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00:00:01 the scripture reading for this morning is taken from 1 Corinthians CH 12: 1 to1 1 Corinthians chapter 12: 1 to 11 concerning spiritual gifts now about the gifts of the Spirit brothers and sisters I do not want you to be uninformed you know that when you were pagans somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute Idols 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 there are
00:00:42 different kinds of gifts but the Same Spirit distributes them they are different kinds of service but the same Lord they are different kinds of working but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work now to each one the manifestation of the spirit spirit is given for the common good to one there is given through the spirit a message of wisdom to another a message of knowledge by means of The Same Spirit to another Faith by The Same Spirit to another Gifts of healing by that one Spirit to another miraculous
00:01:22 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 all these are the work of one and the same spirit and he distributes to them he distributes them to each one just as he determines this is the word of God thank you very much Jesse Got A Hern you doing that all right so um next week I will continue the sermon because it's too long so we'll uh do that part as Advantage having two weeks in a row and
00:02:08 then we'll have spiritual gifts and love and after that uh the resurrection Body by William uh let's start with a word of prayer father Lord we asked that you speak to us this morning on this very vital yet sometimes divisive and controversial topic that is your spirit that will control both myself and all of us as the world word percolates through our minds and our Spirits we ask for Jesus sake amen so before we start I want to highlight to you that the new series of gamma which is our discipleship Bible study will be
00:02:43 starting following Wednesday John go and Ka of the people to contact for the whole of last uh this year we've been doing the gospel in community how a gospel Works in community looking through the book of Corinthians okay now all that knowledge has to go somewhere and so basically the gospel on the move is what acts is about how does the Holy Spirit moved we get the power of the Holy Spirit just that we will Revel in the Holy Spirit fill of joy and that's it no the Holy Spirit comes to us for a particular purpose and
00:03:22 if you look in Acts chapter one Jesus says you will see receive power from the Holy Spirit has come on you you will be my Witnesses Jerusalem Judea Samaria to the ends of the Earth and you can look acts 1:7 Jerusalem Judea Samaria in Acts 8-12 and then the ends of the Earth the ministry of apostle Paul and then Peter and um how this Holy Spirit actually move that one gospel from one place to the ends of the Earth so it's exciting please join us every Wednesday contact the leaders of gamma all right today we're going to
00:03:59 deal with the nature of spiritual gifts in the body verses 1 to1 there's a new issue which Paul is dealing with here all right he says now concerning spiritual gifts whatever it says now concerning which means they have a problem okay their information is somewhat skewered I don't want you to be uninformed which were which means they were uninformed what is this new issue well it's about spiritual gifts the nature of spiritual gifts in chapter 12: 1 to 11 the effect of the spiritual gifts in the body itself how should they
00:04:41 function what effect does it have and then what is the relationship between spiritual gifts and love and lastly uh the spir the proper use of spiritual gifts within the worship meeting itself these are very vital uh issues the nature of spiritual gifts there are five points today that we need to go through and the first one is spiritual gifts are not a measure of spirituality now concerning spiritual gifts I don't want you to be uninformed it's very very telling that the first thing to notice is the word spiritual
00:05:16 gifts and this word is called numoon which is basically it's in in grammar is neuter so you can either mean spiritual people spiritual things or spiritual gifts all right because whole issue for the Corinthians is spirituality who is closer to God as it were now if you look at chapter two three I Brothers could not address you as spiritual people as but as people of the flesh so the Corinthians thought they had all the gifts and because they have the gifts especially miraculous gifts they taught they were spiritual
00:05:55 the word numoon is used there but Paul says look you got all this gift lives but you're still in the flesh where there jealousy and strife are you not of the Flesh and behaving only in a human Way chapter one in you are blessed in every way enriched in Him in all speech all knowledge even as the testimony about Christ was confirmed among you so you are not lacking in any gift they were highly gifted people with miraculous gifts and the problem is because of the gift they misinterpreted the gifts and is this big
00:06:34 theological term called over realized eschatology they believed that all the promises that God had given them in a New Covenant had been here now there's no tension between what's to come and what's in the past it's all here now so therefore they should have all knowledge all power all gifts that's how it was misinterpreted if you look chapter four he says already you have all you want already you have become rich without you have become Kings and would that you did Reign so that we might share the rule
00:07:06 with you this is you know uh he's basically having a go at them all right this sarcasm they even despise Paul chapter nine says am I not free am I not an apostle have I not seen Jesus our lord are you not my workmanship in the Lord if to others I am not an apostle at least I am to you for you are the Seal of my apostleship in the Lord this is my defense to those who would examine you me so here we actually have segments of the church who actually look down on Paul because they were more spiritual
