GOD HAS A GIFT FOR YOU
A Letter from a Pastor #6
Pastor Dennis Clanton
Woodland Church
Sunday, August 4, 2024
Biblical Christianity believes and practices the teachings of Jesus Christ
(1 Corinthians 12:1, NLT) “Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this.”
What are spiritual gifts?
(1 Corinthians 12:4, 7, 11, 27 NLT) “There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. … A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. … It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have. … The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ. … “It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.”
1. Spiritual gifts reveal the worth of each Christian
2. Spiritual gifts are abilities to meet needs
3. Spiritual gifts are different from each other
4. Spiritual gifts are given to each believer
5. Spiritual gifts build the character of Christ in the Church
(Galatians 5:22–26, NLT) “The Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. … Those who belong to Christ Jesus have nailed the passions and desires of their sinful nature to his cross and crucified them there. Since we are living by the Spirit, let us follow the Spirit’s leading in every part of our lives. Let us not become conceited, or provoke one another, or be jealous of one another.”
A few of the spiritual gifts
1. The gift of wisdom
a. Special ability to have insight into problems
b. Solomon
2. The gift of knowledge
a. Special ability to discover and clarify truth to help people grow
b. Paul
3. The gift of faith
a. Special ability for vision and confidence in God’s plan for the future
b. Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednego
4. The gift of healing
a. Special ability to believe God for the recovery of the sick
b. Peter
5. The gift of miracles
a. Special ability to believe God for the miraculous
b. Phillip
6. The gift of prophesy
a. Special ability to courageously convey truth
b. John the Baptist
7. The gift of discernment
a. Special ability to discern between the Spirit of God and evil
b. Peter
8. The gift of unknown languages
a. Special ability to pray and worship in an unknown language
b. Cornelius
(1 Corinthians 12:12, NLT) “The human body has many parts, but the many parts make up one whole body. So it is with the body of Christ.”
GROWTHWORK
1. Discover your spiritual gift
(1 Corinthians 14:1, NLT) “Let love be your highest goal! But you should also desire the special abilities the Spirit gives—especially the ability to prophesy.”
2. Develop your spiritual gift
(1 Timothy 4:14, NLT) “Do not neglect the spiritual gift you received …”
3. Use your spiritual gift
(1 Peter 4:10, NLT) “God has given each of you a gift from his great variety of spiritual gifts. Use them well to serve one another.”