THE HOLY SPIRIT ADVANTAGE SERIES PART 5 THE SPIRIT GIFTS YOU FOR FELLOWSHIP2010 Teaching by Jerry B Simmons

Teaching DetailsInformation Icon

Date: 2010-11-18

Title: The Holy Spirit Advantage Series Part 5 The Spirit Gifts You For Fellowship

Teacher: Jerry B Simmons

Series: 2010 The Holy Spirit Advantage Series

Teaching Transcript: The Holy Spirit Advantage Series Part 5 The Spirit Gifts You For Fellowship

You are listening to FerventWord, an online Bible study ministry with teachings and tools to help you grow deeper in your relationship with God. The following message was taught by Jerry Simmons in 2010.

Well, this evening, though, we're starting out in John chapter 16 as we continue to consider the advantage that we have in the Holy Spirit. And in John chapter 16, verse 7, Jesus is speaking and he says, Nevertheless, I tell you the truth, it is to your advantage that I go away. For if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send him to you.

And so once again, we have Jesus here getting ready to leave. He knows he's going to the cross, and then he's going to ascend to the Father. And so he's preparing his disciples, and he wants them to know that they don't need to sorrow, they don't need to be freaked out. Instead, that they can take comfort in the fact that if Jesus goes away, he will send to them the Helper.

That is the Holy Spirit. And so he says it's your advantage that I go away. It's better for you. It's to your benefit that I go away because I'm going to send the Holy Spirit.

And you and I know that we need all the help that we can get in seeking to navigate the difficulties of this life. There's a lot of pressures. There's a lot of decisions that we have to make as Christians. There's spiritual battles that we face and temptations and the laziness and the things of our flesh. And there's a lot of issues that we face. And so we need all the help that we can get.

And so we have the Holy Spirit who is the helper. It's a great advantage to us. We began the series looking at the indwelling of the Spirit. There in John chapter 14 where Jesus promised that the Holy Spirit would be in His disciples. The Holy Spirit dwells within all believers and abides within us forever. It's something that is permanent, always.

always and forever, no matter what, good days, bad days, you know, whether you like the way that your hair turned out today or whether you, like Charles and I, don't really have to worry about that, whether you wake up on the wrong side of the bed or the right side of the bed, whether you've been fighting with your spouse or...

been having family troubles, whether you've been reading your Bible, whatever your condition may be, as a believer, the Holy Spirit is dwelling within you. It's a permanent condition for those who are believers in Jesus Christ.

And so we saw nine advantages that we have because the Spirit dwells within us. And we learned that in order to cash in on those advantages, in order to benefit from those things that come from the Spirit dwelling within us, we need to ask and then we need to walk. We need to ask God to give us His Spirit and then we need to walk in obedience to those things that He has set before us.

Well, then we looked at the fruit of the Spirit, the things that the Spirit produces in us, the characteristics and the qualities that the Holy Spirit brings forth in our lives. And we saw that there in Galatians 5, 22 and 23. And we learned there that if we want the Spirit to produce fruit in us, we can do that.

We do so not by trying to generate the fruit on our own strength or with our own resources, but by cultivating our spiritual life. And as we cultivate our spiritual life, we learned about the nine different qualities or characteristics that the Holy Spirit will produce in us. Well, then the next evening we saw the baptism of the Holy Spirit there in the book of Acts. And we saw that promise that Jesus gave to the disciples that they would receive power to be witnesses to him.

We learned there that we are authorized agents, we're expert witnesses to tell people about Jesus when the Holy Spirit comes upon us. And there was five specific results that come from the Holy Spirit upon us. And how do we receive those results or those advantages that we have in the Holy Spirit? Again, we saw that we need to ask.

We need to ask to be filled with the Spirit. We need to seek the Lord and allow Him to fill us. And then we need to walk in faith and go forward believing God at His Word that He would give the Holy Spirit to those who ask. Well, then last night we began the discussion of the gifts of the Spirit. And we saw that in the body of Christ, there's different gifts that are given by different members of the Godhead, the Father, the Son, and the Holy Spirit.

We learned that Jesus gives leadership to the body. That's not really a subject that we'll be diving into in this series. But then we also saw, and what we focused on last night, was that God gives membership to the body. And every one of us has a role within the body of Christ. And we looked at seven examples of those roles or operations within the body of Christ.

And we learned that in order to find out your role, to find out the operation or the function that God has given to you as a member of the body of Christ, we need to present ourselves to God as a living sacrifice and then prove what is the acceptable and perfect will of God. And so we seek the Lord and we try out different areas and we take those opportunities that are presented to us even when we don't think we are specially gifted or called into those areas.

Well, then the third area of the gifts of the Spirit that we'll be dealing with is the Spirit who gives the gifts to us to help us fulfill our role within the body of Christ. And that's what we're going to be looking at this evening and also for the next two studies, looking at the specific applications of the gifts of the Spirit in certain areas. And so tonight we're looking specifically at the gifts of the Spirit in regard to fellowship.

Now here again we have the body of Christ and you need to remember that Jesus gives leadership and you and I as believers, we need spiritual authorities. And so Jesus' gift to us is those authorities, those roles and those positions of leadership. But also, in regards to the body of Christ, God has given us membership.

And it's something for every believer that no one is excluded, that every believer is a member of the body of Christ. And according to the Apostle Paul in 1 Corinthians 12, that means that every member is necessary and important and a requirement. In Ephesians 4, Paul explained that the body of Christ only grows as each member does its share, as each part fulfills its role. That's when the body of Christ grows.

And so that's what we were talking about last night. But it's important to keep in mind as we go forward now, looking at the third aspect of the body of Christ, and that is that the Spirit gives spiritual gifts. You could think about it this way. My hand, for example. My hand will always be a hand. That's the member that it is. And as a hand, it is able to perform certain things.

Depending on what is in my hand, it can accomplish a huge variety of things. Depending on the tool that it's holding, it will be used very differently. And so you are a member within the body of Christ. God is giving you membership, but the Spirit gives you gifts.

And depending on the gift that he gives you in the moment or at the time, you might be performing completely different, a great variety of operations. So if I have a hammer in my hand, I'm able to do certain things. Maybe demolition, taking things apart, putting things together, putting nails into place. But if I have a screwdriver in my hand,

then I'm able to do something entirely different.

