Paul expected Timothy to Know his spiritual gifts.

Paul expected Timothy Not to Neglect his spiritual gifts.

Before we fan into flame the gifts given:

1. We need to meet 4 Prerequisites:

a. A Personal Relationship with Jesus Christ.

b. We need to Believe in Spiritual Gifts.

c. We must have a Willingness to Minister.

d. A Commitment to Prayer.

2. Fanning into Flame.

a. Understand the Difference between Spiritual Gifts and Christian Roles.

Be careful not to allow spiritual gifts to become an Excuse for us not to Perform Christian Roles.

b. Explore the Possibilities.

Read the Scripture Passages that talk about Spiritual Gifts.

c. Examine our Feelings.

d. Evaluate our Effectiveness.

e. Expect Confirmation from the Body.

The Confirmation of the body of Christ, and the Correction of the body of Christ, is a healthy thing:

The Principle of Consecration.

· There is no knowing the Will of God apart from a Deep, Personal and Serious commitment to Jesus Christ as Lord.

· Paul says I want you to Offer yourself as a Living Sacrifice, Willingly and Voluntarily.

· The basis of our Worship depends on how you and I are Relating to Christ.

The Principle of Biblical Self-Evaluation.

· When we see God and who He is this helps us put our life into Proper Perspective.

· Paul encourages us to think Rationally about Ourselves.

· Biblical Humility: I will Refrain from Comparing myself with other People, and I will Compare myself only to Jesus Christ.

The Principle of Discovering our Part in the Body.

· A human body has Many Parts.

· Certain parts in a body Function in Certain ways.

· As a church we are one body, but we have many parts.

- We all belong to the same body, but have Different Functions.

· Seek after God for how he has Gifted you to play your part in the body, to be a Blessing to His Church and have that Affirmed by the rest of the Body of Christ.

1. Are the Sign Gifts for today?

The Bible nowhere says that the gifts have passed.

2. Myths about the Sign Gifts.

a. That Every Christian Must speak in tongues.

b. My Experience Validates the Truth.

c. The Gift of Tongues Increases Faith.

d. Tongues are the sign of Being Filled with the Holy Spirit.

e. Tongues must Always be from God.

f. Tongues are Commanded.

g. Tongues are the most Important Gift for Christians to have.

3. What are the Purposes for the gift of Tongues?

a. The Primary use of Tongues in the NT was to be a Sign. In contrast to what the Corinthians were Practicing,

Paul makes the point that tongues were Not Meant as a sign for Believers.

Tongues are a sign to the Unbelieving.

b. Tongues as a Personal Prayer gift.

c. Tongues are for the Strengthening of the church.

That is done in prescribed conditions.

i. For the Strengthening of the church.

ii. Only to be used in a public time if Interpreters are present.

2 or 3 at the most.

One at a Time.

No interpreter present - Remain Quiet.

Tongues are Not Required for God to Bless a worship service.

All spiritual gifts are to be Exercised in Love and for the strengthening of the church.

1. For The Common Good.

To Each one is given the Manifestation of the Spirit.

2. To bring us into Unity.

God has chosen to Establish Leaders in the church.

3. The Role of the Pastor/Teacher.

Lead and Feed. Protect and Correct.

We are to point you to Christ and not to Ourselves.

1. How do we Test?

a. We test them by the Word.

b. Do they Confess “Jesus as Lord”?

c. What is the spirit of the person? Their life walk.

2. How do we see Prophecy operating in the NT church?

a. Not more than 2 or 3 in any time.

b. Let the Other’s weigh.

c. Do they Acknowledge leadership?

3. Some Practical Application.

a. Test prophecy that Foretells the Future.

b. Test prophecy that claims to Reveal Something.

d. Consider carefully Negative prophetic words.

e. Be aware of Correcting the church without the Leadership.

g. Be aware of an Aura of Superiority.

It will be for the church’s Edification, Exhortation and Consolation.

1. In the OT.

a. God by His Spirit impressing upon the heart and mind of his Servant.

