One & Many Week 6 Hebrews 2:1-4

REVIEW: We have been on a long journey but a very fruitful one! Each week we have been narrowing down further and further what the spiritual gifts are and what their purpose is. Last week we said: “The goal of Spiritual Gifts is to server one another for God’s flory and our good.”

We have looked at all the gifts that are mentioned in the scriptures and how put them in boxes to help us better understand their purpose:

• • • Gifts that BUILD UP the church (ministry)
    • Gifts that LIFT UP the church (motivational)
    • Gifts that POWER UP the church (miraculous)

INTRO> This week we look at the controversial gifts, gifts that power up the church. The text that was read to you was chosen for a reason. in v1 it talk about “drifting away.” The early, ancient church had many symbols that they used to describe who they where. One of those was a ship (Pic) this is a picture that is in an ancient catacomb dated close to 300 A.D. It’s called a bark. One historian puts it this way, “The ship (bark or barque, barchetta) was an ancient Christian symbol. Its is the Church tossed on the sea of disbelief, worldliness, and persecution but finally reaching safe harbor with its cargo of human souls. Part of the imagery comes from the ark saving Noah’s family during the Flood (1 Peter 3:20-21). Jesus protecting the Peter’s boat and the apostles on the stormy Sea of Galilee (Mark 4:35-41). It was also a great symbol during times when Christians needed to disguise the cross, since the ship’s mast forms a cross in many of its depictions..”

APP> I think that’s very appropriate for this week’s gifts. We tend to drift to one of two stream:

• • • • Everything is a supernatural event.
      • Nothing is a supernatural event.

Practical advice when it comes to the miraculous:

• • • • Seeking the miraculous should never diminish the sufficiency of the Gospel.
      • Miracles, signs and wonders never supersede scripture, they always support scripture.
      • Salvation is the greatest gift and miracle.

Big Idea> The Spiritual Gifts are empowered by the Spirit of God and anchored in the Word of God.

APP> But yet again, we run into tension. Because there is some weird stuff in the bible. It’s not just anchored in God’s word but it’s also anchored in how we read it.

Prescriptive & Descriptive:

• • • A descriptive passage of scripture describes something that happened.
    • A prescriptive passage of scripture is prescribing something that should happen.

1. Gifts that POWER UP the church.

“Wisdom, Knowledge, Faith, Healing, Miracles, Discernment, Prophecy, Tongues & Interpretation”

WISDOM:

• • SPIRIT- You have the ability to apply the biblical knowledge in practical situations. You analyze situations well and most of the time don’t give an immediate response. Many people come to you for life decisions. You love applications from a sermon.
  • FLESH- You will sometimes force a biblical principle to a wrong situation. You will struggle with saying, “I don’t know…”

KNOWLEDGE:

• • SPIRIT- You have the ability to learn, research and retain a large amount of information. You give very thorough answers. You live for footnotes. You are a gift to the church with apologetics and biblical thoroughness.
  • FLESH- You will struggle with being right rather than being relational. You will struggle with learning from people that you don’t completely agree with. Pride is always around the corner.

FAITH:

• • SPIRIT- This is the ability to trust God for big things in a bold way. You bring a level of certainty and conviction that is needed in the church.
  • FLESH- You will struggle with constantly deflecting this ability from yourself and to Jesus. Information is not your enemy.

HEALING:

• • • • SPIRIT- You heal emotional, relational and physical problems. You intercede for the broken, lost and marginalized. Your passion isn’t so much the healing as it is that the healing reveals God. You make a great counselor.
      • FLESH- You will struggle with chasing only the supernatural.  You will sometimes feel emotionally and spiritually drained and struggle with depression. Remember you are the vessel not the source. *ILL- Jumper Cables

MIRACLES:

• • • • SPIRIT- You have the ability to see God do big things through you and around you. Each time this happens it strengths your faith and in turn you strengthen those around you.
      • FLESH- Don’t forget that miracles are in the mundane. Be careful to not feel pressure to force big things.

DISCERMENT:

• • • • SPIRIT- You have the great ability to distinguish truth from error. You are sensitive to demonic activity and heresy. You tend to be a very protective person.
      • FLESH- Sometimes you will struggle with being harsh and becoming calloused. Keep people with the gift of Mercy close to you.

PROPHECY-

• • • • SPIRIT- You have the ability to say hard things that are received well by people. You see things that other people don’t see. You speak profound truth in tough situations. Illumination not revelation.
      • FLESH- At times you will be more concerned about people than the truth. You will struggle at times to trust yourself rather than the scriptures. Stay under authority.

TONGUES & INTERPRETATION

• • • • SPIRIT- You have the supernatural ability to pray and worship for your good and God’s glory. Prayer requests, tragedies and intercessory prayer are huge for you.
      • FLESH- You will often times struggle with pride and making other people who don’t have this gift inferior. 

Big Idea> The Spiritual Gifts are empowered by the Spirit of God and anchored in the Word of God.

*ILL> There was a recent study done in the NBA about the most successful basketball teams that shouldn’t be. There was one team that stuck out, because of one coach that stuck out. The San Antonio Spurs and Greg Popovich. There are a number of reasons why, but there is one that sticks out. Pop makes the players if they have an open shot, but see another player is open, pass the ball to them. Do you see that, don’t take the shot, pass it. (See “The Culture Code” page 48-49

APP> The gifts that power up the church aren’t about taking the shot as much as they are passing the ball. Use these gifts to serve one another.

Big Idea> The Spiritual Gifts are empowered by the Spirit of God and anchored in the Word of God.