Empowered by the Spirit: Uniting Through Spiritual Gifts

Devotional

Day 1: Unity in Diversity of Gifts

God has distributed various gifts among us to ensure that no one person carries all the weight. This distribution fosters unity and mutual dependence within the church, allowing us to collectively demonstrate God's strength and love. Each gift, whether seen or unseen, plays a crucial role in the body of Christ. This unity allows us to lift each other up and demonstrate God's strength collectively. By recognizing and valuing the diversity of gifts, we can work together harmoniously, each contributing to the common good and the edification of the church. This collective effort reveals God's glory and builds His kingdom through our unified actions. [09:55]

1 Corinthians 12:4-7 (ESV): "Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good."

Reflection: Think about the unique gifts you see in others around you. How can you encourage and support them in using their gifts for the benefit of the church?

Day 2: Wisdom as a Spiritual Window

The gift of wisdom provides a window into the spiritual realm, offering divine insight into God's mysteries and purposes. It helps us see Jesus in every situation, enabling us to find strength and clarity even in the midst of life's challenges. This gift is not for personal gain but for the edification of the church. Wisdom allows us to navigate complex situations with a divine perspective, seeing beyond the immediate and understanding God's greater plan. By seeking and applying this wisdom, we can guide others and ourselves towards a deeper relationship with God and a clearer understanding of His will. [15:40]

James 3:17 (ESV): "But the wisdom from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, open to reason, full of mercy and good fruits, impartial and sincere."

Reflection: Reflect on a challenging situation you are currently facing. How can you seek God's wisdom to gain a clearer perspective and find strength in this situation?

Day 3: Knowledge as a Reflective Mirror

The gift of knowledge allows us to understand and teach God's Word, reflecting His truths back onto our lives and the lives of others. It is more than just good communication; it is about making the Bible come alive and applying its teachings to our daily lives. This gift helps us ground ourselves in God's Word and share its transformative power with others. By deeply understanding and conveying God's truths, we can help others grow in their faith and apply biblical principles to their lives, fostering spiritual growth and maturity within the church. [19:50]

Colossians 1:9-10 (ESV): "And so, from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of his will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding, so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, fully pleasing to him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God."

Reflection: How can you deepen your understanding of God's Word this week? Consider setting aside specific time for study and reflection.

Day 4: The Role of Love in Exercising Gifts

All spiritual gifts must be exercised in love. Without love, our actions and words are meaningless, like a resounding gong. Love is the highest calling and the foundation upon which all gifts should be used, ensuring that they build up the church and reveal God's glory. Love transforms our actions from mere duties into meaningful expressions of God's grace and compassion. By prioritizing love in the use of our gifts, we ensure that our efforts are aligned with God's heart and purpose, fostering a nurturing and supportive community within the church. [25:31]

1 Corinthians 13:1-3 (ESV): "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."

Reflection: Think of a recent interaction where you used your spiritual gifts. How can you ensure that love is at the center of your actions and words in future interactions?

Day 5: Encouragement to Discover and Use Gifts

We are encouraged to seek out and develop our spiritual gifts, understanding that the Holy Spirit empowers us to use them for God's glory. Whether we are seasoned in our gifts or just beginning to discover them, we are called to exercise them humbly and lovingly for the benefit of the church. This journey of discovering and using our gifts brings immense joy and fulfillment. By actively seeking and developing our gifts, we contribute to the growth and strength of the church, fulfilling our role in God's plan and experiencing the joy of serving Him and others. [26:42]

1 Peter 4:10-11 (ESV): "As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God's varied grace: whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen."

Reflection: What steps can you take this week to discover or further develop your spiritual gifts? How can you use them to serve and build up the church?

Sermon Summary

### Summary

Today, we explored the profound truth that God has uniquely gifted each one of us through the Holy Spirit for the common good and the edification of the church. These gifts are not meant for personal gain but for building up the body of Christ. God, in His wisdom, chose not to bestow all gifts upon a single individual, creating a superhuman, but rather distributed them among us so that we can function as a unified body. This unity allows us to lift each other up and demonstrate God's strength collectively.