· The main function: was to be “Messengers from God”

· A Revelation from God that is Recorded as Scripture.

b. Another type of Prophecy.

· Their words were Not Recorded as Scripture.

· To a Specific Situation to affirm He was present.

2. In the NT.

a. We see those speaking as God’s Messengers.

· Speaking with Divine Authority, writing for us Scripture.

· These men are not called prophets, but Apostles.

b. We also see in the NT.

· God Revealed something to people to speak words of Instruction, Encouragement & Edification for the Church.

· Their words are Not Recorded as Scripture.

3. Prophecy in the church Today.

· Is Not Adding to the Word of God.

· Not all have the gift of Prophecy.

· Prophecy is not just Telling the Future.

· NT prophecy is to be Tested and Weighed.

· Don’t fall into the trap of Quenching the Spirit, or Despising prophecy.

· We affirm the Closing of the NT Canon.

New words of equal Authority are Not given Today.

The question some ask: “Is this all there is in the Christian life?”

I want to look at some things that we need to Know and Understand in order for us to Experience the fullness of the Holy Spirit.

1. The Holy Spirit is Within Us.

2. There is an Inner Conflict.

3. Sin must be Honestly and Completely Confronted.

4. We are Commanded to be Filled with the Holy Spirit.

To be filled with the Holy Spirit:

1. Confession and Repentance.

2. We need a Personal Good Friday.

3. Trust.

An unmistakable test that we need to apply to Anyone, or any Movement in seeking to test the Validity of any Manifestation of gifts of the spirit.

Paul tells us:

- Negatively, no person by the Spirit can Curse Jesus;

- Positively, only by the Spirit can a person openly Testify that Jesus Is Lord.

1. Right Belief.

· We need to have a proper understanding of Who Jesus is.

· We need to be able to Ask People, what do they Believe.

· Any gift given or manifested by people who Deny who Jesus Christ is, is Not a Genuine manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

2. Right Place.

· Gifts are not to be regarded as Ends in Themselves.

· The Spirit has come to Lift Up and Exalt Jesus.

· When the Holy Spirit is being Obeyed people are Exalting Jesus.

· The Holy Spirit will Rejoice when we Glorify Jesus Christ.

· The right place involves Jesus being Central.

· Jesus must have the right place as Lord of our Lives.

3. Right Response.

· The right response is the Total Surrender of our lives to Jesus.

· Those who are truly able to say Jesus is Lord will not only say it with their Mouths, they will say it with their Whole Life.

· Their whole life will be a Testimony to the fact that Jesus is Lord.

How are we to know what is of God and what is not of God?

1. Do not Rely on Inward Feelings.

2. Don’t base your Acceptance of something on the People Reporting.

3. Use Your Mind.

4. Use the Scriptures.

5. Be careful of Fresh Revelation.

6. Reject anything that Contradicts the Word.

7. God does not need to Show Off.

8. Be careful about the Prophesying of future Events.

9. Be cautious about Personal Leadings.

10. Be careful of Physical Sensations.

11. Be careful of the Power of Suggestion.

12. Be careful of particular gifts that only seem to occur in the presence of a Particular Teacher or Person.

13. How has this manifestation Effected my Relationship with the Lord?

How are we to know what is of God and what is not of God?

1. Do not Rely on Inward Feelings.

2. Don’t base your Acceptance of something on the People Reporting it.

3. Use Your Mind.

There is nothing wrong with using your mind. Colossians 3:2 Romans 8:6 Romans 12:2 2 Tim 1:7 2 Peter 1:15

Don’t disengage your redeemed, transformed mind.

4. Use the Scriptures.

Beware any teaching that puts the Spirit against the Scripture.

5. Be careful of Fresh Revelation.

6. Reject anything that Contradicts the Word of God.

7. God does not need to Show Off.

1. Common Errors.

· Experiences are not the basis for Doctrine.

· Basing our understanding of the gifts on a Preconceived Theology.

