Come Holy Spirit; The Gifts of the Spirit // Sunday 5th May 2024

Welcome to Carrickergus Vineyard, a place of hope where lives are changing. We're a church

in the heart of Carrickergus passionate about seeing people's lives changed by the love of

Jesus. The following message was given at one of our Sunday services.

So I've got a visual illustration this morning. Brought my trusty toolbox. It's had quite a

bit of use over the years. 24 years ago, William Harold Thompson, AKA Bill, my father-in-law,

got in his car, loaded it with tools and everything, got on the ferry, came across Scotland, drove

all the way through the south of England to our horrible. dingy, disgusting, outdated,

in much need of repair, masonette that we bought, which was our first home for 80,000 pounds.

It was a wreck, and it needed a lot of help. And fair play to him, he took two weeks annual

leave. He came down and he just did loads of work every single day. And I took time off

work as well. Felt a bit wick, you know, going to work and letting your man do all the work.

And so I was mucking in. And during those couple of weeks, you know, I opened a toolbox. I kind

of knew a few tools. I kind of knew that, like most men, if in doubt, hit it with a hammer.

That's usually after we've spent an hour trying to fix it. Yes, that'll do the job. Anyway,

funny as I'm looking in here, I mean they're real old kind of things. That's actually his.

Anyone know what that's called? Vise grips? I call them mole grips. Is that because it's

mole as in the brand? Bit like vacuum? No. Hoover? Maybe? What else we got? These are his. I should

really return them, shouldn't I? That's a screwdriver. He's got plenty more. I'm not joking. Aladdin's

cave. These are his as well, actually. I shouldn't really do that, should I? Anyway, anyway. So

during those two weeks working with Bill, I got to use some of these tools and they're

tools that I'd seen before but I'd never used before and I think during that time, he gave

me the confidence to practice. using some of these tools. And I made some mistakes. I remember

the first time he got me to drill a hole to put like an electric box in there. And it was

the most awkward one. It wasn't like straightforward, straight into the wall. It was like, I think

it was actually, it was the one in the kitchen kind of under the sink one. It was probably

the one that at his age he probably couldn't quite get to and all that. But he didn't tell

me that. He's like, get down in there and I made an absolute rick of it and it was a nightmare

and he actually had to fix it for me. You see where I'm going with this? We're talking about

the Holy Spirit, and the Holy Spirit gives us gifts, which are like tools to use to do certain

things. And there's a whole array of different spiritual gifts, which he distributes amongst

all of us who are believers. And they're like extra sort of... There's sort of special powers

or special ability to do certain things. I said this before, I remember watching Jesus of Nazareth.

Some of you my age and older, you'll know what that was. It was the preversion for the chosen,

all about the life of Jesus. And I was so captivated about it as a teenager, wasn't a believer,

but it was the things about Jesus. He just knew stuff about people. He knew what they were

thinking. He knew what they were gonna do. He knew what they were gonna say. And I was like,

flip, that's amazing. And I was so captivated by those things. And those things are the ability

through the person of the Holy Spirit. And that would be actually knowledge, the gift of knowledge,

what I've just actually said there, having knowledge about certain things. And so the Holy Spirit

distributes to us, the body of Christ, a whole array of spiritual gifts. And what I wanna

do this morning briefly is just share some of them. they are, where you find them listed

in the Bible, because we don't have time to do it all this morning, but you can go ahead

and find out for yourselves. But then also, more importantly, is how do we discover what

the spiritual gifts are that God has given us? Now, as I look around the room, some of us

have been around the block and we know what they are. You know, we've been a believer for

a number of years and we kind of practice in this area and we know we're particularly good

at that and not so good at that or whatever. And then for some of us, newer believers, you're

like, gosh, this is the first time I've even heard about them. So we have everyone in the

room here this morning. So it's really, what are they? How do I know what God's gifted me?

