1 Corinthians: Spiritual Gifts

Amen, listen, as Ben said, we are so glad that you're here. Man, you never know what to expect when you get into July. We got five different groups of people. I'm just glad somebody was here, right, this morning. And to look around the room and see the amount of people that God's drawing into his family. The Lord's on the move in our nation right now. We're anticipating what all this is gonna mean as we move into the fall, just the amount of people that Jesus loves and lives that he wants to touch. So thank you for being a part of that. If you got a Bible, turn to 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Got a few more weeks in these passages of scripture. Let me set it up a little contextually for us. Let's remember that Paul is writing to the church in Corinth. And in this section of scripture, really starting a couple weeks ago, he starts answering specific questions. They had written to him asking specific things that they needed leadership, wisdom, understanding around things like the Lord's Supper. We looked at last week around regarding roles inside of the church and ways that those would operate and function. And his response to those things was to help rightly position the church, listen, that it might have order and decency, not that it would become religious and rigid, but that it might be positioned

so that God might pour out his power through his people so that the mission of Jesus would continue to advance in the world and that more lives would be changed, that more people would be impacted. Today and in the next two weeks, we're gonna start looking at spiritual gifts in chapter 12, 13, and 14. And honestly, those chapters break down this way. In chapter 12, you get to see some of the gifts of the spirit, not all, some of the gifts of the spirit that's available to the church. In chapter 13, you see the spirit of the gifts, not just the gifts of the spirit, but the spirit in which we must have to rightly operate and function inside of that. You get to chapter 14, it talks about the governance of the gifts. How do those gifts actually operate in a way that advances Jesus's fame, that impacts people's life? How do we get to be a part of the advancement of the kingdom through the empowerment of the gifts? Now, if we'll stop and take a breath for a second, and I got 11 pages of notes, so you better, we better go quick, right? I ain't gonna get through all of them, that's all right. I don't feel the pressure to. At some point, I'm gonna pull the eject cord and we're gonna stop. But God has a lot to say to us today,

because the enemy for too long has wreaked havoc around the operating of the gifts of the spirit in the church. The enemies cause confusion. People have made a hot mess of the way that gifts were intended to function and flourish, causing avoidance, a lot of hurt, many times confusion, and the outright abandonment of the gifts. And there's a lot of different beliefs, even in this room, as we come to these texts of Scripture. Are they still available to us? If so, how do they operate and function? I have great friends that pastor great churches that don't see this the same way. And so from Jump Street, in these next weeks, can we just say this? Can we all approach these passages of Scripture with humility? Knowing that none of us have arrived and we don't all have it figured out. In this room, we got people that have come from a bunch of different backgrounds. We got Presbyterian background, more of the Reformed theology. I'm sure we got some Pentecostals in the house. We got some Baptists in their upbringing. When you combine all those different beliefs in one church, it means this, that we're predestined to speak in tongues at a potluck.

Okay, when you bring... That's good, come on. You need a little, I've been waiting all week to tell that joke. I've been waiting all week. So let me start with a few things just to say. And honestly, man, I am thrilled that the Lord has things for us today. So I'm gonna tell you some ways that we believe as a church. We're continuationist. That's a big theological word. As a church, let me give you a definition of that. A continuationist church believes this, believes that all the gifts of the Spirit continue to be given by God, and therefore are operative in the church and are operative in the church today and they should be prayed for and sought after. Let me tell you why I believe that, why we believe that, because we believe the Bible. We believe not just the Bible in this section, we believe the whole of the Scripture as a whole. I'm not here to pick a fight or an argument around that. Don't want any of those things to happen. No division in Jesus' name in our church or in the greater church as a whole. I also believe in the work of God across redemptive history.

