The Practice of Spiritual Gifts

in the Local Church (5)

I. The Test of Authenticity: The Reality of Counterfeit Spiritual Gifts (12:1-3)

II. The Overview: The Source, Purpose, and Nature of Spiritual Gifts (12:4-11)

A. The Source, Purpose, and Nature of Spiritual Gifts (12:4-7)

B. A Sample of Spiritual Gifts (12:8-10)

1. The Word of Wisdom

2. The Word of Knowledge

3. Faith

4. Gifts of Healings

5. The Effecting of Miracles

6. Excursus on Signs and Wonders

7. Prophecy

! Its Basic Meaning

" to proclaim

! Its Old Testament Foundations

! Its New Testament Description

" prophecy was a spontaneous reality (14:26-33)

" prophecy was Spirit inspired utterances (14:5-6, 29-30)

" prophecy was intelligible speech (14:10-15, 22-25)

" the receiver of the prophecy was in control (14:29-30)

" the prophecy was to be evaluated (14:29, 32)

8. The Distinguishing of Spirits

! distinguishing discernment, differentiating, judging

! The Connection Between the Gifts

! The Meaning of the Gift

" Discernment regarding the Speaker

" Discernment regarding the Spoken Word

9. Tongues

10. Interpretation of Tongues

III. The Summary (12:11)

A. The Spirit’s Involvement (12:11a1-6)

B. The Spirit’s Work (12:11a7-b)

! works to operate, produce, effect, or work

C. The Spirit’s Will (12:11c)

1) spiritual gifts are special endowments of grace, in the form of supernatural abilities or

capacities;

2) these gifts are given to each individual saint uniquely, making each saint therefore necessary to the overall body;

3) these gifts are diverse in nature although unified in their object and purpose;

4) these gifts manifest themselves through ministries to Christ’s church for its benefit;

5) these gifts produce certain effects in the church orchestrated by the Father;

6) some of the gifts were intended as short lived experiences in the church for its foundation and

others for its ongoing growth.