Gifted - Part 3 - Gifted for Glory

I believe God wants to fill this church with His glory, with His goodness, creating spiritual growth and life transformation.

Gifted for Glory - Guest Speaker Pastor Reggie Roberson

Ephesians 3:20-21
Now to him who is able to do far more abundantly than all that we ask or think, according to the power at work within us, to him be glory in the church and in Christ Jesus throughout all generations, forever and ever. Amen.

When the church is glorified the goodness of God is revealed throughout the earth which means the earth becomes a better place.  How many you think we could use better on our planet?  Shootings in Las Vegas, ethnic tension, political upheavals, personal challenges -we need the goodness of God.

Right after Paul makes the statement about glory in the church and in Christ Jesus we find…

Ephesians 4:1-13 NIV
“Therefore I, a prisoner for serving the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of your calling, for you have been called by God. Always be humble and gentle. Be patient with each other, making allowance for each other’s faults because of your love. Make every effort to keep yourselves united in the Spirit, binding yourselves together with peace. For there is one body and one Spirit, just as you have been called to one glorious hope for the future. There is one Lord, one faith, one baptism, one God and Father of all, who is over all, in all, and living through all. However, he has given each one of us a special gift through the generosity of Christ. That is why the Scriptures say, “When he ascended to the heights, he led a crowd of captives and gave gifts to his people.” Notice that it says “he ascended.” This clearly means that Christ also descended to our lowly world. And the same one who descended is the one who ascended higher than all the heavens, so that he might fill the entire universe with himself. Now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church: the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, and the pastors and teachers. Their responsibility is to equip God’s people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ. This will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God’s Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.”

Main thought: God’s glory fills the church when each one of us actively uses our God given gifts.

I have 3 thoughts related to our main point:

1. Godly character and unity makes gifts well received.
2. Jesus paid the price to give every believer a gift.
3. God's gifts are to help the church grow. 

Godly character and unity makes gifts well-received v. 1-6

It’s like eating lettuce at a restaurant (Mexican). It looks delicious but when you bite into it feels like you are eating rocks.  (Something tastes bad and you keep tasting it out disbelief. You even pass it over to others). 

Have you ever known anyone who was incredibly gifted but just had really bad character?   How many of you think you would enjoy working with someone like that?  

It’s a poorly wrapped gift. 

If a person does not have character or does not seek unity they are like that lettuce I ate or a poorly wrapped gift. 

●      People will tolerate them and eventually, no one will want to work with or be around them, him or her.

●      Even more dangerous, they will build something up with his or her gift and tear it all down with their character.

Godly character can be summed up in these verses as love and unity. Love is humble, gentle, patient, forgiving, peacemaking. Unity is when we gladly make concessions and are inconvenienced to be with each other because we are focused on Jesus and not ourselves.  Complaining, gossiping, and having a critical attitude is not going to release the glory of God in this spiritual community. 

Love and unity will. Love and unity is what makes our gifts well received. 

God is pleased with love and unity. 

Love and unity will make a gift effective and powerful in helping other people. (Helpful Help).  Love and unity come from focusing on Jesus and making him a priority in your life! That is what this scripture is saying.

Let godly character and seeking unity be the foundation of your gifts.
 

Jesus paid the price to give every believer a gift (v. 7-11).

 In our main text Paul applies Psalm 68:18 to the life, crucifixion, and resurrection of Christ where He is pictured winning a war, taking spoils, and distributing gifts to His people.  Paul’s says that Christ gave people as gifts -apostles, prophets, evangelist, pastors or shepherds and teachers.  In his letter to the Corinthians, which you have been reading, Paul expands the list saying God has appointed people as gifts in the church.  As we read through this list I want to ask, what is your appointment or function? 