The way that God has worked is the way that God does work. So I want us to approach this today and let me rightly set the spirit of this. To embrace the spiritual gifts, two things have to be non-negotiable. Ready? I've already said one of them, humility and confidence. humility and confidence so as we approach this text of scripture we come in humility before him before the Word of God and say God what do you want to show us how do you want us to approach these things and secondly in confidence meaning that if you have said it it is so and you desire things that will glorify your name and be good to people so with humility and confidence let's jump into this section of scripture verse 1 now concerning spiritual gifts brothers I do not want you to be informed you know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols however you were led therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says Jesus is accursed and no one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit and I'm gonna tell you some things contextually around the grammar even this moment the first time it references spiritual gifts here the word gifts is not really even in there they put it there to give you context because it is in another place understandable in translation what it really says in regards to the spiritual in regards to the spirituals in regards to the mystery of being made made known through the gospel of Christ in the work of the kingdom and I want to say this I love when our faith lands practically I love when our faith lands tangibly but I want you to hear something our faith is spiritual deeply intensely spiritual we listen we don't worship merely as we see we worship as what is so so he's reminding us that the that there is a spiritual world hear me now there is a spiritual work there is a spiritual way in which the kingdom of God is advancing

and then he moves in this section of scripture to rightly explain the work of the Holy Spirit at the very beginning of our faith journey go back to that text of scripture and when it says no one can say that Jesus is Lord except in the in the Holy Spirit no one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit meaning this the Holy Spirit has been one of the primary agents and even drawing us to Jesus Christ that the Spirit of God gave us even in our moment of confession help give us faith to rightly confess when you came to know Christ come on now when you came to know Christ you were born of the Spirit that the Holy Spirit has always been in passionate pursuit of you as a person anybody grateful for that that the Spirit of God was wooing and drawing and awakening and making sure you knew your need for a Savior and when you are made alive in Christ you are made alive by the Spirit more to you than merely you so meaning this no one comes to know Christ without the work of the Holy Spirit no one comes to know Christ without the work of the Holy Spirit and the Holy Spirit's works not done the moment you put faith in Christ in many ways the work of the Spirit's just getting started in a whole new way in a way to rightly empower his people to advance the mission of Jesus still in our day so I'll remind us of that in light of that keep walking into the text of Scripture verse 4 now there are a variety of gifts gotta catch the spirit of this but the same spirit there's a variety man there's the variety of giftings but the same spirit there are varieties of service the ways that those gifts bring service to the body of Christ and the advancement of the mission of God but the same Lord and there are a variety of activities the way those things operate function out there on the edge of mission but it's the same God now you're gonna see some list of spiritual gifts here in chapter 12 you'll see those brought some clarity around those gifts in chapter 14 if you skip to Ephesians 4 there's there's those gifts and other gifts seen in express you go to Romans 12 gives us a little broader list now depending on what background you come from and I would say this denominationally to whatever comfort level you have with the gifts there's been lists provided

you ever seen a spiritual gifts list come on now you don't talk about some will give you seven gifts I'm gonna give you nine some of you 15 19 22 can I just tell you what I believe biblically I don't believe we have an exhaustive list of the gifts I think we have we have more listed than we're operating in but I listen to me I think there's more ways that God list to me gifts his people not for the sake of the person that's being gifted but for the sake of people that he loves that there's more gifts available to us than we can ever imagine listen to me not to highlight the gift but because God cares about people come on I'm telling I've been way I've studied way too much all right and God loves his church and the advancement of his kingdom way too much and me tell you what I love about that that sets the spirit of it rightly. He says, listen, there's varieties, there's varieties, there's varieties, but there's not, listen to me, but there's only one Holy Spirit. There's only one Jesus Christ, and there's only one God, the Father. So let me tell you what Paul's making sure the church in Corinth gets. Listen, here's, write this down. When we're unified in our focus on God, he can unleash the gifts of God. You've heard this said, you've heard me, if you've been a part of this church, you've heard Brother David say this, man, you passionately pursue Jesus, and listen, the perfume of a pursuit of Jesus is the operation of the gifts. So let me tell you what he's not after,

is listen to me, not for us to make the gifts of God, but in passionate pursuit of God, the gifts function and flow. That when we're passionately, and I'm telling you, hear me now again, if you are passionate in your pursuit of God, non-negotiable, get ready for the gifts. Man, if you start getting after Jesus Christ, if you start walking in the empowerment of the Holy Spirit, if you know the love of the Father, then you are positioned as someone that will be used, God's gifts flowing through you. If you're tethered to the vine, you're gonna produce the fruit of the gifts. When we're unified in our focus, when our focus is on God completely, the gifts will start flowing supernaturally. I love, listen to me, don't you love that our God loves to give gifts? Come on, man, the salvation is the gift of God. On the other side of it is the empowerment that we so desperately need. Let's keep learning here. But in this, the same God who empowers them all, there's like nine sermons here, okay? But it is the same God who empowers them all in every one. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. So this is God empowering his kids in local churches,

