Fire & Wind: A Summer of Renewal // Spiritual Gifts
Fire & Wind: A Summer of Renewal //
Spiritual Gifts
Pastor Charlie Weir
Acts 18:1-11 (NIV) After this, Paul left Athens and went to Corinth. 2 There he met a Jew named Aquila, a native of Pontus, who had recently come from Italy with his wife Priscilla, because Claudius had ordered all Jews to leave Rome. Paul went to see them, 3 and because he was a tentmaker as they were, he stayed and worked with them. 4 Every Sabbath he reasoned in the synagogue, trying to persuade Jews and Greeks. 5 When Silas and Timothy came from Macedonia, Paul devoted himself exclusively to preaching, testifying to the Jews that Jesus was the Messiah. 6 But when they opposed Paul and became abusive, he shook out his clothes in protest and said to them, “Your blood be on your own heads! I am innocent of it. From now on I will go to the Gentiles.” 7 Then Paul left the synagogue and went next door to the house of Titius Justus, a worshiper of God. 8 Crispus, the synagogue leader and his entire household believed in the Lord; and many of the Corinthians who heard Paul believed and were baptized. 9 One night the Lord spoke to Paul in a vision: “Do not be afraid; keep on speaking, do not be silent. 10 For I am with you, and no one is going to attack and harm you, because I have many people in this city.” 11 So Paul stayed in Corinth for a year and a half, teaching them the word of God.
Opening Encouragement
1 Corinthians 1:4-9 4 I always thank my God for you because of his grace given you in Christ Jesus. 5 For in him you have been enriched in every way—with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge— 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. 8 He will also keep you firm to the end, so that you will be blameless on the day of our Lord Jesus Christ. 9 God is faithful, who has called you into fellowship with his Son, Jesus Christ our Lord.
Teachable Moment
Spiritual gifts are given for the mutual edification of the body and for missional effectiveness
1 Corinthians 12:1-3 (NIV) 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.
Q: How do we know if the gift exercised is from God?
A: Who does the gift reflect?
Teachable Moment: The gift as given reveals it’s given source.
1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (NIV)
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.
Teachable Moment: The Holy Spirit’s activity is broad yet centrally sourced and operationally unified.
1 Corinthians 12:8-11 (NIV)
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, 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.
• Message of wisdom
Super-natural insight or understanding
• Message of knowledge
Specific revelation for the moment
• Faith
An expansion of salvation faith
• Healing
The combination of faith and action prayer
• Miraculous powers
• Prophecy
God’s turn by turn instructions in any a given moment.
• Distinguishing spirits
Spiritual ability to call out spiritual counterfeits
• Tongues
An angelic language unknown to humanity
• Interpretation of Tongues
The understood intent of the Holy Spirit’s words.
Teachable Moments Review
• Spiritual gifts are given for the mutual edification of the body and for its missional effectiveness.
• The gift as given reveals it’s given source.
• The Holy Spirit’s activity is broad yet centrally sourced and operationally unified.
The “more spiritually functional” we allow our gatherings to be the “more spiritually functional” our lived lives will be.
Humility is integral to spiritual maturity. Humility allows for coaching.
Coachable people…
• have a desire for more.
• believe there is more.
• have a settledness in who they are at the moment.
Our desire for a growing diversity is broader than the narrowly defined current cultural fixation. We desire to mature in our understanding of God and to become a more effective missional cultural force.
The Challenge isn’t…
• to believe that the Holy Spirit still operates today.
• to believe that the Holy Spirit gifts the Church for ministry and mission.
The Challenge is to…
• respond to His offer of gifts
• mature in the operation of those gifts for mutual edification and missional effectiveness.
I love that God…
• trusts us with His gifts.
• lets us learn as we go.