Sermon: "Spiritual Gifts"

*Spiritual Gifts*

What is a spiritual gift.. Gifts given from God and the Holy Spirit, to strengthen and edify the church. Gifts are not talents or skills that you just grow up with, but they are supernatural gifts from God that we cannot do with natural capabilities. In the bible they talk about spiritual gifts in 1 Corinthians 12, Romans 12, and Ephesians 4.

1 Corinthians 12:1-14 (9 spiritual gifts)
(Giftings that REVEAL something)
*Wisdom--This is supernatural knowledge applied in a godly or correct way. (1 Corinthians 12:8)
*Knowledge--This is supernatural knowledge of facts and information that can only be revealed by God (1 Corinthians 12:8)
*Discerning various spirits--This is the supernatural ability to distinguish between spirits such as good and evil, truthful or deceiving, prophetic versus satanic. (1 Corinthians 12:10)

(Giftings that SAY something)
*Speaking in tongues--This is a supernatural utterance in an unlearned language, which is interpreted so that the entire body will be edified. Tongues may also be a sign to unbelievers (1 Corinthians 12:10)
*Interpretation of tongues--This is a supernatural interpretation of a message in tongues, translated into the known language so that the hearers (the entire body) will be edified. (1 Corinthians 12:10)
*Prophecy--This is the "forth telling" of the inspired Word of God primarily to the church, for the purpose of confirming the written Word and building up the entire body. (1 Corinthians 12:10, 1 Corinthians 12:28, Romans 12:6, Ephesians 4:11)

(Giftings that DO something)
*Faith—This is special, supernatural faith given by the Spirit to receive miracles or to believe God for miracles. (1 Corinthians 12:9)
*Working of miracles—This is the supernatural suspension of the natural laws, or an intervention by the Holy Spirit into the laws of nature. (1 Corinthians 12:10, 12:28)
*Healing— This is supernatural healing, beyond natural means, given by the Spirit. (1Corinthians 12:9, 12:28)

Ephesians 4:11 (5 fold ministry)
*Apostle --An apostle establishes and builds churches; they are a church planter. An apostle may function in many or all of the ministry gifts. (1 Corinthians 12:28, Ephesians 4:11)
*Prophet--Prophet in the Greek means to "forth tell" in the sense of speaking for another. A prophet functions as God's mouthpiece, speaking forth God's Word. And they point out sin and the future.
*Evangelist-- An evangelist is called to be a witness for Jesus Christ. They work for the local church to bring people into the body of Christ where they can be discipled. They may evangelize through music, preaching, and other ways (Ephesians 4:11)
*Pastor --The pastor is the shepherd of the people. A true shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. (Ephesians 4:11)
*Teacher--The teacher and the pastor are often a shared office, but not always. The teacher lays the foundation and is concerned with detail and accuracy. They delight in research to validate truth. (1 Corinthians 12:28, Romans 12:7, Ephesians 4:11)

Romans 12:6-8 (Other Gifts)
* Prophecy-- the "seers" or "eyes" of the body. They have insight, foresight, and act like watchdogs in the church. They warn of sin or reveal sin. They are usually very verbal and may come across as judgmental and impersonal; they are loyal to truth over friendship, serious, dedicated.
*Ministry--"hands" of the body. They are concerned with meeting needs; they are highly motivated, doers. They may tend to over commit, but find joy in serving and meeting short-term goals.
* Teaching--"mind" of the body. They realize their gift is foundational; they emphasize accuracy of words and love to study; they delight in research to validate truth.
* Exhortation--"mouth" of the body. Like cheerleaders, they encourage other believers and are motivated by a desire to see people grow and mature in the Lord. They are practical and positive and they seek positive responses.
*Giving --"arms" of the body. They truly enjoy reaching out in giving. They are excited by the prospect of blessing others; they desire to give quietly, in secret, but will also motivate others to give. They are alert to people's needs; they give cheerfully and always give the best that they can. (Romans 12:8)
*Leading--"head" of the body. They have the ability to see the overall picture and set long-term goals; they are good organizers and find efficient ways of getting work done. Although they may not seek leadership, they will assume it when no leader is available. They receive fulfillment when others come together to complete a task.
*Compassion--"heart" of the body. They easily sense the joy or distress in other people and are sensitive to feelings and needs. They are attracted to and patient with people in need, motivated by a desire to see people healed of hurts. They are truly meek in nature and avoid firmness. (Romans 12:8)

And I know that same faith continues strong in you. This is why I remind you to fan into flames the spiritual gift God gave you when I laid my hands on you. For God has not given us a spirit of fear and timidity, but of power, love, and self-discipline. (2 Timothy 1:6&7)

How do I know I have these spiritual giftings?
A) Spend time in prayer, and fast. If you have doubts, have God reveal Himself to you. He always will.
B) Investigate. Figure out what you are passionate about. Do you want to see the sick healed, do you have unknown knowledge? It’s all about the passion that God puts in YOUR heart.
C) Get involved in a area of ministry. God told Timothy to go stir up his giftings. So go out there and try them out.