We delved into the specific gifts of wisdom and knowledge, understanding their unique roles and how they complement each other. Wisdom acts like a window into the spiritual realm, offering divine insight into God's mysteries and purposes. It helps us see Jesus in every situation, no matter how challenging. Knowledge, on the other hand, is akin to a mirror, reflecting God's Word back to us and enabling us to teach and share His truths with others. Both gifts are essential for revealing God's character and His plans to the church.

We are encouraged to seek out and develop our spiritual gifts, understanding that the Holy Spirit empowers us to use them for God's glory. Whether we possess these gifts in abundance or are still discovering them, we are called to exercise them humbly and lovingly for the benefit of the church. The ultimate goal is to reveal God's glory and build His kingdom through our collective efforts.

###

Key Takeaways

1. Unity in Diversity of Gifts: God has distributed various gifts among us to ensure that no one person carries all the weight. This distribution fosters unity and mutual dependence within the church, allowing us to collectively demonstrate God's strength and love. Each gift, whether seen or unseen, plays a crucial role in the body of Christ. [09:55]
2. Wisdom as a Spiritual Window: The gift of wisdom provides a window into the spiritual realm, offering divine insight into God's mysteries and purposes. It helps us see Jesus in every situation, enabling us to find strength and clarity even in the midst of life's challenges. This gift is not for personal gain but for the edification of the church. [15:40]
3. Knowledge as a Reflective Mirror: The gift of knowledge allows us to understand and teach God's Word, reflecting His truths back onto our lives and the lives of others. It is more than just good communication; it is about making the Bible come alive and applying its teachings to our daily lives. This gift helps us ground ourselves in God's Word and share its transformative power with others. [19:50]
4. The Role of Love in Exercising Gifts: All spiritual gifts must be exercised in love. Without love, our actions and words are meaningless, like a resounding gong. Love is the highest calling and the foundation upon which all gifts should be used, ensuring that they build up the church and reveal God's glory. [25:31]
5. Encouragement to Discover and Use Gifts: We are encouraged to seek out and develop our spiritual gifts, understanding that the Holy Spirit empowers us to use them for God's glory. Whether we are seasoned in our gifts or just beginning to discover them, we are called to exercise them humbly and lovingly for the benefit of the church. This journey of discovering and using our gifts brings immense joy and fulfillment. [26:42]
### [26:42]

Youtube Chapters

[00:00] - Welcome
[09:55] - Distribution of Gifts
[12:43] - Gifts of Wisdom and Knowledge
[15:40] - Wisdom: A Window into the Spiritual Realm
[19:50] - Knowledge: Reflecting God's Word
[25:31] - Exercising Gifts in Love
[26:42] - Encouragement to Discover and Use Gifts
[28:05] - Building Up the Church
[29:11] - Closing Prayer

Bible Study Guide

Observation Questions

According to 1 Corinthians 12:7-8, what is the purpose of the spiritual gifts given by the Holy Spirit?
How does the sermon describe the distribution of spiritual gifts among believers? ([09:55])
What analogy does the pastor use to explain the gifts of wisdom and knowledge? ([15:40])
How does the pastor describe the role of love in exercising spiritual gifts? ([25:31])

Interpretation Questions

Why do you think God chose to distribute different gifts among believers rather than giving all gifts to one person? ([09:55])
How can the gift of wisdom help us see Jesus in challenging situations? ([15:40])
In what ways does the gift of knowledge help us understand and teach God's Word? ([19:50])
How does exercising spiritual gifts in love impact the church and its members? ([25:31])

Application Questions

Reflect on the spiritual gifts you believe you have. How can you use them to build up the church and benefit others? ([26:42])
Think of a recent challenging situation. How could the gift of wisdom help you see Jesus in that situation? ([15:40])
How can you use the gift of knowledge to make the Bible come alive for someone else this week? ([19:50])
In what ways can you ensure that you are exercising your spiritual gifts with love? ([25:31])
Have you taken a spiritual gifts assessment before? If not, what steps can you take to discover your spiritual gifts? ([11:20])
How can you encourage others in your small group to discover and use their spiritual gifts for the common good? ([26:42])
Identify one person in your church or community who could benefit from your spiritual gifts. What specific action can you take this week to support them? ([28:05])