spread all across the world that his heart might be known for people. Let me tell you what I love. It was never God's plan to give a few all the gifts, but to give all each a gift, to give all each gifts for the sake of advancing. For the sake of advancing his kingdom here on earth. Listen to the words, everyone, each, manifestation of the Spirit for common good. I'm gonna try to make this as simple as I think Paul is saying it in this. This is what it means, at the very least. I believe it means more than this, but at the very least it means this. Each one gets at least one. Come on now. Each one gets at least one gift. Now, I don't see in the scripture anywhere where it says you only get one at all. I think it encourages the eagerly desire, earnestly desire for the gifts to function and flourish as he wills in a way that helps people. But at the very least, and this is what I think we're facing mostly in this room, at the very least it means that each one of us gets gifted in some way, ready? In some way that God might manifest himself through you. You know what that means? That God might make himself known through you in the way that you serve.

That God might make himself known through you in the way that you bring order to things. That God might make himself known to you in the way that his voice could be heard through words coming out of your mouth. That God would make himself known through you through healing might come through your hands. That God might make himself known to you that you put courage into somebody's heart. That they would not just see you, they would sense God. That God might manifest himself through his people. That God, this is crazy. That God decided the best way to get his beauty is through broken people. Come on. That we would never look cool, but he would be Christ. That we would never be made much of, but his power would be made known. And the enemy wants to rob us of the belief that God just uses some people, God just uses special people, and then we mess it up going, well, you gotta be the super spiritual. There's this select group of super spiritual that have all the gifts and there's just the rest of us. Now, God's just got a body and each body's got a part to bring about his work in the world. Then he starts to list them, and I'm gonna teach you for a second, okay? Let me tell you what I love.

I love that God allows mystery to stay here. If you want a God that you can understand fully, listen to me, he wouldn't be God. that. If your little finite mind could understand the infinite, he's not that infinite. And God's got a way, he gives us more clarity than we're living, but he leaves some things mysterious, which demands humility. Can I be honest with me tell you why I don't think God gave us the whole list of them? You see why God didn't give us like, here's the way that they got to work all the time, every time in every situation? Because if we had that, we'd humanize it. And we'd no longer be dependent. You give us a list, we'd live by the list, and then we'd manipulate it. Instead, God wants us to be just dependent on the Spirit and the empowerment of the gifts of the Spirit. So he goes on to say, here's some of the gifts, and I'm gonna give you some definitions today. If you got your pen ready, go like this, get ready, all right? For the one is given through the Spirit, the utterance of wisdom. The utterance, or another way, is the word of wisdom. I love the way that Paul approaches this, and you'll see this in each one, that Paul's painting this picture. Listen, 4 to 1, here's this one follower of Jesus out here, in this one moment, in this word, he's trying to paint a picture that through the Spirit's power is gonna be given a word of wisdom, so that it might bring help to someone that needs it. Do you see that? 4 to 1, in this moment, man, God's gonna give a word of wisdom. God's gonna give clarity and understanding, not just things to know, but what actually to do in the midst of a situation, or maybe in the midst of a relationship. Maybe they're facing a mountain, maybe they got an obstacle, maybe they got a huge decision, and what they need is not just practical, tangible, which is great, not just learned over time, they need a word from God that gives them wisdom and what way to go. So what is a word of wisdom? Here's a definition. I borrowed this from a great trusted theologian. A word of wisdom is a supernatural revelation or insight on how to apply God's truth to a specific, often complex circumstance. You say, Kyle, I ain't gonna have time to write that down. You're not. I'm gonna make a

