Latest / Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast / Warning: Beware of Spiritual Gift Abuse

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Warning: Beware of Spiritual Gift Abuse · Chip Ingram Sermon Podcast

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Today on Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram.
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Today's program comes with a caution. Red lights
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flashing. It's a serious program. We've been
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talking about spiritual gifts but in the arena
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of spiritual gifts at times they are abused.
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We're going to talk about spiritual gift abuse
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and how at times your gift can be leveraged in
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ways that God never intended it. And you need
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to be aware of when that is, where that is, and
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how to prevent it. Welcome to Living on the Edge
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with Chip Ingram. Spiritual gifts are powerful.
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But power, when it's misapplied or driven by
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the wrong motives, can do real damage. Today
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Chip turns to 1 Corinthians 12 and walks us through
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the first five of ten warning signs that spiritual
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gifts are being abused. If you've ever been hurt
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by gift abuse or wondered if you might be guilty
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of it yourself, today's message is exactly what
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you need. Well, now here's Chip Ingram with a
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message titled, Warning, Beware of Spiritual
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Gift Abuse. If you are indeed the spiritual paintbrush
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in God's hand by your gift and he wants to dip
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it into the palette and the colors of his grace
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so that your life could literally begin to make
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imprints of grace. and change another person's
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life for all eternity. Something that powerful
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usually has a dark side. In other words, if gifts
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do that much good, if they're abused, if they're
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misused, if they're misapplied, they can have
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a very, very dark side. And the title of this
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session is we're gonna talk about Beware of Spiritual
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Gift Abuse. And I wanna start with a case study.
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In fact, five quick case studies. These are all
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true stories. But as I go through these five
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case studies, here's what I want you to ask.
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What's wrong with this picture? Is this biblical?
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And if this happened to me or in a situation,
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where would my mind go biblically to say, you
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know something, there's something fishy here.
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I don't think this is quite right. You ready?
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Case study number one. This happened to me as
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a very young Christian. I was just about to get
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married. I was probably a Christian less than
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five years. Teresa and I had gone through a long
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process of prayer and fasting and getting counsel
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and we were gonna get married in about a month.
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And I was in a church and an older lady, I mean,
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you know, when you're 25 years old, everyone's
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an older lady. But she seemed very holy, dressed
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very holy, was very serious. And after the service,
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she walked over to me, sort of with an angelic
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walk. Chip, may we talk? Sure, I mean, I didn't
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know the lady. And she went over to the step
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of the aisle and people were coming by. And then,
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you know, with this like holier than thou, she
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grabs both my elbows and looks at me and she
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said, Chip, I have a word from God for you. Do
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not marry, Teresa. If you do, God will never
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use your life. And with a thus says the Lord.
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Now, I mean, I've been reading the Bible for
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about four or five years. No, actually four years.
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The first year I didn't do very well. I was a
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Christian, but I couldn't figure out how to get
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in it and stay in it. And I left confused, doubting.
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I mean, I'd worked through the biggest relationship,
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the biggest decision of my life to that point.
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Is God speaking to me? Is this how the body of
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Christ works? Is this a real warning? Is this
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the enemy? What's wrong with this picture? I
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want you to think about it. Because if it hasn't
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happened to you or someone you know, it probably
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will, how we answer them. Case study number two.
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I was in a large, large church and it was a very
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happening place and the parking lot was jammed
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and they had this special speaker. and I was
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floating around a lot of different groups back
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in those days because I was a young Christian.
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I didn't know much about what different groups
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believed or why, but I was in this very huge
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auditorium and we had stood up and worshiped
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and it was a very emotional service for 45 minutes
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or an hour and then a guy gave a very dynamic,
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persuasive message and some of it didn't sound
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kind of right on, but who am I? He knows a lot
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more than me and at the very end he stopped.
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He said, now let me tell you right now. Let me
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tell you right now, I have a spiritual gift for
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every person in this room. Every person in this
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room, there's a prayer room right behind here.
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I guarantee, if you will get up by faith and
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leave your seat and get in that room, I will
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give you a spiritual gift. Every single person
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will receive that gift. Will you get up? Will
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you get up right now? The music is going to play,
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and I mean, we started. And it was like, so I
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got up, and I ended up in the back room. And
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he had this whole formula that you were supposed
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to do. And if you did this formula and you said
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what you were supposed to say and believed what
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he said and did it exactly his way, he guaranteed
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that you would get this particular spiritual
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gift. Is that biblical? What's wrong with that
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picture? Case study number three. I was involved
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in campus ministry by this time. I'm coaching,
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teaching basketball. I'm a teacher at a high
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school and then at night we would go up on this
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college campus and I started what was called
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Gospel of John Bible study. We'd just take guys
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with zero background and get a pizza or go play
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some basketball and just read through the Gospel
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of John and week by week by week I would want
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them to discover who is Jesus? What do you think
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he is? What's a relation with him like? And this
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one fell after about the fourth or fifth week.
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We've been through John one, John two, John three,
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John four, and the gospel's coming out. And this
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guy knew the gospel. It was very clear. And you
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could tell he was just angst about it. And I
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said, well, do you want to receive the Lord as
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your savior? And he said, well, yeah. And I said,
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do you understand this? Well, yes. Well, have
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you ever prayed to ask Christ to come into your
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life? He said, well, yes. I said, well, What
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part of this don't you understand? He said well
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I've been taught back where I grew up that if
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you're a Christian this particular gift will
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be evidenced and if you don't have this outward
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evidence then you're not really a Christian so
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he goes I know I'm not a Christian, but I want
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to be Do you see the abuse what's wrong with
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this picture instead of spiritual gifts being
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something that build up for the common good He's
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been told there's one particular gift. That's
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an outward evidence, and if you don't have it
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You're not even a Christian. Others will use
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that same particular gift to talk about whether
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you're in right relationship with God or not,
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or whether you have God's power or not. Is that
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biblical? Is that what the Bible teaches about
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spiritual gifts? Case study number four. I don't
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have a spiritual gift. I'm not worthy of one
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yet, but someday, I hope to. This happened in
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the Midwest. I was a pastor by this time. And
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this gal thought she was being very holy, and
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she looked at all the people with the visible
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gifts, and she thought spiritual gifts were a
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reward for really good Christians. And if you
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were a really good Christian, and you were in
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the Bible more, and you really prayed, and lived
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a more moral life than her, that I guess someday,
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someway, if she got really good, she could earn
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a spiritual gift. But I know I don't have any.
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And so therefore, result, she's not involved
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in ministry, she has a very low self -image,
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and she's wasting what God gave her. Is that
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perspective biblical? What have we learned so
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far? Is it possible to be a believer but you
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don't have any spiritual gift? What's wrong with
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that picture? Case study number five. I don't
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care what the Bible says. The young pastor said
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in front of the group, I am God's prophet for
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this church and he's revealed that to me. It's
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on the West Coast. This was one of the more bizarre
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ones. And there's a young dynamic pastor and
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I think he was watching a lot of TV unfortunately.
