SPIRITUAL GIFTS (Part 1)
Pastor James J. Barker
Text: I CORINTHIANS 12:1-11
INTRODUCTION:
- 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.
- But the Bible does have quite a bit to say about this subject and we need to be able to differentiate truth from error.
- 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).
- Today, I am not going to go too deep into I Cor.12 because I want for us to spend more time in prayer.
- So, I will just pull out a few things from this chapter, and then next time Lord willing, we will go on from there.
- THE DISTINCTION BETWEEN THE PERMANENT AND THE TEMPORARY GIFTS
- 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).
- After these foundational gifts of apostles and prophets, God gave to the church pastors and teachers (Eph.4:11).
- 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).
- SOME OF THE PERMANENT GIFTS
- 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).
- 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.
- 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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