00:07:38 than Paul and how does this super spirituality affect them well the people who thought they could eat meat in the temples doesn't matter they had knowledge the Idols are nothing but in that way they actually stumbled weaker Christians and they themselves because of their arrogance in spirituality actually fell into idolatry the problem is the human problem we always like to compare isn't it see we can look at people either as mirrors or Windows if you look people as Windows you see God's glory you see how
00:08:18 has God has moved in them and you're inspired but you look at Mary and Fiona when you look at them and they're sharing up here you either think wow if God can use Mary wow he could use me too isn't that wonderful how he has moved in her life or you could actually look at Mary and says oh very ay yeah next time IO go and then talk better than her yeah I mean that's how you could do you could see people as mirrors or you could see them as Windows when you see people as mirrors what happens is that you are looking at them
00:08:57 and you're benchmarking you're comparing them and that's a natural human tendency and if you have spiritual gifts especially the miraculous kind you're going to be more tempted to do that and we are a church that lives in a time where it's like consumerism you go to supermarket and you're pushing your trolley and all you're thinking about even in spiritual gifts is how it meet your needs get attention for you improve your social connection maybe make you feel more fulfilled it's like the Holy Spirit comes on you and you're Jesus
00:09:30 told the Samaritan woman it's like Living Waters and the Living Waters Flow from your heart go outwards your you like The Living Waters for yourself and you're bathing in it you're jumping in it you're full of joy but it never goes out that's because of the consumerism ideology and culture we live in now so here now you have ecstatic ex utterances now concerning spiritual gifts I don't want you to be uninformed you know that when you were pagans you were LED astray by mute Idols however you were LED therefore I want you to
00:10:05 understand that no one speaking in the spirit of God ever says Jesus is cursed and no one can say Jesus is Lord except in the Holy Spirit now what is this about you see there are other religions not only Christianity has speaking in tongues Oracle of Deli goddess of Juno well recorded that when they go to Temple the people will spontaneously speak in another tongue other than Greek shamans of the African tribe people in heti even Buddhist Shinto priests have been known to speak in other tongues and if you speak in
00:10:40 another tongue which is different from yours then something spiritual or realistic comes to Bear maybe they're more authentic all right so therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the spirit of God ever says Jesus is a curse what are they saying all this mumbo jumbo is it that behind that strange language you actually see Jesus is cursed so he's just saying if you're really spiritual if you interpret those tongues it would never say Jesus is cursed but it's very odd because if you go to the
00:11:10 Christian meeting you tell me is anybody going to stand up here and say Jesus is cursed it's very unlikely isn't it so so commentators have thought that perhaps what his meaning is addressing Jews the Jews we were the first people to say Jesus is cursed why because Jesus was crucified on the tree and and Deuteronomy says whoever is crucified in the tree is cursed you I mean so there are elements within that Society is number one and what he saying that uh no one can say Jesus is Lord except the
00:11:41 Holy Spirit and he's referring to baptism when you get baptized the first thing you're going to come up and say during that process when you go in you die to your old self and you rise up that Jesus Christ is thought very simple isn't it he boils it down that the one who is spiritual is is not the one with aesthetic speech the one is spiritual is the one that lives under the lordship of Jesus Christ very straightforward and in fact this issue of spiritual lism comes into our church Christian service
00:12:15 theology I've got the best theology position your Deacon or somebody else reputation achievement all these comes in and they become your oneup compared to other people they become like your mirror and miraculous gifts are the most potent you know why because the more miraculous these gifts are the more visible that the spirit is working in your life so therefore you must be more spiritual isn't it if your church doesn't have this miraculous gifts it means your church is dead it's a fact that's what
00:12:51 they're going to say isn't it and so therefore you overhype the benefits and if you look in some Churches they've overhyped the benefits of the speaking in tongues itself you speak in tongues you draw up wisdom and Revelation from your spirit to your mind even though Paul says when I'm speaking in tongues my mind is not working we got more power for spiritual warfare experience Abundant Blessings God has in store for us and if you have the speaker in tongues is the doorway to all spiritual gifts you tell me which
00:13:20 part of the Bible tells you that there's none so what happens is that it's overhyped all right more importantly it's actually fruit if you look look at nature spiritual gifts chapter 12 second half of it effect of it in the body and then chapter 13 which John will preach on spiritual gifts and love and then lastly the use of it is the fruit not the gifts that should take precedence and Galatians Paul writes the fruit of the spirit love joy peace patience kindness faithfulness gentleness self-control against such things there
