SPIRITUAL GIFTS

1. Imagine the following scenario.

2. We live in a time period where electricity does not exist.

3. Communication as we know it (e-mail, telephone, fax, etc.) has not been invented.

4. One day a man comes to our community and spends the night.

5. The next day he goes to a public place where people we gathered and asks for our attention.

6. He says he is a preacher. He asks if any of us has heard of Jesus of Nazareth.

7. None of us raises our hand because we have not heard of Christ.

8. The preacher then begins to tell a story.

9. He says there is only one God, and this one true God requires people to obey Him.

10. Since all are disobedient at one point or another, all are guilty of something called sin.

11. Unless this sin is forgiven, people will leave this life and face punishment.

SOMEONE IN THE CROWD IS VERY SKEPTICAL AND SAYS THE PREACHER IS FULL OF NONSENSE; HE IS A DELUSIONAL MAN WHO IS PROBABLY JUST TRYING TO MAKE A QUICK BUCK OFF OF US. IT WILL NOT BE TOO LONG BEFORE HE ASKS FOR SOME MONEY.

a) As people in this group we would be put into the position of making a choice.

b) Would they believe their friend and neighbor who has just made a charge?

c) Or would we believe the preacher?

2) Fair minded people would probably say to the preacher, “What proof do you have?”

3) The preacher sees someone in our group who cannot walk without a cane. His legs are crippled.

4) The preacher turns his attention to the sick man: “Sir, who are you? What is your condition?”

5) “Have you been ill for very long? Are you a citizen in this town?”

6) At this point our town skeptic who made the charge speaks up again: He is stalling for time.

7) The preacher walks over to the lame man and says, “in the name of Jesus, be whole.”

8) Instantly the lame man is healed and the former sick person demonstrates the miracle to the crowd.

9) We see the miracle and we say to the preacher, “tell us more.”

10) This is the kind of thing that took place in the early history of the church.

11) It worked and worked well, but there were still some obstacles in first century times.

12) Suppose that the preacher in our story was in our midst for 3-4 days or even a week.

13) Let’s further say that he baptized 200 of us.

14) After a few days he feels compelled to move on so he leaves.

15) After a week’s instruction, we would not be mature Christians.

16) Since the New Testament had not yet been written, we would not have the guide we have.

17) Today we have 66 books from God but Christians still manage to get off course.

18) If this is what happens now, what about new Christians who had no Scriptures?

19) Common sense says that they needed help.

God gave them help.

AS WE LOOK AT THE NEW TESTAMENT WE FIND REFERENCES TO SPIRITUAL GIFTS.

