Spiritual Gifts Class 2020 Intro and Be being Filled - Vineyard Christian Church of Crystal Lake

Spiritual Gifts Training 2020: Being Filled

Turn in your bible to Eph 5: 15
Pray
As we study Spiritual gifts we of course have to keep in mind that these gifts are from the Holy Spirit.
- And in order for us to operate in them we must be filled with the Spirit
- And we must be obedient to the spirit and available to the Spirit.
- Being available might be most important. “Nickel in God’s pocket.”
So let’s look at the idea of being fille
All have to have a gift for the body to be complete.
John 14:16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Counselor to be with you forever– 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be in
Jesus promises that when the Spirit comes it will not be external but will be in us.
- Under the OT everything was external.
- But after Pentecost and the sending the Holy Spirit our spiritual life now becomes internal.

Romans 8:11 And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies through his Spirit, who lives in you.

As we exercise gifts it’s important to remember that it’s the Spirit living in us.
- The same spirit that raise Christ from the dead is living in you.
- Therefore, we must be good hosts of the Spirit
- And we must not grieve the Spirit
Now for our key verse

Eph 5: 15 Be very careful, then, how you live–not as unwise but as wise, 16 making the most of every opportunity, because the days are evil. 17 Therefore do not be foolish, but understand what the Lord’s will is. 18 Do not get drunk on wine, which leads to debauchery. Instead, be filled with the Spirit.

Quote “The Command to be filled with the Spirit is just as authoritative as the prohibition not to be drunken with wine. As truly as we are not at liberty to be guilty of the vice are we bound not to be disobedient to the positive command. The same God who calls on us to live in sobriety urges us with equal earnestness to be filled with the spirit. His command is tantamount to a promise. It is a sure pledge that He Himself will give what he desires us to posses.” ~Andrew Murray

The verb here in the NIV as “be filled” is a present passive imperative in the Greek.
- There are three components to this grammar that we need to look at.
The first thing we need to understand is the Greek Present tense.
- “The presence tense is internal, that is it portrays the action from the inside of the event, without special regard for beginning or end.
- But it makes no comment as to fulfillment or completion. The present tense’s portrayal of an event focuses on its development or progress. It basically represents an activity as in process.”
- So this act of being filled with the Holy Spirit is an ongoing process.
Next is the passive verb is where the subject is acted upon or receives the action expressed by the verb.
- No volition – nor even necessarily awareness of the action – is implied on the part of the subject.
- The action of the verb simply happens to the subject. The subject receives the actions.
- In this verse we are the subject, so we are receiving the action of being filled.
- It is not something we do on our own, it happens to us.
As we look at people in the bible particularly in Acts we see that they all received the Spirit either super naturally or through the laying on of hands, but they didn’t work at it.
Now the next part of this verb structure is an Imperative.
- Which is simply a command.
- Paul is commanding that we do this.
Do what?
- Be filled with the spirit.
- Here is the irony, Paul is commanding us to do something that happens to us.
So, you could understand this little phrase, “be filled with the Spirit” as “Be being filled with the spirit.”
- This is an ongoing process that happens to us.
- We are constantly needing to be filled.
We just have to put ourselves in a position to receive and ask.
- That’s our part.
Why do we need to constantly be filled?

Illustration:

In this same verse Paul warns us not to get drunk, so let’s use that as an illustration.
To get drunk and stay drunk you have to constantly keep drinking.
- You can’t just take one drink.
Yet that is often how we approach the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 5:18 (Amplified Bible)

¹⁸And do not get drunk with wine, for that is debauchery; but ever be filled and stimulated with the [Holy] Spirit.⁽^A⁾

Ephesians 5:18 (The Message)

^18-20Don’t drink too much wine. That cheapens your life. Drink the Spirit of God, huge draughts of him.

Three reasons for the need to constantly be filled.
- One, total dependence on God
  - We can ever take this for granted or think that it is somehow us.
  - If He filled us one time and that was it, we would soon take credit and think it was us.
- Two, as we learn to walk and live in the Spirit, steward Him well, we can grow in our ability to host the Spirit.
  - So we can be filled to new and greater levels so to speak.
  - If God gave us the fullness of the Spirit all at once it would kill us.
  - No one ever starts out lifting the heaviest weights.
- Three, we leak and we sin thus grieving the Holy Spirit.
  - The stuff of life has a way of draining the presence out of us.
  - So we constantly need to run back to God for filling and refreshing,
  - And repenting for those things that have grieved the Holy Spirit.