00:13:55 is no law you notice what Paul writes it is the fruit what is fruit singular it's not one fruit so I've got joy but I don't have peace I got kindness but I don't have love I have faithfulness I'm very very faithful I come to church every Sunday but I have no love you can't it is one simple same fruit it's like eating durian isn't it when you e dur I was watching this uh uh show where you've got Jimmy Kimmel you can see he's holding his nose up and he y wearing very thick radioactive gloves and he's
00:14:36 opening what a durian and the only mistake he did was take the knife and cut straight through he never split the Duran he cut straight through and is interviewing Jessica Chastain and and she is the one who dis very few foreigners love durine and she describes it as onions garlic avocado pineapple in a custard wow one thing about masale people they can really describe things so well isn't it all right you you can't take the onion out you can't take the garlic out or the avocado and all because it's all
00:15:12 one package and that is the fruit of the Holy Spirit and how do you actually have the fruit of the Holy Spirit Well you crucify the flesh with all his passions and desires if we live by the spirit let's keep in step with the spirit and you don't you know at the end of time when Jesus judge you is it going to be judged based on your fruit or your gifts so you can speak in tongues so you can speak Miracles but when you are judged at the end you'll be judged on your fruit then he will say to those on his left depart from me you
00:15:48 cursed into the Eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels for I was hungry and you gave me no food I was thirsty you gave me no drink I was a stranger you did not welcome me naked you did not close me sick in prison you did not visit me salvation evidence is fruit not gifts look at a man who's gifted to the greatest wisdom that the world has ever known King Solomon look at how many concubines he had 600 not very clever isn't it so it's it's actually a fruit versus gifts so spirituality spiritual
00:16:23 gifts are not a measure of spirituality number one let's get that past okay spiritual gift gifts have no bearing on Merit now there are a variety of gifts Same Spirit variety of service same Lord variety of activities it the same God who empowers them all in everyone look that the word here is Caris mat okay why does he use the word Caris mat because Caris is basically Grace he describes the gifts okay interchangeably word numon as Caris why Grace is freely given it's not earned there's no basis for
00:17:02 Pride or self-esteem and it's not a measure of spirituality that's why he uses the word Grace okay carus and there other words for gifts Charisma domma Doran dor but he purposely chooses charismata why because he wants to emphasize that you have this gift and an undeserved matter out of the good will of God let me illustrate to you in Romans chapter five how these words are used interchangeably he talking about salvation the free gift is not like the trespass charismata for if many died through one man's trespass much more
00:17:41 have grace of God and the free gift now use Doria and the grace of that one man Jesus Christ abounded for many and the free gift which is salvation dorima is not like the result that one of one man's sin for the Judgment follows one trespass and brings that brings condemn ation but the free gift following many trespasses brought justification so the words are used interchangeably which means Caris ma does not just mean spiritual gifts he's trying to emphasize the fact that when you get a spiritual
00:18:13 gift you didn't deserve it it can be ordinary for example I wish that all were as myself but each has his own gift from the from God one of one kind and another and who's talking about celibacy all right and it's a Charisma too so Charisma cannot just mean Supernatural manifestation of spirit the emphasis is a gift freely given and UND deserve so there is no way you take your gift like a mirror and it it basically reflects your glory it doesn't it's never supposed to do so spiritual gifts are diverse and have one source you look
00:18:49 here if you reconfigure the ver the verse it's very clear there are varieties of gifts charismata Grace and doubt gifts there's various kinds of service diaconia which means service serving you know feeding the poor washing each other's feet there are various kinds of activities andata which is things that you do that require energy three different ways and yet Same Spirit same Lord same God what is he trying to tell you that the spiritual gifts are diverse they can be Grace gifts capabilities given they can be
00:19:27 service any kind of service is even picking up at Globe Cafe all the I I I remember that Edward always does this if you ever see him he's always walking around with a cup of coffee or tea and he's saying hey Dr do you think you can you want coffee without fail I never asked for it but he knows that I'm a coffee addict so therefore he comes and says you know can you do that that is a Grace gift service areas in which abilities are exercise workings effects resulting from the use of gifts so is so
00:20:01 Broad and yet the point Paul is saying you guys are trying to tease apart oh I got this special gift you don't have and what he's doing is all of that comes under rubric of the same God who empowers everybody right and all these are empowered by one Same Spirit who a portions to each one individually as he Wills God decides if you look at the list of gifts here home so many of them the miraculous ones I read utterance of wisdom knowledge healing Miracles prophecy they're miraculous they're like fireworks but then there's
00:20:39 a whole bunch in green Faith distinguishing between Spirits teachers helpers administrating these are the ones that are non-miraculous but yet they're still by the spirit and the gifts here is not comprehensive you look Ephesians Romans Peter chapter 7 the whole bunch of gifts so therefore the the lists are different which means it is not comprehensive there are many many gifts right then people certainly ask after a sermon like this hey what about Talent is what's is that a difference between spiritual gift and talent well