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And little by little, I mean the groups were
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beginning to grow and pretty soon he was talking
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more and more and he got a little farther out
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and farther out and he was telling people who
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was going to be healed of what and anybody who
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wasn't healed just didn't have enough faith so
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he was never on the line. And pretty soon he
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was getting more and more famous and more and
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more dynamic and the crowds were growing and
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he just got more and more and more full of himself
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and it was in an area near where I was so I could
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get some firsthand information. And then pretty
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soon he began to teach some things that were
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just blatantly, this is what the Bible says,
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but this is what I say, and some people with
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some good biblical background went to him and
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said, hey pastor, wait a second here, you know
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the Bible says this, and you say this, and this
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doesn't quite add up, and his response was, I
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don't care what the Bible says, I'm God's prophet,
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he's giving new revelation for this church, and
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what I say is the very word of God. What's wrong
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with this picture? Is that biblical? And you
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know, by the way, that sounds wild when you hear
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it over here. But what if you were a person in
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that church? And little by little by little.
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And what if you saw things you didn't understand?
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And what if God actually was doing a lot of good
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in that church? And what if this is the man who
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actually was used by God to lead you to Christ?
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How do you know when people are telling the truth?
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How do you know when these case studies are maybe
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partly good, partly bad? When can you? begin
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to have the spiritual radar pop up and say, wait
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a second, something's wrong here. All five of
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those are cases of spiritual abuse. Can anybody
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think of some times in your experience of spiritual
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abuse in terms of gifts? Now, what are the warning
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signs? I'd like you to open your teaching handout,
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if you will, and I wanna go over what I think
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are the 10 most common abuses of spiritual gifts.
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These certainly aren't the only ones, but I call
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these the 10 most common abuses of spiritual
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gifts. I want you to imagine you driving in your
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spiritual car, and on the dashboard you have
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10 red lights, and as you're walking with God,
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and the spirit of God is filling your life, and
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you're involved in a local church, and you're
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asking God to use you, that as you are going
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through your life, if any one of these red lights
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begins to flash on the dashboard of your spiritual
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car, you're gonna say, wait a second. You know
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what, I'm not sure, but this could be a sign
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of spiritual gift abuse. Number one, beware when
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spiritual gifts are used as a means of manipulation,
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power, or control in personal and or church relationships.
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And notice they're all gonna start with beware.
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That's a warning sign. Beware when spiritual
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gifts are used as a means of manipulation. power
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or control in personal and or church relationships.
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If you have your Bibles, open them, if you will,
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to First Corinthians chapter 12. And in First
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Corinthians chapter 12, verse four, it's a common
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thing we've talked about. In fact, keep your
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finger in First Corinthians 12. A lot of the
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abuses were happening in the Corinthian church,
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and so a lot of the corrections are gonna be
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there. Pick it up at verse four. There are different
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kinds of gifts, but the same spirit. They're
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different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
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They're different kinds of workings, but the
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same God who works all of them and all men. Now
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to each one, the manifestation of the Spirit
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is given for the common good. For the common
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good. Did you notice the repetition of the word
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same, same, same? There's unity. When God is
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working and the Lord Jesus is exalted and the
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Spirit of God is bestowing gifts and operating
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in the body of Christ, it's for the common good.
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It builds people up. The focus is on the Godhead,
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not on the gifts. The focus is on what God is
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doing in the group, not on people's particular
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passions or bents. Personal control, manipulation,
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and use by gifts. are always a sign that abuse
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is occurring. I don't know where, case study
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number one, that lady was coming from, but she
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has no relationship with me. She has no investment
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in my life, and she tells me something that doesn't
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produce common good, but causes me to doubt the
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biggest decision of my life. Anytime someone
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comes to you, or someone you know and says, God
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revealed to me that you're supposed to do this
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or do that, a big red light oughta flash on the
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dashboard. I don't care who they are. Now, it
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doesn't mean that God never reveals through other
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people, but you know, I came to the conclusion
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that on a major life decision about who to marry,
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where to work, what job to take, what to do with
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one of your kids, you would just think that God
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might wanna tell you rather than tell someone
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else, right? I mean, I got a phone. And that
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doesn't mean that God might not bring someone
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into your life to say, you know, I'm concerned
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about this and here's four or five reasons why,
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you know, I've watched this relationship. That's
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a little different story, but this thus says
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the Lord. And people end up in real high power,
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you know, I'm very important and often this happens
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in the leadership of churches. Second warning,
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beware when anyone claims to have the ability
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to give or bestow any particular gift if you
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follow their formula. Notice what it says in
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1 Corinthians chapter 12 verse 11. He goes on
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to say, all these gifts are of the same spirit
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and he gives to each one just as he determines.
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He's speaking of the spiritual gifts. He says,
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God gives or bestows gifts. Literally, it's as
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he wills. The Greek word is a very interesting
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one. It means as he chooses after careful deliberation.
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Remember we said we are his workmanship, creating
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Christ Jesus unto good works, which God has before
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ordained that we should walk in them. If God
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has a plan for your life, and he's going to gift
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you to fulfill the plan for your life, then the
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gifts that he gives you, are not gonna be given
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through some other person somewhere, sometime,
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some way. What do we learn? Is that when the
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ascended Christ, he gave gifts to men, and he
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chooses to give you the gifts that he wants you
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to have so you can fulfill the purpose that you're
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called to. And so when someone comes up and basically
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says, hey, I have the power to distribute the
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gifts, he's taking the role of the Holy Spirit,
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or she's taking the role of the Holy Spirit.
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Beware whenever anyone claims to have the ability
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to give or bestow any particular gift if you
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follow their formula. Often they're using the
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power of suggestion, manipulation, peer pressure.
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By the way, when I went in the back room, this
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is case study number two. Almost everyone, quote,
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who goes in the back room does experience something.
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I'm not sure how much of God, but I can tell
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you what they do, and it's mind control manipulation.
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They tell you this, this, this, this, this, and
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you've got a whole room full of people, and guess
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what? If you're one of the persons that doesn't
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do what they say, guess who feels like they're
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out of step with God? You. And so what it is,
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it's a huge peer pressure manipulation type thing
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and they can get you to do certain things different
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places. Now, this is kind of the wacko element
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of the body of Christ. Most churches aren't like
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this at all. I can't tell you how many Christians
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and even pastors and people that are running
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around that feel like second class citizens that
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went in a back room somewhere that heard someone
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guarantee they could have this gift or that gift
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and if you don't get it, guess who has the problem?
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No one ever says, hey pastor, I think you had
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an off day. You're only 94 % on giving this gift
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away. I mean, it's always the person. You don't
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have enough faith. There must be sin in your
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life. And this whole manipulative, but you know
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what? You've got to know the truth. And the truth
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is, people don't bestow gifts. God does. Third
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warning. Beware when any particular gift is made
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universal evidence of spirituality, salvation,
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or other spiritual blessing. Skip down to verses
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29 and 30. Chapter 12. By the way, as I read
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this too, in English we can't quite do it, but
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he's gonna ask questions, but grammatically you
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can ask a question and you can use just a one
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little word that automatically tells you that
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it's a rhetorical question and the answer is
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no, and that's this case. So these are not just
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questions, are all apostles, it's are all apostles
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emphatically, no. Okay, so notice what it says.
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Verse 29, are all apostles? No. Are all prophets?
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No. Are all teachers? No. Do all work miracles?
