The Holy Spirit & His Gifts

Lesso taught at South Bay Church's UNPLUGGED College Group

The Holy Spirit - from beginning to now:

Humans were originally made as “temples” of God’s Spirit

Genesis 2:7 “God formed the man from the dust of the ground.  He breathed the breath of life into the man’s nostrils, and the man became a living person.”

When we sinned, the Holy Spirit could no longer live in us.

He was often "upon” or “on” people, but not “living in” them.

Prophets of the OT foretold of a day where God promised to make a way again for His Holy Spirit to live in us. Which would require for the problem of SIN to be dealt with.

Joel  2:28  Then in those days I will pour My Spirit to all humanity; your children will boldly and prophetically speak the word of God.  Your elders will dream dreams; your young warriors will see visions. No one will be left out. In those days I will offer My spirit to all servants, both male and female.

Isaiah 44:3 (see John 7:37) For I will pour out water to quench your thirst and to irrigate your parched fields. And I will pour out my Spirit on your descendants, and my blessing on your children.

Ezekiel 36:26 And I will give you a new heart, and I will put a new spirit in you. I will take out your stony, stubborn heart and give you a tender, responsive heart. And I will put my Spirit in you so that you will follow my decrees and be careful to obey my regulations.

John the Baptist, who came to prepare the way for Jesus, also reminded the people of this promise:

Luke 3:16 “I baptize you with water; but someone is coming soon who is greater than I am—so much greater that I’m not even worthy to be his slave and untie the straps of his sandals. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.”

Jesus also reassured His followers that a time is coming where the Holy Spirit would be poured out again.  He would live in us. Read John 16

After the resurrection, Jesus told His followers to wait until the promise is fulfilled before they begin their ministry.

Luke 24:49 “And now I will send the Holy Spirit, just as my Father promised.  But stay here in the city until the Holy Spirit comes and fill you with power from Heaven.”

Acts 1:4  Once when he was eating with them, he commanded them, “Do not leave Jerusalem until the Father sends you the gift he promised, as I told you before. 5 John baptized with water, but in just a few days you will be baptized with the Holy Spirit.

Then it came, the day when the Holy Spirit was poured out and the promise fulfilled: (Acts 2)

               

Acts 2:38 Peter replied, “Each of you must repent of your sins and turn to God, and be baptized in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. Then you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. This promise is to you, and to your children, and even to the Gentiles—all who have been called by the Lord our God.”

Those who turn from their sins and believe in Jesus receive the Holy Spirit, who then gives the followers of Jesus spiritual gifts – spirit enabled abilities – that we can use as we serve others and build God’s Kingdom.

DEFINITION: A Spiritual Gift is a special divine empowerment given freely to each believer by the Holy Spirit to accomplish a given ministry according to His grace and discernment to be used within the context of the Body of Christ.

The term "spiritual gifts" comes from the Greek words charismata (gifts) and pneumatika (spirits). They are the plural forms of charisma, meaning "expression of grace," and pneumatikon meaning "expression of Spirit." While there are different kinds of gifts (1 Corinthians 12:4), generally speaking, spiritual gifts are God-given graces (special abilities, offices, or manifestations) meant for works of service, to benefit and build up the body of Christ as a whole.

1 Corinthians 12-14

Romans 12:6-8

Ephesians 4

Three Common Ways to Category Spiritual Gifts:

1. Motivational Gifts

This gift of God’s grace shapes how the believer views life, relates to others, and impacts the Body of Christ. A motivational gift can be compared to a set of eyeglasses from God, given so that the believer can see people and circumstances through that particular set of “lenses.”

• Prophecy: Reveals truth by exposing sin, so that fellowship with God can be restored and/or maintained
• Serving: Demonstrates love by meeting practical needs, usually through tangible work
• Teaching: Discovers and validates truth so that the Church maintains accuracy
• Exhorting: Encourages Christians to grow spiritually by teaching, discipling, and counseling others
• Giving: Conserves and shares resources in order to meet needs
• Organizing: Carries out projects by recruiting workers, organizing tasks, or delegating responsibilities
• Mercy: Demonstrates God’s love and compassion by responding to hurt

2. Ministry Gifts - Those called and gifted to equip others:

Ephesians 4:11-13: “He gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers; for the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ: till we all come in the unity of the faith, and of the knowledge of the Son of God, unto a perfect man, unto the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ.” (See also I Corinthians 12:27–31.)

• Apostles
• Prophets
• Evangelists
• Pastors
• Teachers

3. The Manifestation Gifts - demonstrations of God’s supernatural power

These gifts represent the work God does through the life of a believer in a given situation to demonstrate His supernatural power.