Sermon Clips

### Quotes for outreach

1. "So, you and I, each one of us, we all have different gifts. We all have different talents and abilities, right? And all of these talents and abilities were given to us directly by the Holy Spirit, by God himself. And why did he do this? Why did he give us these gifts and abilities? For the common good. That's what Paul says. It's for the common good. It's for the building up of the church, the edification of the church." [01:00] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "Because when you learn to live out of your gifts, those things that God has placed inside of you, you can live your life with purpose. And this leads us into today's gifts. And we find these right away in verse eight of first Corinthians chapter 12. Check out what Paul says. He says, to one, there is given through the spirit, a message of wisdom. To another, a message of knowledge by means of the same spirit, wisdom and knowledge." [12:43] (32 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "God is just so much bigger than all of us. And his ways are so much higher than our ways. It's just different. We never fully understand. But that's where wisdom and knowledge, these gifts come into play because wisdom and knowledge, they give us a level of spiritual, even supernatural insight and understanding into who God is and what he is doing." [14:13] (27 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "The spiritual gift of wisdom is seeing past your circumstance to supernaturally find the power of the cross, right? It's seeing through your window, the window of your circumstance so that you can find Jesus. That's wisdom. Knowledge on the other hand, knowledge is more like the gift of teaching. It's looking at God's word and having the ability to publicly share a knowledge or a word from God." [19:50] (31 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "If you do actually have these gifts, if you are a teacher, right? If you feel like you receive words of wisdom, knowledge, right? If you do have these gifts, you need to humbly exercise those gifts for the benefit of the church. Like that's part of what our obedience needs to look like. That's part of obedience to his calling. It's part of what it means to be a part of the kingdom of God." [24:11] (26 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

### Quotes for members

1. "God has distributed all the gifts to all of us as equal partners in ministry. And he does that so that we can be united. Unified and glorified God through the joint expression of God's strength in us, right? Like he didn't give them to us so that we can be successful and we can be wealthy. I mean, those might be a byproduct of it. Like they are gifts and they are abilities. They are talents. So they could lead to those things. But the point here is that we are to be together, unified as a body to show the strength of God Almighty to each one around us." [11:20] (40 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

2. "Wisdom is being able to kind of see into the spiritual realm and discern divine mysteries. But it's not for the sake of personal gain that we get this. It's not for personal gain just to be able to kind of poke around because we're curious about the spiritual realm. Like, no, that's not what it's about because all spiritual gifts are never given for personal gain and exploration. They are given to us for the building up of the church. It's for each one of us. It's for lifting each other up and encouraging each other." [17:04] (33 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

3. "Knowledge makes the Bible come alive, the stories of God's Word, right? It's not about building a personal platform and using the Bible to get there. It's actually taking the Word of God and receiving knowledge from it. The gift of knowledge is all about elevating Jesus and the Bible. So wisdom is the window that we look through to see Jesus, to find the cross of Christ in all of our circumstances, no matter what's happening around us." [22:40] (28 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

4. "And so as with each of these gifts, it is the Holy Spirit himself who fills us with the power to live them out. Sometimes that happens in moments, and sometimes it's on a larger scale. And we all are in these situations, you and I are all in situations where we teach other people. And sometimes it's just our own kids as they grew up. And sometimes it's just our own kids or interact with others at work or school." [24:11] (21 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

5. "If God gives you words of wisdom, use them. Use that gift right here at the church. If you're part of a different church, if you're in some other part of our country or even the world and you belong to another church and you're just kind of checking us out on the side, use your gifts for your home church. Go there and use your gifts. If God has given you knowledge to teach, teach." [27:28] (20 seconds) (Download raw clip | Download cropped clip)

Ask a question about this sermon

Chatbot

Transcript

What was the most surprising thing in this sermon?

Were there any personal stories shared?