I'm putting screws or taking out screws. I'm maybe working on some stylistic, some decorative things, or maybe I'm putting together some important structures, whatever the case may be. Or if I have a steering wheel in my hand, well, that's a whole different operation altogether. Now I'm steering some type of vehicle and causing it to go different directions, and

And then if I have a scalpel in my hand, well, then you're in trouble. Then I'm doing something completely different. And so the hand, that's the member of my body, but it performs different functions depending on the tool that is in my hand. Now, there's also another difference that takes place depending on whose hand the instrument is in.

So a steering wheel in my hand is completely different than a steering wheel in the hand of a race car driver. There's a whole different level of operation depending on whose hand it's in. A guitar in my hand is completely different than a guitar in Evangelina's hand. And so we have these different members and God has given us membership within the body of Christ.

But then the Holy Spirit gives us tools or gifts to be able to do specific things and a variety of things to be able to fulfill our role as members of the body of Christ. And what we've been called to, considering the subject of fellowship, is pretty difficult when you think about it. You know, God has called us to work together with people.

And that's hard. You know, people are difficult. Anybody who has ever been around people can testify to that, right? We know there's relationship problems. Now, not only are we to work together and be around each other, but God uses us to change each other and to impact each other, to really bring some transformation in a person's life. Now, how many of you have ever tried to change someone else?

If you've tried, you know how difficult that can be. It's not very easy. And so the fellowship that God has called us to, making an impact on one another and helping each other to grow, that's not always an easy task. In fact, very often that is very difficult. Think about it this way. How much training does a doctor go through to be able to practice medicine?

How much training does a surgeon go through to be able to perform surgery? And the doctors and the surgeons, they only work on the physical body, the outer things, the things that are temporary anyways. But God calls you and I to be a part of each other's lives in such a way that, well, the impacts stretch on for eternity. And so how much more are the eternal things important than the physical things?

And yet we have far less training than the doctor or the surgeon. And so when we come to the subject of fellowship, we need to understand that we cannot fellowship properly, rightly, in our own strength and with our own resources.

You know, when we come to the subject of fellowship, we can't just tell people what we think about their problems or situations or what they should do or what God is saying. We can't just give our own ideas or our own thoughts. That's really not going to be helpful. That's really not going to make a lasting impact. And we can't tell people, well, this is what my mom says. This is what my mom taught me.

That's not going to be effective either. That's not going to really impact for eternity. You can't share with people, this is what the guy on TV said you're supposed to do in this kind of situation. Well, that's not a good resource either. Those types of things, when you're talking about fellowship and ministering to one another and helping direct each other into a relationship with God, if you're relying upon your own resources or what your mom said or what you heard on TV,

That's like going to an untrained drunk person and asking them to perform surgery on someone. It's terrible to just share what you think, to just share what someone else thinks as direction for them, as counsel for them, in order to make an impact on their life. That's a terrible idea. It's not going to work. But you and I as believers, we don't have to rely upon our own resources.

We have an advantage. We have the Holy Spirit. If you've learned how difficult it is to try to impact someone's life and help them to grow in their relationship with God, you know it's tough on your own resources, but we have the advantage of the Holy Spirit. And see, what we're looking at tonight in regards to the gifts of the Spirit and fellowship is the fact that the Holy Spirit gives us gifts or tools that enable us to impact each other's lives.

that enable us to really make an impact and make a difference. And so God gives us membership within the body, and then the Holy Spirit gives us gifts or tools so that we're able to fulfill our role within the body of Christ. And specifically tonight, we're looking at our role next to the members around us, the members that we rub elbows with and come in contact with, those that we're directly linked to. We have an obligation and responsibility to them,

to minister to them and to receive from them. That's what fellowship is really all about. And so as we look at the gifts of the Spirit this evening, we're looking again at the specific subject of fellowship. And so let's turn over now to 1 Corinthians chapter 12. 1 Corinthians chapter 12, we have here by the Apostle Paul a list of the gifts of the Spirit. Jesus gives us leadership. God gives us membership.

The Spirit gives us gifts to be able to fulfill our role within the body of Christ. And in 1 Corinthians chapter 12, starting in verse 7, we have these gifts of the Spirit. It says this, But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for the profit of all.

For to one is given the word of wisdom through the Spirit, to another the word of knowledge through the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healings by the same Spirit, to another working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another discerning of spirits, to another different kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues."

Verse 11, but one and the same Spirit works all these things, distributing to each one individually as He wills.

Here we have this list of the gifts of the Spirit. Nine different things that are listed that are called the manifestations of the Spirit. The revealing of the Spirit or the way that the Spirit shows Himself in our lives is through these nine different areas. And these nine different things are what equip us and enable us to perform our role within the body of Christ.

Each one of us, individually, are candidates for any of these manifestations of the Spirit. And so these are not just for certain people, but the Holy Spirit can give any one of us any of these gifts, anytime that He chooses. None of these gifts are limited to certain roles. That, "Oh, that gift, that's only for pastors," or, "That gift, that's only for missionaries."

No, the reality is that the Holy Spirit can give any one of us these gifts anytime He chooses. In a sense, we all have the same toolbox. And the Holy Spirit is able to pull out of that toolbox any of these tools whenever He wants us to use them. And so these are gifts that are for you and I that the Holy Spirit gives us in the situations that we face and in the fellowship that we have with one another.

Now, some of these gifts go really well with the role and the function that God has given you as a member of the body of Christ. And so there's certain gifts that the Holy Spirit will give you repeatedly and often throughout your life because it fits very well with the ministry or the function that God has given to you.

So some of these we will operate in frequently, but all of them are things that God can do that the Spirit will give when the time is right and when the situation is appropriate. Also, I would encourage you to consider the fact that each gift is as easy for the Spirit to give you as any other gift.

So you look at this list and go, wow, gifts of healing, that's a tough one, man. Yeah, I think God just mostly gives me, I don't see mine on the list here. No, I'm just kidding. We,

We think, oh, that one must be really tough. You know, but the Holy Spirit doesn't differentiate. It's not about how difficult it is. He doesn't say, oh, it's too hard to give them the gifts of healing, so I'm just going to give them a word of wisdom. It's the same. To give you a word of wisdom and to give you a gift of healing, it's the same to God. It's not more difficult. It's just what is His will and what is His desire in the situation that we face.