promise to you. Jeremy will help me do this. We will get you the list of these definitions, okay? We'll post it with our stuff somewhere. It's a supernatural revelation or an insight on how to apply God's truth to specific, often complex circumstance. Let me tell you what it's not. It's not somebody walking up to somebody else saying, now brother, sister, I have a word of wisdom for you. And if you disregard this, judgment is coming. It ain't that. It's more this. Hey dude, I was thinking about what you got going on. I was praying for you, and I sensed in my spirit, maybe you should approach that person this way. Hey, I was thinking about the decisions you had made, and this thought come to my mind, and maybe a way for you to navigate that situation and how to broach that conversation. Maybe this would be the best way to do it. Just take it and pray about it. That in humility you come, listen to me, to help somebody. I'm gonna tell you this. If you'll be the kind of vessel that's willing to be used in that kind of way, God's got the word of wisdom somebody needs when they need it, that, listen to me, grounded in truth, empowered by the Spirit that you'd move toward people, it'd be a shame if the wisdom that I need is delayed because there's a person that's not willing to share it. But to be a part of a body that's willing to move toward anybody at any moment, say, hey, I just like to share this with you and see how it lands. That's one, that's a word of wisdom. Let's keep walking through it. And to another, an utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit. So those are similar in tone, but they're different in how they land. A word of knowledge is this, is a spontaneous revelation of facts, events, maybe spiritual states about a person or situation that could not be known by natural means. Meaning that you find that somebody in the operating of this gift might find themselves with someone else in a situation where God shares with them what he knows. I'm not talking about the ability to necessarily read the room. I'm not talking about the ability to discern somebody's demeanor. Nothing wrong with that, per se. But I'm talking about when God knows something that he wants them to know. And that God would share something with someone for the sake of being an encouragement to that person, maybe in light of some

things they need to know. Jesus did this. Man, don't you look, listen, Jesus' ministry shows us, because he fulfilled his ministry as a man filled with the Spirit. Though fully God, he decided to fulfill his ministry. You remember the moment where the woman comes to the well? You gotta laugh when you read the Bible. He's having this conversation with the woman at the well, which you're not seeing supposed to do because he's breaking cultural boundaries because he loves people and he asked a question about her husband she says I don't have a husband he goes you're right you got five and the one you with ain't even your husband you say now is God gonna say something like that to me a Kroger and I'm gonna have to share that with somebody no not necessarily right he's like I was just trying to get a watermelon and and listen to me in Jesus having knowledge knowing what list to me what her life was really like did he show up at the well to shame her oh man he showed up at the well to set her free and God knew something that she needed to know that God knew and that God still pursued her give you another illustration of that Miranda nice when when God speaks to him about Saul I love that story says hey and nice there's a guy named Saul he's like yeah I heard I want you to go to him and tell him he's a chosen instrument for my name God I think that's a terrible idea but analyzed anybody else glad to analyze went because me t what Paul we know him as Paul not Saul you know what Paul needed to know that God knew he has a plan for him I can't tell you how many times people showed up in my life and say hey I just want you to know something I sense God knows about you I just want you I just want to share something I think God sees when he sees you and listen I mean and not weird you say how do you keep it from being weird don't be weird you you don't have to thus say the Lord you have to come and share as a brother or sister hey I sent something in my spirit I was just thinking about you and maybe God would want you to know this Katie my wife has one the best testimony she went on a women's retreat a small group of ladies and there was a lady that would pray for every name on these little retreats and she would just write out some things just to encourage them and Katie my wife

open this was years and years ago my wife opened this letter and there was a word of knowledge listen to me that set her forever free that God wanted her to know something that he knew because he loves her that was a breakthrough moment well what if there wasn't a woman willing to sit long enough to pray for somebody to write it down and then to sit in send it in the letter God could have found other means to get that to my wife but he chose that woman yeah look at me God's gonna have this to me and I believe this there's those that would operate in this gift often and then there's those who operate in that gift as he wills when he wants the question is this are we willing I believe that God's more willing to minister to people than we're willing to be a part of it will we lean in to those things to another faith by the same spirit can you imagine where the Church of the Lord Jesus Christ would be without the gift of faith without people willing to walk into the moment and to believe in God's extraordinary power let me give you a definition of it the gift of faith is an extraordinary God-given confidence to accomplish task or trust God in the face of impossible obstacles it's the ability listen in the midst of the chaos or the impossibility of this situation and go I know a God let me give you an illustration George Mueller orphanage in Bristol England that God had led him to help care for the least of these things that we knows in the will of God things that we knows in the heart of God but they come to the place that they no longer have the provision for hundreds of orphans and in the midst of that you know what he encourages the lady that's that runs this orphanage she said I want you to do something but and this is the gift of faith being operated he goes this morning at breakfast she's already told him we have nothing to feed the children he said I know a God that cares that for the sparrow sit the kids at the breakfast table and our God will provide they said this is a documented fact many sources they sit hundreds of children at an empty table with no provision and George Mueller thanks God for the food when he's done praying knock at the door the local baker walks in and and says to Pastor Mueller,

