Spiritual gifts part 2 : We're nothing without the grace of God!

Pastor-Teacher
John Farley
Wednesday,
July 14, 2010

Spiritual gifts part 2 : We’re nothing without the grace of God.!  

The New Testament use of aphorizo in a positive sense is “to be set apart - given a new horizon - for special service”.
 

We receive our position in Christ, who is seated at the Right Hand of the Father, at salvation.

Then when we have learned enough doctrine to actually believe and see that we are where He has put us (visibility), then we are promoted in experience to live in that calling and walk in those good works.

At the moment of salvation, God the Holy Spirit, in one of His seven ministries to the new believer at salvation, bestowed on you a spiritual gift.

Spiritual gifts are the sovereign decision of God the Holy Spirit, 1CO 12:4-7, 11.

The emphasis is on UNITY.

Each and every born again believer gets one spiritual gift.

Your spiritual gift is not for private gain or enjoyment, but for the good of the team: the local assembly, the church.

The phrase is
pros to sumpheron

the present active participle of the Greek verb sumphero

Sumphero when used as a verb means to bear together, to contribute.
To be of use, service, or advantage.
To agree or to unite.
To profit.

“A Greek-English Lexicon of the New Testament and Other Early Christian Literature”: sumphero means
1. to bring together
2. to help, to confer a benefit, to be profitable/useful

as a substantive, to sumpheron means profit or advantage.
It was a common term in ancient inscriptions that referred to contributions to the public good by civic minded people. It can be translated as “common good”.

NT - Paul:

to sumpheron is used for that which is profitable both for individuals and the church as a whole.

Situation normal all fouled up

This is exactly what the situation is here in South Florida!

This is the normal situation that is found in every local assembly anywhere at any time.

People with...
their problems
old sin natures
faults and failures
gripes and moods...
and tongues!

The first letter of Paul to the Corinthians can be seen as an appeal to unity in the face of some shocking examples of disunity.

WHENEVER God’s people start doing something new to His glory, the kingdom of darkness will do whatever it can to try to stop it, or at least cause havoc and confusion to mess things up.

The Doctrine of Spiritual Gifts

Point 1: Setting the scene for Paul’s teaching on the Spiritual Gifts.

The most extensive treatment of the subject of spiritual gifts is found in Paul’s first letter to the Corinthians, chapters 12 through 14.

1. Paul had received an oral report from a woman by the name of Chloe with some alarming information, 1CO 1:11; 5:1.

2. He received a disturbing letter directly from the church at Corinth, a letter displayed an appalling lack of understanding about what Paul was teaching them, 1CO 7:1.

This problem was festering in the church of Corinth, and Paul addressed the problem head on with his teaching on the spiritual gifts.
 

This problem was disunity.