Nine manifestation gifts are listed in I Corinthians 12:7–11:

• Word of wisdom
• Word of knowledge
• Faith
• Gifts of healing
• Working of miracles
• Prophecy
• Discerning of spirits
• Divers kinds of tongues
• Interpretation of tongues

1 Peter 4:10 Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms.

THE VOICE: Use whatever gift you’ve received for the good of one another so that you can show yourselves to be good stewards of God’s grace in all its varieties.

Natural talent comes from your physical birth.

Spiritual gifts come from your spiritual birth.

Both are giving to us for ministry.

BASIC TRUTHS ABOUT SPIRITUAL GIFTS:

• Take risks with serving -  trial and error is how you find your spiritual gift.
• Look at what annoys you most - what frustrates you?  That might be what God wants you to work on, since someone with your gift is not fixing the problem.
• You can have a mixture of gifts. They are a tool always at your disposal that you can carry on your belt, but God can add one to your belt when needed.
• Exercise your gifts. There are different levels of giftedness. You have to cultivate and exercise your gifts.
• You often have to serve outside your area of gift, based on need. Don’t just say, that’s not my gift...
• Gifts cannot be a source of pride – if you had worked for them, they wouldn’t be gifts.
• The closer you are to Jesus (the source, the vine) the more power will be behind your gift.

Two Words to Describe God

If you had to choose 2 words that you believe best describe God, what would they be? 

Think about it...

I believe the two words that most accurately describes our God are truth and grace.  In fact, these are the two words He most used to describe Himself in the Scriptures.  From Genesis to Revelation these two concepts were used to describe God's character, Jesus' way of life, and our expected conduct:

When Moses said to God, "show me your glorious presence," God agreed to reveal himself and passed in front of Moses, calling out:

"Yahweh! The Lord! The God of compassion and mercy! I am slow to anger and filled with unfailing love (GRACE) and faithfulness (TRUTH).  I lavish unfailing love (GRACE) to a thousand generations.  I forgive iniquity, rebellion, and sin.  But I do not excuse the guilty (TRUTH). I lay the sins of the parents upon their children and grandchildren; the entire family is affected--even children in the third and fourth generations." Exodus 34:6-7

Grace and Truth is often translated in Scripture as unfailing love and faithfulness.  Here are the definition of the terms:

GRACE: (charis 147 times / hesed: 248 times)

1. That which offers joy, pleasure, delight, sweetness, charm, loveliness: grace of speech 
2. Good will, loving-kindness, favor.  The merciful kindness of God
3. Unfailing love, compassion, mercy, kindness, affection 

TRUTH: (aletheia: 99 times / emeth: 127 times)

1. What is true in any matter under consideration (reality) 
2. That candor of mind which is free from affection, pretense, simulation, falsehood, deceit 
3. Firmness, faithfulness, reliability, stability, sureness, steadfastness 

"So the Word (Jesus) became human and lived here on earth among us. He was full of unfailing love and faithfulness. And we have seen his glory, the glory of the only Son of the Father... For the law was given through Moses, but God's unfailing love and faithfulness came through Jesus Christ." John 1:14-17 (NLT)

In my opinion, one of the hardest things in life is to have BOTH of these qualities in us.  James Ryle, a Christian author says, "truth without love equals harshness and love without truth is compromise".  It's easier to have just GRACE - accept everything, regardless of whether or not it is true.  It's easier also to just exercise TRUTH and not worry about showing compassion and mercy to others.  

You might have seen the extremes.  The "Bible-thumpers" - people who in the name if "truth" show no mercy or love or grace toward others.  They hold up signs of condemnation toward the world.

Or maybe you've seen the other extreme.  The "everything is ok" people who accept everything and neglect truth.  They say whatever you do, say, or choose is ok.  There is no absolute truth.  Everything goes...

But try combining the two.  That's what Jesus did.  He was always gracious. Always merciful.  Always kind.  Always full of unfailing love and compassion.  Always forgiving.  BUT He was also always faithful.  Always truthful.  Always firm and steady.  Always reliable.  He forgives, but also punished wrongdoing.  He shows grace, but never compromises truth.  

Psalm 108:4 “For your unfailing love is higher than the heavens. Your faithfulness reaches to the clouds.” 100% of both.

When truth and grace are combined people are drawn to God and there is transformation.  With that in mind, here are some practical observations in regards to helping those who are hurting.