God woke me up in the middle of night and he's had me baking bread for the kids of this orphanage all night long. Right, come on. Document the story. They bring the bread in, only to have the local milkman that would used to have to transport and carry it, come up and say, my cart has broke down outside of the orphanage. I can't keep it cool. Instead of wasting it, could y'all put it to good use? That's the gift of faith. In that moment, I know this looks impossible, but I know a God. And look at me. I want you to hear me say this. There's no church of the Lord Jesus Christ without men and women at different times believe God in light of the impossible. And believe God in the midst of, that's no way, there's no way that this will happen. There's no way the gospel can get there. There's no way that around this situation, and that's as big as feeding hundreds of orphans, and that's as big as the moment of faith somebody needs in their life. Where they need somebody, listen to me, I'm gonna tell you what I've needed many times

when I don't have enough faith, I need somebody to believe on my behalf. Come on now, right? You ever needed somebody to step in on behalf of your weak faith going, hey, look, lift your eyes to him. We can believe him inside of this. And to another, the gift of healing by one's spirit. Just, we're just looking at the gifts that God has given to his people. Let me give you a definition of it. The gift of healing, the gifts of healing is the supernatural, miraculous restoration of a physical, maybe emotional, or even spiritual health of a person. That there are, listen, there's no doubt about this. This is true from the scriptures to this very day. There are some people that God has decided to use in specific moments to see healing come to a person. Now we know, because of the whole of the Bible, we know it's not every time with every person on this earth, per se. We know that people still pass away. We know that the scripture does show us that there's still suffering experienced on earth. But I will tell you this with great certainty. We should believe for it to happen more than it is currently happening. I found that God often uses those in this way that is willing to move toward hurting people.

One of my favorite brothers in Christ, I've got to know on this side of heaven, is a missionary in Ethiopia now, Russ Merritt, he was a part of our church. We sent him out. Great dude, man, like just a wild man for the kingdom of God. But God would often use him in moments to help see healing come to somebody's body. It was just a part of a gospel proclamation. It was a part of the advancement of the kingdom. Not everybody all the time. Well, listen, back in that day, believe it or not, I actually had a, not just surgery on my elbow, I had a surgery on my foot like a decade ago when I was trying to be like cool and young, and I'm not cool or young. And I broke my foot, and so I was in a little cast I actually preached from one of those little scooter things for a while. You talk about, man, that was rough, right? But I was having surgery, and they were praying over me that next Monday, and so I was telling them what things were gonna look like, and he was home on furlough. I'll never forget. He came up to me and said, hey, has anybody prayed for your foot to be healed? I said, actually, yes, they have. He goes, would you mind if I prayed?

I said, dude, I'd love for you to pray. He knelt down, put his hand on my foot, he turned his face toward the heavens, and he said, Jesus, heal Kyle's foot. He stood up, he said, how's your foot feel? I said, it feels broke. He said, I hope surgery goes well tomorrow, and turned and walked off. Let me tell you what the Lord dead serious He showed me in that. He said, here's a guy that often God use to help bring healing, to be a part of it, and when it doesn't happen for his pastor on a moment with his foot, he just moves to the next person that needs to be prayed for. He's willing to wade in. Hey, we got stories of healing in this house. Listen to me, we got hands that God's used to be a part of seeing healing come to others. Let me tell you what I believe. I believe there's some here that you don't know yet, but you will soon, that God wants to release healing through your hands. Don't make it weird. Be willing to love somebody enough to believe a God and ask for it, and just see what happens. Happens inside of that Keeps going on it says to another the working of miracles

the working of miracles The enemies tried to make us afraid of the miraculous Try to make us afraid of a of what is man? She start going down that vein he gets weird you start going down that world listen to me guys Why are we here if we don't believe in the miraculous? We believe we believe That God wrapped himself in flesh We believe that he's born of a virgin We believe live perfectly died sacrificially Defeated death in his resurrection We believe he's coming back parting the sky Riding on a on a white horse We already believe some crazy stuff y'all all right To at this come on right To no longer believe To no longer believe To no longer believe To no longer believe To no longer believe To no longer believe To no longer believe To no longer believe That our God can still do miraculous Is the enemy's deception When he's the same God The gift of miracles Is supernatural Acts of power That alter The ordinary course of nature

