Unwrapping Your Spiritual Gifts | Part 1

Global fighting studios in Memphis Tennessee. Byron Tyler here with Carrie Vaughn, the CEO of love refining Jerry today.

Adrian Rogers finishes a series called back to the basics. Today's message unwrapping your spiritual gift. This is part one, part one and here's the question what so spiritual about your spiritual gift. What you and I know it's the Holy Spirit right and then once a person receives Jesus Christ as our Lord and Savior, then, is the Lord God says there are diversity of gifts.

So with that be wisdom, faith healing ministry teaching, exhortation, and so on. But the Holy Spirit is the gift I like what Adrian Rogers says these spiritual gifts are not for evidence. They are equipment there not for your enjoyment. Therefore, your employment yes yes he also said one time that we are created to serve.

Here it is. We are saved to serve.

We are blessed to serve and we are placed providentially to serve as aware of your plan to just blame disbelief well. He also said when it comes to discovering and developing the spiritual gifts this first of all, we're dealing with something that is a very wonderful and perhaps somewhat unknown subject and a Paul said concerning spiritual gifts, brother and I would not have you to be ignorant, but I believe there a lot of people who are saturated with ignorance when it comes to spiritual gifts, and have been so many excesses. I concerning spiritual gifts that some are afraid they're going to get out on a limb and they never really even get up in the tree.

So what I want us to do is to discover our gift to develop our gift and put our gift to work for Jesus. And at that moment are during that time. A Christian will find such joy and it will be the joy of feeling useful feeling use and being fulfilled in the service of Christ.

Our spiritual gifts are really confirmed as we begin serving each other. I agree with that and this is a wonderful sermon and a tremendous series, but I think we it makes the person think how is God wired me if I take my experiences about take my work but take my desires and passion and I put all that together and then II say God how do you want me to deploy the spiritual gift in use it for kingdom purpose right in the church outside the church, but use it right, don't sit on the shelf, but put into practice what was exciting about the Ministry of love.

Refining is helping our listeners discover their spiritual gifts through the Bible teaching ministry here. One listener says I could listen to love refining all day every day these messages blessed me and equip me. I am so thankful. Someone told me to listen to Adrian Rogers because God has used his sermons to help me grow as a Christian.

Thank you all for continuing his ministry a man Dr. Rogers said that we want to move believers in maturity and ministry which means we don't want people to sit so can sour right we want them to identify that spiritual gift and that we want to help them move forward in ministry was the series win. Right now Carrie back to the basics that help prompt us to develop what every Christian ought to know this is a a streaming online series for eight weeks.

It can really help you in your walk with Christ absolutely is a wonderful tool did it use it put the practice you can find it. LWF.org is free is ready for viewing, ready to download. It's there again@lwf.org will today's message unwrapping your spiritual gift part one. Here's Adrian Rogers back to the basics of Christianity. While a lot I want to take your Bibles today and five first Corinthians chapter 12 first Corinthians chapter 12 and today were talking about spiritual gifts. If you want a real jewel and fulfillment in your Christian life. I'll tell you how to have get right with God. Then, discover, develop, and put to work your spiritual gift. You are a gifted child and the title of the message today is on the wrapping your spiritual gift that look if you will in chapter 12 verse one now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant. May I say that the world is saturated with ignorance on the subject of spiritual gifts. The devil wants to keep you ignorant but you are a gifted child you have. If you are a child of God. If you are born again you have a spiritual did not. Sometimes we talk about spiritual gifts, people get a little antsy. They are afraid of spiritual gifts, but that fear is rooted in ignorance most prejudice is rooted in a whistle, afraid of wildfire that we end up with no fire Dr. events happen said we who is afraid were going to get out on a limb. We haven't even been up the tree out of the Lamb is where the fruit is and so were going to be talking to you about spiritual gifts and the three things I want you to see. First of all spiritual gifts describe the description of these gifts. Secondly, I want you to see the diversity of these gifts and I want to give you a long list of gifts and you're going to say maybe that one is mine. And then last of all, I want you to see the discovery of the gifts. How, indeed, you can discover your spiritual and were going to get it right from the word of God ballast describe the gifts. Look, if you will, in verse one now concerning spiritual gifts.

