Glynlea Grace United Methodist Chruch

Scripture

1 Corinthians 12:1-11

Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be uninformed. ² You know that when you were heathen, you were led astray to dumb idols, however you may have been moved. ³ Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says "Jesus be cursed!" and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit. ⁴ Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵ and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; ⁶ and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. ⁷ To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. ⁸ To one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, ⁹ to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, ¹⁰ 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. ¹¹ All these are inspired by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

Summary and Function

Summary: As followers of Jesus, we all receive a Spiritual gift. This is a special ability that the Holy Spirit gives us once we repent and follow Jesus as Savior and Lord. Jesus expects us to use these gifts in love to build each other up. In this way, the Lord equips us to fulfill the great commission to spread the good news and make disciples of all nations.

Purpose: To help the congregation to eagerly search for their spiritual gifts and use them to build each other up and accomplish the great commission.

The Sermon

I. Introduction: My favorite super hero: Spiderman

1. Most people can remember watching their favorite superhero as kids.

• We admired the superheroes because they had special powers and used their powers for good, to help other people
• My favorite superhero is Spiderman.

2. Spiderman’s real identity is Peter Parker.

• There’s a scene in the first Spiderman movie where Peter’s uncle said, “With great power comes great responsibility.”
• At first, Peter didn’t listen to his uncle. However, after his uncle was murdered, Peter took his words to heart and started to use his powers to help people.

3. This lesson applies to us as Christians

II. As followers of Christ, we are given great power

1. Jesus promises us the Holy Spirit

• John 14:15-18 – “If you love me, you will keep my commandments. ¹⁶ And I will pray the Father, and he will give you another Counselor, to be with you for ever, ¹⁷ even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees him nor knows him; you know him, for he dwells with you, and will be in you. ¹⁸ "I will not leave you desolate; I will come to you.”
• John 16:5-7 – “But now I am going to him who sent me; yet none of you asks me, `Where are you going?' ⁶ But because I have said these things to you, sorrow has filled your hearts. ⁷ Nevertheless I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Counselor will not come to you; but if I go, I will send him to you.”

• 1 Peter 2:9 – “But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, God's own people, that you may declare the wonderful deeds of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.”
• As members of a royal priesthood, we have our own ministry. If you are a follower of Jesus Christ, you have a ministry.
• God equips us to fulfill our ministries. That’s where Spiritual Gifts come in.

III. Spiritual Gifts

1. What they are

• 1 Corinthians 12:4-7 – “Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; ⁵ and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; ⁶ and there are varieties of working, but it is the same God who inspires them all in every one. ⁷ To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.”
• They are abilities given to each believer by the Holy Spirit.
• The Holy Spirit chooses who gets what ability.
• The ability(ies) that the Holy Spirit gives us, should determine the type of ministries we pursue.
• The purpose of the gifts is to lovingly build each other up so we can fulfill the great commission of making disciples of all nations.

2. The types of gifts

• 1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30; Romans 12:1-8 and Ephesians 4:1-16
• Wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, working of miracles, prophecy, discerning of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues, apostleship, prophets, teaching, helps, administration, exhortation (encouragement),  generosity, leadership, mercy, evangelism, assistance/helps, pastor-teacher (shepherding)

3. How to determine your gifts

• Realize they can change over time.
• Pray for God to show you your gifts
• Start by taking a spiritual test inventory. This does not provide the definitive answer. It can, however, get you started in your discerning process
• Ask: Where is my passion?
• Try out various jobs/ministries within the church

IV. Conclusion