MEETING AGENDA
- OPENING PRAYER – Ask one person to open the meeting in prayer.
- GROWTH QUESTIONS – Ask everyone the Growth Questions.
- ATTENDANCE – Take attendance through the DG Attendance System.
- TODAY’S LESSON – Go over this week’s DG lesson.
- GIVING – Encourage everyone to give on the App.
- CLOSING PRAYER – Ask for prayer requests and pray.
GIFTED BY GOD
TODAY’S PASSAGE:
1 Corinthians 12:1-11 NLT 1 Now, dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the special abilities the Spirit gives us. I don’t want you to misunderstand this. 2 You know that when you were still pagans, you were led astray and swept along in worshiping speechless idols. 3 So I want you to know that no one speaking by the Spirit of God will curse Jesus, and no one can say Jesus is Lord, except by the Holy Spirit. 4 There are different kinds of spiritual gifts, but the same Spirit is the source of them all. 5 There are different kinds of service, but we serve the same Lord. 6 God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in all of us. 7 A spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other. 8 To one person the Spirit gives the ability to give wise advice; to another the same Spirit gives a message of special knowledge. 9 The same Spirit gives great faith to another, and to someone else the one Spirit gives the gift of healing. 10 He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy. He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit. Still another person is given the ability to speak in unknown languages, while another is given the ability to interpret what is being said. 11 It is the one and only Spirit who distributes all these gifts. He alone decides which gift each person should have.
- God has given us “special” abilities and gifts that only come from Him.
- These abilities differ from natural-born talent or the self-taught skills we gain through practice, although God can use these as well.
- God intends for our “special” Spirit-given gifts to be used for the edification and common good of the body of Christ.
- DEFINITION – Pagan: a person who worships many gods or goddesses (i.e. idols), the earth or nature.
- God did not give us ‘special’ abilities to use them to glorify the world, lead others astray or be led astray ourselves.
- Spiritual gifts are intended to be used to point others to God.
- How tragic would it be to take a special gift someone has given you, turn around, and use it in ways that harm them or are counter productive to their plan?
- There is a diversity of different gifts at work within the church to minister to the diverse needs of God’s people.
- Because all spiritual gifts come from God and everything made by God is good, no one gift is superior to another.
- Each gift serves a unique and specific purpose. Therefore, we should not be jealous or ‘hate’ on someone else’s gift.
- Paul (the author of I Corinthians) wanted the Corinthian church to understand they were not in competition with one another for ‘the best’ gift. No gift is higher than another.
- Many spiritual gifts are mentioned throughout scripture including: wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues, interpretation of tongues, teaching, encouragement, evangelism, shepherding, helps, leadership, giving, administration, service, mercy, and hospitality.
- Spiritual gifts are often broken up into three major categories: speaking gifts; service-based gifts and signs.
- Speaking gifts use your words to build up and equip others in faith to help people understand scripture, apply wisdom, hear the gospel, be comforted and encouraged.
- Service based gifts tend to be action oriented and behind the scenes (i.e. administration, helps and mercy).
- Sign gifts include healing, tongues and miracles.
- All spiritual gifts are God-given. We should be thankful for and put to work the gifts He has given us.
- If we are sitting on our gifts (not using them), we should repent and get to work!