SPEAKER_00: Welcome to an audio teaching from Windsor Park Baptist Church in Auckland, New Zealand.
SPEAKER_00: If you would like to look at the message notes or see some questions for reflection that take their lead from today's teaching, head to our website windsapark.org.nz and head to the online tab where you'll see services and series and you can download different resources from there.
SPEAKER_00: Thanks for joining us, and we hope you're encouraged by today's teaching.
SPEAKER_01: I want to encourage you today, and that's one of my spiritual gifts, exhortation or encouragement.
SPEAKER_01: I want you to know how amazing it is that we've each been given gifts from God for our blessing and for his glory.
SPEAKER_01: In 2025, we did a life group health survey, and one of the surprises was that many people didn't know their spiritual gifts.
SPEAKER_01: They were keen, they just didn't know.
SPEAKER_01: In 1 Corinthians 12 1, Paul writes, Now dear brothers and sisters, regarding your question about the gifts, I don't want you to have misunderstandings about this.
SPEAKER_01: Paul and I both don't want you to misunderstand.
SPEAKER_01: So with that level of need and interest, let's dive in and discover his goodness together.
SPEAKER_01: 1 Corinthians 12 7 to 11 says, a spiritual gift is given to each of us so we can help each other.
SPEAKER_01: To one person the spirit gives the ability to give wise advice.
SPEAKER_01: To another, the same spirit gives a message of special knowledge.
SPEAKER_01: The same spirit gives great faith to another.
SPEAKER_01: And to someone else, the spirit gives the gift of healing.
SPEAKER_01: He gives one person the power to perform miracles, and another the ability to prophesy.
SPEAKER_01: He gives someone else the ability to discern whether a message is from the Spirit of God or from another spirit.
SPEAKER_01: Still, another person is given the ability to speak in tongues, while another person is given the ability to interpret what is being said.
SPEAKER_01: It is the one and only spirit who distributes all these gifts.
SPEAKER_01: He alone decides which gift each person should have.
SPEAKER_01: Now, a week ago I was on the phone to my brother-in-law Peter, and he asked what I was up to, and I said, I'm doing some research for my sermon on gifts of the spirits.
SPEAKER_01: And he said to me, Heathy, where do you stand on the gifts?
SPEAKER_01: I said, Well, Peter, I stand very firmly on all of them.
SPEAKER_01: I'm for the lot.
SPEAKER_01: It was a bit of a weird question, but I know what he means.
SPEAKER_01: You don't know where people stand because it's not something we talk about very much.
SPEAKER_01: There's a bit of a controversy around some of the more supernatural gifts of the spirit, and we don't see much of them so obviously in the church or in our everyday lives.
SPEAKER_01: And I often wonder why that is.
SPEAKER_01: But in this scripture, they are very much a feature of the Church of the Corinthians.
SPEAKER_01: So to unpack this Bible verse and the importance of the spiritual gifts, we're going to look at three things.
SPEAKER_01: Firstly, what are the gifts of the Spirit and what are the implications?
SPEAKER_01: Secondly, why is it so important that God has given us these gifts?
SPEAKER_01: And three, how can we rightly use these gifts to grow the church and our own faith?
SPEAKER_01: What are the gifts?
SPEAKER_01: Well, there are two important words here in 1 Corinthians 12, 7.
SPEAKER_01: A spiritual gift is given to each one of us so we can help each other.
SPEAKER_01: The word for spiritual here is the Greek word pneumatica.
SPEAKER_01: It highlights a spiritual source of the gifts as something given to us to use by the Spirit of God.
SPEAKER_01: I do want to labor this point.
SPEAKER_01: Almighty God, the creator God who ordered the universe, has given you a gift.
SPEAKER_01: He is constantly with you.
SPEAKER_01: And he said, This is for you.
SPEAKER_01: You've got a gift of grace that I don't have.
SPEAKER_01: Do you know what yours is?
SPEAKER_01: Are you curious?
SPEAKER_01: Nobody leaves a gift unopened, right?
