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Gifts From the Giver of Gifts (Selected Scriptures)

How many here like gifts? How many of you enjoy Christmas when you receive those gifts? Most of you celebrate Christmas receiving gift for one day. I celebrate Chanukah where I receive gifts for 8 days, with having a large family you can imagine how many gifts we get!! Its Wonderful!!

What is a gift if you don’t open it? A gift is no good still wrapped up. A gift is no good if you don’t use it or implement it. God has given us many gifts and so many of us don’t use the gifts we’ve been blessed with. Everyone here has a gift that we need to use for the Kingdom of God and the Body of Christ.

The Gifts of the Spirit are important and an essential part of the church and our ministry. God does not give us the Gifts for a show of our power but to manifest His great power. We do not worship the “Gifts” or those used in a particular Gift. We worship the giver of Gifts (James 1:17). Simon the Sorcerer in Acts 8 desired to purchase the Gift. His Spirit was not correct. He wanted this Gift for his selfish use, glory, and power. This is not the purpose of the Gifts.

SERMON MANUSCRIPT

“As each one has received a special gift, employ it in serving one another as good stewards of the manifold grace of God” (1 Peter 4:10).

What is the purpose of the gifts?

To show forth the power and love of the Holy Spirit in public gatherings, homes, families, and in people’s lives.
To help make the preaching of the gospel more effective by giving a confirmation to the message (Mark 16:15-20; Acts 14:8-18: 16:16-18; 19:11-20; 28:1-10).
To meet the needs of the people. Jesus always began at the person’s point of need. He ministered to their felt need first and also their hurts. In His first sermon at Nazareth He preached on ministering to the needs expressed in Luke 4:18-19. Jesus’ total emphasis was on meeting needs and healing the hurts of people.
To wage spiritual warfare against the devil and his forces (Acts 8:5-7; Acts 26:18).

When studying the Gifts of the Spirit we should always keep in mind:

They are to build up the church.
They are for the benefit of everyone.
They are always associated with needs.
They are not just for inside of the church building but also for anywhere we go including our homes.
They are for the glory of God and not to lift up man.
They require someone to be Spirit filled and obedient to the Spirit.
They do not operate independent of each other. They operate together. They work like the parts of the body—together.
They are “Gifts” and the one being used should remain humble and not become proud. As long as we remain humble we can be used mightily. God wants to do a work through us but He wants the glory.

“For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness” (Romans 12:4-8).

Prophecy: The Greatest prophet was Jesus
Serving: Helping to serve in the church and each other
Teaching: Being able to teach from the Word of God
Exhortation: Encouragement building each other up
Giving: Financially and with Time
Leadership: Leading and Directing
Mercy: Seeing a person where they are at and building them up

“Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills” (1 Corinthians 12:4-11).

Word of wisdom

Word of knowledge

Faith

Gifts of healing

Miracles

Prophecy

Distinguishing between spirits

Tongues

Interpretation of Tongues

“Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? But earnestly desire the higher gifts” (1 Corinthians 12:27-30).

Apostle

Prophet

Teacher

Miracles

Gifts of healing

Helps

Administration

Tongues

An apostle was an eye witness of Christ’s ministry and his resurrection. Mathias who replaced Judas was certainly an eyewitness of Christ and was therefore qualified to hold the office (Acts 1:1-21). There is no record of any further apostolic appointment in Scripture except for Paul who was not among the original twelve apostles but was later called by Christ into the apostolic ministry in person (Acts 9:1-28).

Certainly as regards prophets, yes! It all depends on the understanding of the role of New Testament prophecy. The principal purpose of the prophetic ministry in the last days concerns the proclamation of God’s Word and declaring the consequences of rejecting the atoning grace of Christ.

“As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen” (1 Peter 4:10-11).

Gifts of Speaking

Gifts of Serving

“And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love” (Ephesians 4:11-16).

Apostles

Prophets

Evangelists

Shepherds

Teachers

So we see through all of the gifts that they are there to build us up, so we need to use the gifts that God has given us. Let’s practice the gifts that God has given us. Maybe you have the gift of teaching or serving or helps or leadership, or encouragement. Whatever gift you have, let’s use them to build each other up in our fellowship. I know many of you have gifts that are hidden. Remember all of us have gifts that we have been given so that we can edify the body and help reach out to those who are not yet in the Kingdom.

Let’s Pray