2. What is a Spiritual Gift?

· God is the Source of all Spiritual gifts.

3. Spiritual Gifts are a Manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

The four major lists of gifts are found in Romans 12:6-8,

1 Cor. 12:4-11,28, Eph. 4:12, 1 Peter 4:11.

4. Spiritual Gifts are Not Spiritual Fruit.

Gal 5:22. These are not spiritual Gifts. These are the Character of Christ being Developed in us.

5. Who Has Spiritual Gifts?

· Unbelievers Don’t have spiritual gifts.

· All Spirit born Christians have at least one spiritual gift and probably more than one.

6. Spiritual Gifts are For the Church.

7. Spiritual Gifts Glorify God.

The desire of the Spirit is that the intellect, the will, and the emotions, function dependent upon God.

Reasons why Power is Lost:

1. Lack of Instruction.

How can we walk in the way the NT calls us to walk, without the life/control/gifting of the Holy Spirit?

2. Sin.

The one who is intentional about dealing with sin and making the effort to be aware of and deal with sin can be filled.

3. Professionalism.

People begin to focus on education, skill and technique, rather than the power and presence of the Holy Spirit.

4. Unbelief.

There is a spirit of unbelief that we must evict.

5. Pride.

When people realise that something they have been condemning, is actually something God wants, pride gets in the way.

6. Charis-phobia.

No fire is never the answer for false fire. Abandonment is not the answer for excess.

7. Tradition.

Traditions can be held as being equal to the Word of God.

8. Stereotyping.

Saying your experience to be authentic, must look exactly like my experience.

Dunamis – The Power of God III - Empowered in Stewardship/Fellowship.

The Holy Spirit Empowers us.

- Dunamis: (miraculous) power, might, strength.

- We need the Dunamis of God to fulfil his calling in our lives.

Empowering is often missing, but is so needed in:

1. The area of Stewardship.

Stewardship is not something that you trump up in emotion. It is something God produces by His Spirit.

Examples of giving that is not Spirit empowered giving:

1. Guilt Giving.

2. Emotional Giving.

Acceptable giving is the result of the Spirit of God.

2. The area of Fellowship.

God calls us to be a part of his body.

Every growing/maturing believer in Jesus Christ needs other growing/maturing followers in their life.

Our culture needs to see the church demonstrate the power of the gospel that is greater than racism, ageism, consumerism, and models being agents of reconciliation, rather than division..

Dunamis – The Power of God I - Empowered in Preaching/Vision/Outreach.

The Holy Spirit Empowers us.

- Dunamis: (miraculous) power, might, strength.

- We need the Dunamis of God to fulfill his calling in our lives.

- The effective Christian knows where the power of God is moving, and knows how to go with the power.

- If Jesus didn’t minister until he had the empowering of the Spirit, how could you and I ever hope to?

He Empowers us in 3 basic ways:

Power is Knowing What to do.

Power is Knowing When to do It.

Empowered is the Ability to be Fruitful and Effective.

Empowering is often missing, but is so needed in:

The area of Discerning Vision for a local Assembly.

The area of Evangelism.

The area of Preaching.

The preaching we need to hear is what God is saying to, and wanting to do, in a local assembly.

Primary Sources God uses to impart to us a knowledge of His will:

1. The Bible.

2. The Burden.

3. The Bearings.

What are the Circumstances of our lives, Through which God imparts Direction to us, and Helps us find our Bearings?

God may direct us through Circumstances:

i). Not every Circumstance is something God is Orchestrating.

ii). But some things Don’t Just happen.

God can work Circumstances to do a couple of things:

a. God may use Circumstances to Confirm our Path.

b. God may use Circumstances to Change our Path.

c. Circumstances by Themselves are Not Reliable indicators of God’s leading.

You need to Line Up All Three of these primary sources God uses to impart to us a knowledge of His will.

Primary Sources God uses to impart to us knowledge of His will:

1. The Bible.

2. The Burden.

A burden is a Divinely initiated and Sustained Impression on my

spirit that a particular matter is God’s will for me.

