Hi everyone, I wanted to share with a transcript below which is by a church minister on spiritual gifts. The minister is one of the ministers who work at the church that I attend and their work is so welcomed in the church and makes such a difference. I thought it would be good learning. My blog covers the topic of spirituality and it fits in well. If you are interested you can find out more about how spiritual gifts are given in a blog post on baptism and the gifts of the Holy Spirit. I have also in my lifetime testimony on my faith explained how spiritual gifts have enriched my life. Spiritual gifts are found in (1 Corinthians 12-28) and (Romans 12) in the New Testament. I will share the transcript below.
Spiritual Gifts Explained
Maybe this year we need to explore or rediscover the spiritual gifts that we've been given. We're all gifted by God. And spiritual gifts are not reserved for priests or super spiritual Christians. They're given to every believer for a purpose greater than ourselves. And the church doesn't thrive because of one talented person. It thrives when every member uses their God-given gifts. They're not earned by holiness, education, or age in faith.
They're graciously given by the Holy Spirit. And spiritual gifts are expressions of God's grace working through his people. God intentionally gives different gifts to different people because a diversity of gifts is a strength. No gift is insignificant and a hidden gift is just as valuable as a more visible one. And a church needs a wide variety of gifts to function fully.
Every church is equipped with all the gifts it needs. So if a church feels that it's lacking something, it may be that it hasn't enabled its members to discover their spiritual gifts. And this can happen if you have people who are so good at doing everything that there's no space for others to step in. Or maybe people might assume that others have got certain gifts and they don't need to find other other gifts from other people. People are locked into certain ways and patterns and the challenge of doing something different may seem a bit of a threat.
Spiritual gifts are not given to us for personal status, not for competition or self-promotion. They are given for the common good, to build up the church, serve others, and to reveal Christ to the world. When gifts are used selfishly, the church suffers. When they used lovingly, the church flourishes.
And love is what makes spiritual gifts spiritual. Every gift must be exercised with humility, compassion, and grace. Without love, gifts become sort of noise, and service becomes obligation. A ministry can become pride. So, you might be wondering, what are these gifts? They're referred to and listed in several of the letters to the churches in the Bible.
Some highlight spiritual empowerment by the Holy Spirit and others emphasise roles and functions in the church. These are the roles using these spiritual gifts that we can do in the church in our lives with the Holy Sprit. Apostles, discernment, faith, healing, knowledge, miracles, prophecy, tongues, interpretation of tongues, and wisdom. There is also roles in the church other than mentioned around these gifts such as adminstration, teachers and helping others And to explore these and understand what they mean could be a whole year of sermons and more. But we can start by exploring what in this list might resonate with us.
All spiritual gifts are about service. Jesus taught his disciples that he came not to be served but to serve and that the first should be last and the last first. So, how are we going to serve? In the gospel reading today, Jesus asked Andrew and Peter what they were looking for. And he responded with, "Come and see." We can accept this invitation for ourselves and explore what God has given us and discover our spiritual gifts.
So, how might we do this? Well, we need to take time and reflect. We might like to ask ourselves some questions such as where do I experience the most joy in serving? If your heart sinks at something, maybe that isn't your gift. Where have is where have I seen spiritual fruit in my life? And you may find that um others might be affirming gifts in you. How has that been happening? Has someone said, "Oh, you're really good at that. Maybe you should follow it up." We might do this with a spiritual director or at a quiet day or on a retreat or in the quiet of our own homes.
At some stage, it's good to check out what others may be noticing. It's as well to remember that spiritual gifts grow through use, not just discovery. You may have more than one gift, and they can develop over time, and love must guide every gift.
We're invited to come and see to come and see how much God loves us all. That he was prepared to get involved with the human beings who he created in his image. So much so that his son was incarnated here on earth into a human family to come and see that God wants us to enjoy being human and live to our full human potential discovering our spiritual gifts. He wants us to leave church with smiles on our faces because we've been in his presence.
Jesus's disciples were a mixed bunch, a bit like us here in our own community.
I'm always heartened by the people Jesus chose as his close friends because they were far from perfect. They had ordinary and sometimes questionable jobs. They argued among themselves. They let Jesus down. And yet, it was these same people who Jesus entrusted with building his church here on earth. and they made a good job of this despite their disputes and differing personalities. We know this because here we are today nearly 2,000 years later.
If God can be at work in churches in a place like Corinth, then why not here too? God has given us power and love and a call to light up the world.
This sermon is based on these scriptures.
(1 Corinthians 12, 8:10)
“For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit. To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues”
(1 Corinthians 12:28)
" And God hath set some in the church, first apostles, secondarily prophets, thirdly teachers, after that miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, governments, diversities of tongues"
(Ephesians 4)
“And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ”
(John 14)
“If ye love me, keep my commandments.
And I will pray the Father, and he shall give you another Comforter,
(Romans 12)
The Holy Spirit has many roles, helper, healer, protector, intercessor, advocate, strengthener, standby, comforter, counsellor, baptiser and a sanctifier. The Holy Spirit can also help you learn to care for yourself spiritually and also holistically.
