Class Five: The Specific Gifts (Visible and Invisible) Cont.

Recap:  The Holy Spirit manifests gifts in us.  These come in several forms:

Invisible Visible

Common Fruits of the Spirit Praise
Specific Motivational or Ministry Gifts Manifestations (Charismatic)

Charismatic Gifts – “charis” from the Greek word χαρις or χαρισμα, meaning graciousness or gift.  See 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.

Cessasionists, Continuists, and Cautious-ists.

We should strive to receive, discover, and develop our specific spiritual gifts.  Gifts are not equivalent to talents.  We should eagerly desire the greater gifts!  Your gifts may be visible (charismatic) or invisible, but they are unique to you and you are critical to building up of the body.  All Christians receive gifts of the Spirit!

Key Concept:  We cooperate with the Spirit to development the fruits of the Spirit; and sharing in the sanctifying work of the Spirit makes the Spirit’s gifts more recognizable.

Spiritual Gift Discovery (continued from last week)

What are my spiritual gifts?  How do I discover or develop them?

Spiritual Gift Assessments
http://www.sbpcshape.org
SHAPE – Saddleback church
Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experience

Problems with spiritual gift assessments:

1.      This should NOT be a personality profile.
2.      There is no process of discovery.
3.      I am the only source of information for these assessments; am I accurate?
4.      Assessments can created false limitations and false sense of permanence.

Begin not with, “What am I good at” but rather, “What does the body need?”

You may be called to do things that are not part of your giftedness!  But, since the purpose of all gifts is to building up of the body of Christ, spiritual gifts are usually discovered in the context of serving the body. 

Your gift will allow you to make a unique contribution to the body of Christ.

See for example Acts 1:14, or 1 Timothy 4:14.

The more you are engaged in the work of Christ, the more you will rely on the Spirit of Christ.

Common Invisible Gifts – The Fruit of the Spirit

Spiritual gifts are special manifestations of the Holy Spirit. They are like the tip of an iceberg that peaks out of the water. So too the majority of the spiritual gifts and work of the Holy Spirit are unseen.

Some effects of the Spirit’s presence in our lives are not specific to individuals, but common to all believers.

See Galatians 5:16-26

Justification vs Sanctification.  Sanctification is not merely negative, however.  It is not only subtraction, but also addition. 

Movement from external to internal but not without guidance.  How the Holy Spirit moves in your life will be tailored to your Christian walk, but who and what you are becoming is common to all Christians. 

Who is the Holy Spirit shaping you to look like?

You don’t wake up one day looking like Christ.  You grow, like a tree planted next to streams of water.  The evidence of your growth, of the health of your tree, is your fruit.

Luke 6:43-45

Return to Galatians 5:22-23.  Which of these fruit can you recognize in your life?  Which would you most like to see?

Remember that sanctification is about cooperation – you and God the Spirit, neither of you on your own. May require hard work!  Like gifts are not talents, fruit are not emotions.

Homework/Discussion Topics
1.       Reflect on what fruit you’ve seen in your own spiritual life.  Where have you begun to look more like Jesus?
2.      Re-read Galatians 5:22-23.  Which of the fruit of the Spirit do you most long for in your life?  Which are you most likely to overlook?
3.      How can you cooperate with the Spirit to help grow that fruit in your life?

Class Four: The Specific Gifts (Visible and Invisible)

Recap:  Being filled with the Holy Spirit – like chocolate syrup in a glass of milk, needs to be stirred so that all of us looks like chocolate.  Ephesians 5:18.

The Holy Spirit manifests gifts in us; some of those gifts are overtly supernatural.  The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are the evidence of God-in-you.  These come in several forms:

  Invisible Visible

Common Fruits of the Spirit Praise
Specific Motivational or Ministry Gifts Manifestations (Charismatic)

Charismatic Gifts – “charis” from the Greek word χαρις or χαρισμα, meaning graciousness or gift.  See 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.

Miracles and answered prayer vs charismatic gifts
Gifts are under conscious control, but not necessarily conscious direction (1 Cor 14:32)

Cessasionists, Continuists, and Cautious-ists.