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No. Do all have gifts of healing? No. Do all
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speak in tongues? No. Do all interpret? And he's
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making the point in 1 Corinthians 12, 29 and
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30, that no one has all the gifts. Now, this
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is where I'm gonna, this is gentle, but you know,
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let me say this, because I've kind of been through,
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both my parents came to Christ through the Charismatic
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Movement. Alright my personal experience. I've
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been in very very word centered ministries But
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I've had the privilege of traveling all around
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the world and just teamed up with Pentecostal
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and charismatic brothers and sisters, and I'm
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gonna tell you about 90 % You know very balanced
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great teaching, but there is some teaching in
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pockets Especially I guess what I'd call some
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older school Pentecostalism or charismatic groups
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that will teach that if you don't speak in tongues,
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you are not saved or you don't have salvation.
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Others will teach if you don't speak in tongues,
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you don't have the Holy Spirit. Somehow you have
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part of Christ and the only way you know for
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sure if you have the Holy Spirit is if you speak
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in another language. And here's my point. Study
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the gifts carefully. Tongues are a what? We looked
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at it. It is a ability to speak in another language
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for the glory of God, for the common good, in
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a language you haven't learned. Now, what you'll
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find is people will go to the book of Acts and
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say, well, look what happened in the early church.
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I would suggest that is descriptive, not prescriptive.
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Yes, that is what happened. And can God give
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an unknown language to evidence the working he
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did? When the Jews came to Christ, unknown language.
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When the Samaritans, Hapres, came to Christ,
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unknown language. When the Gentiles came to Christ,
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unknown language. But Paul would say it's an
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outward evidence assigned for unbelievers. And
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all I'm saying is your view on the gift of tongues
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should have nothing to do with sanctification
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or your walk in holiness. Okay, it's a spiritual
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gift. But it is not a spiritual gift that needs
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to be tied with evidence of salvation or evidence
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of your spiritual state. There are people, and
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I've been down this road. There are people that
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feel like, you know, I don't have all of God
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because I don't have this gift. And by the way,
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in some groups, it's tongues. In other groups,
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it's other gifts. And so any time anyone says
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there's some universal gift that's a sign that
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really makes you a salvation or a spiritual blessing,
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always have that red light go off and say, well,
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wait a second. That's, by the way, what the guy
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was telling us in the back room. is that if we
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wanted certain things and if we wanted to know
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for sure whether we were a Christian, you would
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have this experience. Spiritual gift abuse. God
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gives the gifts and God can give the gift of
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speaking in another language you haven't learned,
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but the purpose is not for some guy to get in
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front of a group and manipulate people in a back
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room. Spiritual abuse number four. Beware when
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the focus of a church service ministry or religious
19:59
event is on spiritual gifts and their manifestation
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rather than on the giver of the gifts and his
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agenda for the church. This is where you hear
20:08
about the miracle service as advertised. When
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the focus gets on, come see the show. Here's
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what you can get, beware. Miracle service, this
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is what's gonna happen at this service, so and
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so is gonna happen, and this is where, you know,
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they're lying in the parking lot, and I've been
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in places where they charge 10 or 15 dollars
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for parking, and by the way, this is not someone
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throwing stones out there at somewhere. I've
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been to all this stuff, okay? This is these are
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the kind of places where you know 2020 and 48
20:35
hours are doing research and finding out that
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the people were walking in But you know you must
20:40
be very tired. We'll give you a wheelchair while
20:42
you wait, and it's amazing They didn't come in
20:44
a wheelchair They got a wheelchair when they
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get there, and then they get up out of the wheelchair
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and and wow look what happened This is these
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are the kind of places where the guy has the
20:54
little earpiece and they interview and screen
20:56
the people and people that have Clearly, you
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know non psychosomatic illnesses, you know what,
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you know over there You know you get over here
21:04
people that you know when lower back pain and
21:06
you know I think I mean down deep I think my
21:08
gallbladder stones course They don't have an
21:10
MRI and they don't know but I'll tell you what
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you can get people in a frenzy to believe just
21:13
about anything When the focus is on the show,
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when the focus is on the miracles, when the focus
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is on the person, when the focus is on what you
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can get, get, get, you know what? Just read the
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gospels and ask yourself, is this how Jesus did
21:28
ministry? In fact, look at Ephesians chapter
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four, verses 11 and 12. It's very, very clear.
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Just flip back a couple books, right? He gave
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gifts. Why did he give spiritual gifts? Did he
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give spiritual gifts so people could make a lot
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of money, put on a show, tell people how awesome,
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miraculous, and wonderful their deal is? He gave
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some as apostles, he gave some as prophets, he
21:53
gave some as evangelists, he gave some as pastors
21:56
and teachers. Why? For the work. of service to
21:59
build up the body for the work of service. Spiritually
22:02
gifted people are to equip us regular believers
22:05
and saints so that we can do the work of service
22:08
until every single Christian grows up into maturity
22:11
to all the measure of the fullness of Christ.
22:14
The goal and the role of gifting men and women
22:16
is to help other believers mature in Christ.
22:20
And so any time the focus is off the giver of
22:22
the gifts and onto the show, any time it's about
22:26
showmanship instead of Christ -likeness, you
22:28
better have that flashing red light and say,
22:31
you know something? It may be electric in the
22:34
air and people may make all kind of claims, but
22:37
it doesn't pass the test of New Testament biblical
22:40
Christianity. Warning number five, beware of
22:44
comparing your gifts with anyone else. It always
22:47
leads to carnality. Do not compare your gifts,
22:52
and even as I say that, I like to say that I
22:54
never do. See, I'm there. But you will, because
22:59
you're human, right? See, remember case study
23:03
number four? The young gal, she looked at other
23:06
people's gifts, thought the visible ones were
23:08
rewards, and a lot of the reason she had abused
23:12
her gift by neglect, is that she made her whole
23:15
orientation about gifts, comparing herself with
23:18
what other people did have, and she doesn't have.
23:22
I'm gonna read a passage that's a little extended,
23:25
but it's so important, I think it's worth reading.
23:29
And have you noticed that we're still in First
23:31
Corinthians 12? Will you go back a couple books?
23:34
Some of you may be thinking, you know, I think
23:36
this Corinthian church sort of had some struggles
23:38
with gifts. because all the directives about
23:41
how to do it right are in 1 Corinthians 12, part
23:44
of 13 and 14. He goes on to say, 1 Corinthians
23:47
12, beginning at verse 11, all these are the
23:50
work of one and the same spirit, and he gives
23:52
them, the spirit gives to each one. How? Just
23:56
as he determines. The body is a unit. He's gonna
23:59
make a metaphor. Though it is made up of many
24:01
parts, and though all its parts are many, they
24:03
form one body. Given the human body, we have
24:05
a hand, we have a head, we have eyes, we have
24:07
ears, we have feet. And so it is with Christ.
24:11
For we were all baptized by one spirit into one
24:14
body, whether Jew or Greek, slave or free, and
24:16
we were all given one spirit to drink. Now the
24:20
body's made up of not one part, but many. And
24:24
then here's where he goes through the analogy.
24:26
If the foot should say, because I'm not a hand,
24:29
I don't belong to the body, would it not, for
24:32
that reason, cease to be any part of the body?
24:35
I mean, less? No. And if the ear should say,
24:37
because I'm not an eye, I don't belong to the
24:39
body, it would not, for that reason, cease to
24:41
be a part of the body. Kind of would it? Well,
24:43
no. If the whole body were an eye, where would
24:45
the sense of hearing be? And if the whole body
24:46
were an ear, where would the sense of smell be?