SPEAKER_01: Why has he given you this gift?
SPEAKER_01: What does he want you to do with it?
SPEAKER_01: Understanding this is a core part of living out our faith.
SPEAKER_01: The second word gift is charismata in Greek.
SPEAKER_01: It means gifts of grace or grace gifts.
SPEAKER_01: These are gifts freely given by God's grace, not earned, not based on human merit, but distributed by the Holy Spirit for the benefit of the believers, the church first, your family, your community, and your workplace.
SPEAKER_01: I love that.
SPEAKER_01: These gifts of grace are not something we deserve because of good behavior or level of superstar faith, but something God has chosen for us because he knows who we are.
SPEAKER_01: And you don't have to wait until you have a huge sense of calling or are mature in your faith.
SPEAKER_01: I was talking to Mike Little about this, and he and Joe became Christians at Alpha in their forties.
SPEAKER_01: The very next Alpha, just a couple of months later, he was asked to lead a small group.
SPEAKER_01: And he said, I didn't know much, but that's great in Alpha because you listen rather than tell people.
SPEAKER_01: He began to use the spiritual gifts and discovered that they were leadership and teaching.
SPEAKER_01: And he's been faithfully using them ever since.
SPEAKER_01: Joe and Mike's life group is their longest continual life group at Windsor for at least 26 years.
SPEAKER_01: And when Mike and Joe became Christians, they didn't wait until they were experts.
SPEAKER_01: They just knew Jesus had changed everything.
SPEAKER_01: So they got on with living out their faith that others now might know more about Jesus too.
SPEAKER_01: Now here are some common listed gifts in the New Testament we can look at.
SPEAKER_01: There's in Romans twelve prophecy, serving, teaching, exhortation, giving, leadership, and mercy.
SPEAKER_01: And Corinthians 12, there's the word of wisdom, words of knowledge, faith, gifts of healing, miracles, prophecy, distinguishing of spirits, tongues, interpretation of tongues.
SPEAKER_01: It goes on to apostle, prophet, teacher, miracles, healing, helps, administration.
SPEAKER_01: And then in Ephesians 4.11 we have apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, and teacher.
SPEAKER_01: And 1 Peter 4.11 mentions teaching and service.
SPEAKER_01: But there are others as well.
SPEAKER_01: You find the Old Testament has craftsmanship, interpreter of dreams, composer of music, poetry.
SPEAKER_01: What an amazing list of gifts he's govern given us.
SPEAKER_01: But it's not exhaustive.
SPEAKER_01: Paul and Peter were not saying, that's all, folks.
SPEAKER_01: Some gifts are not included here, like the gifted intercession.
SPEAKER_01: There are others like hospitality, worship, wisdom, administration, and the less popular martyrdom and celibacy.
SPEAKER_01: We need to consider a spiritual gift as many kinds of abilities dedicated to the Lord's work.
SPEAKER_01: In an age when we prefer to leave things to the Christian professionals, we miss out on growing our own faith if we don't discover and use our gifts.
SPEAKER_01: We need to remember that every gift of grace done in love for others will build up the body.
SPEAKER_01: The church was never intended to only function through paid professionals.
SPEAKER_01: If you're at Windsor and you call at home, then we you have a gift for us all to benefit from when you use it.
SPEAKER_01: A helpful way of seeing the gifts of grace that we each have could be one acts of service, two specific ministries, and three spiritual manifestations.
SPEAKER_01: There are grace gifts as seen in acts of service such as exhortation or encouragement, giving, leadership, mercy, helps, and more.
SPEAKER_01: I see these gifts so evident in the life of many at Windsor Park here in the church and in everyday life.
SPEAKER_01: And then there are specific tree specific ministry gifts for leadership of the church, which includes apostle, prophet, evangelist, pastor, teacher, along with administration and leadership.
SPEAKER_01: Also listed here are spiritual manifestations, miracles, healings, wisdom, words of knowledge, prophecy, the discernment of spirits, tongues, the interpretation of tongues.
