Sermon Tone Analysis

Good Morning, We are going to be starting a new series entitled “Gifted.”

Towards the end of last year we did a sermon Series on Vision 2020 — As we move forward into a new Decade.... We need to keep in the forefront of our minds our Vision…which is to Know Jesus and to make Him known…

Part of knowing Jesus is getting His word inside of us — and so what I would like us to do is as we go through various sermons this year we are to memorize some scripture together… we are going to hide the scripture in our hearts so that when there are times that we need it God can bring some of the things we have learned back to remembrance.

Lets say this verse together…(Christian Standard Bible)

Here we are at the begining of the New Year.... Can we say that we Zealous Spiritual Gifts?

How many of us want 2020 to be a Supernatural year?

Where God does something in and through us?

Well it begins with desiring the things that are from the Spirt… Having an appetite and spiritual desires…

The Vision that the apostle Paul had for the church… was One that was gifted…A Body that function well together --- having diversity but yoked together in Unity..

The church being One Body unified under One Lord, One Spirit…having... different members variety of Gifts functioning together as one… all working towards the common good..

T/s The principle of Unity and diversity is not something new.

When it comes to winning games, most pro sports teams go after talented players.

Everyone wants a team of stars.

But a new research study suggests that too many talented players can actually hurt the team's overall performance.

When researchers analyzed professional sports, especially basketball and soccer, they discovered that talented players helped teams win—but only up to a point.

Teams loaded with star players found that the too-much talent effect actually hurt the team's chances of winning.

Teams with the greatest proportion of elite athletes performed worse than those with more moderate proportions of top level players.

Star-studded basketball teams had less assists and rebounds than teams with more average players.

The researchers concluded, "When teams need to come together, more talent can tear them apart."

We often talk about ministry in terms of teams… we have the Worship team, the ushers team, Overseers team.... we have the Action Team....

The word Team Communicates the way that body life is meant to work..

Yesterday service was a great example of how team works…Everyone did there part and this happens its a beautiful thing because ministry happens… we collectively become a blessing....

The way that the church functions is through team..

There are three primary chapters in the scriptures where the gifts are listed - Romans 12, 1 Cor 12 and Ephesians 4…

These are basically the lists of gifts… in coming weeks we are going to look at those lists..

Paul was not trying to give us an exhaustive list of the gifts but rather a range of gift that are available to the church… there are actually 24 listed in these verses… Peter Wagner who written extensively about Spiritual gifts adds three more to his list.

1. Worship Leaders 2. Writing gifts 3. Preaching..

These are implied but not necessary stated.

As a way of introduction to this series we are going to ask three key questions..

1.

What are Spirtual gifts?

The phrase...”Spiritual Gift” comes from the root word Grace - Charis or charismata - it means favour, give freely, un merited favor…

When we use grace in the sense of a spiritual gift its always in the plural form—

Grace becomes becomes graces or gifts… We can say that God has given these graces… blessings…

Paul in Ephesians 4 tells us that when Jesus ascended He gifted the Church for the purpose of continuing His ministry..

Paul tells us that.. these gifts were given out broadly not to select few…In fact...

Every Christian shares in the bounty of Christ’s.

No one is unimportant; no one can feel useless and negligible in the life of the church.

this truth is affirmed in a beautiful way.

In the charter of the Church of the Savior, Washington, d.c.,

“On the ship of the church there are no passengers; all are members of the crew” Church of the Savior..

What were these Gifts?

The word “Grace” here means the ability to perform the task God has called us to.

These are not ordinary gifts they extraordinary gifts of the Holy Spirit given to Christians for special service.

Each gift is a manifestation of the Holy Spirit

In the OT the Holy Spirit would come upon specific people and various times.

In the New Testament the Holy Spirit indwells believers and the Spirit gives these gifts to us as he sees fit… We can desire and seek Spiritual gifts but we cannot earn them

Spiritual Gifts are different from talents..

This is where it can get a little confusing…..

We might talk about talented people as being gifted…and some of the Spiritual Gifts look like they could be classified as talents…

but there are some clear differences.

T/S Here are a couple of key markers to distinguish difference…

a.

You don’t have to be a believer to have Talent..

We have talented comedians, actors, musicians… Shows on TV like the Voice and Americas got talent… are always discovering new talent… These are natural Gifts opposed a Spiritual gift that is received from God.

A second Marker (difference)

b.

Natural talents are those abilities that are inherited and developed

We all know people who are talented and come from a long line of family members who share the same talent.

If one member of such a family does not possess this shared talent, they typically will say something like, “I didn’t get the gene”.

In our family it’s Art… my family is incredibly artistic… and see these gifts in my kids… but.. skipped a generation...

Natural talents are just that: “natural.”

Natural talents are innate come from birth…

Spiritual gifts are spiritual and they come with Spiritual birth.. Spiritual Gifts given by God for purpose.

Spiritual gifts are Given by God for purpose - they are given for the building up of the body of Christ”

This is important differential for the gifts.

J.I. Packer says it like this:

if you have the

“Ability to speak or act in a particular way—performing ability, as we may call it—it is only a [a spiritual gift] if and as God uses it to edify.”

J.J. Packer

Gift is not always about your technical ability… The gift is all about Edification… Building up of others..

Are people encouraged? are people challenged?

helped through the gift?

let me give you an example..

The 19 th Century Charles Spurgeon was a tremendous orator - started preaching at the age of 16 never went to college… he was so eloquent that he got the nick name the silver tonged preacher - he had tremendous power to sway crowds.

He had incredible talent… He was born with this natural talent...

On the other hand at the same time there was another influential preacher D.L. Moody was uneducated had bad gramma, he stuttered, poor tone..

He did everything wrong when it comes to public speaking.

Both men touched 100 000 of people…

What is happening here is that Spurgeon had talent as the basis of his gift… Moody… had less talent… but what he was lacking in talent the spirit made up in gifting.

If you have a gift of teaching, it doesn’t matter whether you can project.

It doesn’t matter whether your gestures are right.

It doesn’t matter whether you speak clearly.

It doesn’t matter whether you have round tones.

Do people learn?

If you have a gift of counseling, it really doesn’t matter how many degrees you have.

Are people helped?

(keller)

When Spiritual Gifts in operation people are built up and encouraged....

The first question is ...

1.

What are Spirtual gifts?

2. Why are Spiritual gifts important?

Can you imagine a church that didn’t use it’s gifts… Nobody was willing to teach, no one was willing to be hospitable..No one willing to sing or lead worship....

… no one was willing to serve others… What would happen to that congregation?

It would eventually just fade away…

Why is that?

Spiritual Gifts is the Expression of the church… It is how we express our love towards one another… it is the way that we express our love to our community…

Spiritual gifts are important Because it is the the way God strengthens and builds his church… When spirtual Gifts are in operation.... ....

When Christians are serving one another with Gifts.... the church is going to grow from strength....

Eph 4:16 tells us that Everything in the Church flows from Christ who is the Head of the Church… and then from Him the body is held together by each part...

When each of us began to function fully in our gifting not only are we going to be held together joint upon joint…People are going to be ministered too and hearts and lives will be changed…