24:49
But in fact, God has arranged the parts in the
24:51
body, every one of them, just as He wanted them
24:56
to be. Don't compare your gift to someone else's.
25:01
Don't get thinking, and by the way, it's human
25:03
nature, certain churches and certain backgrounds
25:06
will gravitate to honor certain gifts more than
25:09
other gifts. I was in one parachurch organization,
25:12
but I'll tell you what, if you had the gift of
25:13
exhortation, man, you were a winner. If you had
25:15
the gift of service, it was kind of like, well,
25:17
you know, someone does need to pick up the chairs
25:19
and that would be nice. If you had the gift of
25:21
teaching or leadership, actually, it was threatening
25:23
to the group because they had a real cookie cutter
25:26
formula. about how they were going to raise up
25:28
leaders. What they wanted was facilitators to
25:30
lead these small groups. And anyone that kind
25:32
of wanted, hey, why are we doing it this way?
25:34
Hey, rebellious Ingram, would you just shut up
25:36
and sit over there and lead your group? I had
25:39
some pretty strong leadership gifts, and I was
25:41
saying, hey, you know, basically, this seems
25:45
kind of dumb. If you want to get this job done,
25:47
we ought to go this way. And I was dealing with
25:50
the pride issues in my life. Now, I had a lot
25:52
of pride issues in my life, so it wasn't wasted.
25:56
But I've been in other churches where it's this
25:59
visible gift, you know And if you can ever get
26:01
up in front of the stage and so boy, you know
26:03
The little kids by the time they're seven eight
26:05
nine ten or if a kid in junior high or high school
26:09
has any speaking ability He's been called of
26:12
God and they put out in front of the group and
26:13
the poor kids don't know what they're saying
26:16
It all goes back to comparing our gifts rather
26:19
than realizing God's got a perfect plan And you
26:23
know something, I don't know that I wanna say
26:25
to my eye or to my ear or to my knee that one's
26:29
more important. They're all important, they're
26:32
all interdependent. And I just wanna say, I think
26:35
you'll wrestle with this. There's a passage that's
26:37
been helpful. 2 Corinthians 10, 12, you might
26:39
jot that in the corner of your notes. Where the
26:42
apostle Paul will say, when we compare ourselves
26:45
with ourselves and measure ourselves by ourselves,
26:48
we are without understanding. And I just wanna
26:52
say for your encouragement, I think you'll struggle
26:54
with this your whole life because I do believe
26:56
that all of us are desperately insecure, even
26:59
as believers. I mean, I know we're gonna grow,
27:01
but we're desperately insecure. Moody Bible Institute,
27:04
one of my sons went there. They have this big
27:07
conference they've had since the days of D .L.
27:09
Moody. And you go into this historic church and
27:12
it's all wooden and it's round and there's thousands
27:14
of people and I got to be one of the speakers.
27:18
And you know, first night Joe Stoll speaks Man
27:21
that was good and then the next night Tony Evans
27:23
and then Howard Hendricks and and coming up next
27:26
and you know And I mean it was like and I'm sitting
27:28
there going This is ridiculous Ingram Why are
27:32
you so unbelievably intimidated? Why are you
27:34
having these thoughts in your mind? And I mean,
27:36
I just had to go off in a corner and say, oh
27:38
God, God, what these people think. Everything
27:41
in my flesh wants to compare myself, and every
27:43
time I do, you know, on my really kind of normal
27:46
days, I feel like a weenie, and there's these
27:48
great speakers. And then on my not so normal
27:50
days, and I get full of myself, I'm thinking,
27:52
well, you know, I think I could hit the ball
27:54
like that speaker, maybe, and if I could go after
27:56
him, it would be okay. And you know, then finally,
27:58
you just get to the point, you go, oh God, woe
28:00
is me. And if you don't speak, I don't have anything
28:03
to bring. And what I understand is you've gifted
28:05
each of these people, and you have a plan, and
28:07
this week, and you wanna help the thousands of
28:10
people in this room, and the tens of thousands
28:12
listening, and I wanna be a part of what you're
28:14
doing. And I mean, I had to get before God and
28:16
literally just cleanse my heart and just beg
28:20
him to help me see I'm desperate for you, will
28:23
you help me? And all I wanna say is I don't think
28:26
anyone gets to the point where you mature your
28:29
way through that. I think that will be something
28:31
we'll live with the rest of our days. But don't
28:34
compare yourself with other people. Don't compare
28:36
your gift with other people. God made you unique.
28:41
Warning number six, beware of any extreme position
28:44
on spiritual gifts, i .e. they do not exist at
28:50
all to a spirit -filled Christian will have all
28:54
the gifts. I've heard both. I've been in places
28:57
where gifts don't exist. I'll tell you what,
28:59
you find gifts, you find disunity, and division,
29:03
and people are arguing about them. There aren't
29:04
any gifts. All the gifts are gone after the first
29:07
century. I've heard people teach that. And on
29:10
the other hand, I felt, if you're spirit -filled,
29:12
I mean, if you're really spirit -filled, whatever
29:14
spirit -filled means, no one really knows. I
29:17
mean, I think the Bible has a pretty good definition,
29:18
but depending on what group, what background,
29:20
that could mean you've been to Mars and back,
29:22
or it could mean that you're really walking with
29:24
the Lord in the spirit, you know, I don't know.
29:26
But if you're spirit filled, you'll have all
29:27
the gifts. And then usually they have someone
29:29
in the church who's an example of it. Brother
29:31
Bob, he's got all the gifts. Go, Bob, go. I can
29:35
prophesy, I can teach. You know what I mean?
29:37
You can do it all. Any time you feel those extremes,
29:40
notice what it says in 1 Corinthians 12, verse
29:43
one. Now about spiritual gifts, brethren, I do
29:48
not want you to be ignorant. You need to have
29:53
understanding. Everyone has one primary gift.
29:57
We know that he will give you ministry gifts.
29:59
We understand they're for the common good. When
30:01
you know those 10 basic principles, it guards
30:04
against this kind of thing. Number seven, warning
30:06
light. Beware of using spiritual gifts and the
30:09
energy of the flesh to fulfill personal ego needs
30:12
or impress other people. This is another one
30:14
that I don't think you grow out of. Beware. Beware.
30:19
Be on your guard. Watch over your heart with
30:22
all diligence. When you have a spiritual gift,
30:25
you can take a gift. It's like a tool. God doesn't
30:28
take away the tool. You can be in the flesh.
30:31
God will honor his word and he will honor the
30:34
tool or the gift that he's placed in your hand.
30:36
But I can use my gift and you can use your gift,
30:39
not in submission to the spirit, but in the energy
30:42
of the flesh and it produces not good things.
30:45
And boy, I think this is one of those really
30:47
gut check times where you have to ask, and I
30:49
have to ask, is this about me using my gift to
30:53
get attention, affirmation, strokes from people?