And so these gifts are gifts that the Holy Spirit gives us in the situations that we're involved in, in the context that we're involved in, according to the outcome that the Spirit desires. Notice there at the end of verse 11, he says, as he wills. So it's according to his will. So if these are gifts that we all are able to receive, again, the question as we start out looking at these gifts is, how do we receive these gifts of the Spirit?

How is it that we're able to operate in these gifts of the Spirit? Again, in verse 11, we see that He distributes to each one individually as He wills. So right off the bat, we know we don't just choose, okay, well, I'm going to use this gift. Or we don't just choose, okay, I'm going to use that gift. I'm going to do this over here and I'm going to do that over there. It's not up to us. The Spirit distributes individually.

As He wills. It's according to His will. It's according to His designs and His plans that He gives us these spiritual gifts. Again, thinking about the idea, the picture of a doctor or a surgeon. You know, they're in the process of surgery. The surgeon is there and he holds out his hand. He says, scalpel.

And the assistant puts the scalpel in his hand and then he takes it and he goes to work. And then he puts out his hand and he says, suction. And they get suction. And so then he's going to work. He puts out his hand. He tells them what instrument he needs. They give it to him and then he goes to work. Well, that's similar to the working of the Holy Spirit, the gifts of the Spirit, in the sense that we are like the doctor, but we don't know what instrument we need. And so we just hold out our hand and we say, okay, Spirit,

What tool is necessary for this situation that I face? What gifts do you want to give me in this conversation? Or for this Bible study that I'm preparing? What gifts do you want to give me for this thing that I'm going through now? We don't know what tool we need. The Holy Spirit distributes according to His will. And so our role is just to hold out an empty hand and say, Okay, Lord, you know, whatever you want.

You want to give me a word of wisdom? That's great. I'll use that. You want to give me the gift of healings? Great. I'll use that. You want to give me the gift of tongues? Great. I will use that. And so it's according to His will, we simply receive it. So how do we receive these gifts? Well, 1 Corinthians chapter 14 verse 1 gives us a really good clue. 1 Corinthians 14 verse 1 says, "...pursue love and desire spiritual gifts..."

but especially that you may prophesy. Two things. First, pursue love. In order to receive the gifts of the Spirit, the first thing we must do is pursue love. The word pursue here means to follow after, to chase, to press toward. You and I are supposed to be chasing after, pressing towards love. That's to be our goal. If we want to be used by God and gifted by the Holy Spirit...

Our motivation, our desire needs to be love. This word love, again, is the word agape. It's a perfect and selfless, unconditional love. It has the best interests of the people in mind and in heart. And so if we want to be used by God and gifted by the Spirit, we need to, first of all, have the motivation and the desire of love. That we want what's best for people.

And then the second thing he says is desire spiritual gifts. So pursue love and then desire spiritual gifts. To desire means to burn with zeal, to strive for.

Not to just kind of like ho-hum, you know, well, I guess if you want to give me some gifts, then okay, you know, maybe I'll use them. No, but to have a burning desire. You see, again, it's connected with the pursuit of love that you love people and so you see the need and you see, man, God,

They really need a touch from you. And then you have a burning desire and a passion. Lord, let me be a part of that. I want to be a part. I want to help them. I want to be a part of your work in their life. It's a burning desire and a passion to be used by God to minister to them. And so we need to pursue love and desire spiritual gifts.

When you desire God's best for people and you desire to be used by God to minister to them, then the Holy Spirit can gift you to do so. And He can gift you in any of these nine areas that are listed here. And I want to go through them now and give you a little bit of an idea about

what they are, what these gifts are, how they operate, and specifically how they operate within the context of fellowship, that is connecting with other Christians, a very important part of our Christian life that God has called us to. And so we need to pursue love and desire gifts. And the first gift that we see listed here is the word of wisdom. There in verse 8. The word of wisdom. The word of wisdom takes place...

When God gives you the solution to a dilemma or problem, guidance or direction. The word of wisdom is when God gives you the solution to a dilemma or problem, guidance or direction. As an example of this, we have the book of Acts chapter 6. There was a dilemma. The widows were not receiving fairly the distribution of food.

There was a problem, there was a situation, there was a little bit of turmoil within the church. And the apostles gathered together and there was a word of wisdom. They were able to make a decision and come to a solution and say, set seven men over this responsibility, over this business, and they will be able to handle and take care and make sure that these needs are met.

That's a word of wisdom. The solution was given. God's will is delivered. God's solution for the dilemma and the situation was received. And so a word of wisdom is that type of thing. It's a solution to some type of situation or problem. And so as we are fellowshipping with and bumping elbows with those who need solutions, those who are experiencing dilemmas, those who need guidance or direction,

The word of wisdom is an appropriate gift that the Spirit might gift us with. And so perhaps after church one day that you're talking with a person who has this situation with their kids. And they don't know what to do and they're wrestling with the different options and they've got counsel from these different people, but...

The Holy Spirit could gift you with a word of wisdom that would give them God's answer. Now again, emphasizing, we're not just to tell people what we think or what mom says or what the guy on TV said, but this is a supernatural working of God in that He implants in us the solution, the answer, the guidance or direction that they need in order to work out that dilemma according to the will of God.

Or maybe you're out and about, maybe doing your Christmas shopping, and you bump into a person and you begin to talk and they're at a kind of a fork in the road. They've got to make a decision about something that is in front of them. And that's a great opportunity for the Holy Spirit to gift you with a word of wisdom, to give them guidance or direction about the way that God would want them to go. Maybe you get a phone call.

And there's a person there in the workplace and they're in the middle of a crisis, in the middle of a dilemma. Some type of situation is going on and they're calling out, please pray for me, I'm in this situation. And certainly you can pray for them, but also it's an opportunity for the Holy Spirit to give you the gift of a word of wisdom to share with them what God would say, God's solution for that crisis that they are facing.

some guidance or direction for them as they navigate those turbulent waters. On Wednesday evenings, we usually give the opportunity to minister to one another at the end of the service. And so maybe you're here on a Wednesday night and you're in that time of ministering to one another. You go to a person to pray with them and you find out that they really need a direction from God. They're really struggling with some different things.

And again, it's a great opportunity for God to give, for the Spirit to give you this gift of a word of wisdom, to be able to share with them some direction, some guidance that God has for them. And so how do we get this gift? We pursue love and we desire spiritual gifts. In that moment and in that situation, and then I would say even in preparation for that moment and that situation, that we need to be pursuing love and desiring spiritual gifts.

