Sunday, May 3, 2015

Spiritual Gifts



In this study we discuss what the different spiritual gifts are and what it looks like to operate in them.

Scriptures:


  • 1 Cor 12:1-18
  • 1 Kings 3:16-28
  • Matthew 17:24-27
  • Acts 3:1-8
  • Matthew 14:14-21
  • Matthew 9:25
  • 2 Thessalonians 2:9-10
  • Acts 27:10
  • 2 Peter 1:19-21
  • Acts 16:16 - 18
  • 2 Chronicles 18:16-22 (1 Kings 22:21-23)
  • 1 John 4:1-6
  • 1 Corinthians 14:13-19
  • 1 Corinthians 14:27-28
  • Ephesians 4:11-13

Summary of Finding Your Purpose/Calling In Life


  • We need to make finding and walking in our calling the priority in our lives.
  • Some of the ways to find our calling are by considering:
    • Who's Pain Do You Feel?
    • How does God speak to you?
    • What are your gifts?
    • Read the bible
    • Trying to understand how other people chose their callings
    • Look at your experiences and circumstances
    • Pray for God to guide you into your calling
    • Worshipping
    • Fasting
    • Listening to those who hear from God
    • Come into a state of surrender to God's will
  • God chose your calling before you were born.
  • You will have peace and fulfillment when you're working within your calling.
  • God can give you skills and spiritual gifts at the time He calls you to act in your calling
  • You may not walk in the same spiritual gift in every season of your life




Spiritual Gifts vs. Talents




Spiritual Gifts are gifts and abilities that are given through by the Holy Spirit.  They are supernatural abilities and not talents that people have in the natural.   Non-Christians should be able to identify that a gift isn’t “normal”.



Talents are abilities that anyone can have.  Gifts come from the Holy Spirit.


like super powers


Disbelief That Gifts Exist Today


We can't make up our own doctrine based on what has happened to us
 --Todd White

Gift vs. Hearing From God



The Spiritual Gifts


1 Cor 12:1-18
1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.   
2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.   
3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.   
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.   
5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.   
6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.   
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.   
8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,   
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,   
10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[fn] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.   
  • not everyone is given the same gift
12 Just as a body, though one, has many parts, but all its many parts form one body, so it is with Christ.   
13 For we were all baptized by one Spirit so as to form one body—whether Jews or Gentiles, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink.
14 Even so the body is not made up of one part but of many.   
15 Now if the foot should say, "Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.   
16 And if the ear should say, "Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body," it would not for that reason stop being part of the body.   
17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?   
18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be.   
  • Does God give every believer the same gift?

   

The Gift of Wisdom   

The spiritual gift of wisdom, is also referred to as the “word of wisdom” or “utterance of wisdom.”  It is the ability to know the mind of the Holy Spirit and to receive insight into how given knowledge may best be applied to specific needs arising in the Body of Christ. With this gift the Spirit endows particular Christians with an understanding of God’s will and work as it relates to the living of life.

1 Kings 3:16-28
19 “During the night this woman’s son died because she lay on him. 20 So she got up in the middle of the night and took my son from my side while I your servant was asleep. She put him by her breast and put her dead son by my breast. 21 The next morning, I got up to nurse my son—and he was dead! But when I looked at him closely in the morning light, I saw that it wasn’t the son I had borne.”
22 The other woman said, “No! The living one is my son; the dead one is yours.”
But the first one insisted, “No! The dead one is yours; the living one is mine.” And so they argued before the king.
23 The king said, “This one says, ‘My son is alive and your son is dead,’ while that one says, ‘No! Your son is dead and mine is alive.’”
24 Then the king said, “Bring me a sword.” So they brought a sword for the king. 25 He then gave an order: “Cut the living child in two and give half to one and half to the other.”
26 The woman whose son was alive was deeply moved out of love for her son and said to the king, “Please, my lord, give her the living baby! Don’t kill him!”
But the other said, “Neither I nor you shall have him. Cut him in two!”
27 Then the king gave his ruling: “Give the living baby to the first woman. Do not kill him; she is his mother.”
28 When all Israel heard the verdict the king had given, they held the king in awe, because they saw that he had wisdom from God to administer justice.

