(Acts 2:36-39)
Upbuilding – the advance of the community as a whole- outweighs individual spiritual experience. A balanced recognition of both unity and diversity, of the same Spirit but gifts that differ, is a critical mark of a healthy Christian community. For what period were the spiritual gifts intended? For centuries the view of Augustine prevailed, namely, that the gifts were intended only for the period of the early Church. The rise of the Pentecostal and charismatic movements in the 20th cent. has been the recapture of a theology of spiritual gifts throughout wide sectors of the Church. The healthiest Christian communities will value both the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit and will neglect neither.
I. Everyone has A Spiritual Gift
1. Romans 12:3-8
2. 1 Peter 4:10-11
II. They’re NOT All the Same
1. Luke 9:49-50
2. 1 Corinthians 12:1-11
III. They’re for the Building of the Body
1. 1 Corinthians 14:26
2. Ephesians 4:11-16
IV. There Will be an Accounting
1. Matthew 25:14-30
2. Romans 14:12
V. Epilogue –– Don’t Come Empty-handed!
“But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience” (Luke 8:15)
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