00:21:18 because the non-believer has uh Talent believer also has talent but there is a difference in the context of this particular chapter it means spiritual gifts are special abilities that in addition and beyond your natural capabilities right there is a theological difference however it is a wrong question to ask when people ask this question you must understand why they ask this question they want something miraculous if I was gifted with teaching and now become a Christian and now I teach nothing special how can you say
00:21:53 holy spirit isn't it let's look at the verse James says do not be deceived my beloved Brothers every good and perfect gift is from above coming down from the Father of Lights with whom there's no variation or Shadow due to change imagine every single gift every single talent in the world is actually given by whom by God imagine if the Christian gift of healing people doctors only given to Christians all non-christians cannot become doctors what happened to the whole world what what is the gift of flying an
00:22:36 airplane being a pilot only given to Christians then the airlines will be in deep trouble right the point is every single gift is given by which is good not the gift to make gun and kill people is actually given by God right so God has appointed Apostles prophets teachers Miracles Gifts of healing helping administrate administrator we have uh administrators in our church they also given with God and it actually overlaps with natural talent look at Apostle Paul he was a theologian beforehand a Pharisee great intellectual rhetorical
00:23:16 skill which was natural to his self it it was what he was brought up with you got Luke as a doctor precision as IID all these are innate talents and what happens that the Holy Spirit uses this what about the skill of carving you think anything spiritual gift of carving anybody know anybody here with this gift of Scar carving well if you go to Moses time when you build the Tabernacle you know what the Lord said to Moses see I have called by my by name bezalel son of Yuri son of her of the tribe of Judah I've
00:23:55 filled him with the spirit of God spiritual gift right with ability and intelligence in knowledge and craftsmanship to devise artistic designs to work in gold and silver and bronze cutting stones and setting and carving wood to work in every craft and behold I have appointed him with OAB son of aamch and the tribe of Dan I've given all abl man ability that they may make all that I've commanded you artistic gift we're reconfiguring our website because they say it suck so people with graphic abilities
00:24:28 same one filled by the Holy Spirit as well overlaps with natural Talent the spirit empowered people in the Old Testament Craftsmen judges prophets civil administrators given to Moses every single one of them so therefore you have miraculous gifts non-miraculous gifts you got natural Talent the issue is not the gift but the source the source is the Triune God used by the Holy Spirit the common purpose is to serve the Lord so why this things between all of this Paul's description of all these gifts Grace gifts service
00:25:03 workings the whole issue is that there's diversity and then there's one source remember Eric little he was an Olympian Champion 1924 Olympics we just went through our Olympics he was supposed to compete in the 100 meters and because the Heats were held on a Sunday he stuck to his guns and he refused to run on a Sunday instead he focused on a on a race which he wasn't really tipped to win it was a 400 meter and he ran in that estate and by God's grace he actually won the gold medal and he said I believe God made me
00:25:45 for a purpose he also made me fast when I run I feel his pleasure are you saying that's a spiritual gift that's a natural Talent co-opted by God and he used in order to highlight his faith in our Lord Jesus Christ which has impacted many many people in fact when he he was alone and people saying he was stupid how can you miss an Olympic goal people work the whole life for an Olympic goal and you're going to throw it away because you don't want to run on Sunday and just at that locker room on the 400 meter
00:26:18 race of which he wasn't tipped to win he's basically blown it someone slipped in a piece of paper and a piece of paper actually said these words it said for those who honor me I will honor them taken from 1 Samuel chapter 2 verse3 you see it's using your gift to honor God now spiritual gifts are diverse and have one common source spiritual gifts are to serve the common good why do we have spiritual gifts each one is given a manifestation of the spirit for the common good and in this particular case there's a problem in
00:26:57 Christian Church is either either one extreme you've got sensationalism and one is sensationalism and I remember I I I I actually feel by God's grace I've been actually brought up to preach this particular sermon to you because when I was first a Christian at the age of 17 years of age I joined a Brethren Church and you know Brethren Church we are sensationalists no speaking Tong you speak Tong or even R up a little bit bye-bye and I I was in life chapel and uh also sometimes gasing Gospel Hall and
00:27:37 when this came there was a huge reaction against it uh because some people could speak in tongues some people do all sorts of things and the other people couldn't and they felt marginalized that we not quite as spiritual and the other people believed they were more spiritual your entire church is dead and so therefore the two groups of people could not coexist in the same church and so therefore they had to split and so they split and form fga which is now what you see um that was my time and I went to
00:28:07 Australia for studies and then came back the problem was still there you know P panai Baptist Church was the First Baptist Church and then same problem again and they split into panti Baptist church and then which is around the corner it was such a heartwrenching situation because this this sensational ISM versus sensationalism and actually you look at it they're both wrong after 30 over years I come to realization there is good on both sides and we don't have to be split by it the early church fathers
