Sunday
Morning Bible Study
July 18, 2004
Spiritual Gifts
Illustration
Preparing for a yard sale at their house, a couple decided to put out a
mirror they’d received as a wedding gift.
Because of its ugly aqua colored metal frame they just couldn’t find a
room in their house where it looked good.
Shortly after the yard sale started, a man looking to decorate his
apartment bought it for one dollar. “This is a great deal,” he said excitedly. “It
still has the plastic on it.” Then he peeled off the aqua colored protective
covering to reveal a beautiful gold finished frame.
I think that for some of us, we’ve had some experiences with spiritual
gifts that have sort of left a bad taste in our mouth. But be careful about rejecting the things
that the Spirit may be wanting to do in your life. What if the thing you’ve been disappointed in
wasn’t the actual work of the Spirit, but just the ugly plastic coating someone
put on it? God gives GOOD gifts:
(James 1:17 KJV)
Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above, and cometh down
from the Father of lights, with whom is no variableness, neither shadow of
turning.
What are spiritual gifts?
There are two different Greek words that are used to talk about spiritual
gifts.
(1 Cor 12:1 KJV) Now concerning spiritual gifts,
brethren, I would not have you ignorant.
spiritual – pneumatikos –
literally, “a Spirit-thing”; Spiritual gifts are tied to the work of the Holy
Spirit. They are “supernatural” in
nature.
Some folks believe that spiritual gifts are simply the natural traits you
were born with that God uses once you become a Christian. But there’s nothing “supernatural” about
that.
Other folks believe that since the gifts are supernatural, that you will
lose control of yourself and must start acting strange if the Holy Spirit is
working, like speaking in a different voice, rolling around on the ground, or
getting all emotional.
Though people may indeed respond with their emotions when the Holy Spirit
is working in them, don’t confuse their emotional response with the Holy
Spirit. Don’t forget that one of the
fruits the Holy Spirit produces in us is “self-control” (Gal. 5:22).
I believe that the Holy Spirit is able to work in such a “natural” way that
a person may be speaking to you for God, and though you don’t see any strange
emotional outbreaks from them, you find yourself strangely impacted by their
words.
(1 Cor 12:4 KJV) Now there are diversities of gifts, but the same Spirit.
gifts – charisma – a
favour with which one receives without any merit of his own; literally “a work
of grace”. We get the word “charismatic” from this word. Spiritual gifts are
not things you earn when you become “spiritual”; they are undeserved works of
grace.
Definition: A spiritual gift is an unearned, supernatural
ability given to you by the Holy Spirit.
Paul gave two lists of spiritual gifts in Romans 12:6-8 and 1Cor.
12:8-10.
Why does God give spiritual gifts?
What are they for? Do they serve any
purpose?
(1 Cor 12:7 KJV) But the manifestation of the Spirit is given
to every man to profit withal.
manifestation – phanerosis
– making visible or known what has been hidden or unknown. The root word means “to bring forth into the
light”. The idea is that the work of the
Holy Spirit isn’t always so visible, but when a gift of the Spirit is working, it becomes a little more obvious
that God is at work.
NAS - But to each one is
given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
We are given spiritual gifts so that we might build up other people, so the
Body of Christ might become stronger, so people might be reached for Jesus
Christ.
We are not given spiritual gifts so we...
might experience a cheap thrill, a tingling up and down your spine...
can have an opportunity to draw attention to ourselves, to have an
audience, or to have people think we’re really great.
can set up a tent, grow “big” hair, become rich, and set up a television
ministry...
We need to keep asking ourselves as we learn more and more about the Holy
Spirit, are we doing it for our sake, or for the sake of others?
Lesson
Come to give.
There are definitely times when we are
in a great need of God’s help.
But I think a good, healthy attitude to
come to church is, “What am I going
to contribute?”
Do you take time to prepare your heart before you come to church?
I think there is great benefit to
worship during the service as a way of preparing our hearts for God to work in
us and on us.
Sometimes we feel like we have to “pray
ourselves up” for God to use us. And
that’s not a bad concept. I think that
it is important that we enter ministry to others with prayer.
But what if we were
“prayed up” before we came to church
and even before the music started?
We often think that certainly the
pastor and the worship leader need to be prepared for each church service, but
what if you came prepared?