Might be the biggest factor

I don’t think we can put too much focus on being a good host to the Holy Spirit

Key factors why people struggle to operate in Spiritual Gifts.

Not being filled or worse not believing that is a thing
Not being available
Not being obedient
Being anxious
Now I want to transition just slightly and talk about the baptism of the Spirit.
- Which is part of the process of being filled with the Spirit.
How important the Holy Spirit was to the early Apostles

Acts 8:14 When the apostles in Jerusalem heard that Samaria had accepted the word of God, they sent Peter .

and John to them. 15 When they arrived, they prayed for them that they might receive the Holy Spirit, 16 because the Holy Spirit had not yet come upon any of them; they had simply been baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 17 Then Peter and John placed their hands on them, and they received the Holy Spirit

Acts 10:44 While Peter was still speaking these words, the Holy Spirit came on all who heard the message. 45 The circumcised believers who had come with Peter were astonished that the gift of the Holy Spirit had been poured out even on the Gentiles. 46 For they heard them speaking in tongues and praising God. Then Peter said, 47 “Can anyone keep these people from being baptized with water? They have received the Holy Spirit just as we have.” 48 So he ordered that they be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ. Then they asked Peter to stay with them for a few days.

Acts 19:1 While Apollos was at Corinth, Paul took the road through the interior and arrived at Ephesus. There he found some disciples 2 and asked them, “Did you receive the Holy Spirit when you believed?” They answered, “No, we have not even heard that there is a Holy Spirit.” 3 So Paul asked, “Then what baptism did you receive?” “John’s baptism,” they replied. 4 Paul said, “John’s baptism was a baptism of repentance. He told the people to believe in the one coming after him, that is, in Jesus.” 5 On hearing this, they were baptized into the name of the Lord Jesus. 6 When Paul placed his hands on them, the Holy Spirit came on them, and they spoke in tongues and prophesied. 7 There were about twelve men in all.

Matt 3:11“I baptize you with^[water for repentance. But after me comes one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and fire.

tual Gifts Training 2020 Introduction

We start with love: 1 Cor 13

Have you ever noticed that 1 Cor 13 is sandwiched in between 1 Cor 12 & 14?
- We exercise our gifts with great love, or we are just a clanging cymbal.
Spiritual gifts are also the expression of the love of the Father.

Definition: What do we mean by Spiritual gifts? Spiritual gift verses a natural talent.

A spiritual gift is something that I can only do with the help of the Holy Spirit. It’s super natural
A natural talent is simply the way God has created me. I am just really naturally good at something.

Why are spiritual gifts so important? First the church then individually.

The church: Why are spiritual gifts so important to the church and to its identity?

1 Cor 12:1 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.

We function as God intended the church to function

Remember Paul is writing this letter to the church in Corinth.
- He was not writing to an individual.
He was describing what the church should look like.
Right after this passage starting in verse 12 he goes into the church is a body section.

We are attractional to a world that doesn’t know God in the way God intended the church to be attractional.

This is the identity God intended the world to see in the church.
- Spiritual gifts as an answer to the troubles and sufferings of the world.
- It’s how God intersects and moves in our day and time.
Without Spiritual gifts we accomplish nothing significant, supernatural, or effective.
- And the world is not impressed or attracted to God.
- One of the ways God expresses Hid Goodness and power is through us operating in gifts.

Why are spiritual gifts so important to me personally?

Our identity is to be tied up in Christ and how He has gifted me.
If I don’t identify with at least one of the gifts, then I probably identify with a lie:
- Gifts aren’t for today, God can’t use me that way, gifts are for others but not me,
- I am afraid of the gifts so I don’t want to go there.

Why are gifts so important to faith and evangelism?

1 Cor 2: 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit’s power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men’s wisdom, but on God’s power.
Simply put, if people aren’t operating in the power of spiritual gifts then faith is rooted in men’s wisdom.

What does it look like when I do operate in my gift?

Pure Joy! I find who I am. I find my purpose
And lots of other people get blessed as a result.

Introduction to 1 Cor 12

Verses 1-2 Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. ²You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols

The church and as individuals we cannot afford to be “ignorant” about spiritual gifts.
- Without proper understanding we are led astray to follow other things, gods and idols.

Verse 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.

When we operate in spiritual gifts it creates a dependence on God.

Verse 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.

The word “gift” in verse 4 is the Greek word Charisma where we get our English word Charismatic.
The word Charisma is best translated as “Gift of divine grace”
- They are gifts from God, unwarranted on our part, given to us through the Holy Spirit.