30:57
Is this about impressing people? And let me apply
31:01
this down to where we live. If you happen to
31:04
have visible gifts, okay? There's some gifts
31:07
that are upfront gifts. It might be teaching,
31:09
might be exhortation, might be prophecy, might
31:12
be leadership, but you find yourself where people
31:15
are looking to you or you are speaking and you
31:17
have a visible role. The temptation is to begin
31:21
to get a little carried away with yourself and
31:23
really like the position. And you know what,
31:25
what does knowledge do? It puffs up. And pretty
31:29
soon it's kind of like you like being an important
31:31
person in the church. You like it when the big
31:34
discussions on the board come and everyone looks
31:36
to you and says, hey, what do you think? Because
31:39
you've got the gift of discernment. And you like
31:41
to be the go -to person. And secretly you wanna
31:43
be up in front of people. And you know what,
31:46
the times when you're not teaching the class,
31:48
you don't really feel very motivated to go to
31:50
church, because you're really going, because
31:52
unconsciously it's developed, it's about you.
31:56
And you gotta be on your guard. And the opposite
32:00
temptation of those was serving gifts. There
32:02
are people with behind the scene gifts. I mean,
32:05
people with serving gifts and administrative
32:07
gifts. And by the way, if you've ever been involved
32:09
in ministry, your love for these people like
32:12
skyrockets. People who don't know a lot or haven't
32:15
been involved in churches, they think, yeah,
32:17
do you need a point person who can teach and
32:19
preach and do you need leadership and this and
32:20
that? But where the rubber meets the road, someone
32:22
does set up the chairs. Someone does type the
32:24
things. Someone goes out and feeds the homeless
32:26
people. Someone's back loving those kids. And
32:30
when there's a church where kids get loved, youth
32:32
are really taken care of, there's an outward
32:34
focus, you're feeding the poor, I'll tell you
32:36
what, that's where the rubber meets the road
32:37
and often that's done with people with a gift
32:39
of service, exhortation, administration. And
32:43
here's what can happen, is those people pretty
32:47
soon become like the martyrs of the church. Brother
32:51
Fred, I don't know what we'd do without you.
32:54
For 37 years, every chair's been set up. The
32:58
bulletins are made, you know. I don't know how
33:00
you do it. Every Saturday morning, you cook that
33:02
breakfast. You never make it in the prayer meeting,
33:03
but you cook that breakfast for everybody. And
33:05
you know, Sister so -and -so, and I mean, and
33:09
these people get to where, you know what? Yeah,
33:12
they love to serve but They're behind the scenes
33:18
and they've learned to live on the strokes and
33:22
the need to be needed and they play this really
33:25
funky thing in their mind like If you step back
33:29
and look at their schedule, they're there Monday
33:31
night Wednesday morning Thursday night Friday
33:34
the fact is It's not that they're just such a
33:37
great servant, although that's their gifts. They
33:40
also don't have any boundaries. They can't say
33:42
no. They're desperate need for affirmation because
33:45
of other issues in their life. Every time the
33:47
doors are open they are there and often it's
33:50
not because they love God so much and are using
33:52
their gifts. They're satisfying ego needs because
33:54
it's a lot easier than facing the hard stuff
33:56
at home and dealing with the marriage and being
33:58
a parent who's not a coward and stepping up and
34:00
doing what they're supposed to do in some very
34:02
clear areas that God's called them to because
34:04
it's a lot better. to be the miracle worker at
34:07
the church. Every church has these. We had one
34:10
lady I said, you know what, I can't, you're here
34:12
more than any staff member. And she was. And
34:16
did she make stuff happen? I mean, it's an integrity
34:19
check if you're the pastor, because you're thinking,
34:21
man, some of these people get so much done to
34:24
send them home to get their priorities right,
34:25
it's kind of tough. But what you know, it's the
34:27
right thing to do. And I think we all struggle
34:30
with that. Anytime you have to do something and
34:35
you find yourself ego needs, then I think that's
34:40
a warning light. You need to say, wait a second
34:43
here. Notice what it says in 1 Corinthians 13.
34:46
Sandwich between chapter 12, this is how to use
34:49
the gifts, and then chapter 14, eagerly desire
34:55
spiritual gifts. 12 says, don't be ignorant about
34:59
them. 14 says, really, desire and focus right
35:03
in between is 1 Corinthians 13. And it says,
35:07
if I speak with the tongues of men and of angels,
35:09
there's a spiritual gift, but have not love,
35:12
I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal.
35:15
If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom
35:17
all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have
35:19
faith so that I can move mountains but have not
35:22
love, I am nothing. If I give all my possessions
35:25
to the poor and surrender my body to the flames,
35:28
literally be a martyr, but have not love, I gain
35:31
nothing. I have nothing, I gain nothing. If I
35:35
have this gift of tongues, if I have this gift
35:38
of prophecy, if I have this gift of faith, if
35:40
I have this gift of martyrdom and be willing,
35:42
but you can do, what's that passage say? You
35:45
can do all those things and I can do all those
35:49
things, not about love, which is what? Focusing
35:52
on other people, giving other people what they
35:55
need the most when they deserve it the least
35:57
as your gift to God. I can do my gifts that way
36:00
or it can really be a subtle way to set Chip
36:03
Ingram up to get Chip Ingram the strokes and
36:06
the ego needs and the unresolved issues in his
36:08
life taken care of And so it's a warning light
36:12
Be on your guard Beware number eight Beware of
36:21
confusing spiritual gifts with spiritual fruit
36:23
as the evidence of spiritual growth in maturity
36:28
In some circles, the development and impact and
36:31
the use of your gifts becomes kind of the test
36:33
for spiritual maturity. But gifts, remember,
36:36
are a means, not an end. In other words, when
36:38
you have these gifts, when God is using you,
36:40
God's using you, God's using you, my lands, God's
36:43
using you, that's wonderful, that's great, God
36:46
is using you. In some circles, what that becomes,
36:49
that's the goal, God's using you, God's using
36:52
you, I got news for you, that is not the goal.
36:56
Gifts are what? They're a paintbrush, they're
36:58
amines. The goal is that you are becoming more
37:02
and more like Christ. Spiritual fruit is about
37:04
spiritual maturity, Christlikeness. Spiritual
37:07
gifts are about the means God uses in your life
37:11
to help others become more like Christ. Let's
37:14
look at a couple passages. Ephesians 4 .13, until
37:17
we all reach to the unity and the faith and the
37:20
knowledge of the Son of God and become mature,
37:22
attaining to the whole measure of the fullness
37:24
of Christ. The goal is maturity. Or notice Galatians
37:27
5 .22 and 23. But the fruit of the Spirit, In
37:32
other words, what is it that God's after? The
37:33
fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience,
37:37
kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness,
37:40
and self -control. Against such things, there
37:43
is no law. In fact, Jesus, John 15, you might
37:46
just jot it, John 15, eight. By this is my Father
37:49
glorified that you have many gifts and are very
37:52
impressive. I think I misquoted that. By this
37:56
is my Father glorified, what? That you bear.
