SERMON TITLE: Gifts of the Spirit
SCRIPTURE: Romans 12:4-8 (ESV)
SPEAKER: Josh Hanson
DATE: 2-16-25
Sermon Discussion Guide
Take notes here
As always it’s a joy to be with all of you this weekend at Gateway Church. And if this happens to be your first time with us — if you’re joining us at our North Main Campus or are with our friends in Bucyrus — I want you to know that God loves you and that I love you too.
We’re continuing our series in Romans this weekend — seeing how the rich doctrine that Paul teaches in the first eleven chapters — is meant to play itself out in how we live as followers of Jesus. And — last week — we saw how — because of what we believe about God, ourselves, salvation, and what God is doing in his creation — we’re to be a humble people united together to serve one another. And — that last part — serving one another — is a section of our passage that needs more of our time and attention — so much attention that this is will feel like a sermon series within a sermon series.
But — before we get to that — let’s turn to our verses for today. If you have your Bible — please turn with me to Romans chapter twelve. We’ll be in Romans chapter twelve — looking at verses four through eight. There Paul writes…
Romans 12:4–8 ESV
4 For as in one body we have many members, and the members do not all have the same function, 5 so we, though many, are one body in Christ, and individually members one of another. 6 Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7 if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8 the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
Last week we looked at this metaphor — the human body — that Paul likes to use to demonstrate our interdependence and interconnectedness with each other. But our focus — in this mini-series — is going to be on the spiritual gifts he mentions. We’re going to take time to look at these spiritual gifts so we gain a better understanding of what the spiritual gifts are, why God gives them to us, how they’re to be used in the church, and for what purpose.
Now — maybe you’re a Christian or maybe you’re not — regardless — you may be thinking, “Why should spiritual gifts matter to me?” First — if you’re a Christian — here’s why this topic is important and relevant to you. Paul writes this to Christians living in the city of Corinth.
1 Corinthians 12:1 ESV
Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed.
The spiritual gifts were important enough to the apostle Paul that he took time to explain what they are and how they’re to be used to the Christians in Corinth. And — to start off his explanation of the gifts — he says, “I don’t want you to be ignorant about the gifts of the Spirit.” And — having been in pastoral ministry for nearly twenty years — I find that many Christians are uninformed about spiritual gifts. To include what spiritual gifts they have and don’t have, why the Spirit has given his people gifts, and so on. So we’re going to take time to make sure we’re all informed about the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Now — if you’re an unbeliever — not a Christian — here’s why the spiritual gifts may be of interest to you. I find that most people are quite open to spiritual experiences. Few people in our country today are truly atheists — most believe in some sort of spiritual world. And — what I hope you’ll see in these sermons — is how the spiritual power of the Christian faith has no equal in the other religions, faiths, and spiritualities. Not so you’re attracted to the gifts — but so you’re drawn to the God who is the giver of — not only these spiritual gifts — but of every good gift in our lives — including the gift of salvation that’s offered to us in Jesus Christ.
But — before we start exploring the gifts of the Spirit — let’s first define what spiritual gifts are. If you were here in the fall — I shared this definition of spiritual gifts in my sermon on hearing from God.
Spiritual gifts are abilities given to individual believers by the Holy Spirit in order to equip God’s people for ministry, both for the edification of the church and for God’s salvific mission to the world. - Lexham Survey of Theology
First — notice that spiritual gifts are abilities given to individual believers by the Holy Spirit. A truth of the Christian faith is that every person who believes in Jesus is filled with the Holy Spirit. Meaning — the Spirit of God — the third person of the Trinity — indwells — or lives in — or takes up residence — in every man, woman, and child who believes in Jesus. And this is described in the Bible as being filled with the Holy Spirit.
For example — in the book of Acts we read…
Acts 2:1–4 ESV
1 When the day of Pentecost arrived, they were all together in one place. 2 And suddenly there came from heaven a sound like a mighty rushing wind, and it filled the entire house where they were sitting. 3 And divided tongues as of fire appeared to them and rested on each one of them. 4 And they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit gave them utterance.
Later we read…
Acts 4:8 ESV
8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them…
And…
Acts 4:31 ESV
31 When they had prayed, the place in which they were gathered together was shaken, and they were all filled with the Holy Spirit and continued to speak the word of God with boldness.
And…
Acts 9:17 ESV
17 So Ananias departed and entered the house. And laying his hands on him he said, “Brother Saul, the Lord Jesus who appeared to you on the road by which you came has sent me so that you may regain your sight and be filled with the Holy Spirit.”
And…
Acts 13:9–10 ESV
9 Saul, who was also called Paul, filled with the Holy Spirit, looked intently at him 10 and said, “You son of the devil, you enemy of all righteousness, full of all deceit and villainy, will you not stop making crooked the straight paths of the Lord?