How can we seek to describe the Spirit’s work in our hearts in this:

a. Seeding.

b. Stirring.

c. Strengthening.

d. Sustaining.

Some Precautions:

i). An Inner Voice is Not always from God.

ii). If something is of God it will Agree with Scripture.

iii). If something is of God it will be Confirmed by Reality.

The Bible must be Read to be Helpful.

It must be read Personally.

As you read the Word you will Increase your Discernment.

1. The Bible.

Read the Bible to:

a. Take Advantage of Pre-ploughed Ground.

b. Find Revelation, Not an Echo.

c. Develop a Biblical Mindset.

2. The Burden.

A burden is a Divinely initiated and Sustained Impression on my spirit that a particular matter is God’s will for me.

Discerning is an ability given by the Holy Spirit.

Working Definition:

Discernment is a Spirit given ability working in and through human Intelligence that Enables us to Identify God’s Word and God’s Will.

Some foundational spiritual disciplines that will allow us to grow in our Spirit given ability to have discernment.

1. Pray for Discernment.

2. Seek to Know God.

3. Surrender Your Will.

4. Walking in the Fullness of the Holy Spirit.

5. Trust God – Even when we don’t Understand.

6. Don’t Fret over Mixed Feelings.

Roughness on a road does Not necessarily mean you’re on the Wrong road.

7. Develop a Ministry Mindset.

Our Affections Drive our discernments.

They will Drive your Ability to accept a Ministry.

Discerning the will of God correctly is very important.

Working Definition: The will of God is His Ongoing Expression of Love through the Directives of the Word and the Holy Spirit.

Everything God does is an Expression or Extension of His Love.

We need never Fear the will of God because it is His ongoing Expression of Love for you.

3 Types of God’s will.

1. The Intentional Will of God.

2. The Circumstantial Will of God.

3. The Ultimate Will of God.

The Bible is so Unique because of the Ministry of the Holy Spirit.

1. The Holy Spirit Inspires the Scriptures.

Inspiration is about the way in which God’s Self Revelation has come to be Expressed in the Words of the Bible.

2. The Holy Spirit Illuminates the Scriptures.

Because of the Ministry of the Holy Spirit to us the Scriptures can Relate to people of every Race and Culture in the world.

Sinning against the Holy Spirit is a serious issue and one that the Scriptures talk about.

The Holy Spirit is a Person. The Holy Spirit is God.

Therefore he can be Sinned against.

We can sin against the Holy Spirit by:

1. Blaspheming the Holy Spirit.

Scripture tells us there is no Greater sin than Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit because there is no Forgiveness for this sin.

a. Blasphemy against the Holy Spirit can only be committed by Unbelievers.

b. You and I Can’t Tell if someone else has committed it.

2. Grieving the Holy Spirit.

Grieving the Holy Spirit is something Believers can do.

a. The Holy Spirit gives a church fellowship - Unity.

b. The Holy Spirit gives a church Diversity.

c. The Holy Spirit gives a church fellowship – people with Transformed Lives.

3. Quenching the Holy Spirit.

a. To put out a fire you need to Remove the Fuel Supply.

b. To put out a fire you need to Smother It.

What is the role of the Holy Spirit in bringing people to faith in Jesus Christ

1. The Holy Spirit Convicts us of Sin.

Only the Holy Spirit can Open our Eyes to the Depth of our spiritual condition. It is the ministry of the Holy Spirit to Convict us and

to Convince us that the gospel is True.

Jesus goes on to tell us this convicting work is 3-Fold:

a. In regard to Sin.

Without the Convicting work of the Holy Spirit people cannot see themselves as Sinners.

b. In regard to Righteousness.

The Holy Spirit reveals to us that it is the Sacrificial death of Christ that makes us Righteous before a Holy God, Not our

accumulated good Deeds and Works.

c. In regard to Judgement.

The Holy Spirit Convinces us that there is such a thing as Judgement and that God has the Final Word.