38:00
much fruit. Well, what is fruit? Fruit is always
38:04
twofold. Number one, it's the life of Christ
38:07
reproduced in your life. The goal of gifts is
38:11
not that you're great, you're used, it's developed,
38:14
we're impressed. The goal of the gifts is it
38:18
because of how you are living. you are becoming
38:21
more and more like Jesus and God is using you
38:24
for the right reason in the right ways with the
38:26
right motives to exercise a supernatural ability
38:30
in the sphere he's called you to as an intricate
38:33
interdependent part of the body and as you do
38:36
that with an attitude of love and dependency
38:38
there are people whose lives little by little
38:42
by little become more and more like Jesus And
38:45
they rub up next to you and they start loving
38:47
their mate in a different way. And they rub up
38:49
next to you and pretty soon they rearrange their
38:51
priorities and how they spend their money because
38:54
of your gift of exhortation and leadership. And
38:57
because they rub up next to you, they begin to
38:59
say no to certain things. And they realize that,
39:02
you know something, I need to deal with some
39:04
issues in my home. And I need to have a plan
39:06
for my kids. And I need to deal with some of
39:09
the wounds of my past. And because of times of
39:12
sharing their heart and your wisdom, and discernment
39:15
and exhortation. Pretty soon they become more
39:17
and more and more whole. And then a different
39:21
person shows up to the singles group. A different
39:23
person shows up to work. A different person shows
39:26
up. See, it's fruit. Any time there's an emphasis
39:30
on the gifts as an end in themselves, a little
39:33
red warning light should go off. Warning number
39:36
nine, beware that apparent manifestations of
39:38
the spirit can be counterfeited by human schemes
39:41
and demonic forces. Beware, I mean, this is a
39:45
big one. This happens not only overseas, but
39:47
this happens here. Beware, anytime something
39:50
is supernatural, that's amazing. I was at this
39:53
meeting, I was at this meeting, you can't believe
39:55
it, I checked, they didn't have an earphone,
39:57
and he didn't know this, and he didn't know that,
39:59
and this person they never met, and then they
40:02
said that, and this lady said, oh, that's really
40:04
true, and I can't believe it, how could you know
40:05
that? Chip, you can't believe it, this was an
40:07
amazing meeting. Okay, you went to an amazing
40:11
meeting. God may be choosing to do miraculous
40:15
things. There may be manifestations of the Spirit
40:18
of God in doing things that are very unusual.
40:20
We go, wow, wow, wow, or it could be that something
40:28
supernatural or perceived supernatural is happening
40:32
and there's a group of people that are being
40:34
deceived. Don't necessarily assume because there
40:38
are quote manifestations of the Spirit or apparent
40:42
miracles or even real miracles, as far as you
40:44
can tell, that it is always necessarily a work
40:47
of God. I mean, listen to the very words of Jesus.
40:50
If you have your Bible, turn to Matthew chapter
40:52
seven. Matthew chapter seven. I mean, this is
40:56
toward the end of his greatest sermon, and he
40:58
gives this warning. Verse 22. Many of you will
41:04
say to me on that day, Lord, Lord, now notice
41:07
the gifts. Did we not prophesy in your name?
41:10
There's a spiritual gift. and in your name drive
41:12
out demons, probably have some gifts going there,
41:15
and perform many miracles? And he goes, yeah.
41:21
Then I will tell them plainly, I never knew you.
41:25
Away from me, you evildoers. Therefore, everyone
41:29
who hears these words of mine and puts them into
41:32
practice is like a wise man who builds his house
41:35
upon the rock. And I just would say, Just because
41:41
something is supernatural or perceived as supernatural,
41:45
we're told to what? Test the spirits. Examine
41:48
the fruit. Examine the character. Examine the
41:53
lifestyle, examine what the group, what the person,
41:57
what happens afterwards. Examine, okay, there's
42:00
these manifestations. It sure was exciting. It
42:02
sure perceived to me that it was supernatural.
42:05
I think God is really in this. Okay, now, is
42:08
it biblical? Are the goals biblical? Do the people
42:11
have character? And if so, you say, wow, I think
42:15
I just got in on a manifestation of God working
42:17
in a supernatural way that is highly unusual.
42:20
And thank you, Lord. But if you find out that
42:24
a great percentage of the income is going to
42:26
the leader if you find out that there's immorality
42:30
behind the scenes if you find out that people
42:33
are being manipulated and the orphanage that
42:36
they're supporting actually is pictures that
42:38
is shot in Southern California right across the
42:40
border Then what you say to yourself, you know
42:42
what? I don't understand how those things happened
42:46
in that room and They sure seem supernatural,
42:49
but this is not a ministry from God. And by the
42:51
way, it's not new The apostle Paul, 2 Corinthians,
42:55
you might jot this down, 11 and verses 13 through
42:58
15, in his day. He said, everything that appears
43:02
supernatural, don't buy into thinking that's
43:04
necessarily from God. He talks about false prophets
43:07
in 2 Corinthians 11. He says, for such men are
43:09
false prophets, deceitful workers, masquerading
43:11
as apostles of Christ, and no wonder for Satan
43:14
himself masquerades as an angel of light. Is
43:16
it not surprising then, if the servants masquerade
43:19
as servants of righteousness, their end will
43:21
be their actions, what their actions deserve.
43:25
And what he's saying is, you know, there are
43:27
some times where, guess what? Supernatural apparent
43:32
manifestations need to be tested. What's 1 John
43:36
say? Test the spirits, examine them. Is it true,
43:39
is it not? The final warning here is beware of
43:43
viewing the discovery, development, and deployment
43:45
of your spiritual gift as either an optional
43:47
exercise or interesting but not serious responsibility.
43:52
I have given you two passages, Ephesians 4, 7,
43:54
and 2 Corinthians 5, 9, and 10. See, here's my
43:59
observation of the body of Christ, by and large,
44:01
and my confession is, for many years, even as
44:03
a pastor, oh, spiritual gifts, that's really
44:05
cool. I guess there's this long, long salad bar
44:08
of maybe 25 or 30 -some spiritual gifts, and
44:10
you know something, I'm eating a good meal, meat
44:12
and potatoes, you know, I wanna be a disciple,
44:14
I wanna grow, you know, I wanna love my wife,
44:16
wanna be a good dad, and I'll find my place in
44:19
the church, and there's a salad bar, it's mostly
44:21
desserts, you know, a little bit of salad, you
44:22
know, you can live without salad. And you can
44:24
live without desserts. You know, they got the
44:26
salad and the dessert bar. And if I have a little
44:28
extra time, someday, some way, I think I'll go
44:31
to the spiritual, you know, dessert bar or the
44:33
salad bar and say, you know, maybe I have this,
44:35
oh, that's kind of interesting, I don't know,
44:36
Bob's got that one, I think he's a cool guy,
44:38
you know? And maybe it's this one and I don't
44:40
know, and you know, maybe I get on my plate and
44:42
I say, well, it's probably one of these five
44:44
or six or seven or eight or nine or 10 or 11,
44:47
depending on who I'm talking to and how I feel
44:49
on that day. And then you just set them on the
44:51
table. And that's the attitude towards spiritual
44:55
gifts. In Ephesians 4, 7 to 10 is a very interesting
44:58
passage about the work of Christ. And it talks
45:01
about him dying, going to the lower parts of
45:06
the earth and proclaiming victory over sin, victory
45:10
over Satan, and victory over death. And the evidence
45:13
of that victory proclaimed is, and he gave gifts
45:17
to men. The spoils the evidence it's that picture
45:22
of a general who wins a great army and there's
45:24
all this plunder and he brings You know the the
45:27
enemy often in ancient days. They would come
45:30
in chains often either stripped to the waist
45:32
or naked And they would parade them back through
45:35
the hometown, and the general, the victor general,
45:38
usually on a white horse would come, and behind
45:41
them would be all the spoils, you know, the camels
45:43
and the donkeys and the jewelry and the gold
45:45
and the silver. And he would take that and give
45:47
it to his officers, take that and give it to
45:49
the people, and then he would take and give gifts
45:51
to all the people of the city. And it was the
45:54
evidence that they were the bad guys, and we
45:57
are the good guys. They were... stronger than
46:00
us or they thought they were, and we won the
46:03
battle, and this gift that you have is a reminder
46:05
that we are winners. And every time you say to
46:11
yourself, I'm gonna discover my spiritual gift,
46:13
you're saying, I'm gonna value the sacrifice
46:15
and the victory of Christ and remind myself that
46:18
I am a victor today, present tense, over sin
46:20
and its power, over death and over the enemy's
46:23
power. And when I develop my gift, I'm saying,
46:26
God, thank you for this gift that you gave me.