00:28:43 chrisam Augustine and Gregory actually believed that the spiritual gifts were miraculous in the early church to give accreditation to the apostles and establishing scripture that's their stand and after that you no longer need them Warfield of Princeton University said miracles are associated with periods of special Revelation process of writing scripture Exodus Exile Elijah's time they attest and credit God's message to become scripture once scripture is formed there's no need for miraculous gifts and
00:29:17 so therefore today there are four positions on spiritual gifts you got sensationals who deny charismatic gifts are present you got a Pentecostal says charismatic gifts are Central to the ministry today the second baptism or the is necessary speaking time is necessary and then in between you got the open and cautious and the third wave of believe charismatic gifts are present but should not be emphasized or emphasized either way but if you look in 1 Corinth chapter 13 which John will preach on Love Never
00:29:46 Ends prophecies they will pass away as for tongues they will cease as for knowledge it will pass away what is he talking about he's actually talking about the peria when Jesus comes again very obvious isn't it prophecy you don't need prophecy when Jesus comes because you know everything you don't need tongues anymore because he'll speak to you in his language and you don't need knowledge anymore because you will have all the knowledge when he comes again right it will pass away that means it will no longer be relevant but we know
00:30:17 in part which is in imperfect we prophesy in part even prophecy is not perfect now but when the perfect comes the partial will pass away so the interpretation of Perfect by Sensation that perfect means the Bible the Bible is perfect but your interpretation is not that's the issue and and they hang their entire theology on this verse which doesn't really gather Master Paul's attitude is that there's a need for continuing spiritual gifts all right 1 Corinthians 3 12:31 earnestly desire the higher gifts and will show you more
00:30:57 acceler do you know what the word earnestly desire earnestly desire is a imperative which means it's a command which me you leave this Hall today God is giving you a command he's not telling you uh you got spare time or you just pray for this gift or that gift he's asking you to earnestly desire spiritual gifts in order to build up the church Thessalonians 5:20 do not look down on prophecies but test and hold fast what is he doesn't throw the baby with the bath water out right he says prophecy is important hold fast to it
00:31:39 don't despise it pursue love earnestly desire spiritual gifts especially that you may prophesy all the time Paul is saying you need these gifts and these gifts form a foundation Ephesians chapter 2 then you are no longer strangers and Aliens your fellow citizens with the Saints and members of the household of God but built on the foundation there's a foundation you don't rebuild your foundation there apostles and Prophets and then right to equip the Saints for the work of Ministry for the building up of the body
00:32:08 of Christ you have to build on the foundation and the spiritual gifts are used to build on the foundation so I think the biblical way to go about it is either the Third Way of being open and cautious that gifts are still use depending how much emphasis you want to put on it but the problem in the church today is that we we're still divided someone speaks in tongues prophesies healing got miracles someone does not speak in tongues no Miracles no healing ah this is spiritual person this is non-spiritual person right one is
00:32:43 baptized in the spirit one is not baptized we actually have categories that will put people on either end uh there a modern version of the Corinthian problem spiritual Elite and non-spiritual Elite somebody will come if you come from chis the first thing they tell you oh God spoke to me yesterday he told me I must marry that girl what can you say well God didn't give me the memo you know but but because you come from that kind of church the same experience he will say God told me on the other hand if you're
00:33:19 coming from another kind of like FBC I feel that God may be leading me in this direction maybe I asked Jen for confirmation did you get the memo too no you didn't get the memo ah you see so so even people who have been spoken to by God because in FBC they're so frightened to talk to Yen you know because he didn't get the memo right so therefore he won't affirm whatever you're doing so I think we need to to to to drop this there are that sensationalism has problems all right so we seem to basically categorize the gifts healings
00:33:53 number one prophecy number two tongues is number three and it builds up ourselves confidence and pride and and then there doctrinal abuse all right so sensationalism is bad but sensationalism is bad too signs and wonders are elevated over biblical truth it's a fact the fact that a miracle is more important than God's truth in the word experience more liable than Doctrine Bible study uh uh quenches have you ever heard people say that Bible study quenches your your your your spirit so therefore too much H
00:34:25 knowledge it is not too much H knowledge you can never have enough head knowledge of the word of God it's how that translates from the distance from here down to your heart and it moves your hands that is the issue not too much hit knowledge the knowledge of God is expansive priming the pump with the scripture one of the worst doctrinal abuser I've seen is someone who just takes a Bible verse reads it right and then he does something else completely unrelated to the Bible verse because the Bible verse gives you legitimacy I said
