A spiritual gift is an ability given by the Holy Spirit to express our faith effectively for the building up of The Body of Christ and of another’s faith.
Spiritual Gifts
1 Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this. 1 Corinthians 12:1 NLT
WE GO TO GOD’S WORD FOR UNDERSTANDING AND GUIDANCE.
12 For the word of God is alive and powerful. It is sharper than the sharpest two-edged sword, cutting between soul and spirit, between joint and marrow. It exposes our innermost thoughts and desires. 13 Nothing in all creation is hidden from God. Everything is naked and exposed before his eyes, and he is the one to whom we are accountable. Hebrews 4:12-13 NLT
- We believe in the sufficiency of scripture.
- Scripture is enough.
- The Son of God is revealed through the Word of God.
- The Spiritual Gifts are identified and encouraged in God’s Word.
4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. 7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 NLT
11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. 1 Corinthians 12:11 NLT
- Only believers have spiritual gifts.
- You can’t earn or work for a spiritual gift.
- The Holy Spirit decides what gifts I get.
- I am to develop the gifts God gives me.
- It’s a sin to waste the gifts God gave me.
- Using my gifts honors God and builds up the Body of Christ.
Discover the areas in which the Holy Spirit seems to supernaturally empower your service to others and grow in your understanding of how God has gifted you.
7 “Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. 8 For everyone who asks receives; the one who seeks finds; and to the one who knocks, the door will be opened. Matthew 7:7-8 NIV
I WAS MADE FOR THIS!
13 You made all the delicate, inner parts of my body and knit me together in my mother’s womb. 14 Thank you for making me so wonderfully complex! Your workmanship is marvelous—how well I know it. 15 You watched me as I was being formed in utter seclusion, as I was woven together in the dark of the womb. 16 You saw me before I was born. Every day of my life was recorded in your book. Every moment was laid out before a single day had passed. 17 How precious are your thoughts about me, O God. They cannot be numbered! 18 I can’t even count them; they outnumber the grains of sand! And when I wake up, you are still with me! Psalm 139:13-18 NLT
GOD HAS SHAPED ME FOR MINISTRY:
- Spiritual Gifts – The Holy Spirit distributes.
- Heart – What I love to do or I’m passionate about.
- Abilities – What I’m able to do to help.
- Personality – How I do what I do.
- Experiences – What I’ve been through that can help.
MINISTRY IS MEETING THE NEEDS OF OTHERS WITH GOD’S LOVE.
- Every believer is a minister.
- Every believer has a spiritual gift.
Next Steps for me today…
- Surrender my life to Jesus and receive salvation by faith in what Jesus has done to redeem me.
- Embrace the Holy Spirit that is placed within me and discover the gifts he has for me.
- Use my gifts to build up the Body of Christ.
- Attend Serve class on the 14th.