Spiritual gifts

The facts:

1. Now concerning the spiritual

2. , brethren,

3. I do not want you to be not knowing.

What is Paul's topic? To whom is he speaking? What strange possibility does he introduce regarding his topic?

1. You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led.

1. According to Paul what inevitably happens to pagans?

2. Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God can say, "Jesus is accursed";

2. What does Paul insist is impossible if one is speaking by the Spirit of God?

3. and no one can (has the power to) say, "Jesus is Lord," except by the Holy Spirit.

3. What does He say is it is impossible to do except by the Holy Spirit?

Find three sets of contrasts. give first

for instance, why does he say "mute idols?"

Spiritual gifts

Ignorance	Knowledge
paganism	belief
led astray to mute idols	God who speaks through people
call Jesus cursed	Jesus is Lord

Are we talking pronunciation of words here?

How does God speak in the context here? thru people. Yes, but which ones?

Why is Paul so interested in them not being ignorant about spiritual gifts? What is the result of not having a knowledge of spiritual gifts?

Why can't one call Jesus cursed if speaking by HS? He is not the one speaking, Spirit is, and God won't curse Himself.

There's only one way to declare Him Lord, however, and that is to be______________________(speaking by the Holy Spirit). But note from the context what does it mean to be speaking by the Holy Spirit--not ignorant of spiritual gifts? How many people does it take to declare the Lordship of Christ? Doing what?

How does ignorance of spiritual gifts end in Jesus being cursed by your life? --allow cursed to come out. (Gal 3:13 If we call ourselves Christians, and believe in Christ but do not manifest spiritual gifts [speak by the Spirit] we are declaring that our God is mute. He has become as useless to us as an idol. In fact, we imply that Jesus not only is not Lord, but we deny the fact that he became a curse for us and imply that He got what He deserved?--cursed is anyone who is hung on a tree)

Is preventing him from being Lord the same as cursing Him? Yes. Either he is King or He deserved what He got.

Who's picking up the theme? two words would suffice. Many/One Unity thru diversity

Now we can understand what it means to be ignorant of sp gifts. What then does it mean to be ignorant of spiritual gifts?

One pitfall is to think that my gifts aren't needed.

--"If I can't be head elder I just won't take any job this year."

--"the pastors have ministry, my job is to give $ to the church."

Another is to think that others' gifts aren't needed.

--We can't nominate that person for a church office, he's weird or she doesn't fit in our social group."

--At board meeting, people shooting down ideas for new ministries	-surfing min

Still a third is to think that God has no ministry for us.

--"What can we do, this church is dead, it'll never change."

--"Nobody needs me, I don't have any gifts, God passed me by."

Application:

We Adventists are great at getting people to baptism, but often we forget them immediately. According to this passage, what might be as important or more important to teach people who have believed? sp gifts

If you have understood this, what is the one thing you would never say to another believer? From the passage? I don't need you.

What would you say? "I need you." Say it.

Our unity and diversity is the great evidence that Jesus is our Lord--that all of us, though different serve the same God. This type of society does not exist on earth except among Christians who have heard this. The devil's way is conformity.