Acts Chapter 29: Embracing the Gifts of the Spirit

I’m grateful for a Thanksgiving week that reminded me how loved we are—and grateful for a church family that will stop everything to pray, anoint, and believe together for healing. In the middle of worship, I felt a strong pull to lift our faith, to lay hands, to call names, and to believe that God is turning situations even now. We’re stepping into December with a clear assignment: launch our Gifts of the Spirit series under the banner “Acts 29,” not because a hidden chapter exists, but because the story of the Spirit is still being written in us. Receiving the Holy Ghost and baptism in Jesus’ Name isn’t the finish line—it’s the beginning of our call. The gifts are not museum pieces; they are tools in the hands of Spirit-filled believers for the profit of all.

We opened 1 Corinthians 12 and named the nine gifts, underscoring that our church has grown into a measure of maturity where God can trust us to carry them with reverence and love. I shared my own journey—Baptist father, Assemblies of God mother, and a later return through trial and mercy into an apostolic, Pentecostal identity. The Spirit used even a house fire to relocate my life into a place where old hunger came back alive. We prayed over a Baptist pulpit, and God stirred a pastor; prayer changed the atmosphere before it changed the signage. That’s what the Spirit does.

We also faced a battlefield idea: are the gifts for today? Scripture says yes. Jesus promised signs would follow them that believe, not them that believed back then. “That which is perfect” in 1 Corinthians 13 is Christ’s return; until He comes, the church still needs Word and Spirit—wisdom, faith, miracles, discernment, and tongues with interpretation—for a world that is not playing games with addiction, sickness, and despair. So we came to the altar to tarry, to be filled, to be refilled, and to ask God to do something unmistakable in us. I called us to make room—our homes, our schedules, our expectations—for the Spirit to move. We are Acts 29 people.

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Key Takeaways

• 1. Desire every gift God offers today. A church that hungers for the Spirit refuses to reduce God to what is manageable. The nine gifts are not collectibles; they are instruments for the good of the body, given as the Spirit wills. Maturity looks like stewardship—not spectacle—so that others profit when we obey. Ask boldly, and let love govern every manifestation. [37:12]
• 2. Be apostolic in Word and Spirit. We hold fast to the apostles’ doctrine and we welcome apostolic experience. Word without Spirit becomes dry; Spirit without Word becomes aimless. Together they shape a holy people who love truth and power in equal measure. Our identity is Scripture-shaped and Spirit-breathed. [44:00]
• 3. Trials can realign your calling. Some storms are surgical: God uses them to relocate us into the place where old convictions awaken and new assignments begin. Don’t despise what ultimately moved you nearer to His voice. Look for the door He opens in the ashes. Redemption often wears work clothes. [47:04]
• 4. Persistent prayer shifts spiritual climates. Intercession doesn’t just comfort us—it presses on pulpits, people, and places until heaven’s agenda breaks through. We prayed, and a pastor’s preaching changed; the Spirit turned a thermostat we couldn’t reach with debate. Pray your city into a new season, then live as its firstfruits. [52:03]
• 5. The gifts endure until Christ returns. If “perfect” refers to His appearing, then the gifts remain necessary for the imperfect world we still inhabit. Signs follow believers because the Beloved is still sending us into a contested field. Until we see Him face to face, we need heaven’s equipment to love, to heal, and to discern. Hope waits; faith works. [57:16]

Youtube Chapters

• [00:00] - Welcome
• [00:41] - Thanksgiving joy, Christmas anticipation
• [01:17] - Anointing cloth and corporate prayer
• [02:06] - Faith for revival in Alabama
• [33:02] - New series: Gifts of the Spirit
• [34:39] - Why gifts, why now
• [37:12] - Nine gifts in 1 Corinthians 12
• [39:15] - My Baptist and AOG roots
• [44:00] - Apostolic Pentecostal: Word and Spirit
• [47:04] - House fire, back to church
• [52:03] - Prayer shifts a Baptist pastor
• [54:24] - Cessationism answered with Scripture
• [59:57] - We are Acts 29 people
• [61:57] - Call to receive the Holy Ghost

Bible reading (ESV)
1 Corinthians 12:4-11
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.

Observation questions

1. Which specific gifts does Paul list in 1 Corinthians 12:8–10, and how does verse 7 change the way we should think about why those gifts exist (who they are for)?
2. Paul repeats the idea of unity with diversity (“same Spirit,” “same Lord,” “same God”). What differences does he name (gifts, services, activities), and what does that imply about how the church should handle different ministries?
3. The pastor said these gifts are not “museum artifacts” but tools for the body (to be used for others). What phrase in 1 Corinthians 12 supports that claim, and what does it practically mean for a local church? [37:12]
4. The sermon asserted our church has reached a maturity where God can trust us to carry gifts with reverence and love. What evidence from the sermon points to that maturity, and what in the passage would you point to as the proof that gifts should be stewarded (not shown off)? [34:39]

Interpretation questions (third-person voice)

1. How should the church interpret Paul’s repeated emphasis on “the same Spirit” when gifts look so different in practice? What theological purpose does that unity serve for congregational life?
2. The pastor interpreted “that which is perfect” (1 Corinthians 13) as Christ’s return and used that to argue the gifts continue until He comes. If that interpretation is accepted, what are the theological and practical consequences for a church today? [57:16]
3. The speaker described the congregation as “Apostolic Pentecostal” — holding to apostles’ doctrine while embracing Spirit experience. How should a church structure its leadership, teaching, and accountability to maintain both Word-centered doctrine and Spirit-centered practice? [44:00]
4. “Discerning of spirits” is one of the gifts in the list. What criteria should a local church use to test and respond to prophetic words, healings, or other manifestations so that the body is guarded but also open?

Application questions (practical, specific)

1. The pastor called the church to “desire every gift God offers today.” Which one gift in 1 Corinthians 12 do you most want to exercise, and what is one concrete step you will take this week to ask for and prepare to steward that gift (e.g., pray, study, ask a leader to pray with you)? [37:12]
2. The sermon urged people to “make room” — in homes, schedules, expectations — for the Spirit to move. What is one specific thing you will remove or rearrange in the next seven days (time, habit, screen use, commitment) to make space for regular prayer, ministry, or listening to the Spirit? [01:03:48]
3. The pastor testified that a house fire and other trials realigned his calling and drew him back to church. Think of a trial or season of loss in your life: how might God be using it to redirect you toward ministry or repentance? Identify one step you can take this month to look for the door God is opening. [47:04]
4. The sermon told a story of persistent prayer changing a pastor and a church (prayer shifted a spiritual climate). Name a person, place, or institution you believe needs spiritual breakthrough. What is a simple, measurable 30-day prayer plan you will commit to for that target (days/times/words/actions)? [52:03]
5. The preacher balanced “Word and Spirit” as necessary together. What specific daily rhythm will you adopt for the next two weeks that pairs Scripture intake with expectant prayer (for example: 15 minutes Bible + 10 minutes waiting-on-God/prayer for gifts)? Write down the days and times you will keep. [44:00]
6. The message invited anyone who has not received the Holy Ghost (or whose gifts are dormant) to come to the altar and tarry. If that applies to you, what concrete step will you take this week (attend the Wednesday series, ask a leader to pray with you, come to the altar) and when will you do it? [01:01:57]
7. Paul says gifts are “for the common good.” Choose one setting where you can serve (small group, workplace, family, neighborhood). Which gift could you aim to steward there, and what is one immediate, practical action to begin using it to benefit others (name the action and a date to start)? [37:12]