1 Corinthians 12:28

Apostles

Prophets

Teachers/shepherds

Miracle workers/evangelists

Gifts of healing

Helpers

Administrators

Various kinds of tongues speakers

You may be asking how do I know which one I have? Your gift is whatever you do well with that benefits others but doesn’t require a massive amount of effort. You do it with ease. (Admin-Eric; Leah; Rollan and B- leadership, Cole- pastoring, my wife- creativity & communication) 

Ways you discover your gifts that Jesus gave you are:

●      Prayer: Since He made you He knows better than anyone else what is your purpose. Acknowledging God and inviting Him into your life through prayer is a vital piece to discover your gifts.

●      Building Christ centered relationships: Gifts are identified and called out by our brothers and sisters in Christ.  (As student being called a prophet)

●      Assessments that help you to understand your personality, leadership style, and spiritual gifts. 

●      Serving: When I am sharing about gifts I always get questions about what is my gift.  Do I have healing?  Have you ever prayed for healing?  I watched Rollan and B’s gifts emerge as they served the church and our campus ministry.

Make every effort you can to figure out what gifts Jesus gave you since He paid the price for your gift.  

God's gifts are to help the church grow. (v. 11-13).

God’s gifts are categorized into two types that help the church or body of Christ to grow.  There are equippers; apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.  There are ministers; people serving in the church and through the church to show God’s goodness to the community.  The Fisher's and Parleir’s are equippers; guess what you are?  Ministers! What this reveals is that every person is actively using the gifts Jesus purchased for them with His blood, with godly character, to build or grow the church.  There is no one hidden in the dugout. There is no one on the bench.  The bench is all the people who are in heaven. That's right. Hebrews 12:1 tells us. Everyone is playing his or her part. 

That happens when we do life together, strategize together, and pray together. We learn and serve together.  It also happens when you have support, encouragement, and accountability from other believers and church leaders as you use your gifts in the community and at your workplace. 

Let me summarize what I’ve said.

God’s glory fills the church when each one of us actively uses our God given gifts.
If we recognize the gifts Jesus paid for through His blood, if we have godly character and seek unity, if we use them to grow the church, then the glory of God, His goodness, will fill this church to produce spiritual growth and life transformation. 

Second City Church- Gifted Sermon Series - Rollan Fisher 2017

Gifted - Part 2

I Corinthians 13:1
If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am a noisy gong or a clanging cymbal. And if I have prophetic powers, and understand all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have all faith, so as to remove mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give away all I have, and if I deliver up my body to be burned, but have not love, I gain nothing. Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. For we know in part and we prophesy in part, but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

Gifts are the tools that God gives us to build His kingdom with supernatural grace.  

Love is the way that these gifts are to be administered.

Don't Be Fooled

I Corinthians 12:31
But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

The higher gifts are those that build up others in love.  As an example, Paul teaches about the gift of tongues, which God gives you as a prayer language to build yourself up, unless there is an interpretation so that others may be edified (I Corinthians 14:1-5).

The gifts of God can cause us to be a distraction if used improperly.  A resounding gong or a clanging cymbal are distractions unless they are played in harmony with the rest of the orchestra.  You need to be unified with your local church and find ways to play in concert.  When used properly, these instruments were effective in times of war to call people to arms.

The gifts of God can cause us to think that we are something in the sight of God and man when we are not.  Love allows prophetic revelation to be utilized for the strengthening, encouragment and comfort of other believers as we look to serve God together (I Corinthians 14:3).  It allows the possessor of knowledge to come as a servant to those by whom they are surrounded to engender a greater love for Jesus and others expressed through obedience to God's holy commands (I Corinthians 8:1-3).  Love motivates those with the gift of faith to roll up their sleeves in the trenches with those who need mountains moved.  Those with the gift of faith begin calling upon God faithfully in prayer, repeatedly declaring the promises of His Word and contributing to life-transforming action until the mountains of life are moved. What matters is being able to (as we did with Christ) see your "blood on the ground" - how like Christ in humble service, your life, time, resources and efforts have been utilized to directly impact others' lives through Christ's church. This is where you are transformed from a pundit into a participant in the kingdom.  

