The Upside-Down Kingdom PT 4

Romans 12 ESV

3 For by the grace given to me I say to everyone among you not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think, but to think with sober judgment, each according to the measure of faith that God has assigned.

Assigned:

Divided, distributed, bestowed, imparted.

Romans 12 ESV

4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having GIFTS that differ according to the GRACE given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.

“You have a gift”

“Your gift is different than my gift”

“We must use our gift”

We’ve been discussing…

We are his body/bride.

We are many but we are one.

Each of us is a body part.

Each of us has a role.

We must be baptized with the Holy Ghost and power.

We need boldness.

Each joint working together

You have a gift.

Lakisha

God will use our past for His glory.

He will use your past to impact someone else’s future. And He will use our pain as medicine for someone else’s pain.

You have a gift so that you can be a gift.

List of gifts:

Prophecy - Let's wait on this one.

Service - God given desire and ability to offer practical assistance.

Teaching - God given desire and ability to examine God‘s word and help others better understand and apply it.

“To show others how…”

Exhorting - God-given desire and ability to encourage and inspire others to trust God. 

Encourages others to…

Generosity - God given desire and ability to generously finance kingdom efforts, and meet the needs of others. Enables kingdom progress.

Leadership - God given desire and ability to oversee and direct kingdom activity in the body of Christ.

Acts of mercy/ compassion - God given desire and ability to comfort those in distress with cheerfulness.

“We are encouraged to desire and operate in the gifts of The Spirit.”

1 Corinthians 12

7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

“Every gift of the Holy Spirit is a supernatural manifestation, under the inspiration of God.”

“Every gift of the Holy Spirit is for the good of the entire body.”

Gifts of revelation:

Word of wisdom - Part of the divine will and purpose of God.

Word of knowledge - Certain facts and details of the past or present.

Discerning of spirits - Knowing what spirit is behind a manifestation.

Gifts of power:

Faith - The ability to believe for a miracle.

Miracles (“working of miracles”) - The ability to work a miracle.

Healings - Supernatural manifestation for healing sickness and disease.

Gifts of inspiration:

Prophecy - An utterance of edification, encouragement or comfort.

Tongues - Speaking in a language never learned or understood.

Interpretation of tongues - to interpret a message from a language never learned.

1 Corinthians 12 ESV

27 Now you are the body of Christ and individually members of it. 28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.29 Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? 30 Do all possess gifts of healing? Do all speak with tongues? Do all interpret? 31 But earnestly desire the higher gifts.

The offices of:

Apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers.

Gift of helps.

Gift of administration.

We need all of the gifts operating, and we need all of the body parts connected in their assigned places.

1. Identify your God given gift.

What makes the baby leap?

What are you better than most people at?

What is it that you find joy in, when others do not?

What is it that you have patience for that most people won’t?

What seems to come easy for you that most people find difficult?

What have you been able to see in advance that no one else saw?

Do you tend to hear things from heaven that give you direction, that you couldn’t have known in the natural?

Do you tend to receive unnatural understanding to resolve issues?

What overwhelms you with compassion and breaks your heart?

What tends to cause righteous indignation to rise up within you?

“If you're too big to serve, you are too small to lead.”

Just because you’re good at it all doesn’t mean that you’re supposed to do it all.

2. Identify your body placement.

Your gift and your body placement are related.

3. Discern the value of your gift.

The body is less effective without you.

Don’t complain about your gift.

Matthew 25 ESV

40 as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

4. Your gift comes with a special anointing from The Holy Spirit.

A. Don’t grieve The Holy Spirit.

B. Don’t cause Him to lift His anointing.

Your anointing depends on your surrender to your gift and your placement in the body.

The anointing will be the greatest when we are operating in our God-given gift at our God-given assignment.