Desiring for God to speak to us and to speak through us to minister those that we come in contact with. And so we have the word of wisdom. Another gift that is listed here that is in the toolbox that we have, that the Spirit may choose to give you, is a word of knowledge. Now, the word of knowledge is a little bit different than the word of wisdom.

The word of knowledge is when God gives you information that you could not know naturally.

A word of knowledge is when God gives you information that you could not know naturally. So it's not something that you just stumbled upon some information or you happen to log into their email account or that type of thing. It's not some detective work that you're really good at. It's something that God gives you

that you could not know any other way. It's a specific knowledge. And I think that's important, specific knowledge. Anybody can generalize. And I can share that, I really feel that someone in here is having marriage problems. Well, if there's only one married couple in the room, that statement is true, right? There's marriage problems, there's difficulties. We all face those types of things.

It goes beyond just some type of general and vague thing, but it's a very specific word about a specific situation, about certain things that are going on. And so God can give you, the Holy Spirit can give you this gift where God gives you this information that you could know no other way. It's a special revelation from God. Now when God gives a word of knowledge, when the Holy Spirit gives you this gift,

then I would encourage you to pray over what to do with what God has shown you. He doesn't always give us a word of knowledge so that we can announce it. Sometimes it's just to pray for the person or the situation that is related to this word that God has given to us. Sometimes it's to share with that person individually. And so we need to be led by the Spirit on what to do with the word of knowledge when He gives it to us.

We have an example, I believe, of the word of knowledge in the book of Acts, chapter 20, verse 29, where the Apostle Paul, he's talking with the Ephesian elders that are gathered together. He says, this very possibly is my last time I get to share with you guys. I'm going on to Jerusalem and trouble awaits me there. And he says in verse 29, for I know this, that after my departure, savage wolves will come in among you, not sparing the flock.

The Apostle Paul had a word of knowledge. The Spirit had given him special insight of things that he could not know naturally. He says, look, I know. And then he goes on in the passage to give even more specific details. He says, this is what I know. There's going to be savage wolves. And so the Apostle Paul receives this word of knowledge and he's able to use it to help prepare those who are going to experience these savage wolves that come into the flock.

I think another good example of a word of knowledge is Jesus and the woman at the well in John chapter 4. When he's having that conversation with her and he tells her, go get your husband and come back. And she said, I have no husband. And what does Jesus say? He doesn't say, oh, I sense you're having marriage problems. No, he says, look, you've had five husbands and the guy you're with right now isn't your husband.

It's very specific to her situation. It's insight that he could get no other way except the Holy Spirit giving him this word of knowledge. So the word of knowledge is something that the Holy Spirit may give you as you spend time in fellowship. So you're hanging out with someone after church and the Spirit gives you some special insight and you understand, you know, that person needs $20.00.

And now you get to discern, okay, Lord, what do you want me to do with that information? The Holy Spirit can show you, can give you insight onto a specific need. That person needs a jacket. That person needs this. That person is in this situation. You bump into someone whenever you're running around and the Spirit gives you insight into a person's circumstances and background. You know, you've had five husbands and the guy you're with right now isn't your husband.

And so you're able to minister to that person appropriately based upon that word of knowledge that the Holy Spirit will give you. Maybe you get a phone call and the Holy Spirit gives you some insight, a word of knowledge about that person and their calling. And so then you're able to help prepare them for their role within the body of Christ. Or again, maybe it's a Wednesday night service and you're ministering to someone there at the ending of the service and the Spirit gives you some insight

information, a word of knowledge. And so you're able to pray for them because you know of the challenges that they're going to face, the challenges that lie ahead for them, like the Apostle Paul did in Acts chapter 20. So this word of knowledge is something that the Holy Spirit can give you so that then you are able to minister and fellowship in an appropriate manner. And how do we receive the word of knowledge? We pursue love and

We love people, we chase after, we follow after love, and then we desire spiritual gifts. Now sometimes, James tells us, we ask and do not receive because we ask amiss. And so if you're asking God for a word of knowledge so that you could have the down low and the gossip, He's not going to give it to you. But if you're asking God, Lord, give me a word of knowledge so that I can love them and minister to them appropriately, then if the Spirit wills,

He is able to give you this gift in that situation, in that conversation. And you'll be able to make an impact and minister to that person that you're with. Well, the next gift that we see here listed in 1 Corinthians 12 is the gift of faith. The Holy Spirit can give us the gift of faith. And the gift of faith is when God gives you faith to say or do something special and specific.

It's the gift of faith so that you can say or do something special and specific. An example of this perhaps is when Elijah says, it's not going to rain for three years except by my word. That took some special faith. That took some extra faith in God to be able to declare such a thing. Another good example in the book of Acts chapter 27. The apostle Paul is there on a ship. He's a captive on the ship.

And they're in rough seas. They're in rough waters. And the men on the ship know that ship is going down. They're going to sink. But Paul says in verse 22, he says to the guys on board, he says, I urge you to take heart, for there will be no loss of life among you, but only of the ship. Therefore, take heart, men. Notice, for I believe God, and it will be just as it was told me. God had revealed to him,

What would take place? And Paul had this gift of faith by the Holy Spirit to say, I believe God. Take heart, guys. There's going to be no loss of life. Just the ship is going to go down. And so he had this special faith to declare and to do something specific and special. Another good example is in Acts chapter 14, verse 9. Again, the Apostle Paul is ministering, and as he's speaking,

It says, Paul observed this guy intently and saw that he had faith to be healed. And so he tells him to get up and walk. But this guy had been given by the Spirit faith to be healed. He had this special faith for something specific and that it was to be healed. It was the guy's faith that Paul observed. It wasn't Paul's faith, but he saw, hey, he's got faith to be healed. So right in the middle of his message, can you imagine that? He says, hey, get up and walk.

And he rises and he walks. And so the gift of faith is something that the Holy Spirit can give you in your times of fellowship, after church, you're hanging out, you're talking to people. And the Holy Spirit can give you the gift of faith to really encourage someone to believe God about the outcome as he has declared it. Like the Apostle Paul did in Acts chapter 27. Or you bump into a person and they're really wrestling, they're really struggling, and you are able...

