Recap: The Holy Spirit manifests gifts in us. These come in several forms:
Invisible Visible
Common Fruits of the Spirit Praise
Specific Motivational or Ministry Gifts Manifestations (Charismatic)
Charismatic Gifts – “charis” from the Greek word χαρις or χαρισμα, meaning graciousness or gift. See 1 Corinthians 12:1-11.
Cessasionists, Continuists, and Cautious-ists.
We should strive to receive, discover, and develop our specific spiritual gifts. Gifts are not equivalent to talents. We should eagerly desire the greater gifts! Your gifts may be visible (charismatic) or invisible, but they are unique to you and you are critical to building up of the body. All Christians receive gifts of the Spirit!
Key Concept: We cooperate with the Spirit to development the fruits of the Spirit; and sharing in the sanctifying work of the Spirit makes the Spirit’s gifts more recognizable.
Spiritual Gift Discovery (continued from last week)
What are my spiritual gifts? How do I discover or develop them?
Spiritual Gift Assessments
http://www.sbpcshape.org
SHAPE – Saddleback church
Spiritual Gifts, Heart, Abilities, Personality, Experience
Problems with spiritual gift assessments:
1. This should NOT be a personality profile.
2. There is no process of discovery.
3. I am the only source of information for these assessments; am I accurate?
4. Assessments can created false limitations and false sense of permanence.
Begin not with, “What am I good at” but rather, “What does the body need?”
You may be called to do things that are not part of your giftedness! But, since the purpose of all gifts is to building up of the body of Christ, spiritual gifts are usually discovered in the context of serving the body.
Your gift will allow you to make a unique contribution to the body of Christ.
See for example Acts 1:14, or 1 Timothy 4:14.
The more you are engaged in the work of Christ, the more you will rely on the Spirit of Christ.
Common Invisible Gifts – The Fruit of the Spirit
Spiritual gifts are special manifestations of the Holy Spirit. They are like the tip of an iceberg that peaks out of the water. So too the majority of the spiritual gifts and work of the Holy Spirit are unseen.
Some effects of the Spirit’s presence in our lives are not specific to individuals, but common to all believers.
See Galatians 5:16-26
Justification vs Sanctification. Sanctification is not merely negative, however. It is not only subtraction, but also addition.
Movement from external to internal but not without guidance. How the Holy Spirit moves in your life will be tailored to your Christian walk, but who and what you are becoming is common to all Christians.
Who is the Holy Spirit shaping you to look like?
You don’t wake up one day looking like Christ. You grow, like a tree planted next to streams of water. The evidence of your growth, of the health of your tree, is your fruit.
Luke 6:43-45
Return to Galatians 5:22-23. Which of these fruit can you recognize in your life? Which would you most like to see?
Remember that sanctification is about cooperation – you and God the Spirit, neither of you on your own. May require hard work! Like gifts are not talents, fruit are not emotions.
Homework/Discussion Topics
1. Reflect on what fruit you’ve seen in your own spiritual life. Where have you begun to look more like Jesus?
2. Re-read Galatians 5:22-23. Which of the fruit of the Spirit do you most long for in your life? Which are you most likely to overlook?
3. How can you cooperate with the Spirit to help grow that fruit in your life?