00:34:56 Bible verse then I'm going to do something else and that is wrong and we teach this church the word of God very carefully so that you pick those abuses out then you got abuse you got Christian leaders uh especially the woman on the right hand side of Donald Trump prophesying that he will become president wrong false prophet isn't it um emotional abuse so if you believe everybody gets a healing if you don't heal the emotional abuse is that you are not fa fa F enough you didn't get healed not only problem you're sick you're
00:35:32 already depressed because you're sick right somehow he tell you you got no faith and the lack of healing is your fault ly was please don't visit me in my house on the other hand John Piper points out another emotional abuse is the liberal churches or the mainline churches like us where there's no emotion you come to worship God I can tell you less than 30% of you sing it's as if you come for a show Andrew sing louder and I don't see the spirit there I don't see the joy do you know that's called emotional
00:36:12 abuse because you got no emotion the Holy Spirit feels if you really worship like that I think there's something wrong with you you really got to question God as to why important thing about spiritual gifts is that it's done for the blessing of the entire family it's not for yourself I remember this I'm going to speak about gift of tongues next week and it's a sore point with me because when I was a young man at 17 18 years old I was in Sydney my church back home had been torn apart by this horrible issue and then we were
00:36:45 attending some talks my uh my uh roommate myself my roommate Vincent and both uh went to talk and one day wow so wonderful speaking tongues it's like you know another dimension mention we actually wound up the Pastor said you want SP time come forward and then we wound up uh coming forward to be prayed came back oh English canones else and we felt as if God had rejected us I mean we earnestly actually by in retrospect 30 40 years later the only reason why I speaking D so I can be Changi like the rest that's a fact at
00:37:28 that time I would never admit it isn't it more powerful M more shock isn't it h that's why I wanted it and God knew it and he never gave it to me he gave me an ordinary gift teaching okay but I I I accepted that because teaching is not as flash as tongu gifts right but it is what God has decided for my entire life and 30 40 years later on I am glad he didn't give it to me because he had given me that gift I'll be dancing all the time speaking in tongue thinking I'm like Moses and what happen I will
00:38:08 crash I will crash instead he withheld it and gave other things that that made me think that the purpose of using these gifts is for the common good it's not for myself you know someone is once had a train a young boy had a train and the train only had a you know steam train just enough steam inside you can either use the steam to make the engine move the wheels and go around the track or you could pull the plug and the steam will come up and have a big sound whistle I cannot move so a lot of us like that we want
00:38:48 the steam to blow the whistle so look at me but your life doesn't move it doesn't move to Holiness it doesn't affect affect the body it doesn't build the body up spiritual gifts is how God implements his will all these are empowered by one and the Same Spirit who portions to each one individually as he Wills whether you have this gift or that gift like in my case it's according to God's Will and plan but the point is in one Peter he says as each one received the gift use it to serve one another as good stewards
00:39:28 of God's vared grace whoever speaks as one who speaks of the Oracles of God whoever serves as one who serves by the strength that God supplies in order that everything God may be glorified through there's a plan there's a plan there's a plan that you're in there's no accident there you're in First Baptist Church there's no accident every single one you've hear is put here with a particular gift whether you speak in tongues or you don't whe you sing or you don't whether you can do AV or not or whether
00:40:00 you can do Graphics you're here for a reason it is God's Will and God wants you to fulfill that will and there every gift is different if you look here for one is given through the spirit the utterance of wisdom another utterance of knowledge according to the Same Spirit there's nowhere in the entire scripture that tells us these two gifts together together logos sophus logos osis we don't know what it is what we can discern maybe through scripture all right it's certainly not worldly wisdom but if you remember ananas and safira
00:40:39 they had sold their land for how much and then they were to give some part of that land money to the church but they masquerad and made as if they gave all the money and then Peter says anany why has Satan filled your heart to lie to the Holy Spirit and keep back for yourself a part of the proceeds the land why are you trying to cheat the Holy Spirit now how did Peter know did he audit his books did he know he doesn't there's a word of knowledge that we can see Saul who was also called Paul filled
00:41:12 with the Holy Spirit looked intently him this um man who was uh uh the almus in Cyprus who was a magician he says you son of the devil you enemy of all righteousness full of Deceit and villain will you not stop making crooked the straight Paths of the Lord and now behold the hand of the Lord is upon you and you will be blind and unable to see the Sun for a time how did he know there a word of knowledge there's a Man inex chapter 14 in listra sitting down who could not use his feet he was crippled
00:41:43 from birth and never walk he listened to Paul speaking and Paul looking intently him and seeing he had Faith wow if I can look down here and see mailing do I see Faith wow you can see you can see faith on what color is faith the Browner this a word of knowledge and then he actually healed him uh today I was reading book by uh Derek Prince and he was saying his friend came to his house and said to him in his church that he's got I don't know why I've been getting his back pain all right somebody in the congregation has