But then most, most importantly, how do I get to begin? to use them. You see, it's all well

and good having a toolbox in the garage, but it's another thing reaching for the right tool

to do the right job. And we're given spiritual gifts, not for us to have tools in a toolbox,

but to have them to actually exercise them, to actually release the kingdom of God to the

body of Christ and beyond the four walls of church life. So let's dive in. There are four

main passages in the scriptures where we find the spiritual gifts. Here they are in case

you're taking notes and you wanna read for yourself later on. This one Corinthians 12, it goes

on a little bit more in chapter 14 of one Corinthians. 12, Ephesians 4, and 1 Peter 4. And you will

read there a number of different gifts listed there. There's also other individual sort of

separate gifts which are attributed in other parts of the Scriptures as well, but they're

the four main ones. What we want to do is begin and camp out a little bit in around the passage

in 1 Corinthians 12. So let's read, we're starting in verse 4. Paul is writing to the church in

Corinth, and he says this. He says, there are different kinds of gifts. but the same Spirit

distributes them. There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. There are different

kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone, it is the same God at work. So there's

different gifts. but all of the one Spirit. They're used and distributed for service, for

working, for not just kind of thing, you know, badges of honours or trophies that we kind

of put on the mantelpiece and say, oh, I've got the gift of prophecy, you know. Got that

back in 2008. There it is, you can see it. And I have the gift of helps. Pretty, I can be

a pretty helpful kind of guy sometimes. We know if we've got the gift of helps, if we demonstrate

and use the gift of helps by helping other people. You see the point, these are tools to be used,

not things to be stored up in a box. Paul is writing also to the church in Rome, and he

reaffirms, so Romans 12 verse six says, we have different gifts according to the grace given

to each of us. And it's important to distinguish that there's different gifts, He doesn't gift

us all individually in the same way. That's part of the beauty and the love and the wonder

of the body of Christ, that we're all made up so differently, uniquely. I do personally think

that we can exercise all of the gifts. You know, we can take the toolbox and go, gosh, there's

loads of different things in there, and we can use the different gifts for different seasons,

for different jobs at different times and locations and opportunities. But I do also think that

there are probably two or three or so gifts that you particularly are particularly strong

in that the Lord has gifted you and honoured you with. And they're the ones that are most

important that we would discover for ourselves what they are and pursue the practice of those

and to see God's kingdom come as we serve the bodies,

that he has given us. 1 Peter 4, we read, each of you should use whatever gift you have received

to serve others as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. And you know, if

you've been part of our church for a while, if you're dipping your toe in the water with

us, you're gonna know that we're the kind of church where everyone gets to play, that everybody

gets to use the gifts that he's distributed. And so we're not a church of pew fillers. We've

got plastic chairs, not pews. That's the difference. It's that silly. It's that it's that we all

exercise those different gifts. You don't pay the professional Christian. To do the stuff,

the professional Christians, I shouldn't say it like that, the ones that get paid our role.

is to exercise the gifts which we read in Ephesians four, which are the ones that equip the body

of Christ for works of service. Our role is equipping, it's helping, it's drawing alongside

and saying, gosh. What's on Roy? What's God gifted Roy with? What gifts and talents does

he have? What experience does he have? Where's his passion lie and help steer and distribute

him towards works of service that the kingdom is gonna be released in and through him. We

all get to do this regardless of who we are, what our age is, what our background is. He's

all inviting us to take part and to play. Back to the 1 Corinthians 12 passage, verse seven.

Now to each one of the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one

there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom. To another a message of knowledge

by means of the same Spirit. To another faith by the same Spirit. To another gifts of healing

by that one Spirit. To another miraculous powers. To another prophecy. To another distinguishing

between spirits. To another speaking in different kinds of tongues. another, the interpretation

of tongues. All these are the work of one in the same spirit and he distributes them to

each one just as he determines. He distributes them to each of us just as he determines. We

can eagerly desire the gifts. but it's the Lord that distributes to each of us what they are

in particular. I remember being, I was 19, I was in a very small group meeting, it was to

do with church planting. I thought, gosh, what am I doing in this meeting? preparation maybe

for the future. Who knew? I didn't know at that time. I'm sat at the back because I thought,

gosh, I don't like sitting in the front. I'm with you guys at the back row. I'm much more

comfortable there. But I was at the back and then suddenly in the middle of the guy was

talking, he just calls me out and he says, you there. And again, I did that thing of what

I said last week. I was like, look, there's no one else. There's just the wall behind me.

