Introduction
Let me begin with a discipleship question: how will you follow Jesus in prayer and dependence on God this week?
Main Points
In this lesson shaped by Calvary Boise's teaching on DISTRACTED: Unity in Diversity, Christ invites us to receive truth with humility, practice repentance, and walk in faithful obedience.
Prayer and Dependence
First Corinthians 12 this final view of the distracted Church is an example of something that they were off on is maybe best given. To us in a picture of the spiritual immature church there's a lot of analogies you can use when spiritual maturity starts to manifest.
- In things that are divisions and difficulties maybe the best way is the season of life I'm in right now sometimes the spiritually immature.
- Church looks a lot like children when you're spiritually mature sometimes your behavior towards one another and your church experience is how kids would.
- Act if they were running the church and that's an example that we're gonna look at today a couple weeks ago I got a.
- Picture of something that reminds me of what's happening in first Corinthians chapter 12 we had just finished knocking on doors on October 31st.
All of my kids dressed up as little princesses and they asked for free candy and then we came back into the house and. We're getting soup and warmed up and one of my daughter's is crying and I asked her what was wrong and she said I.
Grace and Justification
They did that with the way that God gives spiritual gifts God gives his believers the people who have called upon his name a. Gift of the Spirit and sometimes rather than the gift of the Spirit being all for God's glory and then for the benefit of.
- Each other they can turn into competition or you can turn into a glance at the gifts of the Spirit manifesting other people and.
- You think I don't have enough or sometimes the gift of the Spirit manifesting out of you and you think I've really arrived spiritually.
- So Paul is going to give an answer to this church that whatever God gives us with spiritually has a way for us to.
- Give him glory and serve each other but we have to do it in a mature way otherwise it can be used against us.
Just like anything so as we look at first Corinthians 12 and we are going to look at this whole chapter this morning let. Me just give you the three things that Paul throughout this the exhortation of this church is going to point them towards spiritual maturity.
Grace and Justification
Jesus accursed and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit now here is the unity and diversity converging. Together starting in verse 4 he says there are diversities of gifts but the same spirit there are differences of ministries but it is.
- The same Lord and there are diversities of activities but it is the same God who works all in all now verse 7 and.
- Here's the purpose of the gifts of God represented in his people but the manifestation of the Spirit is given to each one for.
- The profit of all of us who have come here and if you have come here with hearts that are worshiping the Lord through.
- Our songs and celebrating his presence if you have come here to hear the word not just to examine it but to respond in.
Obedience you've got the spirit and all of us each one of us who believe have this common bond of the Spirit of God. In us we are unified by the reality that we are alive spiritually not because some of us are smart or theologically sound or.
Prayer and Dependence
Anyone on the street could just mouth the words Jesus is Lord but the deeper truth the reality of your soul crying out to. Jesus coming here and with your heart and your mind desiring to love God you can't have that desire unless the Spirit is in.
- You and if you have that desire even a small desire to know God more even the thought that you need more of God.
- In your life is the spirit empowering you to come alive in that way so do even if you feel spiritually dry you want.
- More of God you want more of Christ it's because the Spirit is in you I find that empowering and ensuring because sometimes we.
- Go through those seasons where we wonder where we fit into the spiritual profile of a church know that if you love God and.
Want him more you have the spirit in you there was once a counselor who talked about the patience that he would talk to. And when you sit in the couch of a counselor sometimes you have to go through a process of getting a little bit worse.
Grace and Justification
Have a deep and meaningful relationship with Christ listen to this quote which helps me very much it says this the sense of God's. Absence is the sign of God's presence the sense of his absence is a reminder of his presence why you wouldn't feel his absence.
- If he wasn't there moving in your heart by the indwelling of his Spirit how empowering it is this morning to know that your.
- Small desire or even your awareness that you feel distance is the Holy Spirit drawing you closer and closer to himself again praise God.
- This is also a humbling thing for us this morning realizing that some of the spiritual gifts that we're going to talk about or.
- Some of the easiest ways to see the Spirit manifesting itself in the believer and their service to the church is the spotlight ministries.
The gift to lead someone in worship the gift to teach but the reality is the spotlight ministries the behind-the-scene ministry the preacher and. The parishioner all have the same spirit there are no spiritually elite and spiritual poverty or put impoverished people we all have the same.
Grace and Justification
Synonyms attached to the spiritual and dwelling of God's Spirit in us we have gifts ministries and activities on a look at each one. Of those so we have better definition of what we're talking about when we talk about the manifestation of the Spirit in us first.
- It says verse 4 diversity of gifts now spiritual gifts the thing that I'm going to point out seems very elementary but we must.
- Never forget that spiritual gifts are gifts they are not something that is a spiritual manifestation in us because we have worked so hard.
- To develop now we can mature in our gifting but whatever you can do by the power of God in you to bring glory.
- To his name and to serve people is a gift of God and he gives his gift liberally for those who ask he gives.
According to his will but it is all him giving and us receiving as though we ourselves in a picture that I think is. Biblical our children knocking on the door of God with open pillowcases asking for him to give us things we don't deserve for our.
Grace and Justification
Is deeper or this is a different kind of faith than saving faith this is the radical faith that God gifts people to trust. Him to do things that are beyond what is naturally possible the gift to believe in Supernatural providence wisdom goodness of God working something.
- Out that would otherwise seem impossible and then he says that we have the gift of working miracles to another prophecy to another discerning.
- Of spirits to another different kinds of tongues to another in the interpretation of tongues what Paul is saying is God gives liberally all.
- These gifts that bring up his glory to serve one another and we just have to respond I'm not going to go into every.
- Gift but I will highlight one of these gifts because it seems as though to me we live in a climate of Christianity that.
Has elevated the gift of prophecy to seem less like a gift of God for his glory and our love for one another and. Sometimes and maybe you have experienced this the gift of prophecy almost feels like fortune-telling now where people try to get a read of.
Conclusion
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.
Conclusion
We return to the opening teaching: discipleship is not just information, it is transformation through faith and obedience to Jesus. If we receive His Word and walk it out, He will shape us into people who endure and bear fruit.
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, help me hear Your Word, obey it with faith, and grow as Your disciple. Amen.