SPIRITUAL GIFTS (Part 1)

Pastor James J. Barker

Text: I CORINTHIANS 12:1-11




INTRODUCTION:


  1. There is much confusion over spiritual gifts, largely due to the growth of the charismatic movement, with their emphasis on signs and wonders, tongues, healings, and miracles.
  2. But the Bible does have quite a bit to say about this subject and we need to be able to differentiate truth from error.
  3. A spiritual gift is a certain qualification given by the Holy Spirit to each individual believer to enable him to serve within the framework of the local church (cf. I Cor.12:7,11).
  4. Today, I am not going to go too deep into I Cor.12 because I want for us to spend more time in prayer.
  5. So, I will just pull out a few things from this chapter, and then next time Lord willing, we will go on from there.
  1. THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE PERMANENT AND THE TEMPORARY GIFTS
    1. By comparing Scripture with Scripture, we can determine which gifts were temporary and which are still operative (cf. Eph.2:19-22; 4:11,12).
    2. After these foundational gifts of apostles and prophets, God gave to the church pastors and teachers (Eph.4:11).
    3. We will look at this in more detail later but the Bible does teach that some gifts were of a temporary nature (cf. I Cor.13:8).
  1. SOME OF THE PERMANENT GIFTS
    1. The pastor/teacher (Eph.4:11) needs to "feed the church of God" (Acts 20:28). He must be "apt to teach" (I Tim.3:2).
    2. The evangelist (Eph.4:11) stirs up the saints and wins the lost. While every pastor should "do the work of an evangelist" (II Tim.4:5), some men have this specific call.
    3. Another gift, one that is often misunderstood or overlooked, is the gift of ministry (Rom 12:7). This is not just for "full-time Christian workers," but for all Christians (cf. Eph.4:7,11,12).

CONCLUSION:


Let us consider these things and let us now pray for God’s blessings.



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