1. Hurting people hurt people 
2. We must do our unique part, but trust God with the rest
3. God cares more than me, let Him carry the burden
4. Environments of grace and love heal 
5. People need to be heard more than talked to
6.  If you try to help the hurting, you will fail often – but it’s still worth it. 
7. Many of these issues have a demonic component to them that must be addressed. 
8. If the change doesn’t come from Jesus, it won’t last. The Holy Spirit must be invited in to change the heart. Lead people to Jesus for healing. 
9. Often our presence is more powerful than our actions or words. Walk with them in love and grace. 
10. True healing comes with the fusion of 100% grace and 100% truth. Don’t fall into the lie that you must compromise one for the other. “truth in love”

Read some of these verses: Ex. 34:6; Ps. 25:10, 26, 57:3, 85:10; 86:15, 88:11, 89:1-2; Pr. 3:3, 14:22, 16:5; Hosea 4:1, Mic. 7:20

Helping Hurting Friends (Part 1)

Last week I got the chance to teach a breakout session at the Rescue Conference here in Silicon Valley. The topic was, "Helping Hurting Friends: Dealing with addiction, depression, anger, suicide, and hopelessness." I wasn't sure if the topic was one that many people would want to listen to, but to my surprise, the Main Auditorium was pretty full. The whole experience reminded me of how many people out there are hurting, and also how many are trying to help a friend who is hurting.

Here were some of the thoughts I shared:

FOUNDATIONAL TRUTHS:

1. Jesus came for the sick, hurting, and broken.

Luke 4:18-19 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon me, for he has anointed me to bring Good News to the poor. He has sent me to proclaim that captives will be released, that the blind will see, that the oppressed will be set free, and that the time of the Lord’s favor has come.”

Luke 4:30 But the Pharisees and their teachers of religious law complained bitterly to Jesus’ disciples, “Why do you eat and drink with such scum?” Jesus answered them, “Healthy people don’t need a doctor—sick people do.  I have come to call not those who think they are righteous, but those who know they are sinners and need to repent.”

2. Jesus modeled for us the way to help them.

He healed the sick, restored life for the broken, released the addicted and bound up, gave hope to the oppressed, and freed up the demon possessed

3. Jesus commissioned His followers to do the same.

John 14:12 “I tell you the truth, anyone who believes in me will do the same works I have done, and even greater works, because I am going to be with the Father.”

GOD’S WILL WHEN SOMEONE HURTS
When someone hurts, God usually wants to do one or more of these below.  One of the first steps to helping a hurting friend is discerning what God is trying to do in their lives, since He often wants to use us in the process of helping them.

1. Heal them
2. Deliver them
3. Teach them something (dependency, intimacy…)
4. Save them
5. Use them for a purpose

SOME EXAMPLES FROM MATTHEW 8 & 9:
(8:4) Man with leprosy – SICK / heal, use them
(8:5-13) Roman officer – SICK / heal, teach them (faith)
(8:14-17) Many healed – SICK / healed
(8:23-33) Boat in storm – FEAR & PANICK / deliver, teach them (His Character)
(8:28-34) Demon possessed men – TORMENTED & VIOLENT / deliver them
(9:2) Paralyzed man – DISABILITY – save (forgive), teach them
(9:18) A heart broken father – GRIEVING & DEPRESSED – heal, bring hope

What is God up to in our hurting friend's life?  Make yourself available to God to be the vehicle of transformation in their lives.  He can use you to heal, deliver, teach, save, or help them see how their pain can be used for something good.

PART 2 COMING SOON

Tired? Worn out? Burned out?

“Are you tired? Worn out? Burned out on religion? Come to me. Get away with me and you’ll recover your life. I’ll show you how to take a real rest. Walk with me and work with me—watch how I do it. Learn the unforced rhythms of grace. I won’t lay anything heavy or ill-fitting on you. Keep company with me and you’ll learn to live freely and lightly.”  Matthew 11:28-30 (The Message)

Sometimes when I'm really tired, I go back to the words of Jesus in Matthew 11.  It's an invitation that I often hear Him whisper in my ears, "if you are tired, come to me..."  The truth is that coming to Jesus when we are tired, worn out, or even burned out is not always the natural leaning of our hearts. Very often, men and women turn to other things in their attempt to "find rest".  Pornography, TV, food, friends, drinks, affairs...  but they get trapped in even deeper "restlessness".

Though being in full time ministry (church work) is very fulfilling and rewarding, it can also be very exhausting.  The emotions of hearing people's broken stories, the hours of planning, investing in new leaders, the many pressures that come with a fast-growth church culture, and even the excitement of watching God transform lives... it can suck the energy out of you.

Jesus didn't guarantee a painless life.  He didn't say serving Him would be easy.  He didn't promise a life with no struggles.  Sometimes we need to remember that.  What He did promise though is that
He would always be there.  He would walk with us in the journey.  He would fill our hearts with joy (un-circumstantial inner happiness) and peace beyond our understanding.