A. In fact, if we look at the First Corinthian letter, we find Paul describing 9 gifts.

B. Tonight we want to spend most of our time talking about these gifts.

2. In the 4^th verse of First Corinthians 12, Paul said there were “diversities of gifts.”

3. God’s spiritual gifts were of several different types, but all came from the Holy Spirit.

4. Verses 8-10 are where we find the gifts, so let’s introduce them now – READ.

5. In this list the first two gifts are the “word of wisdom” and the “word of knowledge.”

6. It seems the gift of wisdom was related to doctrinal truth.

A. Without a New Testament and with limited teaching, Christians needed help in knowing what to believe.

B. God did not intend for His people to make up their own doctrine.

C. Now we have heaven’s doctrine in the Word of God.

D. For those who lived prior to the completion of the Bible, this information came through spiritual gifts.

7. Those in the first century also needed an authoritative source to answer doctrinal questions.

8. They needed answers for questions related to living as a Christian and church matters.

9. When we look at the Bible, we find that it contains facts and doctrine.

10. If we view the Bible as only a book of facts, we are not going to get very far.

11. Facts and truths must be applied; related to everyday living (life).

12. Here is where the second gift came in: the word of knowledge.

13. I have heard Pat Robertson from the 700 club claim to have a “word of knowledge.”

A. He alleges that a heavenly message is coming in about a sick person.

B. Someone somewhere has the medical problem he is describing.

C. That is hardly a work of God.

D. I can just as easily say right now someone somewhere has a heart condition.

E. My statement is truthful. He also often claims that someone is being healed.

F. That part of his allegation must be dealt with at a later time; it is off subject for tonight.

G. Suffice it to say that Mr. Robertson makes up his own definition for this gift and he is wrong.

H. A word of knowledge was information on the Word of God applied to life and specific situations.

14. Gift # 3 is described as “faith,” and this has confused people.

15. Many have said that faith is a requirement for all, so who can it be a gift?

16. Jesus spoke about a faith that can “move mountains” (Mt. 17:20).

17. That level of faith is beyond ordinary faith.

18. The gift of faith may have been important in miracles like raising the dead.

19. Some have suggested no miraculous faith was needed for curing the sick, but it was necessary for raising the dead.

20. It is also possible that the gift of faith was used in special circumstances.

21. When something seemed absolutely impossible, the gift of faith began to operate.

22. In the list of gifts the fourth is referred to as “healings.”

A. Lots of healings are described in the New Testament.

B. People who were ill got well; this is the general thrust of this endowment.

C. If we look carefully at this gift you will find that it is plural.

D. Paul spoke of “gifts” of “healings.”

E. This may indicate that healing abilities came in several different forms.

F. I would not include raising the dead in this category because that was not a healing.

G. Furthermore, this act seems to lend itself to the next category.

23. Gift # 5 is “miracles,” or more specifically the “workings of miracles.”

A. One source says the combination of both words point to casting out demons.

B. This may have also included something like Luke described in Acts 13:9-12.

C. Acts 13 tells us about Paul used power from the Holy Spirit to punish an evil man.

D. Whatever the exact nature of this gift, it allowed Christians to perform unusual miracles.

24. The second gift in verse 10 (which is the 6^th of the 9 mentioned) is prophecy.

A. Many think prophecy was little more than predicting future events.

B. Foretelling events was involved, but prophets did much more.

1) A prophet declared the will of God.

C. Since the early Christians were without a New Testament, this was a critical need in the church.

25. With the true prophets were also false prophets.

26. Without the Scriptures Christians needed a way to tell who was telling the truth and who was not.

27. Thus, the Holy Spirit offered a gift to aid in this way as well (verse 10).

28. There were Christians who were given the ability to “discern spirits.”

29. Such a person could determine satanic strategies and demonic activity.

30. We can now make those determinations by using the Bible; at the beginning this gift was needed.

A. Gift # 8 is the one that is often mentioned today; Christians had the gift of “tongues.”

B. I find it interesting that of the 9 listed gifts, 8 of the mentioned abilities are almost neglected.

C. Discerning of spirits is hardly never mentioned. The same is true of faith.

D. Almost no one talks about the “word of wisdom” ability.

E. Even the “interpretation of tongues” is quickly passed over.

31. Think about the gifts already discussed.

32. Christians had everything they needed to live the Christian life.

33. They had the knowledge they needed plus the means to prove the gospel was true.

34. What was lacking was the ability to communicate the message to others.

35. It takes a long time to learn a foreign language.

A. God wanted His people to go into all the world and teach people about Christianity.

B. How could that be done since people speak different languages?

C. God gave the gift of tongues (the ability to speak in languages never studied or learned).

36. Speaking is half the battle, but what happened when a foreigner began to talk back?

37. Here is where the final gift became necessary.

38. The Holy Spirit also gave the “interpretation” of tongues.

39. Christians with this ability could understand languages they had never studied.

40. God gave gifts so His people could do what we can do through the completed Bible.

41. This is why Paul said in 1 Cor. 13, those in the first century had that which was “in part.”

A. Not every Christian had ever spiritual gift.

B. Things were sort of pieced together for a time until the Bible could be completed.

C. The partial (time of spiritual gifts) was to be completed by the “perfect” (what was complete).

D. This perfect (completeness) is the Word of God.

42. When we look at the gifts of the Holy Spirit, we should have greater appreciation for the Bible.

43. We have what many of the first Christians would have loved having.

44. Yet, it is often the case that God’s word is not read or hardly read.

45. What we have is just as powerful as the spiritual gifts in the first century.

46. God’s word reproves, convicts, teaches, exhorts, and is the Spirit’s sword.

47. When people run around shouting about gifts of the Holy Spirit, they have no idea what they are saying.

48. We have a gift from the Holy Spirit, and it is one of the greatest gifts ever used by man.