God's Gifts. God's Reason.

On the day of Pentecost, when the Apostles were given Spirit Gifts to speak in different languages (tongues), they immediately used that God-given ability to preach the good news of the Gospel. They shared with the visitors from out of town that Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of God.

"Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah." When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, "Brothers, what shall we do?" Peter replied, "Repent and be baptized, every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off--for all whom the Lord our God will call." (Acts 2:36-39 NIV)

Three thousand people were added to God's Church that day. The book of Acts documents the growth of the Church throughout those early years. God's Spirit was living and active. God's Spirit was working in God's people. God's Spirit was working through God's people to accomplish God's mission.

Then Jesus came to them and said, "All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age." (Matthew 28:18-20 NIV)

So how about you? Are you letting God work in you? Are you letting God work through you? Are your Spirit Gifts helping make disciples of all nations? Are you using God's Gifts for God's reasons?

Working Against Spirit Gifts

Let's say for a moment that God gives you the Spirit Gift of serving. God gives you a heart for serving. You feel energized by serving. You love serving. God gives you that gift so you will serve people. Not only that, God says that, as we saw yesterday, your serving gift is intended for the common good. It should be used to build up the Body of Christ: God's Church. You are called to literally serve people into the Kingdom of God. Not only that, your service is supposed to build people up into Christ who is the head of the Church. Your service has a purpose.

So the Twelve gathered all the disciples together and said, "It would not be right for us to neglect the ministry of the word of God in order to wait on tables. Brothers and sisters, choose seven men from among you who are known to be full of the Spirit and wisdom. We will turn this responsibility over to them and will give our attention to prayer and the ministry of the word." (Acts 6:2-4 NIV)

You're totally fine with serving until you find yourself receiving more and more responsibility. Suddenly, you find yourself with more people asking you how to make the coffee, wipe down the tables, or clean the building. You find yourself coordinating the efforts of those people and even have people saying things like, "She's in charge of this ministry." You feel uncomfortable with these statements because you know God is the one in charge. More than that, though, you find yourself struggling with the idea of yourself as a leader. So, you go to your pastor to talk about it.

He doesn't help at all. Your pastor shares with you that the word for this kind of leader in the New Testament is "deacon." Not only that, you find out that "deacon" literally means "table waiter" or "servant." This doesn't help your case at all. The more you learn from Jesus' teachings, you find out that leadership according to Jesus is all about serving people, not bossing them around. Oh, yeah. The voice inside your head keeps telling you to coordinate the efforts of the team as well. Everything points to you taking this next step - coordinate the team, leading by serving. But you don't consider yourself a leader. So, you fight it.

If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn't do it, it is sin for them. (James 4:17 NIV)

Often times our problem is not in believing that the Holy Spirit gives gifts. Our problem is often not believing that we have one of those gifts. Our problem isn't even in using the gift. Our problem comes somewhere along the way where we try to control the gifts we get or the purpose for which God wants us to use them. We try to control the Spiritual Gift. Here's the thing. We can. We can control it. We can fight it. We can suppress it. We can bottle up the Holy Spirit of God. But it won't go well for us when we do.

When Simon saw that the Spirit was given at the laying on of the apostles' hands, he offered them money and said, "Give me also this ability so that everyone on whom I lay my hands may receive the Holy Spirit." Peter answered: "May your money perish with you, because you thought you could buy the gift of God with money! You have no part or share in this ministry, because your heart is not right before God. Repent of this wickedness and pray to the Lord in the hope that he may forgive you for having such a thought in your heart. For I see that you are full of bitterness and captive to sin." Then Simon answered, "Pray to the Lord for me so that nothing you have said may happen to me." (Acts 8:18-24 NIV)

When we recognize we are fighting the Spirit of God, the only helpful response is repentance. We should turn back to God and realign ourselves with His Will. We should come back in the house with the Father and join the party. In this particular area, we need to come home.

How about you? Do you recognize Spirit Gift(s) in your life? Do you know how you are supposed to use them to build up Christ's Body? Do you use God's gifts for God's purposes or do you fight God? Are you ready to stop working against the Spirit gifts in your life?

Spirit Gifts for a Reason

One of the most divisive spiritual gifts discussed over the years is the gift of speaking in tongues. Some believers are uncomfortable discussing or even being around people when they are speaking in tongues. Others, on the other hand, believe that tongues are an essential sign of a person's salvation. I can understand both perspectives. After all, the Apostles spoke in tongues on the day of Pentecost when the Spirit was poured out on all who would receive.

Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs--we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!" Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, "What does this mean?" (Acts 2:9-12 NIV)
The tongue-speaking that day freaked people out as well. It even messed with the ones doing the speaking. At the same time, it was essential for God's message to get out that day. You see, people were in town for a Jewish festival of Pentecost and they spoke many different languages. The Apostles were not scholars who knew these different languages and God wanted all these people to learn that Jesus was the Messiah they had been looking for. So, God's Spirit gave them the ability to speak in languages they had never learned. Then they told all the out of town visitors about Jesus in the visitors' own languages.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. (1 Corinthians 12:7-11 NIV)

I'd like to ask you to notice two things in this passage. Look at the first sentence and let it remind you of both. First, the manifestation of the Spirit is given to "each one." As people who believe that Jesus is the Christ and and asked him to be Lord of our lives, we are each given the manifestation of the Spirit. We are given a Holy Spirit gift. Think about that. Pray about it. What Spirit gift have you been given?