And…
Acts 13:52 ESV
52 The disciples were filled with joy and with the Holy Spirit.
Whether it be the original apostles — minus Judas — or just Peter — or some ordinary followers of Jesus — or the apostle Paul — we find that believers in Jesus Christ are filled with the Holy Spirit. Therefore — if you are a believer in Jesus — you are filled with the Holy Spirit. The Spirit of God — the One who hovered over the darkness before creation — the same Spirit of God who filled the prophets of the Old Testament to speak on behalf of God — the same Spirit who descended in the form of a dove to anoint and empower Jesus for ministry — is the same Holy Spirit who lives in you — if you believe in Jesus.
For — as Jesus told his disciples…
John 14:15–17 NLT
15 “If you love me, obey my commandments. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Advocate, who will never leave you. 17 He is the Holy Spirit, who leads into all truth. The world cannot receive him, because it isn’t looking for him and doesn’t recognize him. But you know him, because he lives with you now and later will be in you.
Later Jesus says…
John 16:7 NLT
7 But in fact, it is best for you that I go away, because if I don’t, the Advocate won’t come. If I do go away, then I will send him to you.
And…
John 16:13–15 NLT
13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all truth. He will not speak on his own but will tell you what he has heard. He will tell you about the future. 14 He will bring me glory by telling you whatever he receives from me. 15 All that belongs to the Father is mine; this is why I said, ‘The Spirit will tell you whatever he receives from me.’
And as Paul reminds us…
2 Timothy 1:6–7 ESV
6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands, 7 for God gave us a spirit not of fear but of power and love and self-control.
My hope and prayer is that — for all of us — like Bear Grylls blowing on a small ember causing it to ignite into a flame — that this series will cause the gifts that God’s Spirit has given to you to roar into a spiritual fire. For our God — your God, if you believe in Jesus — hasn’t filled you with a spirit of fear, but one of power, love, and self-control. And there’s no such thing as a “non-filled with the Holy Spirit” Christian. If you believe in Jesus — God’s Spirit does live in you. There aren’t those who are slain in the Spirit and those who aren’t — slain in the Spirit isn’t a phrase in the Bible, by the way. There aren’t Christians who are baptized in the Holy Spirit and Christians who aren’t.
And — though we may quench what the Spirit wants to do in our lives — be assured — in the New Testament we find examples where Christians are said to be filled with the Holy Spirit again. Not in the sense that the Spirit had left them — but in the sense of a renewing of the power of the Spirit in their lives. Something else I’m looking forward to as we explore God’s Word together — a renewal of the Spirit’s power in our lives as we submit ourselves to his Word.
But back to our definition of spiritual gifts: Spiritual gifts are abilities given to individual believers by the Holy Spirit in order to equip God’s people for ministry, both for the edification of the church and for God’s salvific mission to the world. - Lexham Survey of Theology
Notice the purpose of spiritual gifts. They’re given to equip God’s people for two specific aspects of ministry. One — for the edification — our building up — or spiritual maturing of the church. And two — for God’s salvific mission — or saving work — to the world.
So — first — spiritual gifts are meant to help God’s church mature. We looked at this passage last week — but it’s worth reading again. To the Ephesians Paul writes…
Ephesians 4:11–16 ESV
11 And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12 to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14 so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15 Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, 16 from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love.
We’ll look at specific gifts — and roles in the church associated with certain gifts — in the weeks ahead — but for now notice what Paul tells us is the purpose of the gifts. Spiritual gifts are given to equip God’s people for ministry — including the ministry of building up the body of Christ — and the local church is what Paul is referring to. So get this — the Holy Spirit’s goal in giving these gifts is so that we’ll grow in our unity of the faith — meaning the doctrine we believe — because what we believe leads to how we behave. And these gifts are given specifically so that — together — we’ll grow in our unity about what we believe about Jesus.
Think of the important doctrines that focus on Jesus.
Just to name a few of the important doctrines that the Holy Spirit has given to all — who are a part of Gateway Church and believe in Jesus — specific spiritual gifts to — so that we grow in our unity in what we believe about these doctrines. So that we’re not like a ship on choppy waters — tossed around by the winds of culture, and human cunning, and craftiness — which are meant to cause us to drift at sea — lose our way — and maybe even shipwreck our faith. Spiritual gifts are not given for division — they’re given to unify us.
Back to our interconnectedness and interdependence. The Holy Spirit has gifted you — if you believe in Jesus — to build me — Pastor Josh — up. To help me grow in spiritual maturity. To keep me from being shipwrecked in my faith. Just like the Holy Spirit has gifted me to build you all up — to help you grow in spiritual maturity — to keep you from being shipwrecked in your faith. The people sitting next to you — the people who attend other worship services — and even the other campus than you — have been filled with the Holy Spirit and have been gifted in ways for your eternal good — and you’ve been filled with the Holy Spirit and have been gifted in ways for their eternal good too.
But there’s a second purpose of the gifts that we’re not to forget: Spiritual gifts are abilities given to individual believers by the Holy Spirit in order to equip God’s people for ministry, both for the edification of the church and for God’s salvific mission to the world. - Lexham Survey of Theology
The Holy Spirit equips God’s people for the ministry of reaching the lost world with the gospel. We cannot accomplish the mission we’ve been given without being empowered by the Spirit of God. Around here we say that our goal is to make disciples who are Word and Spirit Christians and who are Kingdom-minded.