00:42:21 back pain and he when Derek Prince went to his church and he preached and had the courage to stand up and say look there's someone here with back pain and God's going to heal you and there was someone back pain and he stood up they prayed and he was healed again example of a word of knowledge then be very careful the Chicago Theological Seminary da Carson writes there was a man uh who basically uh was there as a prophet and demonstrating his gift he says there's a man here with back pain his name is Bill
00:42:58 I want you to stand up I'm going to heal you so bill bill bill bill bill nobody stand up in the end after a few exhortations someone stood up hey I think I got back pain uh what's your name Mike never mind close enough please when the God speaks it is very clear so sometimes the sensationalism forces us to make oh I think I got this gift actually you don't all right it's a misunderstanding all right so uh to another a gift of faith okay I can think of someone like Josh Müller on his own never asked for money he had the faith
00:43:39 to get on his knees and pray and he's reached out to more than 100 100,000 offerings in the UK how do you do that yeah you know we got building fund every time we got a slide right can to remind you that you're blind or what cannot see her George Müller gets on his knees and he never ask for a single money dime and holy spirit gives he has Faith so it's a it's a gift of faith which is given to him what about this very common one mirle healing service Benny Hinn a Malaysian version IO I saw this one
00:44:09 Reverend John is this the thing to another Faith by The Same Spirit to another Gifts of healing now you need to understand this Kus Mar IM Marion means instances plural of healings plural okay okay it was never meant to have one single guy with the gift of healing heal whoever he wants okay gifts are either permanent and residential or occasional and circumstantial for example the gift of teaching you could probably wake Arnold up okay at 3:00 in morning he will still he'll start to teach you it's it's it's
00:44:52 residential okay it's always there he can turn it on he can turn it off but occasional and circumstantial is depending the Holy Spirit movement you could see it sometimes and you sometimes cannot so therefore it's called Gifts of healing every healing is an instant by itself so when you go to pray for friends when we put their names up and we've got a visitation team to pray for people cancer when you go I don't want you to go and think well I don't have the gift of healing just like Benny Hinn
00:45:22 or Reverend the point is it is called Gifts of healing they instance of healing and they administered by God's people and so therefore there sometime you be healed and sometime not a sensationalism is John Wimber Wimber says we see hundreds of people healed every month in the vineyard Christian Fellowship Services many more are healed as we pray for the hospitals on the streets and the homes the blind SE the lame walk the death here cancer is disappearing are you sure here's a conference in 1986 867 People Prayed and
00:45:56 they did a study and it says 32% had a high measure healing 26% Fair Improvement that means God's hands uh not so strong you got Fair only you know half the cancer is gone the other half still there and the last bit which is 42% totally not I mean we tend to sensationalize these things which absolutely not true max Turner wrote a huge uh influential book on the Holy Spirit spiritual gifts and he actually doents people Down syndrome do you know that spiritual healing less than one in 200 what about if you have
00:46:33 your hand chopped off do you think the Holy Spirit can grow on your hand can can but not now there's never been a h history of you growing another hand there's certain and why is it that God doesn't make you grow another hand and somebody else back a goes away maybe the back EG wasn't a back EG so so you we need to understand what is truth and what is really reality for so for Wimber to says every day is a miracle then we myself go to subang Medical Center and put me out of work everybody put your hand on his
00:47:08 prostate and the PSA reading zero whoa I I gladly retire isn't that but it's not true some of my patients you know one of my patients is a faith healer and he got kidney stone tell me how I say you he faith healer Ma why can't you heal yourself oh it doesn't quite work that way yeah because there's no such thing as a faith healer there are instances of healing which can be conveyed by any one of God's servants look Acts chapter 18 God was doing extraordinary Miracles by the hand of Paul even the handkerchief or aprons
00:47:47 that touch his skin were carried to the sick and the diseases left them on the other hand EP apodius was sick near death he was ill I left trophimus who was Ill at my latest my goodness you leave your friend who is ill you cannot heal him you see I mean there is no faith healer there are instances of healing what about miracles this is a huge book about thousand Pages by Craig kenina who actually looked at New Testament accounts of healing as well as all over the world looking at many many instances of Miracles and if
00:48:24 you look at PE Forum October 20 2006 these these are all the areas where actual miracles have been documented 200 million people have experienced or witness miraculous healings 39% in non-pentecostal or charismatic Christians 39% so Miracles are still here but we should not expect or demand God to work miraculously today as he did in the early church you know the Miracles of Acts were highlights over 30 years of Miracles you you think five six episodes of healing and you you think it's every day it's actually over 30 years Israel