The Word of Knowledge

The unique ability to declare knowledge which could only be revealed supernaturally, as shown in Jesus

Matthew 17:24-27
24 After Jesus and his disciples arrived in Capernaum, the collectors of the two-drachma temple tax came to Peter and asked, “Doesn’t your teacher pay the temple tax?”
25 “Yes, he does,” he replied.
When Peter came into the house, Jesus was the first to speak. “What do you think, Simon?” he asked. “From whom do the kings of the earth collect duty and taxes—from their own children or from others?”
26 “From others,” Peter answered.
“Then the children are exempt,” Jesus said to him. 27 “But so that we may not cause offense, go to the lake and throw out your line. Take the first fish you catch; open its mouth and you will find a four-drachma coin. Take it and give it to them for my tax and yours.”

Incarnations of Works of Knowledge:
  • someone tells you of a situation you’re going through or a pain you have
  • someone answers a question you’ve been pondering on


Knowledge is knowing something that shouldn’t otherwise be know, but the Gift of Wisdom is being able to practically apply God’s  knowledge. 

We must always use discernment in the receiving of a word of knowledge, remembering that God is not the only source of supernatural knowledge - even if a word is true, it does not mean that it is from God and that the one speaking the word is truly representing God. 


Gift of Revelation

The ability to understand deeper meanings especially as pertaining to the Word of God allowing the person to bring out new insights, perspectives or life applications from scripture. 

Incarnations of the Gift of Revelation

  • being able to open the bible and find a bible verse that speaks to a situation
  • superior ability to understand the bible
Reaction to a Revelation
  • It's like that aha moment that wakes you up in the middle of the night
  • When you hear the truth it feels like a cloud has been lifted from your mind
  • It may feel like you already knew it, but were just reminded of it


Faith

The gift of faith is the unique ability to trust God against all circumstances.
  • It can be tied to a specific area
  • Pastor Paul’s example of the woman in Africa
  • me in college tithing all I had 

Healing

This is God's healing power, either given or received. 


Acts 3:1-8
3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them.
6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk.
  • Did Peter pray for healing?
    • no
  • How did he heal him?
    • commanded it in the name of Jesus
  • What does “In the name of Jesus” mean?
  • People can heal in the name of Jesus even if they don’t accept Him as their savior
  • Healers often times can’t heal themselves
  • Those with the gift of healing are often given the gift of Words of Knowledge


Working of Miracles

Literally dynameis, or "acts of power." This describes when the Holy Spirit chooses to "over-ride" the laws of nature, working in or through an available person. 

Matthew 14:14-21
14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.
15 As evening approached, the disciples came to him and said, “This is a remote place, and it’s already getting late. Send the crowds away, so they can go to the villages and buy themselves some food.”
16 Jesus replied, “They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat.”
17 “We have here only five loaves of bread and two fish,” they answered.
18 “Bring them here to me,” he said. 19 And he directed the people to sit down on the grass. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven, he gave thanks and broke the loaves. Then he gave them to the disciples, and the disciples gave them to the people. 20 They all ate and were satisfied, and the disciples picked up twelve basketfuls of broken pieces that were left over. 21 The number of those who ate was about five thousand men, besides women and children.

Matthew 9:25
23 When Jesus arrived at the official’s home, he saw the noisy crowd and heard the funeral music. 24 “Get out!” he told them. “The girl isn’t dead; she’s only asleep.” But the crowd laughed at him. 25 After the crowd was put outside, however, Jesus went in and took the girl by the hand, and she stood up! 26 The report of this miracle swept through the entire countryside.