Yes, he's talking to me. And he had this prophetic word, this insight, this revelation. He simply

said this, he said, I believe, I think, because we never say, thus saith the Lord. So I just

sense that God is calling you, is equipping you, is gifting you to teach and to lead and

to do that. And it's really interesting because at that time, like I was only just figuring

out what Jesus thing was all about. And something in me just knew that was the Lord. It just

resonated, you know? You know when someone prays for you and they have this word for you, and

it kind of just, you know, struck, hits the nerve or strikes a bell, whatever. I'm trying

to think of any phrase. And you just know it's the Lord. And it was, and I was like, gosh,

amazing. And again, a little bit like I confessed to last week. I then kind of went around with

a puffed chest going, next Billy Graham. Just just waiting for the invitations to come flooding

in international ministry. And then through pain and suffering, God brings about humility.

And it was funny, because honestly, for about a year or so, I kind of really stored that

up and I thought, gosh. really had this urgency whenever I'd read the scriptures or I'd read

a book or I'd listen to someone else teaching, there were things in it that I was just like,

gosh, I could use that illustration to make that point or I could think about that. And

that's how I knew that there was something stirring, there was something in me. And I remember saying

to my pastor, I was like, I meant to teach, I meant to do this, I meant, but no one's asking

me. And he said these things, he said, he said, just be patient and be faithful. Be patient,

be faithful. Read your Bible, pray, and these things will come. And that's kind of how it

was. And so with these gifts that God has given us, be faithful with them, steward them. Don't

just hide them, don't put it under the bowl, don't leave it in the box, but be faithful

to them and inquire and say, Lord, I'm just loose change in your pocket, ready to be spent

by you, however you wish. but I do want to cultivate, I do want to make steps towards actually exercising

those gifts. I'm so excited and so grateful to the Gurners who are leading the Stepping

Into Prophecy course right now. It's a spiritual gift that those of you who signed up and journeying

life with those guys, you're sharpening that gift, developing and growing in that gift,

and it's understanding that you practice it well and that it releases life and releases

kingdom to the body of Christ. So grateful to Dave and to Chantel and deliverance course

right now. Again, just pushing into that whole area of healing and deliverance through the

person of the spirit. Unless we grow in our understanding and actually take steps of practicing

in those gifts, we're never gonna grow. We're never gonna see the kingdom released through

these incredible gifts which he's given us. In that passage that we read there, 1 Corinthians

12, he lists, Paul lists a number of specific gifts, wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miraculous

powers, prophecy, discernment, tongues, and interpretation. These gifts are known as the

charismatic gifts. Elsewhere, they're sometimes known as the revelatory gifts or the manifestation

gifts. And they're sometimes the ones that we kind of a bit like, video. They're a bit, I'm

not quite sure what that is or what that means or how does one ever begin to exercise those

gifts? And that's kind of why I've highlighted them. But what I would like to do is show you

hopefully if it comes up, just a little table thing there. This is just something I got off

a website which I found really, really helpful. I think it's called spiritualgifts.com. And

someone's just compiled them into four different categories. We've got the top one, which are

the serving gifts, which are really kind of uneasy. to understand the gift of helps, the

gift of administration. the gift of giving, the gift of serving would actually be in those.

And they're kind of ones that we kind of have this understanding, yeah, I can comprehend

what that means. And then we have the foundation gifts, which are the ones which we find in

Ephesians four, which are the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the teachers and

the pastors. And they're kind of the ones which are often distributed to those in church leadership

positions, equipping the saints for works of service. And then we find in the revelatory

and the manifestation gifts, red there from 1 Corinthians 12 or what is otherwise known

as the charismatic gifts. I've got another little table for you. It looks like the periodic table,

but don't get too confused. And that's just using the different colorations and listing

all of those different gifts in different ways. And so that's just a little bit of an overview

of the gifts. So how do you know? Well, you know, sometimes because someone might have

a word. like I described earlier, you'll know because actually, unbeknown to you, because

you love Jesus and because Jesus lives in you, you're already exercising the gift. You already

kind of, oh yeah, I'm already doing that. That just comes naturally because it's this supernatural

exchange as the Holy Spirit's in you. You just begin to practice and outwork that particular

gifting and you look at that list of gifts and you go, oh yeah, I can recognise that in me.