SPEAKER_01: The fact that Paul can list all of these gifts shows you the worship of the early church uses gifts as a core part of church life.
SPEAKER_01: I was recently at a life group and we discussed why there is hesitation around some of the more supernatural gifts.
SPEAKER_01: And some of us are weary because we've heard prophecies that haven't happened or words of knowledge that felt manipulative.
SPEAKER_01: People we love have not been healed.
SPEAKER_01: We're scared of stepping into a gift and getting it wrong or disappointing people.
SPEAKER_01: Maybe we don't feel good enough or we're lacking in faith, so we don't even go there.
SPEAKER_01: Yet I know from my own experience how powerful and important and life-changing these gifts are.
SPEAKER_01: Growing up, my family was in a lot of tension and conflict, and when my parents were prayed for to receive the Holy Spirit, their lives were completely changed.
SPEAKER_01: My mum was physically healed from arthritis and severe back pain, but my dad had always felt abandoned and unloved.
SPEAKER_01: He was deeply healed by a loving God who saw him.
SPEAKER_01: We went from being a family who were in tension to connection and joy.
SPEAKER_01: I am so grateful to God for the way our family was healed as we allowed more of the Holy Spirit into our lives.
SPEAKER_01: My question is, what are we losing in not using these gifts?
SPEAKER_01: The prophet Joel says in Joel 2, 28 to 29, and afterwards I will pour out my spirit on all people.
SPEAKER_01: Your sons and daughters will prophesy, your old men will dream dreams, your young men will see visions, even on my servants, both men and woman.
SPEAKER_01: I will pour out my spirit in those days.
SPEAKER_01: Joel's words free me.
SPEAKER_01: The spirit comes into my life to empower me to do what I could not do myself, to utter prophecies, see visions, dream dreams, perform wonders.
SPEAKER_01: Joel stresses that it will be normal for every believer to experience this.
SPEAKER_01: The gap between my all-too human fear and God's power is not a reason to count myself out.
SPEAKER_01: Let me say that again.
SPEAKER_01: The gap between my all-too human fear and God's power is not a reason to count myself out.
SPEAKER_01: It's a reason to joyfully count myself in because when I step into those moments, my faith in God must rise.
SPEAKER_01: Here's a scary prayer we could pray together.
SPEAKER_01: Holy Spirit, come and fill my ordinary flawed soul with your extraordinary power.
SPEAKER_01: Let me speak prophecies, see visions, dream dreams, and perform wonders with you.
SPEAKER_01: Can you pray that prayer?
SPEAKER_01: And what does it mean to live it out?
SPEAKER_01: You see, the Familiar Stranger is one of the source books for the series, and in it, Taylor Stanton emphasizes that people need safe, supportive environments like close-knit communities or churches where they can explore and practice their spiritual gifts without fear or judgment or failure.
SPEAKER_01: And these spaces allow growth through encouragement, feedback, and grace rather than pressure or performance.
SPEAKER_01: And I encourage you to find one of those spaces.
SPEAKER_01: So, why has God given us these gifts of grace?
SPEAKER_01: God has given us these gifts of grace because we're created for purpose.
SPEAKER_01: It says in Ephesians 4, 11 to 13, now these are the gifts Christ gave to the church, the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors, and the teachers.
SPEAKER_01: Their responsibility is to equip God's people to do his work and build up the church, the body of Christ.
SPEAKER_01: And this will continue until we all come to such unity in our faith and knowledge of God's Son that we will be mature in the Lord, measuring up to the full and complete standard of Christ.
SPEAKER_01: Tim Keller, a theologian and author, wrote, The purpose of spiritual gifts are differing abilities given by the Holy Spirit to each believer to meet needs in such a way that it creates a community of people who are growing into the fullness of the character of Jesus Christ.
SPEAKER_01: So, what is the goal of our God-given grace gifts?
SPEAKER_01: To equip us for works of service.
SPEAKER_01: What is the whole point?
SPEAKER_01: To build up the body until we reach unity in the faith and the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.