First thing I want to say is this, they are spiritual gifts. The word here is pneumatic spiritual were not talking to you about a gift of money. A gift of beauty. I gift of help the gift of fame. If I were to tell you how to have a brand-new automobile. Maybe some of you would get out and begin to take notes. The problem is not all that interested in spiritual things. I've often heard it said nowhere so heavenly minded were no earthly good.

But the truth of the matter is whistle earthly minded window heavenly good. These are spiritual gifts. What a tragedy. To fail to understand that you have a spiritual gift. Not only are they spiritual gifts. They are super natural gifts. Look, if you will. Now in verse four. There are diverse cities of gifts. Now the word for gift is a different word one word was used in verse one pneumatic, now here's a word that is used. Care is not time the word we get our word charismatic from the word Paris is the word grace and sought Charis Motta is a grayscale and what is grace grace is that which is completely totally on earned. It is that sovereign work of God it is that saving work of God it is that supernatural work of God. And so if you have a grayscale it's different from talent. A grayscale is not something that is earned, it is not something that is learned it is the greatest gift of God. Therefore, if you have a spiritual gift and you do. There is no room for pride.

You see, every Christian is either supernatural or he is super official is the third thing I want to learn about these gifts. First of all we say that these gifts are spiritual gifts. Secondly, they are supernatural gifts verse four. Thirdly, they are service gifts. Look, if you will, in verse seven, but the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit with all wanted me to profit with all that means to profit the others to profit the whole body. If you have a spiritual gift. It is not a means to an in and you do have a spiritual it is not for your selfishness. It is not to make you feel good. It is not to prove something to you. These gifts are not for evidence. They are equipment. They are not for your enjoyment. They offer your employment.

They are to put you to work for the Lord Jesus Christ is not that you have a little bit that's going to make you feel good. It is that God is giving you a gift to profit with all that is to profit the whole body. Again, it is not for your enjoyment. It is for your employment.

I hear something I want to notice very carefully. Your gift not only as a spiritual gift, a supernatural gift and a service gifts but your gift is a sovereign look, if you will, in verse 11 of this chapter.

Now verse 11 but all these worketh that one and selfsame Spirit he's talking about the Holy Spirit dividing to every man severally are individually as he will now you don't decide what gift you're going to have.

You can decide what gift you're going to have any more than you could decide in the natural realm. What talent you're going to have our to decide how tall you are going to be on the color of your skin of the code here. You can't decide that some people do decide to cover their hair. What I'm trying to say is this, that your dear your gift is a sovereign give the Holy Spirit of God chooses your get your joy and responsibility is to discover the gift that God has given you that some people get the idea that in verse 31 that we are told that we are to seek a particular kind of deity look in verse 31 but covet earnestly the best gifts yet I show you a more excellent way. Some people think that where prayer will God give me this gift to give me that, but the word covet. Here's a Leo usually used in a bad connotation and and what he is saying here is this that there was something wrong with the Corinthian church. They were seeking. They were coveting the best gifts and to them the more showing gifts like Townsend and miracles and what he is saying here is this he saying you covet the best. This is not imperative. It is indicative what he is saying is this is what you're doing your coveting the baskets. But he said I want to show you more excellent way.

And then he speaks to them in one entire chapter about love. What is a spiritual gift, a spiritual gift is a sovereignly bestowed get you not to want to covet somebody else's gear. A sale God, thank you for the gift that you have given to me. These gifts are sovereign gift mountain next day our salvation gifts. Look, if you will. Now in verse 12 and find out when you got your gift for as the body is one and has many members, and all of the members of that one body, being many, are one body, so also is Christ that is the body of Christ. For by one Spirit we were all baptized into one body, whether we be Jews or Gentiles, whether we be bond or free and have all been made to drink into one Spirit. Now some people say have you gotten the baptism of the Holy Spirit. If you been saved, you got the baptism of the Holy Spirit. For by one Spirit have we all been baptized into one body, not some of us, all of us, if someone ask you, have you gotten the baptism of the Holy Ghost you can say yes I got the baptism of the Holy Ghost. When I was saved and put into the body of Christ. For by one Spirit have y'all been baptized into one body, and when you were put into the body you were put into the body of Christ with function, your spiritual gift enables you to function as God put you in the body.

You may be put in is a hand or foot and I but wherever you were put into the body that is the way that you are to function.