Because the Spirit has given you the gift of faith to share something specific or special about their situation, about what they're going through. Or maybe it's a Wednesday night service and it's during the time of ministry and you go to someone and you ask them to pray for you because you have faith to be healed. Maybe it's not something that you do for someone else, but maybe God has given you that special faith that your situation can be resolved today

And so you can go like what we saw in Acts chapter 14 there, and they can pray for you and they can be a part of that work in your life.

How do we receive this gift of faith? Again, we pursue love. We chase after love. We desire God's best for the people around us. And then we desire, we have a burning passion for spiritual gifts. That the Holy Spirit would give to us those things that we need, those tools that we need to best minister to them and impact and change their lives. To have lasting effect, eternal value.

Well, the next gift that we see here in 1 Corinthians 12 is the gift of healings or gifts of healings. The gifts of healings take place when God gives you supernatural ability to heal a person. Supernatural ability to heal a person. I think it's interesting that it's in the plural. Both gifts and healings are plural. Because I think there's a lot of different types of healings.

We could look very simply, you know, at spiritual healings or at mental healings or at physical healings. Lots of different types of healings that are necessary and that a person faces in the situations of life. And so he says the gifts of healings is something that the Holy Spirit is able to give you when he gives you that supernatural ability to heal a person.

In Acts 5, verse 16, it tells us there that there was a multitude gathered from the cities around Jerusalem and they were bringing people to be healed. And they were also bringing those who were tormented by unclean spirits and it says they were all healed. There was a special operation of the gifts of healing at that time and so the surrounding areas around Jerusalem were bringing people and they were being healed.

Another example we have of this is in Acts chapter 19, verse 11 and 12. There it tells us that God worked unusual miracles by the hand of Paul, so that even handkerchiefs or aprons were brought from his body to the sick, and the diseases left them and the evil persons went out from them. Special gifts of healings. Unusual, unique. There's Paul's working on the tent, so you know he's cutting, he's sewing, he's putting together, and they're able to take the handkerchief from Paul, or the apron that he's using, and

And God used that to heal those who were touched. Now, again, we look at the gifts of healings. We consider that and we think, oh, that's a hard one. When anybody asks us to pray for healing, you know, usually we kind of like, we become real somber. You know, if you ask me to pray for, you know, God to provide lunch. Okay, yeah, no problem. But, oh, you want prayer for healing? Or depending on what it is, you need prayer for a headache or you need prayer for cancer?

I really got to pray, you know, and we get real serious and it's like it's really difficult for God to heal one over the other. But the reality is it's just as easy for God to do anything. It's not about difficulty. It's just about his will. So sometimes it's God's will that you be a part of healing in people's lives. And when it's his will, when it when it lines up, when it corresponds with what he wants, the Holy Spirit can give you the gift of healing.

So again, maybe you're hanging out with people after church and someone has a headache and the Holy Spirit can give you a gift of healing to pray for them and they will be healed. Their headache will go away. Or maybe you're out and about and you bump into someone and that person has cancer and the Holy Spirit may give you the gift of healing to pray for them, to lay hands on them and God would heal them from their cancer.

Maybe you get a phone call and there's someone on the other end who's really battling some depression. There's some mental anguish. There's some mental anxiety. And the Holy Spirit may give you the gifts of healing so that you can pray for them and that they would be healed in their mind. That their depression would be removed. That they would be restored and whole and of sound mind. Or maybe you're gathering together for ministry on a Wednesday night and

the person that you're ministering to is under some severe spiritual oppression. There's some spiritual attack going on. The Holy Spirit may give you the gift of healing in that time, in that situation, to release them from that oppression, to set them free, to heal them spiritually. It's according to His will. It's not according to our will. If it was according to our will, of course, every prayer for healing that we prayed would come to pass, right?

But it's according to His will. He knows what He's doing. But He involves us and He wants us to be a part of His work. And so what do we need to do? We need to pursue love. Now remember, love is about God's best for people. And sometimes it's in our best interest to endure pain. And so that's why God doesn't heal every situation. Because He's more concerned about our eternal well-being than our temporary happiness.

And so he has the eternal scope in mind and he knows what's best and he works all things together for good. And so whatever the result of our prayer is and our laying hands on people, for those who love God and are called according to his purpose, it will work out for good. God's will will be done. But sometimes God wants to involve us and use us to bring healing into a person's life.

And so we need to pursue love, God's best for people, and desire spiritual gifts. Lord, let me be a part of your work in this person's life. Lord, you want to heal them? Great. Let me be a part. I want to be a part of your work. I want to make an impact. That's what fellowship is all about. Again, it goes beyond, you know, the surface, you know, how about them Dodgers? It goes much deeper to ministering to one another.

And challenging and changing one another and caring for one another. And building each other up to be able to accomplish the things of God. To do the things that God has set before us. So the gifts of healings is one area that the Holy Spirit may desire to give you. Then we have the fifth thing, the working of miracles. The working of miracles. Miracles.

Similar to the gifts of healings, we kind of go, oh, that's a really tough one. You know, I don't have that gift, that's for sure. Let me remind you again, all of these things that we're reading about here this evening are gifts that the Holy Spirit can give to any one of us at any time that He chooses. It's up to Him. He may use you to work miracles. The working of miracles takes place when God gives you the supernatural ability to do something that's contrary to natural laws.

When God gives you the ability to do something contrary to natural laws. It may involve raising the dead. It may involve walking on water. It may involve special provision, like when Jesus broke the bread for the 5,000 or the 4,000. In Acts chapter 9, we see the account there of Peter raising Dorcas back from the dead. The working of miracles. That's not more difficult for God to raise the dead than it is for him to heal a headache.

or for him to give a word of wisdom or a word of knowledge. It's all the same. It's just according to his will and his timing. In Acts chapter 13, we have another example of the working of miracles when there is this sorcerer that was coming against those who were preaching the gospel.

There in Acts chapter 13, Paul says to the sorcerer, he says, Now indeed the hand of the Lord is upon you, and you shall be blind, not seeing the sun for a time. And immediately a dark mist fell on him, and he went around seeking someone to lead him by the hand. And the result of that miracle was the authority there that was deceived by the sorcerer saw the truth and came to the gospel. And so the working of miracles...

is something that the Holy Spirit might use to accomplish His purposes, and He may choose you to be the one to work miracles. Whatever the miracle may be, anything that's contrary to natural laws. And so after service, you may be spending some time with someone, you're fellowshipping with them, and you pray for their safety. And God may be using you in praying for their safety to work a miracle.

to keep them from the accident that they would have otherwise been involved in, to keep them from that situation that they would have encountered. According to His will, He gives us these gifts of healing. Maybe you bump into someone and they're in turmoil because their wallet is missing. And God may use you. He may give you the gift of miracles, the working of miracles, to find the wallet. Now, the result isn't so that we could say, wow, look at me, I'm a miracle worker.