46:28
It is a stewardship, and I'm gonna develop it,
46:31
I'm gonna deploy it, and it's not optional, and
46:33
it's not semi -serious, and not to do some day
46:35
some way. It's not a salad bar. It belongs on
46:37
a plate with the meat, and the tapetes, and the
46:40
diet of my life. I'm gonna seriously discover
46:42
who you made me to be because you died and rose
46:47
from the dead, and you're a victory. You decided
46:49
the way to earmark that for me was my spiritual
46:51
gift. It is not an optional. interesting thing
46:54
to do. It's important. That's the positive reason.
46:59
The negative reason is in 2 Corinthians 5, verses
47:01
9 and 10, and the apostle Paul says, so we make
47:04
it our goal to please him, Christ, whether we
47:06
are at home in the body or away from it, for
47:08
we all must appear before the judgment seat of
47:11
Christ, the Bema seat. that each one may receive
47:14
what is due him for things done in the body,
47:17
whether good or bad. And the Bema Seat or the
47:19
Judgment Seat of Christ is not about a person
47:22
judgment of heaven or hell. That's accomplished
47:26
at the cross. The moment I receive Jesus. As
47:29
my savior, my sins are forgiven, my sins are
47:31
judged, I now get the imputed righteousness of
47:34
Christ, I have a brand new relationship with
47:36
him, and then I live out as a steward out of
47:38
gratitude, all that he's done for me as a believer,
47:40
then I will stand before the judgment seat of
47:42
Christ for my works done as a believer, and I
47:46
will either have rewards or loss, either gold,
47:48
silver, precious stones, or wood, hay, stubble.
47:50
First Corinthians three. And I'm gonna stand,
47:54
he's gonna say, Ingram, what did you do with
47:55
the time, the money, the spiritual gifts, and
47:58
the opportunity I gave you? You were my workmanship.
48:02
I created you in Christ Jesus for good works
48:05
that I preordained before the foundations of
48:07
the earth, and to do those good works, I put
48:09
you in this family, I give you these spiritual
48:11
gifts, I give you this opportunity, this much
48:14
time, this much money, and I wanna know, what
48:16
did you do with the investment in you? And I
48:20
don't know about you, that's sobering. I mean,
48:23
on a good day, it scares me to death. I want
48:26
to do what? I want to be a good steward. No,
48:29
I want to be a great steward. I want to discover
48:31
my gift. I want to develop my gift. Remember,
48:33
gifts are like muscles. You may have it, but
48:37
what are you doing? Exercise is how you develop
48:41
it. Learning, training, education, exercise,
48:45
rubbing up against people that have your gift,
48:47
getting around people that have the opposite
48:48
set of gifts so they help mature you and round
48:51
you out in good areas. Those are 10 warnings
48:54
that for me I want to keep on the spiritual dashboard
48:57
of the spiritual car that I'm driving So that
49:00
when one of those lights go off, I'm gonna at
49:03
least stop the car look under the hood and say
49:05
hey You know, I'm not sure what's going on here
49:08
But maybe spiritual gift abuse because one of
49:11
the reasons people don't teach on spiritual gifts
49:13
is I mean it can cause a lot of division and
49:17
There's so many extremes as a pastor you think
49:19
I don't want to teach on this because you know
49:21
in the group You know the minute you start teaching
49:23
on it, there's people over here, there's people
49:25
over here, and people back there that have had
49:27
a bad experience. But I think because of that,
49:30
we've neglected one of the greatest teachings
49:32
in the church, and we're gonna be stewards called
49:34
to account. Now what's your action plan? Okay,
49:40
I mean, we spent some great time together. I
49:42
mean, and if it's a sober, what's your action
49:44
plan? Is this gonna be where, okay, we've gone
49:46
through this session, wow, I now understand a
49:49
little bit more about spiritual gifts, I've thought
49:51
about it, and what's gonna take you from where
49:54
you are right here to, if not, if you haven't
49:58
discovered it, you discovered it. If you pretty
50:00
well discovered it, you start developing. If
50:02
you're starting to develop it, you really deploy
50:03
it. If you've already discovered it, developed
50:06
it, how are you gonna deploy it to the max in
50:09
the body of Christ? Can I give you a very quick
50:11
action plan that I think summarizes sort of,
50:14
This is how to go about it. Number one, get your
50:17
pen out, you'll need it, because I want you to
50:18
fill these in. Your spiritual gift action plan
50:21
one, write the word commit to discover, develop,
50:24
and deploy your spiritual gift in the local body.
50:29
I mean, and when I say commit, what I mean is,
50:33
God before you, this is Lordship. I want you
50:35
to bow your head, and just like, remember the
50:38
day some of you that got married, or some of
50:40
you that signed on and made a commitment, tell
50:42
God, Lord, I'm afraid, I don't know, I'm not
50:45
sure, but I'm telling you, if you'll show me
50:48
my gift, so help me, I'll do whatever it takes
50:50
to learn it. Make a commitment. And then I'll
50:54
talk to you about what that commitment's gonna
50:55
look like. Second, pray seriously seeking divine
50:59
guidance. Don't you think God wants to show you?
51:02
Didn't Jesus say ask, seek, knock? Doesn't he
51:07
want to open and this isn't like, okay, let's
51:10
try and make it as hard as possible, let's move
51:12
this gift around. The Lord loves you, he died,
51:15
he gave you a gift, pray. But if you pray one
51:19
day and then you pray next month, you must not
51:21
really want it. I mean, put it on your list,
51:24
write it on a card. Lord, I'm asking today. You
51:28
said seek, I'm seeking. You said ask, I'm asking.
51:30
You said knock, I'm knocking. Will you show me?
51:33
Make it real. And you can just do it like this
51:36
gradually. You can have it just bang. I don't
51:38
care. But I am going to seek your face. I made
51:41
a commitment. So I'm going to pray every day
51:44
that you help me discover, deploy, and develop
51:46
my gift. Third is study the gift passages in
51:49
God's word and the corresponding handouts I think
51:53
will help you. You know, this isn't just some
51:55
mystical thing. Get your nose in the word. You
51:59
know, I wonder, you know, I'm not sure that Ingram
52:01
guy on this one gift, you know. Get out of commentary.
52:04
You know, dig in and say, what are these gifts?
52:07
How do they really work? It's not what I think.
