or she does not belong
to Christ.
iii. “In
Him, you also, after listening to the word of truth, the gospel of your
salvation—having also believed, you were sealed in Him with the Holy Spirit of
promise, 14 who is given as a pledge of our inheritance, unto the redemption of
God’s own possession, to the praise of His glory.” ~ Ephesians 1:13-14
1. Ephesians teaches us that the Holy Spirit is the seal of Salvation for all those who believe.
b. What do we receive from the Spirit?
i. Spiritual
Fruits – The Character Traits of God
ii. The
Full Armor of God – so that we may maneuver and operate within the Spirit realm
where a battle is raging against us.
iii. The
Spiritual Gifts – for building (adding to), strengthening, and edifying the
Body of Christ (the “church” of believers.)
c. What are the Spiritual Gifts for?
i. 1 Peter 4:10-11 “As
each one has received a gift, employ it in serving one
another as good stewards of the manifold grace of
God— 11 whoever speaks, as one speaking the oracles of God; whoever serves, as
one serving by the strength which God supplies; so that in all things God may be glorified through Jesus Christ,
to whom belongs the glory and might forever and ever. Amen.”
ii. The
ministries of the Holy Spirit are sometimes confused.
1. The
receiving/indwelling of the Spirit occurs at the moment of Salvation. The
filling of the Spirit is an ongoing process in the Christian life.
2. Receiving/indwelling
is a pledge of our inheritance in Ephesians,
where the Fruits of the Spirit and Full Armor of God are from. This is your
seal.
3. The
filling of the Spirit is the process of God’s Holy Spirit deciding the
distribution of the Gifts you will have for the needs of the body of believers
in 1 Corinthians 12.
These can change as the needs of the Body of Christ change in your
congregation.
III. THESE ARE JUST SOME OF THE SPIRITUAL GIFTS
a. Spiritual Gifts can be found in lists and mentions in scripture
i. Romans 12:6–8
ii. 1 Corinthians 12:4-11
iii. 1 Corinthians 12:28
iv. 1 Corinthians 12:29-30
v. 1 Corinthians 13:1-3
vi. 1 Corinthians 13:8
vii. 1 Corinthians 14:6
viii. 1 Corinthians 14:26
ix. Ephesians 4:11
x. 1 Peter 4:12
xi. It is also possible the 1 Corinthians 7:7 and 1 Peter 4:9 may be referring to spiritual gifts.
b. There may be more Spiritual Gifts that are not listed
i. However, they would have to pass the Spiritual Gift Test!
1. 1 John 4 tells us to measure things
and see if they are of God.
ii. We
know enough about the Spiritual Gifts that are listed to know whether something
we are endowed with is a Spiritual Gift.
1. Firstly, is it a skill or talent you picked up without training?
a.
We read in Exodus how men were chosen
to build the Ark of the Covenant and the Temple; even though they never worked
with precious metals and wood before, God enabled them to have the skills
needed to complete His tasks.
2. Does it build (add to the membership of the Body of Christ), strengthen, or edify (the Body of Christ)?
a. That is what the gifts are for
b.
That is what they do
3. Does it fill a need within the local Body of Christ?
a.
Our card ministry, for example
b.
The Bible does not list “card ministry”
as a Spiritual Gift. However, Marny has a talent for it, and it ministers to
the local Body of Christ, filling a need in our ministry.
c.
I have heard from many about how they
were blessed to receive cards “from the church,” and I always make it known
that Marny oversees this.
iii. So, listen to the Spirit’s leading, fill the needs of the local congregation, and serve with the gifts God gives you, and you will be serving the Body of Christ and others.
c. The Spiritual Gifts equip us to serve the Lord
i. We
are all “essential” within the Body of Christ
ii. We
are all “equipped” to fulfill needs within the Body of Christ.
iii. We
must all “serve” in some way, being doers of the Word and fulfilling the Great
Commission we were given by Christ.
This county needs faithful believers serving the
Lord. This congregation needs you. The Body of Christ needs you.
CONCLUSION
So we see from 1 Corinthians 12 that there are many gifts, but they all come from one spirit, the Holy Spirit, and He distributes to each believer individually as He wills.
We also see that there are a variety of ministries, but the same Lord, Jesus Christ.
As well as various workings, but the same God, our Father in heaven.
When we are brought into the Father’s Kingdom through Salvation in Christ Jesus, we have the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to serve our Lord. The Holy Spirit gives us the ability to serve, and the many parts of us become one, the Body of Christ, the church, to share the light of God in this dark world.
In Matthew 28, Jesus does not say, give them all warm fuzzies, make them feel good about themselves and others, make them happy shining people. No. That is not the gospel of Jesus Christ.
Jesus said, go into all nations preaching the gospel, baptize and teach them to obey all that I command.
What is the gospel that we are to preach? How about what Jesus and the apostles preached?
Jesus preached, repent. Matthew 4:17 “From that time Jesus began to preach and say, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand.”
The four gospels show us that Jesus preached on numerous topics, but first and foremost, Jesus preached a message of repentance.
Jesus told the apostles to preach repentance in Luke 24:45-47 “Then He opened their minds to understand the Scriptures, 46 and He said to them, “Thus it is written, that the Christ would suffer and rise again from the dead the third day, 47 and that repentance for forgiveness of sins would be proclaimed in His name to all the nations,”
It is commanded in Acts 17:30-31 “Therefore having overlooked the times of ignorance, God is now commanding men that everyone everywhere should repent, 31 because He has fixed a day in which He will judge the world in righteousness through a Man whom He determined, having furnished proof to all by raising Him from the dead.”
It was Paul’s ministry from the beginning in Acts 26:19-20 “So, King Agrippa, I did not prove disobedient to the heavenly vision, 20 but kept declaring both to those of Damascus first, and also at Jerusalem and then throughout all the region of Judea, and even to the Gentiles, that they should repent and turn to God, practicing deeds appropriate to repentance.”
Don’t just turn from your sins to God, continue living (practicing your deeds) in a way that matches your words.
We must do more than say we repent. It must be from our heart, mourn our sins against God, detest our rebellion against Him.
2 Corinthians 7:9-10 “I now rejoice, not that you were made sorrowful, but that you were made sorrowful to repentance. For you were made to have godly sorrow, so that you might not suffer loss in anything through us. 10 For godly sorrow produces a repentance without regret, leading to Salvation, but the sorrow of the world brings about death.”
The gospel we are to preach to all nations is repentance FOR forgiveness of sins.
Next week:
The Spiritual Gifts Part 4: Serving the Body of Christ
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