Another way, simply have a go. Have a go. You know, if you get it wrong, you get it wrong.

Just don't get it too wrong. Like, really mess it up. Like, no gosh, I don't know what's gonna

come out of my mouth. I'll just stop now. It's not in the notes. It's not in the notes. Another

way, another really helpful way is to go online and use the, there's a couple of websites,

I'd really encourage you to go to spir or GIFSTEST, there's probably a couple of others. And it's

one of those things, you know, your answer a gazillion questions and then it tells you something.

And these kind of things, like lots of personality profiles and other different things that we

do in life to discover more of who we are, can be a really useful tool. And if you've never

done something like this. I encourage you to do that. That would be really, really good.

Another way simply is to ask those around you who know you and love you. Say, what do you

see? What do you notice? Maybe ask your life group leader, and they would love to. say something

or pray something. That would be really helpful. Last couple of things. Paul writes to Timothy

in 2 Timothy 1, he says this, For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of

God which is in you through the laying on of my hands. Paul had prayed for Timothy and he

had released the gift of communication, of teaching, of leadership and Paul was just simply saying

to Timothy, Hey mate, see that? you fan it into flame. Use it. Use it. Have a go. Have a go.

Look around you. Look around you in the body of Christ. You're here for a reason. You're

part of the body. I brought with me this morning, it's not going to, you're not going to be able

to see it maybe up against there or here. You're not going to be able to see it. It's my jigsaw

piece. Some of you will remember this. Some of you might still have it. I hope you still

have it. Ours are blue tacked onto our fridge at home. Post-COVID, we stole a really whizzy

idea from another church. We'd like to claim it as our own idea, but it wasn't, thanks to

the guys at Inverness Vineyard. And we got a jigsaw puzzle of Carrick-Fergus, and we distributed

a jigsaw piece of that to each of us. And it was during a teaching season that we called

Take Your Place. And it was all about just encouraging us all, take your place. What is it that God's

gifted you with? What are the things that he's placed upon your heart? And that unique jigsaw

piece is your piece within the jigsaw. And do you know what? That one piece is really unique.

There's no other piece like that in the box. And there's no other person in this church

like you. And when you get peace together with the person beside you and the other person

in front of you, and they might be your friends or they might actually annoy you, but we're

in the same body, we're all in the same family, peace together, we make something beautiful

and we make something really, really special as we all take our place and do our bit that

God has invited you into doing. And so coming into land, these spiritual gifts. distributed

according to God's grace to each and every one of us that we would fan into flame that which

God has entrusted to us and that through our exercising of these gifts we'll see the kingdom

come and it's just wonderful it's just amazing. As we're worshipping I felt like I probably

needed to do this bit and I'm about to do this so this is the dessert and then we'll pray.

deliberately and strategically writes 1 Corinthians 13. You'll know it if you've been to any wedding

because most weddings they read it. It's the passage about love. and obviously it's apt

for a wedding. But in 1 Corinthians 12, which we've spent some time camping out in this morning,

between 1 Corinthians 12 and 14, where he further elaborates about spiritual gifts, he puts this

sandwich filler in 1 Corinthians 13. And just briefly, if I speak in the tongues of men and

of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I

have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have

faith that can move mountains, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift

of prophecy and can fathom but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the

poor and give over my body to hardship, that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing."

And it goes on about love is patient, love is kind, it does not envy, it does not boast,

it keeps no record of wrongs and dah, dee-dah, dee-dah. Paul is deliberately saying this.

We can be the most gifted, charismatic, incredible. Gosh, that guy, that woman, she's amazing.

See when they do that, oh, it's amazing. But if they don't have love, they are nothing.

So everything that we do, it has to come from a position and a place of love. Our motivation

and what drives us has to be about love. And we can do all kinds of things in this church

and beyond, but if it's not done from a posture of genuine love and desire for others, we're

just a clanging gong. No, something simple. That one. Land. Put it on the... It's landed.

Thanks for listening to the Carrickfergus Vineyard podcast. If you'd like to find out more about

our church, please visit our website, carrickfergusvineyard.org