So He says, "if you are tired, come to me" - don't go to other things that will leave you empty.  I have learned to love this part of my relationship with God.  The incredible feeling of resting in Him.  The joy of sensing Him lift my burdens. The peace that He floods into my heart when I just come.  It's beyond explanation.  I often come to Him speechless, worn out, and literally at the end of myself.  But EVERY-TIME a miracle happens.  He shows up.  In my weakness, He is made strong.  He renews my strength.  He gives me rest.

Try coming to Jesus next time you're at the end of yourself and watch Him meet with you and fill your heart.

"Come close to God, and God will come close to you" James 4:8 NLT

A New View of Holiness

We are in a teaching series at South Bay Church where we are talking about key paradigm shifts that can greatly impact our lives.  A change of thinking and perspective that can take us from lost-living to purpose-living, from chaos to order, from empty to fulfilled, from darkness to light...

This past Sunday I taught on the concept of Holiness.  How when most people think of HOLY, the images that come to mind are images of halos, saints, angels, God on a throne, or someone like Mother Theresa. The problem with that is that "HOLINESS" is no longer a practical concept in our minds.  It has become a religious concept - far from everyday practical living.  You might have ready verses like:

But now you must be holy in everything you do, just as God—who chose you to be his children—is holy. For he himself has said, “You must be holy because I am holy.” 1 Pet. 1:13 NLT

But, if God being holy is Him seating on a huge throne with lights glowing around Him and angels singing to Him, then how do we imitate that? 

In Leviticus 10:10 it says, "You must distinguish between what is holy and what is common." 

Though most think the opposite of HOLY is evil, corruption, sin...  the most clear definition we see in Scripture is that the opposite of HOLY is simply to be COMMON.  

On the other hand, to be holy is not necessarily to be bright, glowy, perfect, but just simply to be UNCOMMON.  To be uncommon because of a (1) touch from God and (2) separation for His use.

All throughout Scripture we see this pattern.  Whatever was touched by God and set apart for His use became HOLY: A holy day (Sabbath) - Exodus 20:11 / Holy Ground - Exodus 3:5 / Holy Nation (Israel) - Exodus 19:9  / The Holy Scriptures - 2 Tim 3:5 / A Holy Temple, A Holy City...

Even His name: “You must faithfully keep all my commands by obeying them, for I am the Lord.  Do not treat my holy name as common and ordinary. I must be treated as holy by [my] people… It is I, the Lord, who makes you holy.”  Lev. 22:31

These are 2 "UNCOMMON" practices that help us live a Holy life:

1.   Bring everything before Him   (Touch) - Which means we care about doing things His Way.   We hide nothing from Him.  We submit in obedience in all areas - our money, our addictions, our wrongdoings, our vision for the future.  

2.   Commit everything for His use (Separation)  - We have a practice in our family of bringing and committing things to God: our cars, house, kids, computers, building, marriage...   It's so important to take the time to say, "God we separate ourselves, our belongings, our talents, our resources... for YOUR use."

KEY TRUTH: God's grace falls on what is HOLY.    

2 Timothy 1:9 For God saved us and called us to live a holy life. He did this, not because we deserved it, but because that was his plan from before the beginning of time—to show us his grace through Christ Jesus.

Hebrews 12:14 Work at living in peace with everyone, and work at living a holy life, for those who are not holy will not see the Lord. 15 Look after each other so that none of you fails to receive the grace of God. 

If you want God's grace (His blessing, His presence, His favor) to be on your life, then allow Him to touch you and separate your entire life for His use.

I believe that the reason many us don’t pursue God’s touch and separate ourselves for Him is because we don’t understand how HOLY He really is. 

Our God is is unequaled - on a different level - His Ways are higher than our ways, His Plans Higher than our plans.   HE IS HOLY.  He is incomparable,  unparalleled, matchless, second to none, in a class of His own, unequal, unrivaled, unsurpassable, supreme, top, best, singular, unique, perfect. HE IS HOLY.

He is greater, better, He is set apart.  He cannot be conquered, intimidated, subdued, beat, triumphed over, overcome, overwhelmed, overpowered, or overthrown. HE IS HOLY.  His greatness is beyond discovery.  His Glory is brighter, it's consuming, it's piercing.  His name is above every name - it is the ONLY name that expels demons, that heals the sick, that saves our souls, that can shake the foundations of the earth.  HE IS HOLY.

The Scripture says that thousands upon thousands of angels encircle around His throne day after day and night after night and all they can say in thundering voices is HOLY, HOLY, HOLY is the Lord God, the Almighty - there is none like you.  

(to hear the complete message on this topic, go to: http://www.southbaychurch.org/media/switch)