I asked a lady in our church If I could share this story He said as long as you don't use my name I said okay Okay But not too long ago Reading through the scripture This lady Saw where Elijah came to A water source that was Contaminated And because of that The land was infertile It was a great place, should be a great city But they had great problems because the water source was messed up And so Elijah takes a bowl of salt He pours it into the water And all of a sudden the water is miraculously Purified and it helps For the flourishing of that city This lady Knew that there was a lot of people In our church family and still are and we're still Believing A lot of ladies in our church family, a lot of families That are believing for children But there's infertility She read That passage of scripture and she felt like The Lord wanted her to act

In faith for a miracle And to take salt And to pour it in a lake And believe for fertility To believe for God to be able To God to do the miraculous Inconception So she went and did it Poured salt In a lake And prayed in Jesus name By name For some ladies to have the ability To become pregnant Within the next couple months Pregnant, pregnant Pregnant, pregnant Pregnant Miracles Not all But many At some point Listen to me, someone has to step Into the fray Believe That there's a bigger world Going on than what we tangibly see Believe that there's things that are hindering The miraculous movement of God And somebody has to operate by faith

And believe for The miraculous I'm looking into the eyes of some that God Wants to listen To use, to see about the Miracle working Moves of God Would you be willing to step into that? Just say, God I'll stand Right here and believe you for this And to another, prophecy Prophecy is the Speaking forth, the spontaneous Revelation of God's mind And heart to encourage To edify And to console Believers, to build up It's not to walk into the room And thus say the Lord and start destroying Everybody It's to look into the heart of somebody And all of a sudden God gives you Some revelation in a way That might bring encouragement, that might build up That might edify, that might sharpen I'll give you an Illustration that's personal to me, you've heard me share This, it's David Jett, pastor

Of this church to a young guy That's on staff in 2008 Sitting up in his Office and all of a sudden he looks at me With that look And goes, man you know God has made you really Smart Kyle Like giving you a mind for the kingdom of God and I'm like nah He goes, no, no, no, I need you I need you to know, I need you to believe Something God's hardwired you different and there's a way That you think that Sees the kingdom and understands it And that God's given you a mind For this Kyle And I'm telling you Something in me awakened It was more than just guys hanging out that moment God gave him a word of prophecy that I started to see and think things that God could see and think and it listen it didn't make much of me it made much of God it doesn't make much of him that he's the one that shared it it makes much of God that could see it could you imagine what would look like a body surrendered to the fullness of the Spirit and that God would walk you into the life of a person and he might give you the word listen to me that would strengthen the weary the word that might awaken listen to me future champions for the kingdom of God to another man anybody grateful for the gifts this morning come on now right to another the ability to distinguish between spirits I got a hurry the

discerning of spirits the discerning of spirits is the supernatural ability to distinguish between man do we need this now to distinguish between that which is divine that which is demonic and that which is just human a human source of spiritual influence or inspiration it just might be worldly might not be neither good or evil it just might be just natural to have somebody that's willing to stand in the gap and listen to me in here say can we just stop for a second I think we're being influenced by something or maybe even someone that it's not the one I'll give you an illustration of this when we're in Arkansas man we were planting churches we'd multiplied several times and we looked up and we had these three big projects three remodel projects that we're doing at these different churches and everybody tell you and I'm not saying this is wrong about a listen you can even get the right person did the right campaign do all these kind of things to raise all this kind of money and we needed it man to advance the kingdom it wasn't that the work was not right but the way we were approaching it honestly was earthly and we're thinking about thing about it we had this one elder that's in heaven right now his name was Melvin Edwards and he just raised his hand he goes hey guys I just got something in my spirit around this I just like for us hold up for a second and we were about to ask people to the big moment of generosity which is right today he said but I don't feel like we've ever once walked our church into being a first fruits church and at that point honestly we never taught about the tithe we never taught about bringing first things to the Lord we just didn't it was a big miss so he just kept raising the flag kept raising the flag kept raising the flag to one one day he finally said guys I think if we go this course we're missing the heart of God to which we all went okay this guy loves the Lord he's discerning this let's say and then we all honestly came to him and that decision said I think you're right so we honestly scrapped the whole plan went God's way went before our churches at that point and said listen we got all these needs out here all these things to do but the only thing we're gonna ask you to do is be faithful and your first fruits given we'll just see what happens