Secondly, notice this: the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. In other words, you were given a gift (or more than one gift) for a reason. Our Spirit gifts will always give glory to God. Our Spirit gifts will always point people to Christ. Our Spirit Gifts will always be used in unity with the Body of Christ. Our spirit Gifts will always have a God-intended purpose. Our Spirit gifts are given for the common good.

How about you? Do you know what gift or gifts the Spirit has given you? Do you know the reason? Are you using it (them) for the common good?

Spiritual Gifts

Sometimes we refer to talents or skills that people have as "gifts." This is not necessarily bad. When we read about some of the gifts people had in the Bible, though, we find ourselves confused and scrambling for the right words to distinguish those gifts in comparison to the gifts we feel like we have.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken. Utterly amazed, they asked: "Aren't all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language? (Acts 2:5-8 NIV)

Gifts in the Bible seems to be bigger. It seems more obvious to us that they are gifts. I wouldn't really doubt Moses when I was walking through the Red Sea with water like walls on either side of me. These gifts had a greater power than we have as humans. The power had to come from somewhere, so we give the credit to God. We call them Spirit-gifts.

But when they believed Philip as he proclaimed the good news of the kingdom of God and the name of Jesus Christ, they were baptized, both men and women. Simon himself believed and was baptized. And he followed Philip everywhere, astonished by the great signs and miracles he saw. When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter and John to Samaria. When they arrived, they prayed for the new believers there that they might receive the Holy Spirit, because the Holy Spirit had not yet come on any of them; they had simply been baptized in the name of the Lord Jesus. Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit. (Acts 8:12-17 NIV)

It can get confusing, though, when we refer to gifts as empowered by the Spirit and some people seem to have these gifts before receiving the Holy Spirit. Simon, for example, had the gift of sorcery before being baptized and receiving the Holy Spirit. Where did his gifts come from? They seem like spirit-gifts, but also seem to be without the Spirit of God.

Stories like this exist throughout the Scriptures - Old Testament and New. They are reminders to us that God is not the only Spirit out there. Angels are described as spirits. We can't see them most of the time, even when they are there. They are more powerful than us. They have abilities like appearing and disappearing at will. Sometimes when they exercise their powers, they give credit to God. (Think about the story of Job. Satan and his angels did the actual destruction and harm.) These angels can give spiritual gifts as well, at least within the confines of their own limitations.

Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit. There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. (1 Corinthians 12:1-6 NIV)

God, then, gives us ways to start recognizing Holy Spirit gifts and distinguish them from gifts given by other spirits. Holy Spirit gifts will always give glory to God. Other spirits like to give glory to themselves (idols) or to people. Holy Spirit gifts point to Jesus as the Messiah/Christ and encourage you to follow Jesus as your Lord. Holy Spirit gifts are distributed based on God's overall plan, giving you what you need to execute your part of it. In other words, people with Holy Spirit gifts will work together as God's team because they are. God is the giver of the gifts and God wants the team to work together toward God's end. There are more ways to tell the difference, but we can explore some more tomorrow.

So how about you? Do you recognize spirit gifts? Can you tell when a spirit gift is from the Holy Spirit? Would you know if God was equipping you for a part of God's plan?

Gifts

I'm not sure what your particular church background was like, but most people are used to a certain style and focus of church services. Some focus on God as Father, with high ceilings and stained glass windows. The picture of God always inspires awe and reverence. Others focus more on the son. In these churches, people often think of God as a friend or brother. Still other churches focus on God as Spirit. They like to think of God as being everywhere, dwelling within us, and even giving us gifts.

When the day of Pentecost came, they were all together in one place. Suddenly a sound like the blowing of a violent wind came from heaven and filled the whole house where they were sitting. They saw what seemed to be tongues of fire that separated and came to rest on each of them. All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them. (Acts 2:1-4 NIV)

Perhaps one of the greatest challenges with Spirit-filled churches, in comparison to other Father or Son focused churches, surrounds our understanding of Spiritual gifts. This is because gifts are discussed throughout the Bible, but people have a hard time accepting that they are real. Some won't accept that they were real back then. Others have no problem with God giving gifts in the past. They just don't think God does that still today.

Now for some time a man named Simon had practiced sorcery in the city and amazed all the people of Samaria. He boasted that he was someone great, and all the people, both high and low, gave him their attention and exclaimed, "This man is rightly called the Great Power of God." They followed him because he had amazed them for a long time with his sorcery. (Acts 8:9-11 NIV)

The other problem that comes up regularly is the concern that emotional Spirit-filled churches are actually led by shysters and crooks who are really just trying to steal people's money. They consider emotionally charged church services similar to Simon the sorcerer. The crowds are gathering and Simon, the logic goes, is performing magic tricks and illusions just to get their money.

So how about you? What do you think about when you hear the term "Gifts" in relation to God's Spirit? Are you worshipful? Are you skeptical? Do you trust that God gives good gifts?