Gifts of healing and working of miracles often operate in conjunction with the gift of faith; these things are not done on the whim of the individual, as if the power to heal or work miracles was at their permanent disposal - instead, they operate as an individual is prompted by God and given the faith to perform such a work
 
2 Thessalonians 2:9-10
9 The coming of the lawless one will be in accordance with how Satan works. He will use all sorts of displays of power through signs and wonders that serve the lie, 10 and all the ways that wickedness deceives those who are perishing. They perish because they refused to love the truth and so be saved.
  • Is the Holy Spirit the only means of miracles?

Prophecy

The telling-forth of God's message in a particular situation, always in accord with His Word and His current work. Sometimes this has the character of foretelling the future, as in 

Acts 27:10
9 Much time had been lost, and sailing had already become dangerous because by now it was after the Day of Atonement.[a] So Paul warned them, 10 “Men, I can see that our voyage is going to be disastrous and bring great loss to ship and cargo, and to our own lives also.”

2 Peter 1:19-21
19 And we have the word of the prophets made more certain, and you will do well to pay attention to it, as to a light shining in a dark place, until the day dawns and the morning star rises in your hearts. 20 Above all, you must understand that no prophecy of Scripture came about by the prophet's own interpretation. 21 For prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.
  • prophecy should be from God

Preaching is not the gift of prophecy

Prophetic Painting

Discerning of Spirits

The spiritual gift of discernment is also known as the gift of "discernment of spirits" or "distinguishing between spirits."  The Holy Spirit gives the gift of discernment to enable certain Christians to clearly recognize and distinguish between the influence of God, Satan, the world, and the flesh in a given situation.

Acts 16:16 - 18*
16 Once when we were going to the place of prayer, we were met by a female slave who had a spirit by which she predicted the future. She earned a great deal of money for her owners by fortune-telling. 17 She followed Paul and the rest of us, shouting, “These men are servants of the Most High God, who are telling you the way to be saved.” 18 She kept this up for many days. Finally Paul became so annoyed that he turned around and said to the spirit, “In the name of Jesus Christ I command you to come out of her!” At that moment the spirit left her.
  • How did Paul know she had a spirit in her?
    • Discernment of spirits
  • Was it the Holy Spirit?
    • no
  • What type of spirit was it then?

2 Chronicles 18:16-22 (1 Kings 22:21-23)
16 Then Micaiah answered, “I saw all Israel scattered on the hills like sheep without a shepherd, and the Lord said, ‘These people have no master. Let each one go home in peace.’”
17 The king of Israel said to Jehoshaphat, “Didn’t I tell you that he never prophesies anything good about me, but only bad?”
18 Micaiah continued, “Therefore hear the word of the Lord: I saw the Lord sitting on his throne with all the multitudes of heaven standing on his right and on his left. 19 And the Lord said, ‘Who will entice Ahab king of Israel into attacking Ramoth Gilead and going to his death there?’
“One suggested this, and another that. 20 Finally, a spirit came forward, stood before the Lord and said, ‘I will entice him.’
“‘By what means?’ the Lord asked.
21 “‘I will go and be a deceiving spirit in the mouths of all his prophets,’ he said.
“‘You will succeed in enticing him,’ said the Lord. ‘Go and do it.’
22 “So now the Lord has put a deceiving spirit in the mouths of these prophets of yours. The Lord has decreed disaster for you.”
  • The Holy Spirit isn’t the only spirit that can influence you

1 John 4:1-6
4 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. 2 This is how you can recognize the Spirit of God: Every spirit that acknowledges that Jesus Christ has come in the flesh is from God, 3 but every spirit that does not acknowledge Jesus is not from God. This is the spirit of the antichrist, which you have heard is coming and even now is already in the world.
4 You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world. 5 They are from the world and therefore speak from the viewpoint of the world, and the world listens to them. 6 We are from God, and whoever knows God listens to us; but whoever is not from God does not listen to us. This is how we recognize the Spiritof truth and the spirit of falsehood.
  • Is all true prophecy from God?
  • How do you test the Spirit
    • Do they claim Jesus as savior
    • Are they followed by the world or by believers



