Oakbrook Evangelical Free Church

Sunday, January 31, 2010

6:00 pm

Introduction: Don’t be uninformed
1 Corinthians 12:1  “Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed…

Let me ask you: What do you know about spiritual gifts?

Let me illustrate:
1) How long did the Hundred Years War last?  116 yrs, 1337-1453

2) Which country makes Panama hats?  Ecuador

3) In which month do Russians celebrate the October Revolution? November, Russian calendar was 13 days behind ours

4) What is a camel’s-hair brush made of?   Squirrel fur

5) The Canary Islands in the Pacific are named after what animal? Latin – Insularia Canaria “Island of the Dogs”

6) What was King George VI’s first name?  Albert. In 1936 he respected Queen’s wish that no future king be called Albert and changed his name to George.

7) How long did the Thirty Years War last?  30 yrs 1618-1648

I.          Christ is the head of the church and he loves her.
Colossians 1:18 “And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.”

Ephesians 5:23 “For the husband is the head of the wife even as Christ is the head of the church, his body, and is himself its Savior.”

Christ is the head of this church.
I recognize that I function under His authority and leadership.
The Executive Team meets with an awareness that we are to listen to        Him and seek his guidance for our ministry together.

The church is the bride of Christ
John 3:28-30 “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Christ, but I have been sent before him.’ The one who has the bride is the bridegroom. The friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly at the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is now complete. He must increase, but I must decrease.””

Revelation 19:7 “Let us rejoice and exult and give him the glory, for the marriage of the Lamb has come, and his Bride has made herself ready;”

Revelation 21:2 “And I saw the holy city, new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride adorned for her husband.”

Revelation 21:9 “Then came one of the seven angels…saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.””

Revelation 22:17 “The Spirit and the Bride say, “Come.” And let the one who hears say, “Come.” And let the one who is thirsty come; let the one who desires take the water of life without price.”

He is committed to his bride.
Christ paid for his bride with his own blood.
She is not perfect.  She is full of flaws.
But Christ will never leave his wife – Ever!
There are times of painful distance.
There are times of backsliding on our part.
But Christ will keep the new covenant with his much less than perfect wife no matter what.
He made an imperfect bride his own with the price of his blood.
He covered her with the wedding dress of his own righteousness.

Matthew 28:20 “Behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.””

Hebrews 13:5 “He Himself has said, “I will never leave you nor forsake you.””

2 Corinthians 5:21 “For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”

II.         He gave gifts
A.        The Spoils of Calvary
Ephesians 4:7-8 “But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift. Therefore it says, “When he ascended on high he led a host of captives, and he gave gifts to men.”…

The King returning from war.  Parade, along the road cheering crowds – gave out gifts = the spoils of the hard fought battle!

Do you see this?  Does it make sense?
Has it dawned on you that God has given you a cluster of gifts that he bought at Calvary?

B.        No one left out!
Each one: Romans 12:4-5;
1 Cor 12:7 – each one for the common good.
1 Cor 12:27 – each one part of the Body
Ephesians 4:7-8 – each one given grace
1 Peter 4:8 – each one has received a gift

Different kinds of abilities (gifts)
χαρισμάτων = charismata from charis “grace” abilities
Abilities that enable a person to bring glory to and serve God.

We Value: gift-based ministry

Different kinds of ministries – serving
διακονιῶν = diakonia – opportunities to serve
Jesus is in charge and I am called to “follow Him” in responding to opportunities to serve Him.  Ministry is using whatever God has given me to serve Him to meet the needs of others.”

We Value: Gift-based, team ministry

Different kinds of effects
ἐνεργημάτων = energemata = effects of God’s work
God is in charge and I am called to trust Him for the results!

We Value: intimacy with and dependence on Christ.
Leave the results to Him. No one is left out.

Free online – spiritual gifts analysis

http://www.churchgrowth.org/analysis/intro.php

C.        Do you see that using your gifts in ministry is a call from God?

John 15:16-17 ” You did not choose me, but I chose you and appointed you to go and bear fruit—fruit that will last. Then the Father will give you whatever you ask in my name. This is my command: Love each other.” NIV

John 20:21-22 ” Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.” NIV

Matthew 8:19-22 “And a scribe came up and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” And Jesus said to him, “Foxes have holes, and birds of the air have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to lay his head.” Another of the disciples said to him, “Lord, let me first go and bury my father.” And Jesus said to him, “Follow me, and leave the dead to bury their own dead.””

John 21:15-22  ”When they had finished breakfast, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon, do you love me more than these?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Feed my lambs.”

He said to him a second time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Lord; you know that I love you.” He said to him, “Tend my sheep.” He said to him the third time, “Simon, son of John, do you love me?” Peter was grieved because he said to him the third time, “Do you love me?” and he said to him, “Lord, you know everything; you know that I love you.” Jesus said to him, “Feed my sheep.

Truly, truly, I say to you, when you were young, you used to dress yourself and walk wherever you wanted, but when you are old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will dress you and carry you where you do not want to go.” (This he said to show by what kind of death he was to glorify God.) And after saying this he said to him, “Follow me.” Peter turned and saw the disciple whom Jesus loved following them, the one who had been reclining at table close to him and had said, “Lord, who is it that is going to betray you?” When Peter saw him, he said to Jesus, “Lord, what about this man?” Jesus said to him, “If it is my will that he remain until I come, what is that to you? You follow me!””

Matthew 25:14-18 ““For it will be like a man going on a journey, who called his servants and entrusted to them his property. To one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one, to each according to his ability. Then he went away. He who had received the five talents went at once and traded with them, and he made five talents more. So also he who had the two talents made two talents more. 18But he who had received the one talent went and dug in the ground and hid his master’s money.“

Romans 12:5 “each member belongs to all the others”

Use your gifts:  Romans 12:6 “we have different gifts…use them”

Shepherd/teachers:
Story: Reinholdt Grambsch

D.        What does all this mean – to be a servant?

1.         Put others ahead of your own agenda

2.         Have the confidence to serve

3.         Don’t wait to be asked.  Initiate service to others.  Move into action.  The best way to change is to start.

4.    Serve out of love.  Perform small acts of service.  Your heart will catch up with your actions.

Do an attitude check: am I willing to do anything to serve God?

Benjamin Franklin vividly remembered a visit he made as a young man to see the Puritan preacher Cotton Mather and the life lesson learned. Franklin recalled:  He was showing me out of the house, and there was a very low beam near the doorway. I was still talking when Mather began shouting, “Stoop! Stoop!” I didn’t understand what he meant and banged my head on the beam. “You’re young,” he said, “and have the world before you. Stoop as you go through it, and you will avoid many hard thumps.” That advice has been very useful to me. I avoided many misfortunes by not carrying my head too high in pride.

Citation: “Benjamin Franklin,” PBS (November 2002)