Obviously, not everyone is going to
have the opportunity to share something in front of the whole church. It’s hard even with a church as small as ours
for everyone to feel like they’re participating.
Yet perhaps on a Sunday morning you
might have an opportunity to use your gift either before or after the service
when you have a chance to talk with people.
For some, this is a great reason to be
involved in one of the smaller groups in church, so you can have an opportunity
to exercise your gifts.
God wants to use you. Are you ready?
Are spiritual gifts real? Are they
still in operation today?
Some folks believe that the more “supernatural” gifts have ceased and
haven’t been at work in the church since about 300 AD.
First: Look at the verse that is commonly used to
prove that the gifts have ceased operating:
(1 Cor 13:8-12 KJV) Charity (love) never faileth:
but whether there be prophecies, they shall fail; whether there be tongues, they
shall cease; whether there be knowledge, it shall vanish away.
Paul is definitely saying that there will be a time when prophecy, tongues,
and knowledge will stop operating. No
disagreement here.
{9} For we know in part, and we prophesy in part. {10} But when
that which is perfect is come, then that which is in part shall be done away.
The argument goes like this – when this “perfect” thing arrives, then the
“partial” things will cease functioning.
The “partial” things are these particular gifts of the Holy Spirit. What is the “perfect” thing?
They will then take you to Psalm 19:7 where David writes,
(Psa 19:7 KJV) The law of
the LORD is perfect, converting the soul
The argument is that God’s Word is the “perfect” thing back in 1Cor. 13:10,
and when the Bible was finished being written, the “perfect” thing had come,
and the church was now mature enough to no longer need the gifts of the Spirit.
There are a couple of problems with this.
First, David isn’t talking about the completed Bible as being “perfect” –
most of the Bible hadn’t even been written in David’s day. It’s quite a leap in logic to say that
David’s “perfect” law was equivalent to the completed Bible, which was the
“perfect” thing that Paul was talking about. Without Psalm 19:7, you would have
no reason to think that Paul is talking about the completed Bible as the
“perfect” thing.
Second, you can tell what the “perfect” thing is simply from finishing the
rest of what Paul wrote …
{11} When I was a child, I spake as a child, I understood as a
child, I thought as a child: but when I became a man, I put away childish
things. {12} For now we see through a glass, darkly; but then face to face: now
I know in part; but then shall I know even as also I am known.
What is the “perfect” thing? It’s
what the world will be when Jesus returns.
It’s when Jesus returns that we will see Him face to face.
What Paul is saying is that when Jesus returns, we will no longer have a
need for spiritual gifts because we will then know all things and we ourselves
will be perfect. That’s when the gifts
will cease to operate.
Second: Peter’s explanation of the gifts of the
Spirit at Pentecost.
When the Holy Spirit fell on the disciples at Pentecost, and they began to
speak in tongues, Peter got up to explain to the crowd that had gathered what
was going on.
(Acts 2:14-21 KJV) But Peter, standing up with the eleven,
lifted up his voice, and said unto them, Ye men of Judaea, and all ye that
dwell at Jerusalem, be this known unto you, and hearken to my words: {15} For
these are not drunken, as ye suppose, seeing it is but the third hour of the
day. {16} But this is that which was spoken by the prophet Joel; {17} And it
shall come to pass in the last days, saith God, I will pour out of my Spirit
upon all flesh: and your sons and your daughters shall prophesy, and your young
men shall see visions, and your old men shall dream dreams: {18} And on my
servants and on my handmaidens I will pour out in those days of my Spirit; and
they shall prophesy: {19} And I will show wonders in heaven above, and signs in
the earth beneath; blood, and fire, and vapour of smoke: {20} The sun shall be
turned into darkness, and the moon into blood, before that great and notable
day of the Lord come: {21} And it shall come to pass, that whosoever shall call
on the name of the Lord shall be saved.
Peter explains that what the people had seen was explained with Joel’s
prophecy about the “last days”.
Yet if you pay attention to all of Joel’s prophecy, which Peter quotes,
you’ll notice that the prophecy didn’t just apply to Peter’s day, but even more
clearly applies to the time of the return of Jesus to the earth (Mat. 24:29) –
which is just around the corner.
In other words, there will an outpouring of the Spirit at the time of
Jesus’ return which includes the gift of prophecy. If the gift of prophecy has already ceased,
then how are the “sons and daughters” going to prophesy in the last days?