52:09
It's not what your pastor thinks. I hope we can
52:12
help you, but you get your nose in the scripture
52:14
and say, I want to discover what your word says
52:17
about gifts. I've narrowed it down to here. And
52:19
as you get into the scriptures, God's going to
52:22
reveal it to you. Number four, get quality counsel.
52:27
Quality counsel. Find people who really know
52:29
you, people that are spiritually mature and people
52:32
that will tell you the truth. By the way, that's
52:34
a rare combination. Find people that really know
52:38
you, love you enough to hurt your feelings. Look,
52:41
no, you do not have the gift of mercy, okay?
52:44
What do you mean I don't have the gift of mercy?
52:46
Trust me on this, you don't have the gift of
52:48
mercy. They know you, they're mature and they'll
52:52
tell you the truth. Number five, test the waters.
52:56
And I just put for six or eight weeks, maybe
52:58
it's better for three or four months. Man, you
53:01
gotta jump. and just go to some ministry in your
53:05
local church that you think you might be gifted
53:07
for, and just say, I'd like to sign up for three
53:09
months, and write it out. At the end of three
53:12
months, I'm done. I'll renegotiate and re -sign
53:15
up so you don't get like on, yes, I'd like to
53:17
discover the gift of teaching in the third grade
53:18
class, and you're like 11 years later, someone
53:21
comes back and says, so you think you got it
53:23
or not? Right, we all been there? And then we
53:26
have a little meeting to say, is it a fit or
53:28
not a fit? And if it's not, you step back, and
53:30
you know what? No guilt, no manipulations. Well,
53:32
who's gonna teach the third graders if you leave?
53:35
And the answer is someone with the gift of teaching.
53:37
I don't have it. Okay? Test the waters. Number
53:41
six, examine the fulfillment factor. I mean,
53:45
this is not the easy factor. When you're in your
53:50
gifts, remember the old Chariots of Fire movie?
53:53
Remember, you know, remember the guy who was
53:54
real fast and he ended up being a missionary?
53:56
And I love that line in the movie, you know,
53:58
bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum,
54:01
bum, bum, bum, bum. If you haven't seen that
54:02
movie, go read it, bum, bum, bum, bum, bum. And
54:04
he goes, I feel God's pleasure when I run. What
54:08
do you do in the body of Christ where you feel
54:11
God's pleasure? Not just it's fun, but you feel
54:14
God's pleasure. As intimidated as I was at that
54:17
conference at Moody, When I got to talk about
54:20
the character of God in my gifts to a group of
54:22
people, and actually the fact that it went out
54:25
on the airways and went around the world made
54:28
it more intimidating on the one hand, but for
54:31
me and my gifts, it was like there's more skin
54:34
in the game, man, I feel God's pleasure. I mean,
54:36
ask me, do I wanna proclaim God's truth about
54:39
walking with God and repenting and being God's
54:42
church to 10 people, 10 ,000 or 10 million? 10
54:45
million. It's just who God made me to be. I want
54:48
his word to get to so many people in relevant
54:51
ways where their lives change. Doesn't mean it's
54:54
easy. I was scared to death. But there's a fulfillment
54:57
factor. And the final one here is recognize God's
55:01
evident blessing. When you are in your gifts,
55:03
it doesn't mean that things are gonna change
55:05
overnight, but God will use your life. People
55:08
will come up and say things to you like, wow,
55:10
I can't believe what's happening to my son. I
55:12
mean, it was kind of a so -so youth group, and
55:14
I don't know what it is about you, but just your
55:16
interaction. He wants to come, but not for the
55:18
youth pastor, just to get to talk to you. You
55:20
know, I can't figure out what's happening around
55:22
here, but you know, we didn't used to care about
55:24
people, but you know, I was one of those people
55:26
on the sidelines, and your invitation, and when
55:29
you put your arm around me, and when you believed
55:31
in me when no one else would, you're gonna see
55:34
God use your life. You are his workmanship. You
55:38
are special. He's created you in Christ Jesus
55:41
He has wonderful works for you to walk in and
55:46
Those works are going to be highly determined
55:48
by the supernatural endowments given to you by
55:52
Jesus Activated by the Holy Spirit in alignment
55:58
with God's Word so that the glory of God and
56:04
the preeminence of Christ is exalted. And when
56:07
that happens, it's a beautiful thing. Not only
56:09
for the church, but for a watching world that
56:12
really wonders whether all that we're up to makes
56:15
sense. This is Living on the Edge with Chip Ingram
56:21
in a message titled, Warning! Beware of Spiritual
56:24
Gift Abuse. It's the final part of a series called
56:27
You Were Made for More. which you can always
56:29
revisit online at livingontheedge .org or download
56:33
the Chipping Room app for easy access straight
56:36
from your smart device. You can also find full
56:39
-length sermons through the Chip Ingram Sermon
56:41
Podcast, wherever you get your podcasts. Well,
56:45
throughout this series, Chip has reminded us
56:46
that discovering, developing, and deploying your
56:49
spiritual gift isn't optional. One day you'll
56:52
stand before Christ and give an account for what
56:54
you did with what He gave you. And that's not
56:57
meant to frighten you, it's meant to free you,
56:59
because the God who created you for good works
57:02
also gave you exactly what you need to do them.
57:05
The biblical command is simple and clear. Don't
57:08
waste your gift. And perhaps the best next step
57:11
you can take right now is to start figuring out
57:14
exactly how God wired you. We've built a free
57:17
tool to help you do just that. It's called The
57:20
Real You, a short, biblically grounded online
57:22
tool that helps you understand how God has wired
57:25
you from the inside out. Take the assessment
57:28
absolutely free by going to therealyou .org.
57:33
If Living on the Edge has played any part in
57:36
helping you understand how God has wired you,
57:39
consider giving today so someone else can have
57:41
that same experience. Every gift, monthly or
57:44
just one time, keeps this teaching reaching people
57:47
who need it. Give online at livingontheedge .org
57:50
or call us at 888 -333 -6003. Well now here's
57:57
Chip. As we close today's program, I went pretty
58:00
quickly through that spiritual gift action plan.
58:03
So let me go over it again with the goal of you
58:07
actually discovering your spiritual gift and
58:10
then deploying it. Number one, commit to discover,
58:13
deploy, and develop your gift. Number two, pray.
58:16
Ask God, he wants to show you. Study God's word
58:20
and the handouts. Get clear on what each gift
58:23
is and what they mean. Get quality counsel. Find
58:28
people who will tell you the truth about where
58:30
and how they see, God's gifts working in action
58:34
in your life. Number five, test the waters. I
58:37
mean, six to eight weeks, just jump in somehow
58:40
some way to put your potential gift into practice.
58:44
Number six, examine the fulfillment factor. When
58:47
you function in your gifts, you'll sense God's
58:49
approval and you'll say, wow, I love to do this.
58:52
Number seven, recognize God's evident blessing.
58:55
When your spiritual gift is at work, something
58:58
happens in the lives of others. God's purpose
59:02
will be fulfilled when you discover this is what
59:06
He gave you to do what He made you and called
59:09
you to do. Let's discover and deploy our spiritual
59:13
gifts. I'm Dave Druy, and that's all our time
59:16
for today. Thanks for joining us, and we'll see
59:18
you here next time for more insightful, practical
59:21
Bible teaching on Living on the Edge with Chip
59:24
and Group. Today's program is produced and sponsored
59:29
by Living on the Edge.