Now when you got saved you got your spiritual gift just as you got your natural proclivities. When you were born naturally you get your supernatural proclivities. When you are supernaturally born and your spiritual gift is a salvation dear when the Holy Spirit came into you. He did not come in empty-handed. When you were born you were born a gifted child, you have that when you were born spiritually. When you are born again, you were born a gifted child" by one Spirit have we all been baptized into one body. The moment the Holy Spirit of God placed you into the body of Christ, he placed you into the body of Christ to do a particular thing every body has a ministry now, you may not have a ministry because you don't know you have a ministry but you have a ministry that is that when you say you had a sovereign supernatural gift that God equips you with now, you may not yet have discovered a little baby that's born in the natural world has hand severe. Watch the baby discover his hands little baby when is born that no one has hands, but later on that baby can become an artist or pianist. The violinist, the surgeon, as he learns how to use these hands but he didn't get the hands layer all the parents can take the baby back the hospital say now put the hands on the hands came to admire that the child has to discover his hands. The child has to develop his hands and then deploy his hands and put his hands work you have these gifts are salvation did not let me say something else.

They are support gifts. Look, if you will, in verse 17 of the same chapter. If the whole body were an eye, where were the hearing when it be grotesque some of you today were hundred 95 pound eyeball. If the whole body were an eye, you could hear a thing could you, but you can sure say good if the whole were hearing where were the smelling my Lord, suppose you are a great big year, but you can smell anything. But now notice. But God has set the members every one of them in the body as it hath pleased him and he goes on to say that the eye needs the ear and the nose needs the rest of the body and so forth. What what to say that God gave us different gifts and the reason that God gave us different gifts is to make us want nephew to learn anything else that I'm trying to say to you today I want to learn this, that God made us different that he might make us one God gave me some gifts he didn't give you God gave you some gifts he didn't give me, and each of us have individual gifts and together we must depend upon one another and that is what makes the church the church.

These are support gifts and therefore if you try to exercise your gift apart from your relationship to the body is going to be absurd now. My hand bears my hand is nothing particularly wrong with that and I think pretty nice hand myself and I and I don't think you'd necessarily repulsed by but if it were cut off from my body and flung out there on the floor.

I think it's that if you walked in and saw him lying on the floor this morning. It's like that's grotesque that's repulsive by hand is significant only as it is a part of the body. Your spiritual gift is here to support the rest of the body to profit the whole body. God made us different that he might make us one. The Bible says when one member suffers, every member suffers with it. When one member rejoices.

Every member rejoices with it yet richer thumb with a hammer blow. If you have, you know, is hardly a pain like that hitting your thumb with a hammer and talk about one that makes the thing turn blue later own. I went there when it happened but if you did I tell you I know just about what happened. The very first thing you did was to grab a what else you did the next thing you did you put in your mouth and sucked it Manteo third thing you did.

You did little dance like this now what you knees have to do with your thumb.

I don't know when I take that dance helped with work when one member suffers, every member suffers with it. These gifts are support gifts God put us in the body and God gave us gifts to support one another. It is sheer pride for you to say I don't need the church. You need the church and I will take something else church need you back here are the gifts described and I have given you six description of these gifts. Now let's talk about the diversity of the gifts there many, many gifts you say will pastor if I am a gifted child. I want to know what my spiritual gift is what I'm good to read some of the gifts here and I want you to see if you can hear your name called, look in verse four. There are diverse diversities of gifts, died diversities of gifts.

Now let's skip down to verse eight and begin to look at them in verse eight he mentions wisdom by one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom what is wisdom.

Wisdom is a spiritual, have you ever known people who are gifted with wisdom.

I'm not talking about common sense. You can be unsaved and have common sense. I'm not on that horse and see what horse sense is is what keeps a horse from betting on a track meet. That's four cents I'm not talking about that wisdom is not common sense. It is common sense. People who have the gift of wisdom making wonderful wonderful counselors. Maybe that is your gift are in verse eight, the word of knowledge doesn't say that you know everything nobody knows everything but the charismatic gift of knowledge is the militate to know things that you could not know, apart from the anointing, the guidance, the giftedness of the Holy Spirit of God, the devil's counterfeiter. This is clairvoyance, but you can know things through the spirit that you could know any other way is matter fact that Simon Peter knew that Ananias and Sophia were telling a lie and accept the five how did he know that he wasn't there when they carried on the transaction. He had a word of knowledge. A word of knowledge. I've had that happen to me on a few occasions. I don't think that's my gift but I was preaching in South Georgia revival meeting one time and while I was preaching there was a man that people were praying for somebody came in and tapped him on the shoulder motion for him to come out. He was the sheriff of that county.