I can find missing wallets. I can do magic tricks. It's not like that. It's so that people might come to faith. The working of miracles goes hand in hand with the presentation of the gospel. And if you don't believe me, read the gospels and read the book of Acts. Whenever there's miracles, it's testifying, it's attesting to, it's grouped together with the presentation of the gospel message and the truth about Jesus Christ.

And so the Holy Spirit gives us the gift of working with miracles when it's in agreement with the message that is being preached of the gospel. And so if recovering a wallet that is missing is a miracle that needs to be done so that a person may have faith in God and trust in Jesus, then the Holy Spirit may give you that gift in that situation.

Or maybe you get a phone call. There's someone who's stuck in traffic. They're going to be late for work. They're going to be fired if they don't get there on time, that kind of situation. And if it's in agreement with the bringing forth of the gospel message, it's according to the will of God, you may pray for them. And miraculously, they get to work on time. And as a result, they put their trust in God. However the Lord wants to do it, He can do it.

God may use you to work miracles. The Holy Spirit may give you this gift. How do you receive it? Pursue love. Again, it's desiring God's best for people. So not just that a wallet may be found or they get on time to work, but the further goal of them getting right with God and being where God wants them to be and to be able to experience eternal life. That's God's best for them. And so sometimes God will use this working of miracles to

To bring credibility and authority to the message that is being declared. So pursue love. Desire God's best for people. And then desire spiritual gifts. Ask God. Have a burning passion to be used by God in the lives of the people around you. Well, another gift that we see here listed in 1 Corinthians 12 is the gift of prophecy. Here we have another gift that the Holy Spirit may give you.

The gift of prophecy is when God gives you a message that edifies, exhorts, and comforts. Gift of prophecy is when God gives you a message that edifies, exhorts, and comforts. We find that in 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verse 3. Paul says very clearly there, He who prophesies speaks edification and exhortation and comfort to men and to women, to mankind, to people.

Prophecy is speaking forth, edification, exhortation, and comfort. We see an example of this in Acts chapter 15, verse 32. Judas and Silas, they've been sent out from Jerusalem. They go to minister to those who have become Christians in Antioch and other places. It says they also are prophets. And so they exhorted and strengthened the brethren with many words.

They brought forth this exhortation, this strengthening for the brethren. They built them up in the faith. Now, prophecy is a little bit unique in comparison to the rest of the gifts that we've been looking at thus far. Because prophecy has a special role in the gathering together of believers.

Now, these examples that I've been sharing and the things that we've been dealing with are primarily one-on-one, the things that take place in fellowship and spending time with one another. But in the gathering together or in our church services,

In our Bible studies, in our gathering together, prophecy is a gift that not only is for the individual one-on-one fellowship, but it's for the benefit of us corporately. And prophecy, according to the things that Paul outlines in 1 Corinthians chapter 14, and you can look at 1 Corinthians 14 to see those gifts that have special application to the gathering together of believers.

In those gatherings, prophecy has priority. And Paul commands several times that we desire to prophesy. That as we gather together, the prophecy has the most impact in a gathering together of believers. Paul gives order for prophecy in a service. The guidelines for how prophecy ought to be exercised within a church service there in 1 Corinthians 14.

He says in verse 29 that two or three prophets should speak. And so there should be two or three words of prophecy that are brought forth at the most. Then he says in verse 29 that the others are to judge. So it's not just to be blindly received, but others are to determine, is that from God or is that not from God?

And then in verses 30 through 33, he says that the prophecies are to be brought forth one by one. So not all two or three all at the same time, everybody talking over each other, but one at a time, each sharing the word that God has given to them. Now, prophecy is not telling people what we want them to hear, not telling them our ideas or our messages or what corresponds with our agenda. It's telling people what God wants them to hear.

And the content of prophecy might be a verse or a passage that we've spent time with or that God has reminded us of, or it might be a special message from the Lord that's not tied to a specific verse or passage, but it agrees with what the Word teaches. Or it might be some special revelation about things that are to come. It can be prophetic in the sense of foretelling, or it can be just speaking forth a message from the Lord from Scripture,

Or in agreement with Scripture. And so after church, you're there, you're fellowshipping, you're spending time with someone, and you begin to share with them a passage that you read.

And it may really mean something to you and you may really realize what's going on. You may have this passage upon your heart for that person and that's why you're sharing with them. Or it might be you're just telling them about what you read in your devotions. But the Holy Spirit can give you the gift of prophecy and as you share that, it's more than just another passage. It's something that is meaningful and powerful that exhorts and edifies and comforts the one that you're sharing with.

And you know what that's like. You know, there's sometimes we read passages and nothing really comes from it. It doesn't really impact us that much. And then sometimes someone will come along and share with us a passage we know really well. But it's the right time and it's empowered by the Lord and it really edifies or exhorts or comforts us. And so God will use us and the Holy Spirit will gift us with prophecy.

to edify and exhort one another as we minister and share with one another. Maybe you bump into someone while you're out and about and there's some encouragement that God has put upon your heart that you're able to share with them. And it builds them up and strengthens them for that day or for the thing that they're going through. Maybe you're getting a phone call and you're able to give some special comfort from God in their moment of crisis or in the situation that they faced.

Maybe it's on a Wednesday evening and it's the time of ministering to one another. And God gives you a special word for a specific individual. That's why we encourage you to get up and go and share with them. Again, it may be a verse, it may be a passage, or it might just be a special message from the Lord. This is what God has declared. This is what God has put upon my heart for you.

Now, prophecy, again, is unique in that we also, on Wednesdays or during afterglows, give opportunity from time to time for people to share to the entire congregation. And the gift of prophecy is what is being exercised when that happens.

And sometimes God will give you something to share. Again, the Holy Spirit can give this to any one of us at any time that He chooses. And God may choose you to edify and exhort and comfort the whole body or the whole gathering of believers that is there. Now, one other final thing I would like to say about the gift of prophecy is don't be mistaken to think that it always has to be given to you in that moment of that conversation.

