Weekly Sermons

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Series: The Spirit-Filled Life
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Scripture: 1 Corinthians 12-13
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The God of our spiritual gifts

Read 1 Corinthians 12-13             God of our Spiritual Gifts             Let’s Pray!

Every person on earth has natural abilities given to them by God to bless the world with, but only Christians (those born of the Spirit) are given spiritual gifts to bless the world with.    

Main Points from 1 Peter 4:10-11

  1. Every Christian has received a spiritual gift
  2. Every Christian is to use their spiritual gift to serve one another
  3. Using your gift is a stewardship matter that magnifies God’s grace
  4. The gifts fall under 2 broad categories: speaking gifts and serving gifts
  5. Since God gives the ability to use the gift, God is to get the glory

Main Points from Ephesians 4:11-16

  1. God gives leaders to equip the saints for the work of ministry
  2. God’s leaders are to edify (build up) the body of Christ
  3. God’s purpose is that His people grow in Christ
  4. Jesus Christ is the Head of the church, Christians are the “body”
  5. When Christians use their gift and do their part, the body grows

So I sought for a man among them who would make a wall, and stand in the gap before Me on behalf of the land, that I should not destroy it; but I found none.                                                                                                              -Ezekiel 22:30

Main points from Romans 12:3-8

  1. We are not to brag about the gifts God graciously gave us!
  2. It is a good thing that different members have different gifts
  3. We should develop and use our gifts diligently  
  4. We should appreciate others as they develop and use their gifts
  5. We should work together as God’s team as each uses their gift

From those 3 passages it occurs to me that members are placed in the church body like members of an orchestra. Each brings his or her different gift, and each doing their part helps the orchestra make beautiful music together.  

The main contribution 1 Corinthians 12 makes to the spiritual gift teaching  is that the Holy Spirit who saved us and fills us is our “Conductor” leading us make “beautiful music” with one another for the glory of God! 

Main points from 1 Corinthians 12-13:

1.        Spiritual gifts are given to Christians only and to glorify God

The Corinthian Christians were in danger of making idols of their spiritual gifts. God gave them the gifts, but they were exalting their gifts and judging others who weren’t gifted in the same way they were.

2.        The Spirit distributes and directs the use of different gifts as He wills

3.        If miraculous gifts exist today, not all believers will get them and it is wrong to suggest they should

Normative gifts are gifts that are clearly still given today. They are things commanded of all believers but that individual believers are especially gifted at.   

Performing miraculous gifts is never commanded of all believers, and may have been limited to the days the apostles of Jesus were alive, to substantiate their role in writing the New Testament.

Truly the signs of an apostle were accomplished among you with all perseverance, in signs and wonders and mighty deeds.                      -2 Cor. 12:12

4.        The church body will be dysfunctional if you don’t use your gift 

5.        If love for God and others doesn’t motivate the use of your gifts, you’re just making noise