2. The Holy Spirit Gives us a New Birth.

What does it mean to be spiritually reborn?

a. We are made Spiritually Alive.

b. We are made New Creations.

A one-time act of the Holy Spirit to make us new creations, but it has Continuing Effects for the rest of our lives.

c. We are given Assurance.

Benefits of bearing the cross:

1. You will Experience Victory.

God’s way to obtain victory is through self-sacrifice.

We are more than conquerors because we are subduing the flesh and we are walking in the Spirit.

2. You will find Great Joy.

When you learn to carry the cross, the flesh can’t rob you of your joy.

You are removing the barriers to a truly joyful life.

3. God will Exalt You.

4. Greater Effectiveness in Ministry.

Brokenness precedes fruitfulness.

Everybody wants to sign up for power. But you can’t have resurrection power until you sign up for your cross.

5. You will get to Know God Better.

Phil 3:10 that I may know Him and the power of His resurrection

- The desire if the Spirit is that the intellect, the will, and the emotions, function dependent upon God.

- When the Holy Spirit shows us ourselves:

The flesh will always look to rationalise.

The flesh likes to live in denial.

The flesh will try to make a vice a virtue.

The flesh will try to spiritualise everything.

· When Jesus said to you take up your cross daily, He is calling you to an experience that will take time.

· It takes a lifetime to become a mature follower of Jesus.

· God loves us too much to leave us as we are.

The flesh is the intellect, will and the emotions of man, functioning independently of God.

The desire of the Spirit is that the intellect, the will, and the emotions, function dependent upon God.

The way we deal with that flesh, is by daily bearing our cross.

Paul: In my hardship I see myself dying to the flesh, so that more of Jesus can be revealed in me.

Paul: I have learned that safety and satisfaction, are not found in a place, they are only found in Jesus.

God never meant for you to find your happiness in circumstances.

The Spirit teaches us that sorrow is an opportunity for freedom.

The Holy Spirit will help you.

Your flesh cannot, and will not, deny or crucify itself.

It wants to have God’s salvation, but it wants to be in control.

If you are committed to dying to self and walking in the Spirit, the Holy Spirit will use people to accomplish that in your life.

God will use people to show you where you need to take up the cross.

One of the places where God exposes us to ornery people is in the church.

In Paul letters he shows us people in three categories:

He talks about the Natural man.

He talks about the Carnal man, or Fleshly man.

He talks about the Spirit-led man.

Often the most miserable people I come across, are fleshly/carnal believers.

If you are going to follow Christ go all the way.

There are 3 forces that constantly wage war against us.

John calls them: the World, the Flesh, and the Devil.

The most destructive is our own flesh.

What does the term “Flesh” mean?

“Flesh” is human intellect, human will, and human emotion, acting independently of God.

The Spirit gives life but the flesh counts for nothing.

True Christian worship is doing what God wants.

Christ broke the power of sin over you.

In Christ you’re not the same person you used to be.

Study is meaningless without a solid foundation.

The entire Bible is a text for the study of the Holy Spirit.

Paul knew he was not walking alone, he was being led, he was being empowered, by the Holy Spirit.

1. He is a Person, Not an It.

2. He is the Holy Spirit.

3. He is Spirit.

4. The Holy Spirit is God’s Agent.

When God wants to act, he acts through the Holy Spirit.

The Holy Spirit empowers.

A series on the Holy Spirit and the Spirit Filled life.

We have been passed from condemnation into acceptance.

- By virtue of the blood of the lamb He passes over our past sins.

- He empowers us to live differently, righteously and holy lives.

He gives you the lamb within to empower you.

It’s impossible to live the Christian life apart from the Holy Spirit.

Heaps of people try to live in their own abilities:

1. On the basis of their mental power.

2. On the basis of their will power.

3. On the basis of their emotions and feelings.

All of those are deficient.

Today lets note these 2 things:

1. Awareness.

That you can’t live the Christian life by doing the best with your flesh.

2. Begin to pray now.

That in these coming weeks God will encounter all of us.