Session 3: Spiritual Gifts- Part 2

Session 3: Spiritual Gifts - Part 2 from buildingchuch.net

1. Spiritual Gifts and the Traditional Church
The results:
The 80/20 rule: 20% of the people do 80% of the work (at best).
Super-servant mentality - "Whatever/Wherever the church needs me."
Indispensibility complex - "If I don’t do it, it won’t get done."
The effects on seeking biblical understanding:
God’s call is lost in Church’s needs or desires
satisfaction diminishes and burn-out occurs
individuality is lost-when you are not functioning in your position in the body, you become like a piece of a machine, rather than an organ in a body.
Overcoming the effects:
Crisis motivation--pre-thought reactions.
Consider what draws you-the things that attract your attention are either your motivations or the direct opposite of your motivations.
Joy factor-consider the satisfaction you get from a ministry-how it energizes you, or drains your energy.

2. The Sign (Supernatural) Gifts and the Traditional Church
The cessationist viewpoint:
1 Corinthians 13:8-12-"they will cease, . . . be stilled, . . . pass away."
Tradition points to the completion of the canon of Scripture
Argument is weak at best
Passage seems to point to the return of Christ
History of the Church
Gifts seemed to disappear around 300AD, not to be prominent again until late 1800's
Spiritual gifts as a whole were lost in the hierarchy of the church-state.
With spiritual gifts, priesthood of believers and ministry of believers were lost.
Priesthood was rediscovered with Martin Luther at the Reformation
Ministry was not rediscovered until 20th century with the rise of Pentecostalism
Conclusion
The sign gifts seem to be the least of the gifts - 1 Corinthians 12:28-30
We should desire the greater gifts - 1 Corinthians 12:31;14:1
We should not forbid the use of any gift - 1 Corinthians 14:39
All gifts should be done orderly and for the building up of the church - 1 Corinthians 14:26, 40.
Anti-Supernatural Bias
Common arguments:
There’s a rational explanation for everything
I’ve never seen or experienced anything truly supernatural
Biblical arguments:
Jesus believed in the supernatural
Satan
Demons
Healings
Miracles
Your salvation and regeneration is a supernatural event.
Denial of supernatural denies God’s existence and essence.

3. Sign (Supernatural) Gifts
Ekballism
Healing
Miracles
Tongues
Interpretation of Tongues

4. Practical Gifts
ALL of these gifts are also spiritual disciplines-as previously pointed out, those who are gifted in these areas have a mark for ministry and should be active in training others in the particular spiritual discipline. Christians not gifted in a spiritual discipline should be actively learning from those who are gifted in the area, in order to mature in their spiritual walk.
Discerning of Spirits
Evangelism
Faith
Giving
Helps
Hospitality
Intercession
Knowledge
Mercy
Service
Voluntary Poverty
Wisdom

Discussion:
Other than the information contained in the outline, discussion primarily revolved around the bias regarding the Sign Gifts in the American conservative church, and how we should properly view them with a biblical understanding. Basic information is given in the definitions for each of the sign gifts in the Find Your Place workbook.

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