I would suggest to you that many times God gives you a word of prophecy in advance. As you're preparing your heart to come to service on a Wednesday evening, the Holy Spirit may give you a word of prophecy. And you may not even know who it's to be shared with, whether it's to be shared with the congregation or a specific individual, but you know God's given you something special.

Or it may be that God has given you something for a specific individual. And it's just, you know, the next time that you see them or that you call them on the phone, that you get to share with them that word of prophecy that the Holy Spirit has given to you. And so don't always think that it has to be, you know, something that happens instantaneously. That does happen and very often that happens. But don't be mistaken to think that it's the only time that it happens.

When God gives you a special word to edify, exhort, and comfort others, that is the gift of prophecy. How do we receive this gift? Paul said to desire earnestly to prophesy. And so we need to pursue love and want God's best for people. And God's best for people certainly does include for them to be built up and strengthened in the faith, encouraged to do the things that God has set before them, or comforted in their time of hurt or in their time of need.

And so desire God's best for them and then desire, Lord, use me. I want to be a part of your work. I want to be a part of reaching them. And the Holy Spirit can supernaturally gift us to bring that message of exhortation, edification, or comfort. Well, the next thing we see, number seven here in this list of gifts that the Spirit may give us is the discerning of spirits.

The discerning of spirits takes place when God gives you knowledge of the spirits behind an activity or a behavior. It takes place when God gives you knowledge of the spirits behind an activity or a behavior. Now this gift needs to be distinguished from natural intuition.

And women's intuition, right? This is more than just, I have a feeling, or this is what I think is going on. I have this sense. I'm just good at reading people. It's not a natural thing. This is a spiritual gift where God will supernaturally reveal the source of something that is going on. In the book of Acts chapter 16, we have the account of a demon-possessed girl.

And the demon-possessed girl is following around the Apostle Paul and declaring, these men are preaching Jesus. Now you would think, hey, that's a good message, right? That's something good. That's valuable. She's helping them. She's, you know, calling attention so that everybody knows that they're preaching Jesus. But the reality was, she was demon-possessed.

And so it tells us in Acts chapter 16 verse 18 that Paul turned and said to the Spirit, I command you in the name of Jesus to come out of her. And he came out of that very hour. There was a discernment. God gave Paul some insight. The Spirit gave him the discerning of spirits to understand that what was going on was not of God. So he needed to address that situation.

So the Spirit may give you that discerning of spirits. Maybe after church you're spending time with people, you're fellowshipping with someone, and they're sharing with you some counsel that they received, and the Spirit may give you discernment, and you would be able to share with them, hey, that counsel that they shared with you, that's not of God. That's not right. That's not something that God would have you be a part of. Maybe you bump into someone and they're sharing a word with you, and the Spirit can give you discernment to understand and know,

The Holy Spirit is not behind this. That word that they're sharing, that thing that they're saying, that is not of God. Maybe you get a phone call and a person is sharing with you about a situation that they're facing. And the Spirit can give you discernment, understanding to know, hey, that situation that you're in is a trap from the enemy. So you need to be on guard. The discerning of spirits also can be exercised as the believers are gathered together.

Remember, as we talked about prophecy, that one of the things in regards to order within prophecy in a service is that the others are to judge. When someone brings forth a word of prophecy, it's the responsibility of the congregation to determine, is that from God or not? And so God may give somebody, the Spirit may give somebody with the discerning of spirits to be able to have insight into the source of a word that was shared and whether or not it was from God.

So how do we receive this gift? Again, we pursue love. We desire God's best for the people around us. And then we desire, we passionately, earnestly desire and seek after spiritual gifts. God, use me in their lives to minister. Well, number eight, we have the gift of tongues.

The gift of tongues and then number nine, the interpretation of tongues. These are spiritual gifts that are unique from the rest in that they are primarily for the benefit of the individual who receives the gift. The gift of tongues, different kinds of tongues, Paul says there in 1 Corinthians 12, is when God gives you the ability to pray in a language that you do not know, to pray in a language that you do not understand. It's a unique gift that

Different than the rest it has some specific Rules that go along with it some specific ways that it's to operate God has given us some very specific instructions for how it's to be used The gift of tongues is one of those gifts that has been abused greatly But that doesn't mean that we should do away with it altogether but that we just need to make sure to remind ourselves of the skip the scriptural context in which it's to be used and

An important thing about the gift of tongues is that it's always directed to God. 1 Corinthians 14.2 tells us that when he speaks in a tongue, he does not speak to men, but to God. And so it's always directed to God. There's never a message that is brought forth from me to you or from someone else to someone else that is spoken in an unknown tongue or the gift of tongues.

The primary use of the gift of tongues is for self-edification. In 1 Corinthians 14.4, Paul says, As opposed to prophecy, when someone brings forth a prophecy, it edifies those who hear. The gift of tongues is for the benefit, for the edification of the one who is speaking. The person speaking is

And exercising the gift of tongues does not normally understand what they are sharing. Although sometimes God will give them the gift of interpretation to be able to understand. The point is it's not a language that they know or have studied. And we see this in the book of Acts, in Acts chapter 2, in Acts chapter 10, and various other places as well. Now the gift of tongues is also one of those gifts that does have meaning.

An appropriate place within a gathering together of believers, like the gift of prophecy. But there's some specific order that is given for how it is to be used. And that's, again, found in 1 Corinthians 14. Here's the order that Paul gives. He says in verse 27 that two or at the most three should speak in exercising the gift of tongues.

The second thing he says also in verse 27, that each should do it in their turn. And so again, not speaking over each other all at the same time, but one at a time. And then in verse 28, he explains for order within the gathering together of believers that this must be interpreted. And so when the gift of tongues is exercised in a gathering together, it must be interpreted.

Now, when the gift of tongues is exercised personally on an individual basis, you know, between you and the Lord, it doesn't need to be interpreted. That's not mandatory. But when it's a gathering together of believers, it must be interpreted so that the rest of the believers can benefit from the exercising of that gift.

Now, many people ask and wonder, well, how is this gift operate? How does this take place? And so David Guzik has a little bit of an explanation about how the gift of tongues operates. He says it this way. He says, the language of tongues works much like languages we understand. A word or sound occurs to our mind and we vocalize that word or sound.

