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Lesson #1: An Introduction to the Gifts
Can you remember a great gift you got when you were a kid? What was it? How did you react initially? How did you respond to that gift a year later?
Can you recall discovering a talent you had? How did you feel when you discovered that particular talent? How are you using that talent today? (You are using it, aren't you?)
Now, can you recall first discovering a spiritual gift?
Are you having a bit more trouble with that one? Many of us do. WHY? Could it be that we don't know what the spiritual gifts are? (Paul lists 16 of them in his letters.) Maybe we don't know what a spiritual gift is? Or maybe we just never examined ourselves that closely?
As we work through this spiritual gift course, we are going to look at spiritual gifts in the bible and in our lives. Short of preaching the Gospel itself, I think this is one of the most important lessons the bible has for us.
Why is that? I believe all Christians want to do God's will. But many of us have a hard time understanding what his particular will for US might be. We search for it, yearn for it, and struggle with it. By understanding what the spiritual gifts are, we can better understand what he wants us to do. We can know his purpose for our lives, and better serve him in our life, our work, and our personal ministry.
But before we learn what the gifts are, it is essential that we understand the source of the gifts. We need to know that the gifts have power and where that power comes from. And we need to know what the purpose of the gifts is.
Paul knew this. In Corinthians 12:1, he writes: "Now concerning spiritual Gifts, brethren, I do not want you to be un-informed." And he wrote of them often: In Romans, In Corinthians, in Ephesians. He wrote of them in the body of his letters, where he generally put his most important doctrines. His message is clear - Spiritual Gifts are important to Christians.
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So let's learn the basics...
Read 1st Corinthians 12:1-11
* What is the source of the gifts?
* Where does the power of the gifts come from?
* What is the purpose of the gifts? ( vs. 7 is part of it, but this is sort of a trick question, it's not all there, so read on.)
Read Ephesians 4:10-13
* What is the source of the gifts?
* Where does the power of the gifts come from?
* What is the purpose of the gifts?
Pay special attention to the purpose of these gifts. Purpose is important as we study and we will return to it in our last lesson. Now, let’s make a list of the gifts themselves in lesson
#2.
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