The gifts of God can cause you to think that you will have or deserve a reward that is not truly yours.  Love is the motivation through which God honors our sacrifices (Matthew 6). 

Double Down on Love

I Corinthians 13:4-6
Love is patient and kind; love does not envy or boast; it is not arrogant or rude. It does not insist on its own way; it is not irritable or resentful; it does not rejoice at wrongdoing, but rejoices with the truth. Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.

If I don't have these character traits in my interaction with family members, co-workers, church family and the community on a daily basis, I am missing God and what He requires. Our focus on not just what, but how things need to be done is just as important to God. 

Don't Be Worried You Missed It

I Corinthians 13:8-13
Love never ends. As for prophecies, they will pass away; as for tongues, they will cease; as for knowledge, it will pass away. but when the perfect comes, the partial will pass away. When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways. For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known. So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the greatest of these is love.

How do I know I haven't missed my chance to walk in the gifts of God?
"For now we see in a mirror dimly, but then face to face."
"Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I have been fully known."

When we meet God in judgement, as Christians it will be in the righteousness Jesus Christ made available to us through His sacrificial death on the cross and resurrection from the dead.  As now on earth we've put our faith in Christ and chosen to love Him, we will then bow humbly, seeing Jesus face to face, knowing Him fully (I Corinthians 15:50-58).  No Christian can say that they are walking with God in the body yet, able to see Him face to face (II Corinthians 5:1-10) or know Him fully at this point.  We have the Word of God and the gifts of the Holy Spirit to both prepare us and strengthen us for that time to come.  

How can I discover my gifts?

1. Find an outlet for your natural skills within and through your church. 
2. Pray.  Ask God for the greater supernatural gifts that point people to the truth of Jesus' gospel and build others up in Christ.  (Come to the training for a practicum.)
3. Ask what needs to be done, not just what I want to do.  God gives gifts to meet the needs of His people, His church, His kingdom and world, not just our interests.  If you haven't found your gifts, it may be that you are not looking for the actual needs.  Don't hold out until you see where you prefer to use your skills.

I Corinthians 13:11
When I was a child, I spoke like a child, I thought like a child, I reasoned like a child. When I became a man, I gave up childish ways.

Childish thinking causes me to think only about doing what I want, when I want, not what Mom and Dad had to do to run a household in love. 

“Ask not what your country can do for you; ask what you can do for your country.”
- John F. Kennedy 

4. Commit to doing everything in love and God will make you aware of your gifts that will actually be useful in building His church and kingdom.

Galatians 5:6
For in Christ Jesus neither circumcision nor uncircumcision counts for anything, but only faith working through love.

Second City Church- Gifted Sermon Series - Rollan Fisher 2017

Gifted - Part 1

1 Corinthians 12 (ESV)
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3 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. 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills. 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ. 13 For in one Spirit we were all baptized into one body—Jews or Greeks, slaves or free—and all were made to drink of one Spirit. 14 For the body does not consist of one member but of many. 15 If the foot should say, “Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 16 And if the ear should say, “Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,” that would not make it any less a part of the body. 17 If the whole body were an eye, where would be the sense of hearing? If the whole body were an ear, where would be the sense of smell? 18 But as it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose. 19 If all were a single member, where would the body be? 20 As it is, there are many parts, yet one body. 21 The eye cannot say to the hand, “I have no need of you,” nor again the head to the feet, “I have no need of you.” 22 On the contrary, the parts of the body that seem to be weaker are indispensable, 23 and on those parts of the body that we think less honorable we bestow the greater honor, and our unpresentable parts are treated with greater modesty, 24 which our more presentable parts do not require. But God has so composed the body, giving greater honor to the part that lacked it, 25 that there may be no division in the body, but that the members may have the same care for one another. 26 If one member suffers, all suffer together; if one member is honored, all rejoice together. 27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues. 29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts. And I will show you a still more excellent way.

Second City Church- Gifted Sermon Series - Rollan Fisher 2017