SPEAKER_01: The gifts make us a body because we don't have all the gifts.
SPEAKER_01: Everyone gets a portion, but no one has all of them.
SPEAKER_01: But everyone gets at least one.
SPEAKER_01: So you get one and you get one and I get one.
SPEAKER_01: I need you and must lean into and honor your gifts that make you us a complete body.
SPEAKER_01: We all intimately reliant on each other.
SPEAKER_01: And that's why you can't experience the full reality of Christ if you live out your faith on your own.
SPEAKER_01: The whole purpose of all this ministry is to create Christ-likeness in one another.
SPEAKER_01: Are you getting the picture?
SPEAKER_01: Like this jigsaw made up of many pieces.
SPEAKER_01: You get a complete picture.
SPEAKER_01: Each of us has a part of it and has a role to build up the church.
SPEAKER_01: I need you.
SPEAKER_01: I need your gifts.
SPEAKER_01: Windsor needs you as a church, as a body of Christ.
SPEAKER_01: We need you to help us grow with your gifts.
SPEAKER_01: So how can we discover and or rediscover our gifts and use them well?
SPEAKER_01: In Galatians 5 22, it says, But the fruit of the Spirit who has been poured out into our hearts is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.
SPEAKER_01: It's pretty clear we need both the gifts of the Spirit and the fruit of the Spirit working together.
SPEAKER_01: Paul names the gifts of serving, giving, showing mercy, helping and guiding, practical expressions that make the fruit of the spirit visible.
SPEAKER_01: The fruit of the spirit shapes who we are, the gifts that shape what we do.
SPEAKER_01: The fruit fruit reflects our inner character's transformation as we walk with Jesus, or the gifts are how we actively serve God in our families, community, workplaces, and the church.
SPEAKER_01: As a fruit grows in us, our use of the gifts should be marked by love.
SPEAKER_01: Otherwise, our it we risk self-service or prideful behavior rather than Christlieness.
SPEAKER_01: And we've all seen ministries like this.
SPEAKER_01: People who are extremely gifted, and so their platform grows, their ministry goes, but they stop serving out of the fruit of the spirit, and that's when they fall.
SPEAKER_01: We need the whole body, realizing no gift is more important, and we listen to love and correction.
SPEAKER_01: The good news is God uses all of who you are, your gifts, your story, your passions, your pain, and your skills to do his good work and grow his kingdom.
SPEAKER_01: Nothing in your life is wasted.
SPEAKER_01: It all matters to him.
SPEAKER_01: Take Joe and David Peterson.
SPEAKER_01: If you come to our church, you can see them on the connecting on the door with a foster baby in their arms.
SPEAKER_01: One of Joe's spiritual gift is mercy.
SPEAKER_01: She feels deeply for young babies who haven't had a fair start.
SPEAKER_01: And alongside that she brings her experience and skills as a nurse, a mother, and a grandmother.
SPEAKER_01: God weaves all of it together, her compassion, her life expression, her professional, and her calling to foster the most vulnerable.
SPEAKER_01: Through her, Christ loves becomes visible to me.
SPEAKER_01: Jo is an example to me as she meaningfully lives out her faith and helps build wholeness in the next generation.
SPEAKER_01: Be encouraged, the pain that you've been through, every passion you carry, every skill you develop.
SPEAKER_01: God wants to use it.
SPEAKER_01: Nothing is wasted on the kingdom of God.
SPEAKER_01: So what will a church that is active in the theology of the gifts of the Spirit look like?
SPEAKER_01: First of all, there won't be any passive, unemployed people in the church.
SPEAKER_01: We all have a role.
SPEAKER_01: We all belong.
SPEAKER_01: We are all needed.
SPEAKER_01: Now if you know the gifts of grace that God has given you, that's fantastic.
SPEAKER_01: How are you going at using them, growing them, seeing if there is more?
SPEAKER_01: If you don't know your gifting, I think it's vital because God gave it to you and not me for a reason.
SPEAKER_01: We all wish God would send us an email so it's in writing and clear, but God doesn't work like that.