00:49:02 was in slavery for 400 years before they saw the 10 miracles of Exodus John the Baptist no Miracles Esther no Miracles the writings of the second and third Century show very little miraculous activity you know and confined largely to gift of Prophecy healing which included exorcism very little and yet the church grew what about our own country Michelle Chun wrotes a Nar in 2023 signs and wonders happening chains of alcoholism and feuds broken 50 years on is the Malaysian Church ready for another Revival which means 50 years ago
00:49:39 we experienced miracles in the bario Community where a teacher fell into deep repentance students followed and actually much of this has been documented by uh in a book uh by fga Pastor Pastor dor right and they describe Miracles at that time tree leaves transform into sources of light for missionaries lost in this jungle water and rice turned into oil and flour Fireballs from the sky Angels Bak bread as food for people in the jungle and taught illiterate people how to read actual documented Miracles they happen
00:50:19 today but at God's timing so other gifts are this prophecy which we will discuss in chapter 14 and distinguishing between spirits and the tongues which we will discuss next week and all these are empowered by the one Same Spirit who a portions each one individually as he Wills can we have the worship team up here Steven one of the earliest deacons highly gifted in teaching you can read about his defense of the Gospel in Acts chapter 6 such a wonderful young man articulate if you look at his gifts you
00:51:01 thought he would go very far didn't go very far you know they stoned him and when they stoned him the person who stoned who Stood Beside the people who stoned Steven was a man called Paul and from that young man's Dem I mean you would have thought you know God gave this young man such a wonderful gift he could have used used that gift for the next 20 30 years to explode the church God said no God said I want him to die for my name's sake and they stoned him every Boulder that struck his head sunk Into the Heart of Paul and
00:51:48 later on as Paul recalled that time it convicted him of his very evil nature and from that day onward from the killing of Steven that gift you would have thought extinguish all hope he was the best of the generation you know and he died persecution broke up and the church scattered to Samaria to the four corners of the world and Paul later on because of this experience recognized his sin and turn to our Lord Jesus Christ and God used his even greater gift to write the 13 Epistles that we have today you see each
00:52:30 one of us has a gift each one of us will use this gift for a limited period of time you may be just the gift of service or the gift of Mercy to visit one person and that one person's life turns around and then that Ministry explodes brothers and sisters every single one of you are here for a reason it is God's will every single one of you has a gift you say I don't know I can I cannot preach I cannot prophesy you can serve right the gift of service is very generic you know even when you bring a cup of coffee to someone who
00:53:14 needs it it's a gift of service and the wonderful thing about this church is that many of you I'm really really pleased are actually serving in so many ways it's amazing uh one of the things that our leadership has tried not to do is to believe that all the Fountain of wisdom and knowledge and Leadership resides and fall of us because it doesn't the Holy Spirit touches many of the Ministries in this church actually started by non-leaders I remember Joan Chung she was here for a while and she started
00:53:47 connect Conner you have connect Conner you know because of one woman she said your church very cold all the newcomers come they got nothing to eat they go and she started today then people join and today Ivy and China are leading that every s so we don't want to control you the Holy Spirit controls you and if you feel there's a Ministry that you need to do please go ahead and do it our job is to come behind you and recognize the Holy Spirit and to say you are part of us it is God's will use your gift for
00:54:17 his glory so let's pray father Lord we thank you for spiritual gifts we know that without spiritual gifts we cannot function as a body spiritual gifts are for the common good we don't deserve these gifts they're given to us by Grace we ask oh Lord this morning for every single one of us you have given us our gift we pray that you will Channel your Holy Spirit through our gifts to the world that the but the the world will see these gifts and be blessed by these gifts and they will give glory to you we
00:54:51 ask for Jesus sake amen [Music] [Music] find us together us together with gos that canot be broken find us together B us together B us together with [Music] love there is only one God there is only one king there is only one body and he body we sing bind us together Lord bind us together with that cannot be broken us together Lord B us together B us together with made for the glory of [Music] goded by his preious son born with the right to be clean Jus victory has won bind us together B us together with
00:56:54 go that canot be broken bind us together Lord bind us together bind us together with love we are the family of God we are his promise Divine we are his children desire we are his glor b us together B us together with go that cannot be broken bind us together Lord bind us together bind us together [Music] love bind us together Lord bind us together with God that cannot be broken B us together Lord bind us together bind us together with BL B us together [Music] we let's have the benediction taken from 1 Peter chapter 4
00:58:41 whoever serves as one who serves by the strength which God supplies in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ to him belongs glory and Dominion forever and ever amen you may be seated anyone who wants to have prayer and to be ministered to please come forward and we will minister to you thank you