in the next year the giving of our church doubled doubled because somebody discerned it somebody backed up and said hey how do you do this now that's the illustration for a church can I tell you this there's illustrations for each father of Christ that you need somebody to discern what's going on this is confusing this is chaotic there's something wrong in the environment what is this telling us now here we go and to another various kinds of tongues and to another the interpretation of tongues let me tell you what I don't feel I don't feel the pressure to unpack all this right now because you're gonna get it all again in chapter 14 come back in two weeks but I do want to say a few things I want to say that the enemy has used this gift to cause avoidance to cause misuse to cause confusion and ultimately in many ways hyper spiritualized some and those completely avoiding a gift from God I know that the enemy is taken from some bodies and then he's hyper focused other bodies for clarity's sake let me give you what the gift of tongues is tongues is supernatural speech in a language that the speaker has never learned meant for either prayer praise or a sign when interpreted as we'll see in chapter 14 when God unlocks the spiritual ability for a person to speak in a language that they do not know is to accomplish a work that we don't even know we need in one place in acts it's a literal language so that others might hear the gospel they're speaking a language they didn't learn so others could hear the gospel in other places it lets us know that there's a language in heaven that is heard by our Father Often for the building up of the one that is exercising the gift, often for the leveling of the crosshairs in a way that helps us pray in ways that we don't know we need, that God needs. Listen, that should never be a distraction to our worship or to our witness, as we'll see in chapter 14, but also something we shouldn't be afraid of. Also something that we shouldn't be scared of. Let me tell you what I found. Many of us are scared of this gift that's seen in Scripture and for those that God would have to receive it because we're afraid God might embarrass us, might make us one of those crazy people, right? And listen

to me, in no doubt whatsoever people have misused this gift. It doesn't mean though that it's not a gift. Can I give you one passage of Scripture? One of the most famous passages of Scripture when people are going through hard times is this, in Romans 8 29, and we know that for those who love God all things work together for good. Isn't that awesome? For those who are called according to his purpose. Man, that's Romans 8 28, man. Anytime people are walking through hard times, right to quote that. The only problem is we forget what's right before it. Right before that passage about the sovereignty and the goodness of God in the midst of our hardest days is this passage of Scripture 26. Likewise, the Spirit helps us in our weakness, for we do not know what to pray for as we ought, but the Spirit himself intercedes for us with groanings too deep for words, and he who searches hearts knows what is the mind of the Spirit, because the Spirit intercedes for the saints according to the will of God. So right before one of the most famous passages of Scriptures about the sovereignty of God is the work of the Spirit expressed through a language and a groaning, listen to me, that's more than human. That's heavenly. That allows for things to happen in the spiritual world, in the spiritual realm. Also with that is the interpretation of tongues, which I'll just give you the definition of that. I told you we'll see more of this in chapter 14. It's the supernatural ability to understand and publicly express the meaning of a message spoken in tongues, meaning when might be praying in their prayer language, the others actually hearing a message, some might hear a rumble, the others hear a revelation. They bring about clarity. And let's talk, as 1 Corinthians 14, in the gathered setting, rare but real. And I do, listen to me, I don't think we have the right to reject any gift. I do believe that we have been given the authority to make sure it functions in decency and order. And as the Scripture goes with verse 11, all these are empowered by one and the same Spirit who apportioned each one as he wills. Last thing I'm gonna say, and then we'll be done. God can see the whole. Here's the principle. God can see the whole, and he gifts who he wants, how he wills. He gives who he wants, how he wills. As it pertains to the gathering

