Sermon Summary

This week, Pastor Chris continued in our Healthy Church series, sharing about more of the spiritual gifts that God has given us to steward. Part of the resurrection and ascension of Christ was the impartation of gifts to the people of God through the Holy Spirit. Every good and perfect thing comes from the giver of good gifts, and we have a responsibility to steward what He’s given us. Chris encouraged us to grow in our earnest desire to serve others in love, and to advance the Kingdom of God within the body of Christ.

Ephesians 4:1–8 (ESV)
1 I therefore, a prisoner for the Lord, urge you to walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called, 2 with all humility and gentleness, with patience, bearing with one another in love, 3 eager to maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace. 4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. 8 Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”

Gateways to Spiritual Gifts
• Worship
• Love for Others
• Body-Membership
• Serve Others
• Mature Christ’s Church

1 Corinthians 12:27–31 (ESV)
27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

Romans 12:11 (ESV)
11 Do not be slothful in zeal, be fervent in spirit, serve the Lord.

Three Categories of Spiritual Gifts:

  1. Sign Gifts (Supernatural)
  2. Serving Gifts (deeds)
  3. Speaking Gifts (words)

1. Apostles (Speaking) ~ This special ability manifests itself in missions, church planting, training pastors/missionaries, convening conferences, building ministry platforms, and leading leaders.

Ephesians 4:11–12 (ESV)
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ,

• Thinks About: Big picture.
• Motivated By: Vision.
• Brings: Transfer of vision.
• Potential Pitfalls: Compromising vision to please people; control.

Do you have this gift?

  1. Do pastors and ministry leaders seek you out for wise counsel, oversight, and help?
  2. Do you have deep compassion and concern for ministry leaders and their families?
  3. Are you a spiritual entrepreneur who likes to start something or grow something?

Ministry Areas: Missions, Evangelism, Pioneering new arenas of ministry.

2. Prophecy (Speaking) ~ The special ability that God gives to certain members of the body of Christ to receive and communicate an immediate message of God to His people through a divinely anointed utterance.

1 Corinthians 14:3
the one who prophesies speaks to people for their upbuilding and encouragement and consolation.

Hearing God’s Voice

  1. Christian Grace: the supernatural ability for all believers to hear God’s voice (John 10:27).
  2. Gift of Prophecy: supernatural grace given to believers to minister revelation from God with greater clarity and power (1 Cor. 12:8-10).
  3. Prophet: the supernatural and foundational gift to the body for her edification and maturity (Eph. 4:11-14).

• What they suddenly receive: God’s thoughts, purposes, or direction.
• Brings: insight, purpose, and direction.

Do you have this gift?

  1. Do you have a history of sharing something you received in prayer and it encourages others?
  2. Do people regularly come to you for prayer?

Ministry Areas: Prayer teams, Worship, Kingdom Kids.

3. Teaching (Speaking) ~ The special ability to communicate information relevant to the health and ministry of the body and its members in such a way that others will learn.

Romans 12:7 (ESV)
7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching

• Thinks About: truth and how to convey it.
• Motivated By: a desire to bring stability and freedom.
• Brings: information, understanding, and application.
• Potential Pitfalls: overemphasis on knowledge and intellect.

Do you have this gift?

  1. Do you enjoy studying and researching?
  2. Do you enjoy imparting biblical truth to others?
  3. When you teach, do people “get it”?

Ministry Areas: Kingdom Kids, Connect Team, and Worship.

4. Helps (Service) ~ The special ability to identify the unmet needs involved in a task related to God’s work, and to make use of available resources to meet those needs and to help accomplish the desired results.

Romans 12:7 (ESV)
7 if service, in our serving…

• Thinks About: helping get the job done and being part of the team.
• Motivated By: lightening the load of others.
• Brings: practical skills and willing hands.
• Potential Pitfalls: burnout or inability to say no.

Do you have this gift?

  1. Do you often say things like, “how can I help” or “what do you need me to do?”
  2. Do you prefer to labor behind the scenes?

Ministry Areas: (every ministry) Kingdom Kids, Ushers, Safety Team, Women’s

5. Administration (Service) ~ The special ability to understand clearly the immediate and long-range goals of a particular unit of the body of Christ and to devise and execute effective plans for the accomplishment of those goals.

• Thinks About: production and efficiency.
• Motivated By: the job.
• Brings: organizational skills and how to.
• Potential Pitfalls: an exaggerated sense of importance.

Do you have this gift?

  1. When things are poorly organized do you get frustrated and want to help fix things?
  2. Do you like to see resources best stewarded for maximum return?

Ministry Areas: (every ministry) Communications, Prayer teams, Kingdom Kids, Connect Team.
Next Steps…

Romans 12:6 (ESV)
6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them.

Discussion Questions

  1. How is worship a gateway to use our spiritual gifts?
  2. What is the danger of utilizing our spiritual gifts without love and service for others?
  3. Paul says to “earnestly desire the higher gifts” (1 Corinthians 12:31). Do you have earnest zeal to know and utilize your spiritual gifts for Christ and others?
  4. How do we cultivate, nurture, and steward our spiritual gifts?

Application Questions

  1. Are you gifted with any of the spiritual gifts Pastor Chris shared about in this sermon (apostle, prophecy, teaching, helps, administration)? Are you operating in this gift? If not, determine how you will start in the next two weeks.
  2. If you don’t know your spiritual gifts yet, take the spiritual gifts test on the app this week.