Key Concept: We should strive to receive, discover, and develop our specific spiritual gifts.

Conclusion of Charismatic Gifts

Understanding the Charismatic gifts, what do we do about them?
1 Corinthians 12:27-31.  How does one eagerly desire the greater gifts?  What are the greater gifts?  What is the greatest gift? (Love)
What is the point of the charismatic gifts?  - 1 Cor 14:12, 26
For more reflection, read all of 1 Corinthians 14:1-39
1 Corinthians 14:5 – I would like all of you to speak in tongues, but even more to prophesy.  Can we ask the Spirit for gifts?  Of course!  But motivation matters.

Specific “Invisible” Gifts

Read 1 Cor 12:27-28.
Any that surprise you?  Which of these gifts would you call Charismatic, or visible?  Which are invisible?  Read Ephesians 4:7-12.  What is the purpose of these gifts?  What metaphor is used here that was used in 1 Corinthians?
Can we ask for these gifts?  Of course!  But motivation matters.
Read Romans 12:3-8.  Any surprising gifts?  How do we distinguish a gift from a talent?

Spiritual Gift Discovery

Which Christians get gifts of the Spirit?  1 Peter 4:10, Ephesians 4:7
What are my spiritual gifts?  How do I discover or develop them?
Spiritual gift assessments
SHAPE – from Saddleback church
Spiritual gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experience
http://www.sbpcshape.org

Problems with spiritual gift assessments:
1.      No process of discovery
2.      Do you know and give the right answers to the questions?
3.      False limitations and false sense of permanence.  What would Paul say?  “Eagerly desire the
greater gifts.”

Purpose question - What is the purpose of my gifts, whatever they might be?  For the building up of the body of Christ.

Spiritual gifts are usually discovered in the context of serving the body.

Begin not with, “What am I good at” but rather, “What does the body need?”

The more you are engaged in Christ’s work, the more you will rely on the Spirit of Christ.

The more you are engaged in Christ’s body, the more you will need the Spirit of Christ.

Control – you or Him?  Best when He is in control.  Have you ever let Him reign?

Homework/Discussion Topics

1.       Prayerfully consider your spiritual gifts.  Take the assessment above, but also talk with fellow believers and reflect on your own.  Where have you been “in the flow” of the Spirit, and what were you doing?  What has the body needed from you?

2.      Prayerfully consider what spiritual gifts you would like to have, and why you want those gifts.  If you believe your motivation is solid, as the Holy Spirit to gift you!  Again, consider how that new gift would benefit the body of Christ.

Class Three: The Charismatic Gifts

Recap:  Being filled with the Holy Spirit – like chocolate syrup in a glass of milk, needs to be stirred so that all of us looks like chocolate.  Ephesians 5:18.  The Spirit pilot-light can ignite a super-powered Spirit furnace in our lives.  But we must possess what we have already been given.

Primary effect of the Holy Spirit is the experience of God’s love.

Key idea:  The Holy Spirit manifests gifts in us; some of those gifts are overtly supernatural.

Charismatic Gifts – “charis” from the Greek word χαρις or χαρισμα, meaning graciousness or gift. 

Pentecostal churches: Questions – what’s going on?  Is it Biblical?  If so, why don’t we do it?

If God lives inside us, where’s the evidence?

In Acts, the appearance of the Holy Spirit was often accompanied with signs and wonders.  For example, Acts 2:4, Acts 10:44-48, Acts 19:1-6.  Likewise, believers manifested supernatural gifts throughout the book of Acts.

The Gifts of the Holy Spirit are the evidence of God-in-you.  These come in several forms:

Invisible Visible
Common Fruits of the Spirit Praise
Specific Motivational or Ministry Gifts Manifestations (Charismatic)

Focus on manifestations of the Spirit, aka charismatic gifts.
See 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.
Name some of the charismatic gifts.  Note – this is not an exhaustive list.