and the scattering of God's people from this room, I know it's more of a teaching moment than anything else. Can you imagine? Eyes now. I gave you so much content. Can you imagine? Let's say there's 2,000 plus people here this weekend. Ms. Laura, you can go ahead and come back and play. Can you imagine what God would do with us together and what God would do with us in Rankin County if every follower of Jesus Christ was filled with the Spirit of God, discerning the gifts they have? By the way, if you go to our website, or if you go to the little tap tag in front of you, there's a spiritual gift test available for you on our website. Or if you just tap tag that you can do that, just you and the Lord to help you discern. It's still, listen to me, as good as it is helpful and it can help get you on the course, you need to discern this with Him. Can you imagine how God might unleash His work in this world through yielded vessels, through people that are empowered by His Spirit? Let me tell you what I hope, listen to me, every time we gather, I pray for this, pray for this for our church, that the gifts would function and flourish. That the gifts would function and flourish. I've seen, listen to me, seen people healed right here at this altar. Seen people helped, seen people get wisdom, seen people get encouragement, see God people speak a word, see people brought up from ashes and renewed. Seen the body of Christ step into the mission of God. Can you imagine what happens if we scatter and you walk into your workplace and God puts on your heart what's on His heart for the person in the next cubicle? On the next construction site that God in the midst of doing work really well with excellence Would God would download and your spirit was in his spirit because he knows everything Do you know that the eyes of the Lord search to and fro for those he might use? The gods the God of the universe is watching over his work in the world and he's saying would you let my power? Come through you The mission of Jesus is still being accomplished on this planet. The question is who are the people that are allowing it to flow? Who are those they're not scared to surrender Theirselves to be used that God's power might flow through you mere branch and produce much fruit Not that you'd be known as a miracle worker or a healer, but that you know a God

That's a miracle worker and a healer that you know a God that actually knows what's going on in somebody's life But you might have the wisdom that a family needs when they need it That you might bring order to something that's chaotic that you might be the feet listen to me I love this thought gee and this goes on. I'm missing so much. I've skipped like three pages of notes God decided that we would be his hands God decided we'd be his feet. God decided that we would let the world know his heart That God would open our mouth that his voice might ring true today That we would open our ears to hear the cry So God's just saying man who will go for me Who will let me flow through them Today you might be here and you might actually need some help. Well, we'd love to help you. I think God might honor the preaching of his word in these ways even today. So I want us to do this. Can we stand together? Our prayer leaders are gonna come Our prayer leaders are gonna come. If you need help with anything, would you let us pray for you? Now it's not the time to leave. It's really not We can give an hour 10-15 minutes to the Lord. I know some are going because they got to serve. I get that. Anybody need some help? Anybody need hope today? Maybe God might let us pray with you about something. Anybody need to come and say God just use me God I want to be a vessel that your power might pour through. Anybody here just turn your face toward the Lord right now Turn your face toward the Lord right now Maybe open your hands your heart say God here I am use me in these things You need to be prayed for why don't you go ahead and come? Need somebody to believe with you for something. Why don't you go ahead and come? If you're here today You've never put faith in the finished work of Jesus Christ. I want to say this to you He's always the focus. Jesus is always the focus If you've never put faith in what he's done for you, that's the first step Just bow your heads for a moment close your eyes I mean this if you need prayer go ahead and come but if you're here And you need Jesus to save you this morning. If you need Jesus to make you new make you whole

I need you to do something bold. I just need you to look at me and raise your hand say Kyle I need Jesus to save me this morning Don't let me miss you. Let me see I need Jesus to save me this morning. I sense his presence. I've heard these truths If you need that to happen, why don't you just say something like this in your heart in Jesus I confess my sin this morning Put trust in your finished work on my behalf Save me I want to follow you I Confess you this morning biggest day of your life best best moment of your life I'm gonna make this real simple when you walk out of this room Nobody else looking around if you just gave your life to Christ when you walk out of this room today You go by this Next Step Center. If you meant it solidify this moment Say to somebody at that Next Step Center today. I Need a box If you'll say that about the box, it'll help us start a conversation with you around what you really need Let us know that I'm gonna pray for us. I'll take a moment here to respond and worship and pray and then we'll be done father Thank you for your presence. Thank you for your truth. Thank you for your word. Thank you for what you're doing. I Pray now you'd help us to be a people that are empowered by your spirit. I'm praying Jesus name. Amen. Let's worship him We would love to pray with you about anything in these next moments