Verse 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord

The NIV uses the word “service” and the NASB uses “ministries.”
In the Greek it’s the word diakonia very similar to the word deacon.
- This is often times how that gift is worked out.
- The gift enables the service or ministry.

Verse 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.

The NIV has the word “working” and the NASB has “effects” Either of these is good.
The Greek word means: “an activity that impacts or acts upon another.”
- That is certainly what we see the Holy Spirit do.
- This could be seen as the outcomes of the gifts and services.
Recap: Gifts, ministries, cause effects in that order.

Verse 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good

Notice it says to “each one.” Everybody gets one. (1 Peter 4:10) Peter 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift (Charisma) he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.
Everyone has a gift in order for the body to be complete. 1Cor 12:12-26 The body passage.
These manifestations are for the common good of the
- The gifts of the spirit aren’t for making a name for one self.
The miraculous is not an end to itself, but to bring glory to God for the common good of the church.
Also, there is no gift greater than another, we can’t look down on people with different giftings.
1Cor 12:12-26 The body passage.

What are the gifts?

They are listed in 1 Cor 12 and Romans 12
Wisdom, prophetic, words of knowledge, healing, miraculous powers, discerning of Spirits, faith, tongues, interpretation of tongues, helps, administration, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leadership, mercy.

How Many gifts will I have?

Typically, people will have a few, 2,3,4
But all gifts are situational, that is, God will enable them as He needs. (Any gift at any time)
After all they all belong to Him, and we serve at His pleasure.

Some general rules and guidelines:

We can only do what we see the Father doing:

The story of Jesus as the pool of Bethesda
John 5:19 Jesus gave them this answer: “I tell you the truth, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does
There would have been many people at this pool, some estimate it could have been several hundred.
- But Jesus only healed one.
The same holds true for us.
Don’t be afraid to walk away if you don’t see the Father doing anything.
- Offering a blessing
Even if they ask for prayer for one thing, but you see the Father doing something else, go with that.
- If you ride the wave of what the Father is already doing, it will go really well.
- If you only do what the Father is doing, you will have a really high percentage of effectiveness.
But this does take time to develop as a skill
- The Father is always loving
- The Father is always at peace, never anxious
- The Father is never in a hurry
- The Father is always good
Don’t just run into a situation, stop and ask what the Father is doing.
- There should also be confirmation
- In a room of ten people there shouldn’t be ten different thoughts on what the Father is doing.

Be aware of the atmosphere:

Pray and worship to change the atmosphere if needed.
This applies to all the gifts, even teaching, helps etc.
Deciphering the atmosphere is one of the most neglected steps, often completely ignored
Also takes time to develop
- Fasting helps, Slowing down helps

Some things not to do:

Don’t command God when praying for healing
- Don’t even command healing, healing is the Lord’s
- Command sickness, infirmity and pain etc to leave. They are the work of the enemy
  - “I command all pain to leave in the name of Jesus.”
- Invite the Holy Spirit’s presence, invite healing.
Don’t give vague words
- “You have sin in your life,” applies to everyone in the room.
  - That’s not a prophetic word, that is just a statement
- “There is something blocking it” is not a prophetic word, it’s just a statement
  - Don’t say anything until you have a good idea of something specific
    - Then get confirmation, especially if you are new at this.
  - Then always frame it in the form of a question.
    - “Have you been struggling with pornography?”
    - Say it gently, say it with grace, say it like a loving father or mother.
    - Explain that the Lord is only showing me this because He wants to set you free right now, not to shame.
    - Give them hope.
  - The Father is always more concerned with the condition of their heart than with specific sins.
    - When the heart is right, the sin goes. Sin is a symptom
  - Cover this more in coming weeks, but a few quick words of caution.
  - Be sure your words don’t sound like your own issues
    - Every word should be unique and for that person, specific
      - Often, I hear people give words that all sound similar.
      - Or worse they sound like their own issues
    - Words shouldn’t be condemning or shame based
      - 1 Cor 14:3 But everyone who prophesies speaks to men for their strengthening, encouragement and comfort.
    - Don’t start commanding demons
      - Demons understand lines of authority (see Acts 19:13-16)
      - Unless you are highly skilled at deliverance you are going to need a plan and a team.
      - The person present with the most authority in that person’s life should take the lead.
        
        Everyone else helps with prayer support and tongues.
        
        Share words quietly and appropriately.
        
        If everyone speaks the demons will do nothing.