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Morning Message Texts: 1Corinthians 12: 1-11 & Galatians 5: 22-23
Concerning Spiritual Gifts
1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.
2 You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.
3 Therefore I want you to know that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, “Jesus be cursed,” and no one can say, “Jesus is Lord,” except by the Holy Spirit.
4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.
5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.
7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.
22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness,
23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law.
Morning Message:
Love is one of those words that, because of misuse, has lost its meaning. Yet love is the primary characteristic that identifies a believer in Christ. By this everyone will know that you are my disciples, if you love one another (John 13:35). In order for us to be conformed to the image of Jesus we must choose to love. That love is manifested in the fruit of the Holy Spirit and enacted through the gifts of the Spirit. Now let’s think about this for a moment. I put these scriptures together today to help us see God’s intention in giving us gifts. If you have accepted Jesus as your Lord and Savior, you have gifts. God gives them to us so that we can build each other up in a loving way. When we recognize our God-given gifts and use them as God intends, we experience love, joy, and peace. We are capable of forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control. We are never perfect in these things, but if we look at the perfect example of Jesus, we see these things displayed in his perfect life on earth.
The love that distinguishes the Christian transcends taste, infatuation, and preference. This Spirit-given love is grounded in the nature of God; it is unconditional love not subject to the whims of emotion or circumstance. God loves us despite the fact that we freely rejected him. His love is a choice — a choice to love, no matter what. God’s people should be marked by such steadfastness as well. God’s love is not a feeling that comes and goes. How many of you know what Romans 5:8 says? It is one of the most important, comforting verses in God’s word. “But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Real love, true love is not an arbitrary feeling; it’s a choice. God chose to love all of creation, and if we want to conform to his image we must choose to love and follow through no matter what. The enduring love that identifies a Christian stands in stark contrast to the wisdom of the world. This love is truly a gift given by the Holy Spirit.
The gifts are specific abilities given by God for the edification of the church, and they include: serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, providing wisdom, showing mercy, and distinguishing between good and evil spirits. Scripture explains that Christians have different gifts meant to be used together in harmony so that they may attain “to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.” So, what does that mean? It means, if you are a Christian, you are a member, a part of the body of Christ. As the church of Jesus Christ, we are to look and work like the body of Jesus on this earth. Every Christian is a part of His spiritual body. Just as every part of the human body is important and divinely appointed, so every Christian is divinely gifted to serve as part of Christ’s body — the hands and the heart of Jesus. This list is not exhaustive but merely a representation of the types of gifts God has graced his followers with. There is nothing anyone can do to earn any gift; it is simply given to him or her for the betterment of the church. You, if you belong to Jesus, have a gift and the church desperately needs for you to use it. We can complain that the church is weak and there is not enough members, but if the members that are here, those who can hear the sound of my voice, determined to discover and use your gifts, the church would be strong and you would be amazed how quickly God would fill the church.
So, what exactly is the fruit of the Spirit? Just as a tree is known by its fruit, so spiritual fruit manifests the Holy Spirit’s work in God’s people through the refinement of their character. Now pay attention and decide if this describes you. A person who lives a life led by the Spirit is marked by “love, joy, peace, forbearance or patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control.” How many of you feel like you are doing great on all of these gifts? Yeah, me neither. I know I have a lot of room for improvement, but that’s okay. We are all a work in progress as long as we are working on it. The ordering of this list — with love placed first — is not random. Love identifies the believer; love motivates the believer; love is the fountainhead for everything else on Paul’s list. True joy is rooted in love. The peace that passes all understanding finds its source in love. So, the believer whose life is empowered by the Holy Spirit will demonstrate that love through his or her patience, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. Truly, this love is a gift beyond that of human capability.
We know God’s plan is that Christians are to “be conformed to the image of his Son, that he might be the firstborn among many brothers and sisters” (Romans 8:29). It is not by our effort that we can live supernaturally (like Jesus) instead of naturally (like the fallen Adam). It is only through the work and gifting of the Holy Spirit that the church— and every Christian — possesses the capability of reflecting the beautiful image of Christ to this fallen world. Conformed to his image. Seems like an impossible task. I might agree with that logic except for the fact that God’s word tells me it is very possible. I didn’t say easy, but because of the amazing love of God, that he has placed inside of his children through the gift of the Holy Spirit, all things are possible. And, more than that, in order to love God, we must respond to his call upon our lives.
In Christ’s Love and Peace,
Pastor Bob
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