Examples of Charismatic gifts in the New Testament

Speaking in Tongues, or Glossolalia.  Three manifestations
1.        Speaking a human language of which one has no natural knowledge – Acts 2:4
2.       Speaking in the tongues of angels – 1 Corinthians 13:1 – Acts 19:1-6
3.       Interpreting a tongue – 1 Corinthians 12:10

Speaking in the tongues of angels is prayer – 1 Corinthians 14:4, 14:18-19.
Designed for corporate worship only when there is an interpreter – 1 Corinthians 14:27-28

Prophecy
1.       Paul – Acts 10:22
2.      Barnabas, Simeon, Lucius, Manaen, and Saul – Acts 13:1-2
3.      Judas and Silas – Acts 15:32
4.      Agabus - Acts 11:28, 21:10-13

Healing and Exorcism
1.       Peter and John – Acts 9:32-42
2.      Paul – Acts 19:11-12
3.      Phillip – Acts 8:6-7, 13

What about today?  Are there still charismatic gifts today? 

Three responses:
Cessationists – Apostolic Age has passed and charismatic gifts are gone.  But – what about the experience of so many Christians?
Continuists – Scripture never suggests that the gifts will end before Jesus’ return (1 Cor 13:8-10).  But, how then have they become so foreign to so much of the church?
Cautious-ists – The Bible does not suggest any kind of time limits on spiritual gifts, and we should pursue these gifts.  However, these gifts can be faked, so great care must be given.

Must distinguish between miracles and answered prayer and this idea of charismatic gifts.

Homework/Discussion Topics
1.       Have you ever experienced a charismatic gift in yourself, or someone around you?  If yes, reflect on that experience; how did you feel, how did it affect your faith, etc.  If no, what gift would you most like to experience, if possible?
2.      Read 1 Corinthians 14.  What do you learn about the role of charismatic gifts in worship, in personal prayer, etc?  Does anything related to spiritual gifts surprise you in this chapter?
3.      What do you think about the existence of charismatic gifts today?  What factors influence your opinion?  What factors might change your mind?
4.      What evidence might you point to regarding the presence of the Spirit in your life?  Don’t limit yourself to charismatic gifts in your answer.

Class Two: How Can I Be Filled with the Holy Spirit?

Recap:  In the Old Testament the Spirit is indicative of God’s power and presence, equips mortals for extraordinary works, and comes in a time-limited fashion and only for specific purposes.

Our understanding of the Spirit culminates in the New Testament, when we learn from Jesus that the Spirit is the third Person of the Trinity, and lives forever within every Christian. 

Life with the Spirit is EVEN BETTER than life with Jesus on earth before the Spirit came.

Challenge – We still find conflict within ourselves between the Spirit and the flesh.

Key idea:  The Spirit pilot-light can ignite a super-powered Spirit furnace in our lives.

Acts 2:38 vs Ephesians 5:18.

Nicky Gumbel - Pilot-light Christians vs furnace/exploding Christians

Start at the beginning – Acts 2:1-13 and Pentecost – exploding moment

-         Wind, fire, tongues

We don’t see the wind, we see the effects of the wind.  We don’t see the Spirit, we see the effects of the Spirit.  Physical manifestations – normal but not essential.

Love is the supreme manifestation.  Romans 5:5, Ephesians 3:14-19

We require the Holy Spirit understand the love of God.  We require the Spirit to experience the love of God.

Experience is a critical part of the Christian life.  Not about chasing highs.

Romans 8:16 – “the Spirit himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children.”

Danger of a purely intellectual faith.  Acts 1:4-8

Self-powered faith will fail you.  Peter – self sustaining faith.  WAIT here.

Personal vs Corporate

Salvation has always been a corporate experience until Pentecost.

Pentecost makes salvation a personal experience (as well as corporate). 

Pentecost as the un-Babel – sort of.  Babel not as negative – now we can go out and know God in our own languages and in our own places.  The Spirit makes our life unique.  Touchstones will be the same.   Hence the body language (1 Corinthians 12:12-13).

How to be filled?

Begins by a profession of faith in Jesus Christ.  Surrender All.  Nothing held back.

Life of prayer, confession, repentance – turning from the flesh and to the Spirit.

Do not quench the Spirit.  1 Thessalonians 5:19.

Worship is central to being filled by the Spirit.  Ephesians 5:18-19

Released in praise to God – spontaneous praise.  Acts 10:44

Reliance on the Spirit – uninformed – Acts 19:1-6.

