Gifted By God Pt. 2
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This is church! This is a fellowship of believers, set free by the blood, commissioned by the Savior, and gifted by the Spirit!
Today we continue last week’s message, “Gifted by God” as we look to conclude our series on the church. God desires to build this body… to build this church. And as a part of the building, He wants us to utilize the spiritual giftings He has given us.
Specifically, I believe God wants to help us discover, develop, and deploy the giftings He has given us. Why do I believe that?
God does not give us giftings and then leave them dormant. These giftings are given for the common good… and are to be in operation within the local church.
A dormant gifting… is a non-deployed gifting. It is a missed opportunity. And… it will have a crippling effect on the body of Christ.
And.. perhaps that gifting is dormant because it hasn’t been discovered or developed yet. As pastor, I want to do all I can to help you discover, develop and deploy your gifting. Why?
One, I want you to experience all that God has for you! He has a plan for you… and a place for you. YOU ARE AN IMPORTANT PART OF THE BODY OF CHRIST.
Two, I want this church to experience all that God has for us. If we want more, we must give all. If want want to see the heartland transformed by the love of Christ, then the church must be fully operational in the gifts of the Spirit. THIS IS HOW GOD DESIGNED HIS CHURCH TO OPERATE.
Let’s not make the mistake of trying to “do church” our way. Let’s go all in and be excited to do church God’s way!
Our study takes us back to 1 Corinthians 12 where Paul gives us a description of the body of Christ.
He lays out some really important things that we need to be mindful of.
One, the body is made up of ALL believers.
Two, the body put together by God. Every part is placed specifically by God.
Three, all parts are important. The body cannot operate effectively or efficiently with missing parts.
Four, although there are many parts that make up the body, they are all gifted by the same Spirit.
And that is where we are digging in. Last week we established the consistency of the Spirit. We looked at how the Spirit of God will not gift or lead a person of God to do anything that contradicts the Word of God.
There is unity, harmony… consistency among the giftings. THEY ALL POINT PEOPLE TO JESUS. They work hand in hand with God’s purpose.
God is building this body for His purpose of reaching the lost.
Our next point in the study is going to look at…
The Community of the Spirit
The Community of the Spirit
First off, what is community?
Defined, community is a unified body of individuals. Where consistency among the gifts brings harmony and unity to the gifts… community is unity among those God has gifted. These gifts are not given that every believer would go and do their own thing… they are given for the common good… to be in operation within the community of the body.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
This one is simple. The gift is given to you but the gift is not given for you. Wait… what? As verse 7 just said, spiritual gifts are given for the COMMON GOOD.
Spiritual gifts are specific God-given abilities that serve the primary purpose of promoting the spiritual growth and development of the church.
To be clear, these gifting are not the same as the gifts and ministries mentioned in Romans 12:6-8 and Ephesians 4:11. Those giftings commission and empower certain believers to minister in a more permanent or full-time manner in the church.
So… do spiritual giftings do nothing for the person God has gifted? Giftings in motion absolutely have a positive, spiritual impact in the life of the believer! As a believer places that gift into motion for the betterment and growth of God’s church… God will also initiate growth within the heart and life of the believer.
It will cause an increase of faith… as faith is required in the deployment of the gift.
But what we need to understand is the Spirit of God does not distribute these gifts for the personal gain or glory of any one person… but He distributes the giftings for the collective gain and growth of the faith community.
The gifting or giftings that God gives you… helps to make up a beautiful community of believers working together for the cause of Jesus Christ.
I see it somewhat like a puzzle. You can’t make out the entire picture until all the pieces are in place. And… if a piece goes missing, it is very obvious to the overall picture.
Unity… or community within the body is something that cannot be left to chance… it is something that must be protected.
Just as the Spirit of God distributes giftings for the common good… so does the enemy attempt to implant “spirits” to wreck unity within the church.
We believe in God… we must also believe in the enemy of God. If there were no enemy, there would be no work. The devil has been at work from the dawn of creation to separate humankind from God through sin. God has been at work through His Son to call all sinners home.
My point is… we must guard our hearts from evil spirits that would attempt to disrupt the unity within the body. And where do I see the enemy try this the most? Through our preferences.
We can quickly lose sight of God’s purpose… when we become fixated on personal preference. Personal preference is not focused on community… it is focused on inward desires.
Here’s the deal… we all have different preferences in this room.... and that’s okay! That is what makes us unique! AND… those differences make us more effective in the place God has planted you.
This is interesting: God can build the body using our differences as a tool. And our differences will often reveal our preferences.
So where can things go wrong? When our preference becomes priority over the common good… then we begin to have a problem.
Going back to Paul’s illustration in 1 Corinthians 12, not all members of the body are a foot or a hand or an eye… and the hand shouldn’t try to make the foot work or act like… a hand!
What are some signs that our preference is leading the way instead of God’s purpose?
Complacency - A constant, vocalized displeasure regarding church operations and ministry.
Critical - tearing down instead of building up.
Discord - trying to get others to see it your way.
Disconnect - withdrawing from the common good in protest because your preference hasn’t been met.
Control - attempting to manipulate or force things to go a certain direction.
Accusatory - defensive attacks or accusations when others don’t see it your way.
I want to be crystal clear in this next statement: Those attitudes are NOT a result of spiritual giftings. They come not from the Lord, but from the enemy. If you find yourself wrestling with these tendencies… chances are… you are listening to the wrong spirit!
Unity or community within the body is something we must work for and protect.
How do we work for unity? By submitting ourselves to the Spirit of God AND by saying no to the influence of the enemy.