SPEAKER_01: He's about relationship and he wants to join us to journey with him, to discover them and to grow them.
SPEAKER_01: And there are lots of ways to do that.
SPEAKER_01: The first one is so important.
SPEAKER_01: Pray and ask God to show you.
SPEAKER_01: Another way that's really helpful and a bit of fun if you're in a life group or with good friends, ask others you trust, what gifts do you see that I might have?
SPEAKER_01: And on the other hand, encourage others by calling out the gifts you see in them.
SPEAKER_01: Another thing you can do is here at Windsor we have discover your design and you can take a short questionnaire and it highlights the gifts that you have and helps them see how you can respond to them.
SPEAKER_01: There's a link available for you to get a copy of the booklet and work through it to find out what your gifts are.
SPEAKER_01: So click on that and find out more.
SPEAKER_01: You can also, once you discovered your gifts, understand what they are, read about it, talk to others who have the same gift.
SPEAKER_01: And then six, try it out, volunteer somewhere, focus on it where you can see if it is a gift and how to grow it.
SPEAKER_01: And then lastly, it says in 2 Timothy 1 6, fan into flame the gifts the Spirit has given you.
SPEAKER_01: So push into them, grow them, use them.
SPEAKER_01: To sum it up in Romans 12, six, it says, in his grace, God has given us different gifts for doing certain things well.
SPEAKER_01: So if God has given you the ability to prophesy, speak out with as much faith as faith as God has given you.
SPEAKER_01: If your gift is serving others, serve them well.
SPEAKER_01: If you're a teacher, teach well.
SPEAKER_01: If your gift is to encourage others, be encouraging.
SPEAKER_01: If it's giving, give generously.
SPEAKER_01: If God has given you leadership ability, take the responsibility seriously.
SPEAKER_01: And if you have the gift for showing kindness to others, do it gladly.
SPEAKER_01: God has sent his Holy Spirit to generously give each one of us a gift of grace that we have not earned so that we can pour out his love on this earth.
SPEAKER_01: He wants us to use it to build up his church, change lives, heal families like mine, and grow the kingdom of God.
SPEAKER_01: But how can we do that if we don't use our gifts?
SPEAKER_01: We're gonna listen to a worship song now that I have loved for ages.
SPEAKER_01: It's about the upper room.
SPEAKER_01: At the end of the Gospels, you see the upper room is something that our owner surrenders to Jesus to use for his purposes.
SPEAKER_01: And the song is inviting us to do the same with our lives.
SPEAKER_01: It would be great to take some time now as a worship song plays to ask God to grow the gifts of his Holy Spirit in us, to surrender to him that he would allow us to live out his faith through his gifts.
SPEAKER_01: Enjoy the song.
SPEAKER_02: It's the Vatican big mothers.
SPEAKER_02: So help me, God breathe on my weakness for another one is to be like Jesus, and I don't have minds, but what I have is use to use to make my whole life.
SPEAKER_01: Father God, I thank you that you are not a far off or distant God.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, I thank you a very present God who knows us, who hears us before and behind.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, and you have seen us from our moment of conception.
SPEAKER_01: And Lord, you have chosen us and gifted us to know you and to be used by you.
SPEAKER_01: This is no small thing.
SPEAKER_01: Lord, you don't just do it.
SPEAKER_01: You don't for algorness, you don't have for algorith.
SPEAKER_01: Help us to sincerely suit you.
SPEAKER_01: Help us to sincerely soothing you.
SPEAKER_01: Who loves out your gift?
SPEAKER_01: In Jesus' name.
SPEAKER_01: Thank you so much for joining us today.
SPEAKER_01: We look forward to seeing you next week.
SPEAKER_01: And God go with you as you sleep into your guests this week.
SPEAKER_00: Thank you for joining our audio teaching today.
SPEAKER_00: If there are ways that we can continue to support you or help you in your journey, please reach out to us.org.nz and you'll find various ways to contact us.
SPEAKER_00: God bless.