Relying on the Spirit means practicing the presence of God and experiencing his Love, cultivating the fruit of the Spirit (this happens when we are filled with his love), developing and sharing our spiritual gifts, living in community with other Christians and experiencing the Spirit through them.

Rain to refresh God’s people.  Ask the Spirit for refreshment.

Homework/Discussion Topics

1.       Have you experienced the Holy Spirit and the love of God?  When was the most recent time?

2.      Read some additional stories of people receiving and being filled with the Holy Spirit in the book of Acts.  Reflect on what is similar, and what is different, in each account.  Acts 2:1-13, 8:14-24, 9:17-22, 10:44-48, 19:1-6.

3.      Talk to a friend or family member about their experiences of the Spirit, their sense of their own spiritual gifts, etc.  How are they similar or different than yours?

4.      Are there places in your life where you worry you might be quenching the Spirit?  Are there places in your life where you are working to be filled with the Spirit?

Class One: Who is the Holy Spirit & What Does He Do?

Key idea:  The Holy Spirit, the third Person of the Trinity, is the fullness of the promise of God-with-us.
Names of the Spirit: Spirit of God, Holy Spirit, Spirit of Christ, Holy Ghost, etc.

thebibleproject.com

What is the Hebrew word for Spirit?  What does it mean?
What does the Holy Spirit do?  How is the Spirit involved in creation?
What sort of people received the Spirit in the Old Testament?
Future promise of God’s Spirit?
Where do Jesus and the Spirit connect?

What does the Old Testament tell us about the Spirit of God?
Hebrew – Ruah or occasionally Neshamah.  Wind, breath, spirit.  Invisible.  Energizing.
Genesis 1:2, Genesis 2:7, Genesis 3:8, etc.
Consider the following stories: Samson (Judges 14:19, 15:14) and Saul (1 Samuel 10:6-13).
In the OT, the Spirit is:  Indicative of God’s power and presence, equips mortals for extraordinary works, comes in a time-limited fashion and only for specific purposes, not an endorsement of individuals.
But … Joel 2:28-29.  Future vision of a universal outpowering of God’s Spirit.

What does the New Testament tell us about the Spirit of God?
Greek – Pneuma
2 Corinthians 3:17-18 – “The Lord is the Spirit.” 
John 14:16-17 - The Advocate (Paraclete) and a Person
Doctrine of the Trinity - Three hypostases (persons) in one ousia (substance). 
Spirit of Christ - All the Persons of the Trinity are distinguished by their devotion to one another and exaltation of the other.  If a spirit doesn’t point towards Jesus then it’s not the Holy Spirit.
What is the job of an advocate?
The Holy Spirit with us is BETTER than Jesus with us.  John 16:7-15.  But Jesus is > the OT, and they had the Spirit in the OT.  What changed?
1 Corinthians 6:19 – You are a temple of the Holy Spirit.  The Spirit lives inside you. 
Change from the Old Testament – not time limited.  Still enables amazing acts – Pentecost – but not limited to them.  The extraordinary work of the Spirit in the life of every Christian is the union of God and human.
Note - This is not “breath” and not for non-believers.
How do we get the Holy Spirit?  Acts 2:38
If the Ruah of God, the Pneuma of God, brings life and vitality to the world, then we can acknowledge that there is conflict between the world and the Spirit.  Likewise, that conflict extends to our inner lives.
Romans 8:8-17
Conflict between Spirit and flesh
How can we be filled with the Holy Spirit?  How does the Spirit affect change in our lives?  Find out next week!

Homework/Discussion Topics
1.       Answer the question, “who is the Holy Spirit?”, as you would to a child.
2.      Read some additional Old Testament stories about the Holy Spirit (for example, Exodus 31:1-11, 35:30-36:1, or Numbers 11:24-30).  What do you learn about the work of the Holy Spirit in these stories?
3.      Direct some of your prayers this week to the Holy Spirit, instead of to the Father or Son.  How does this shape your prayers in new and different ways?
4.      How do you need the Spirit to advocate for you today?  How can the beachhead of the Spirit be expanded in your life?