In the gift of tongues, one simply continues to speak the words and sounds coming into their mind, trusting that God is prompting us and He understands what we are saying and that what we are saying is perfectly appropriate for the moment.

So the gift of tongues is exercised by vocalizing the words and the sounds that the Holy Spirit is placing in your mind with the gift of tongues. It's a gift that God can give to anyone according to His will. How do we receive the gift of tongues? Again, we pursue love. We desire God's best for people. Now, that might be a little bit confusing because this gift edifies yourself. Well, yes. Sometimes you know what's best for people?

is for you to be built up in the faith to be the Christian that God needs you to be. That's what's best for the person next to you. That's what's best for your children, is for you to be the person and the Christian that God has called you to be. And so God gives us the gift of tongues to build us up, to help us be the people that he's called us to be. So pursue love, desire God's best for people, and then desire spiritual gifts. Ask for God. Have a burning passion for God to use you to accomplish his purposes.

Well, the ninth one, the final one, is the interpretation of tongues. And it goes hand in hand, of course, with the gift of tongues. The interpretation of tongues takes place when God gives you understanding of a prayer that is expressed in an unknown language. And so again, Paul deals with this a lot in 1 Corinthians chapter 14, where he says that it's only to be, well, the gift of tongues is only to be exercised within a gathering when there is the interpretation.

He says if the church doesn't understand what is being said and spoken in tongues, then the church cannot be edified. And so he says that there must be interpretation. And the word to interpret that he uses means to unfold the meaning of what is said. And that's what interpretation is, to unfold the meaning. A good example of this is in Daniel chapter 5. You remember the handwriting upon the wall? And the hand wrote, mean, mean, tekel, eupharsin.

The literal translation of those words is numbered, numbered, weighed, and divided. That's what those words mean when they're translated. It was just four words that were written. But then Daniel goes on to give the interpretation, which is different than the translation. It's more than just what the words mean. It's what the message means.

And so Daniel says in Daniel 5, 26, this is the interpretation of each word. Mean, God has divided your kingdom and finished it. So the word means numbered. Daniel says the interpretation is God has numbered your kingdom and finished it. And then tekel, it means weighed. Daniel says the interpretation is you've been weighed in the balances and found wanting. And then you farsen.

It means divided. He says, And so the interpretation is different than the translation. It's the meaning of the message. And so Daniel gives the interpretation of the words on the wall.

And so when the gift of tongues is exercised in a gathering together of believers, the Holy Spirit will also give the interpretation of tongues to give the interpretation of the message or the word that was shared. And again, it will always be directed to God because speaking in tongues is always directed to God. It will never be a message for someone or, you know, from one individual to another.

This is another gift that people often ask, well, how is this exercised? How does this really take place? And so, Pastor Chuck shares a little bit about how this gift is exercised. He says,

So if there's a word being brought forth and it's in an unknown tongue, but you understand it, there's a good clue there that the Holy Spirit is giving you the interpretation of tongues. He says,

So he says, I understand it in English and I may not remember the whole thing, but as I share what I first heard and what I first understood, then the Holy Spirit continues to give me the rest of what was shared when the gift of tongues was exercised. How do we receive this gift? Again, we pursue love. We desire God's best for the people around us and we desire spiritual gifts. We have a passion and a zeal to be used by God in the lives of the people around us.

And so these are the gifts of the Spirit. These are the gifts that the Holy Spirit can give to any one of us at any time. Sometimes there's gifts that He gives to us repeatedly throughout our life and ministry or for certain seasons of our lives. But we should not exclude ourselves from any of these gifts or think that God could never do any of these things in your life. These are things that He could do in anyone's life at any time according to His will. These are the manifestations or evidences or gifts of the Spirit.

None of these things can be done in our own strength or by anything that we supply. It must be done by the gifting and the power of the Holy Spirit. So as we consider these things, let's pursue love and desire spiritual gifts. One final thought. The reality of these gifts relieves the pressure from our fellowship. Do you ever feel pressure in fellowship? You know, you're kind of avoiding a conversation because you're like, I don't know what to say to them.

Someone comes up for prayer, oh man, I have this situation, and oh man, I don't know what words to pray for them. And there's this pressure like, oh, you know, sometimes, just speaking a little bit honestly here,

sometimes I feel bad for the people who come and ask me for prayer. Because I think if they would ask them for prayer, that person is really good, especially in those types of situations. They really know what they're going through, and they could really bless the person that's coming up for prayer. I feel bad sometimes for people. But the gifts of the Spirit, see, relieve that type of pressure from us. Because it's really not up to us.

And so when we're in a conversation, if the Holy Spirit gifts us with the word of wisdom or knowledge or faith or healings or miracles or prophecy or discerning of spirits or tongues or interpretation of tongues, if the Holy Spirit gifts us, well, then we just exercise the gift. If the Holy Spirit doesn't gift us, well, then we don't exercise the gift. We just do what the Spirit gives us at the time.

And it's not up to us. It's up to God. It's as He wills. And so I don't have the burden of bringing forth prophecy to everyone who comes and talks to me. I just have the responsibility to bring forth the word of prophecy when the Holy Spirit gives it to me. And so it's a relief from the pressure. And we can pray with people and we can encourage them, but there's not that burden. We don't have to come up with something that will change their life on our own resources.

We don't have to come up with some amazing words that will help them as they're there in the hospital. We just need to share according to the gifting of the Spirit as He enables and as He manifests Himself in our life. So let's fellowship. Let's minister to one another. Let's encourage one another. Let's help each other in the Christian walk by pursuing love and desiring spiritual gifts. Let's pray.

Lord, we thank you for your word. Lord, we thank you that you desire to work in us. And also, Lord, as we see this evening, that you desire to work through us. I pray, Lord, that you would help us to have our priorities right. Lord, that our motivation for fellowship would be love, that we would really truly desire your best for the people around us. And God, as we do, I pray that you would help us to have a burning passion and zeal for

to be used by you. And Lord, I pray that you would gift us with these different gifts and that you would help us to take the steps of faith, to exercise these gifts as you give them to us. Lord, that we might minister and impact and reach the people around us for your good, for your glory, for the rest of eternity. In Jesus' name we pray. Amen.

We pray you have been blessed by this Bible teaching. The power of God to change a life is found in the daily reading of His Word. Visit ferventword.com to find more teachings and Bible study resources.