As he walked to the back of the congregation right in the middle of the message I felt impressed to say this, there goes sheriff so-and-so there most likely has been a wreck. Liquors been involved and somebody has been killed. He left about 1130 that night he came and knocked on my motel door. I came out. He said I need you to lead me to Jesus Christ. I want to be say there had been a wreck. The car hit a logging truck, a broken liquor bottle was in the front seat and the man was killed was the man who ran against this man a sheriff of that county. How did I know that how did God put that in my mind. I don't know what part of my sermon.

I was surprised when I heard myself say, I just believe in answer to prayer for this man is people praying God wanted him to be somehow convicted and convinced by that I don't have the gift of knowledge, but I think sometimes we can have flickers of these things there is the gift of knowledge, there is the gift of faith. Look, if you will, in verse nine to another faith by the same spirit. Now all Christians have faith in the general sense, but this is in a very specific sense the gift of faith. He describes it in chapter 13 verse one. If I have faith that could remove mountains. This is mountain moving faith. If you want to find the story of somebody had the gift of faith. Read the story of George Mueller of Bristol. This was a man the whole Christian world. Those who had an unusual faith. He had the charismatic gift of faith he could believe God for certain things and I thank God that he puts in the church people who have this kind of faith and I I know some of this church how they encourage me because of their great and strong and mighty. Faith is a little lady of this church. I believe has the gift of faith.

She is a constant encouragement to my heart because of her faith. Let me tell you that George Mueller of Bristol, a preacher he he raised millions of dollars for orphans without ever telling a person about his need incredible stories. One day he was off the coast of Newfoundland and there was a great fog and he went to the captain of the ship and he said why are we moving and the captain said I'm sorry we can't move in this fog, it would be unsafe and Mueller said, but I've got a speaking engagement and II cannot miss. And it's very important you must get the ship moving he said will move the ship when the fog is lifted. He said very well, let's go to the chart room and asked God to take away the fog Bill see Knowing the ways of the sea just went with George Mueller just a humoring they went into the chart room and got down on my knees and newly prayed like this God you not supposed to be and thus, in such a place of. Thus, in such a time. The captain says he will move the ship to the fog is grown so gotta ask a take away the fog. Thank you Lord. Amen. Now the captain later reported this, he said he prayed a prayer that was so simple it was like a child would pray then he said I began to pray and Mueller rebuked me and said don't pray is that why not. They sipped two reasons number one you don't believe you, Bill number two is already done.

The captain said he got up and when I looked in the fog was God's mouth.

You explain that I don't have that kind of faith. I which I did not believe in God. I have faith but there is that kind of faith that he's talking about, which is the gift of faith and then in verse nine he speaks of the gift of healing. Actually, the Greek word is healings plural because they're all kinds of healings and physical healings mental healing spiritual healings and there are some that God has given the ability to heal. This does not mean that your doctor that you have the gift of healing.

You can be saved and have the gift of healing and not be a doctor you say will pastor the ongoing ask about a certain preacher you think he has a gift of healing God is given me permission not the answer you let me take that man whomever your thinking about will reporting to God, but I believe with all my heart because I can read black parental white paper that our people have the gift of healing you do with that what you want but I do believe there is a supernatural charismatic gift of healing. You can read the Bible and you can see that there are gifts of healing, but of course God uses medicine and thank God for medicine. Jesus said they that hold me, not a physician but they that are sick Jesus and sick people did not dress pretty good advice to me today that only not a physician but they that are sick, but there are the gifts of healing coming up tomorrow will your part two of this important message but maybe today you have questions regarding your faith in Jesus want to know more about that. We loved offering insightful resource on the website. It's our discovery, Jesus page. There you find answers you may need about your faith. There's a response section. You can share with us how this message or others have impacted you and so much more. Go to LWF.org/radio and click on the tab that says Discover Jesus LWF.org/radio let us hear from you today.

Thanks for joining us in our study of God's word. Remember these words from Adrian Rogers. These spiritual gifts are not evidence they are they are not for your enjoyment. They are for your employment at your spiritual gifts to be sure to tune in tomorrow for the conclusion of unwrapping your spiritual online with