As we get ready to move to the next point, I want us to quickly revisit 1 Corinthians 12:27. That verse says
27 Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it.
Each is a part… each helps to make up the community or the body that God is building. God will in fact work in you… but He also desires to work through you.
As every part of the body functions according to the giftings God has given them… the body is able to serve more efficiently and effectively as they serve the community that God has called them to reach.
God desires for our giftings to work together in community… in harmony… in unity with HIS purpose and within HIS church.
As as this takes places… we see a beautiful picture emerge which brings us to our next point…
The Completeness of the Spirit
The Completeness of the Spirit
You need to understand something very important today… the body of Christ is NOT complete… without you.
If you are a believer and you are not utilizing the spiritual gifts God has given you for His purposes… the body is incomplete. Paul, again, makes this clear in his instruction in 1 Corinthians 12:15-20
15 Now if the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” it would not for that reason stop being part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? 18 But in fact God has placed the parts in the body, every one of them, just as he wanted them to be. 19 If they were all one part, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
I want to give some caution on some thoughts that can keep us from serving as the Spirit would lead us to serve. EVERY BELIEVER IS A PART OF THE BODY OF CHRIST. EVERY PART OF THE BODY IS IMPORTANT.
If we’re not careful, we can get caught up in a dangerous comparison game that keeps us on the sideline instead of engaged on the front line.
The enemy will play on your heart and try to make you feel… insignificant… like your role doesn’t matter. It takes ALL parts to make the body… and when one part is missing… the body cannot function as God designed it to function.
The Spirit of God distributes giftings throughout the church to complete the body… It is up to the pars of the body to respond accordingly. God will gift you… will you use that gift for His glory?
So… what are the gifts of the Spirit? We are given a list by Paul in 1 Corinthians 12:8-10. While not comprehensive, that list includes:
Message of wisdom
Message of knowledge
The gift of faith
The gift of healing
The gift of miraculous powers
The gift of prophecy
The gift of distinguishing between spirits (discernment)
The gift of tongues
The gift of interpretation of tongues
These truly are amazing gifts given by our Lord! AND… when these gifts come into operation for the common good… the ministry of the body of Christ is able to run on all cylinders. There are no misfires, no loss of power, no hiccups in the timing.
So what do we need to do in response to this teaching today?
First, we need to recognize that… the the Spirit gives no believer the gift of sideliner’s faith. ALL believers are an important part of the body!
Secondly, if we don’t know what our spiritual gifting is, we need to pray about and DISCOVER what that might be.
Third, as that discovery is made, we need to work to DEVELOP that gift and exercise that gift.
And lastly, we need to fully DEPLOY that gift within the body. If you’re not already actively engaged in some way, we need to get you actively engaged.
Bottom line… the church in general has been trying to operate on a non-sustainable ministry model… and not by choice. That model is 20% of the people doing 80% of the work. That is NOT God’s design for His church.
Imagine what the church would look like if… 100% of believers operated in the gift the Spirit distributed to them. That is how we are going to see God do more than He has ever done before! God doesn’t want to work around His church… He wants to work THROUGH His church!
The church is the extension of Jesus’ ministry until He returns! And that brings us to our closing today.
Jesus Brings it All Together.
Jesus Brings it All Together.
There is no church… without Jesus. There is no body, without the head. Scripture clearly identifies Jesus as the head of the church.
We see this declaration in:
Ephesians 1:22.
Ephesians 5:23.
Colossians 1:18.
It is Christ who brings the body together AND who places the body in motion. None of this would be possible without Jesus and His work on the cross.
In Christ, we find renewed meaning and purpose. In Christ we find a hope that cannot be found in the world. In Christ, we experience a fullness of life and complete forgiveness of our sins. In Christ, we become a part of something way bigger than ourselves… we become a part of the body.
And today, we want to remember the price that was paid, that made all of this a possibility. The body of Christ… was bought and paid for… through the blood of the Lamb.
This is church… a body of blood bought believers. A community of spirit filled people working together for the common good of the kingdom.
You’ve heard me talk about the church over these last seven weeks. And maybe… you have yet to give your life to Christ. You hear this talk… but remain on the outside.
Hear me today… attending church doesn’t make you a believer. Even serving in church doesn’t make you a believer. You must give your heart to Jesus in response of what He has done for you. What did Christ do? He died so you can be set free of all sin.
Sin brings death… but Christ gives life. You can experience new life in Him this very moment… but it requires an acknowledgement or confession of sin… and calling on the name of our Savior.
PRAYER - Salvation
If you desire to give your life to Jesus today, I want to pray with you this morning.
Secondly, we want to remember the cost Jesus paid that made all of this a possibility. So as we worship God and serve communion, can we focus in on what Christ has done… and give Him glory?
Communion
23 For I received from the Lord what I also passed on to you: The Lord Jesus, on the night he was betrayed, took bread, 24 and when he had given thanks, he broke it and said, “This is my body, which is for you; do this in remembrance of me.” 25 In the same way, after supper he took the cup, saying, “This cup is the new covenant in my blood; do this, whenever you drink it, in remembrance of me.” 26 For whenever you eat this bread and drink this cup, you proclaim the Lord’s death until he comes.
This reminder in Scripture is given just one chapter ahead of Paul’s teaching on the body of Christ. There is no spiritually gifted body without the redeeming work of Jesus.
He did it all. He gave it all. And He welcomes all. Can we thank Him as we remember His life, his ministry, His death, and His resurrection?
FINAL REMARKS
For those who might be looking to discover your spiritual gifting, we have a simple tool available for you to utilize. Ultimately, you need to seek the Lord as He has the final say regarding the spiritual gifts… but this might help point you in the right direction.