Speaking In Tongues 

Tongues is a personal language of prayer given by God, whereby the believer can communicate with God beyond the limits of knowledge and understanding

1 Corinthians 14:13-19
13 For this reason the one who speaks in a tongue should pray that they may interpret what they say. 14 For if I pray in a tongue, my spirit prays, but my mind is unfruitful. 15 So what shall I do? I will pray with my spirit, but I will also pray with my understanding; I will sing with my spirit, but I will also sing with my understanding. 16 Otherwise when you are praising God in the Spirit, how can someone else, who is now put in the position of an inquirer,[d] say “Amen” to your thanksgiving, since they do not know what you are saying? 17 You are giving thanks well enough, but no one else is edified.
18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue.

  • Tongues have an important place in the devotional life of the believer, but a small place in the corporate life of the church
  • Every believer doesn’t have the gift of tongues; it’s not the only evidence of the Holy Spirit
  • Speaking in a language known by everyone isn’t the only incarnation of speaking in tongues

Possible incarnations of this gift:
  • being able to communicate with people whom you don’t speak the language



Interpretation of Tongues

This gift allows the gift of tongues to be of benefit for those other than the speaker, as they are able to hear and agree with the tongue-speaker's words to God. 

1 Corinthians 14:27-28
27 If anyone speaks in a tongue, two—or at the most three—should speak, one at a time, and someone must interpret. 28 If there is no interpreter, the speaker should keep quiet in the church and speak to himself and to God.

Apostleship

Ephesians 4:11-13
11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

The mission for those with the gift of apostleship today is to plant new ministries and churches, go into places where the Gospel is not preached, reach across cultures to establish churches in challenging environments, raise up and develop leaders, call out and lead pastors and shepherds, and much more.  

Evangelism

Evangelists are given the unique ability by the Holy Spirit to clearly and effectively communicate the Gospel of Jesus Christ to others.  They are burdened in their hearts for the lost and will go out of their way to share the truth with them.  Evangelists are able to overcome the normal fear of rejection and engage non-believers in meaningful conversations about Jesus.  Their gift allows them to communicate with all types of people and therefore they receive a greater response to the message of salvation through Jesus Christ.

Exhortation

The gift of exhortation is often called the "gift of encouragement."  

The Spirit of God gives this gift to people in the church to strengthen and encourage those who are wavering in their faith.  Those with the gift of exhortation can uplift and motivate others as well as challenge and rebuke them in order to foster spiritual growth and action.

Administration

The Greek word for the spiritual gift of administration is Kubernesis.  This is a unique term that refers to a shipmaster or captain. The literal meaning is "to steer," or "to rule or govern."  It carries the idea of someone who guides and directs a group of people toward a goal or destination.  

With this gift the Holy Spirit enables certain Christians to organize, direct, and implement plans to lead others in the various ministries of the Church.  This gift is closely related to the gift of Leadership, but is more goal or task oriented and is also more concerned with details and organization.
  • this is not just secretarial or what we call administrative work


Writing

The gift of writing: the special gift whereby the Spirit enables certain Christians to translate Bible truths into a written form that can edify, instruct and strengthen the community of believers. This is a gift of creative ability that is called into use in the service of the Lord to forward his kingdom. 

When writing for God you get extra ability that transcends your own writing ability.

Serving

Those with the gift of service are committed to the spread of the Gospel.  They serve in ways that benefit others with different gifts and ministries that are more public.  They have a heart devoted to Jesus and a desire to follow His command.  Those with this gift do not seek recognition or a position in the “spotlight,” they just love to help out.  They are content with serving in the background knowing that their contribution will bless the church, display the love of Christ to the world, and bring glory to God

Presenter: Michael Leadon



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