The Gifts of the Spirit

1 Corinthians 12:1–7 (NKJV)

“Nothing of spiritual significance will happen without Him.” – Pastor Billy Johnson

These supernatural abilities given to us allow us to do extraordinary things.

“We want gifts AND fruit.” – Pastor Billy Johnson

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THE HOLY SPIRIT IS A GIFT

Acts 2:38–39 (NKJV)

³⁸Then Peter said to them, “Repent, and let every one of you be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the remission of sins; and you shall receive the gift of the Holy Spirit.

³⁹For the promise is to you and to your children, and to all who are afar off, as many as the Lord our God will call.”

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WHAT WE NEED TO KNOW:

God Has Given Us Spiritual Gifts – V. 1

God does not want us to be ignorant concerning those gifts – v. 1

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1 Corinthians 12:1 (NKJV)

¹Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be ignorant:

• Paul did not want the believers to be uninformed about these gifts but, rather, to understand and use them for God’s glory.^[1]

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God Wants Us To Understand And Use The Gifts For His Glory.

“Spiritual gifts demonstrate that we serve a God who speaks and acts.”– v. 2

God still speaks and acts today in the lives of His people.

“God still can.” – Pastor Billy Johnson

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When The Spirit Is Present, Jesus Is HONORED – V. 3

1 Corinthians 12:3 (NKJV)

³Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit.

The way to know whether a person exhibiting “inspired words” actually was filled with the Holy Spirit was to listen to what he or she said about Jesus Christ.^[2]

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John 16:14 (NKJV)

¹⁴He will glorify Me, for He will take of what is Mine and declare it to you.

The ultimate criterion of the Spirit’s activity is the exaltation of Jesus as Lord. Whatever takes away from that, even if they be legitimate expressions of the Spirit, begins to move away from Christ to a more pagan fascination with spiritual activity as an end in itself. Gordon Fee^[3]

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The Gifts are DIFFERENT – vs. 4-6

Although DIFFERENT, the gifts had a unity in source (vv. 4–6), and they also had a unity in purpose.

There are different kinds of GIFTS– Same SPIRIT – v. 4

There are different kinds of MINISTRIES/SERVICES – Same LORD – v.

There are different kinds of ACTIVITIES/WORKINGS – Same GOD – v. 6

“Don’t try to be somebody else, be you!” – Pastor Billy Johnson

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The Gifts are the Manifestation of the Spirit – v. 7

We need to recognize when the Spirit is at work – FULLY KNOWN BY REVEALING CLEARLY AND IN SOME DETAIL.

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The Spirit Manifest for ALL TO PROFIT/A COMMON GOOD – v. 7

“The Holy Spirit wants to profit everybody.” – Pastor Billy Johnson

^[2] Bruce B. Barton and Grant R. Osborne, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1999), 168.

^[3] Bruce B. Barton and Grant R. Osborne, 1 & 2 Corinthians, Life Application Bible Commentary (Wheaton, IL: Tyndale House, 1999), 169.