As Jesus said…
Matthew 28:18–20 ESV
18 “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Go therefore and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 teaching them to observe all that I have commanded you. And behold, I am with you always, to the end of the age.”
And in the book of Acts he says…
Acts 1:8 ESV
8 But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.”
The mission we’ve been given — of making disciples of all nations — is a mission that will only be accomplished by the power of the Holy Spirit. And in this spiritually curious culture in which we live — and with many religions in our world displaying dark spiritual power — I wonder if we Christians — at least here in the US — have been seemingly so weak in our witness because we’ve been trying to accomplish our mission without the power of the Holy Spirit.
For as Paul warns us…
2 Timothy 3:1–5 NLT
1 You should know this, Timothy, that in the last days there will be very difficult times. 2 For people will love only themselves and their money. They will be boastful and proud, scoffing at God, disobedient to their parents, and ungrateful. They will consider nothing sacred. 3 They will be unloving and unforgiving; they will slander others and have no self-control. They will be cruel and hate what is good. 4 They will betray their friends, be reckless, be puffed up with pride, and love pleasure rather than God. 5 They will act religious, but they will reject the power that could make them godly. Stay away from people like that!
What I find concerning — as a pastor — is how we Christians easily see the indicators of living in the last days — people being lovers of themselves and proud, disobedient and ungrateful, where nothing is sacred, and so on — and then completely ignore Paul’s warning about people acting religious while rejecting the power that could make them godly. And — I think we do this — because we don’t see the connection between the Spirit’s power and our godliness in Scripture.
Yet — Peter — after healing a man who’d never walked a day in his life — which caused quite a stir in the crowd who witnessed the healing — said…
Acts 3:12 NLT
12 “People of Israel,” he said, “what is so surprising about this? And why stare at us as though we had made this man walk by our own power or godliness?
Peter’s like, “Don’t look at me as if I’m the reason why this guy was healed — as if my power or godliness has something to do with it” — and then points the people to Jesus. Peter would go on to write these words.
2 Peter 1:3–8 NLT
3 By his divine power, God has given us everything we need for living a godly life. We have received all of this by coming to know him, the one who called us to himself by means of his marvelous glory and excellence. 4 And because of his glory and excellence, he has given us great and precious promises. These are the promises that enable you to share his divine nature and escape the world’s corruption caused by human desires. 5 In view of all this, make every effort to respond to God’s promises. Supplement your faith with a generous provision of moral excellence, and moral excellence with knowledge, 6 and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with patient endurance, and patient endurance with godliness, 7 and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love for everyone. 8 The more you grow like this, the more productive and useful you will be in your knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ.
Peter says that — because of God’s power — we have everything we need to live a godly life. Thus — in order to not be the people Paul warns about — people who act religious yet reject the power that could make us godly — we must not be ignorant of the gifts of the Holy Spirit. For the Spirit empowers the people of God with himself and gifts us with special abilities so that the lost world is reached with the gospel. In fact — and I find this to be quite amazing — the Holy Spirit empowering you and me with his spiritual gifts is the Spirit displaying himself in and through us.
I’ll show you in Scripture and then I’ll explain what this means. Paul writes…
1 Corinthians 12:4–7 ESV
4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
Paul says that each — many every person who believes in Jesus — is given the manifestation of the Spirit. The word manifestation means “disclosure or a clear display or evidence of.” Other Bible translations have “spiritual gifts” instead of “manifestations of the Spirit.” But — what I want us to consider is: What does it mean for these spiritual gifts to be evidence of — or a clear display of — the Holy Spirit who lives in us? It means that spiritual gifts aren’t the equivalent of the Spirit dropping off a gift on our doorstep like an Amazon delivery driver. Spiritual gifts are the Holy Spirit displaying himself through the people he lives in.
How incredible is that? That you — yes you, if you believe in Jesus — are means by which the Holy Spirit — the third person of the Trinity — displays himself for the good of others. What a calling? What a responsibility? What a reason to live a life of godliness, and to pursue holiness, and to read God’s Word, and to pray — because all of these activities are used to refine us so we’re more faithful vessels through which the Holy Spirit can display himself to others.
Now — at this point — many among us might still be thinking, “But, Josh, I still don’t have any idea what spiritual gift I have.” That’s what this series is about. In the coming weeks we’re going to look more closely at the spiritual gifts Paul mentions in Romans, we’ll look at examples of them being used, make observations about the gifts, talk about how the spiritual gifts are used at Gateway, and how to discover what spiritual gifts you have — so know that’s where we’re headed.
But I thought I’d leave you with a taste of what’s to come. If you Google “spiritual gifts” — I’m going to be honest — I have no idea what you’ll find. There are all kinds of books on the spiritual gifts — and different authors come up with different lists — there’s no consensus. And the list I’m about to share is by theologian Wayne Grudem.
But — before we get to the list — know that — generally speaking — spiritual gifts can be categorized into two groups.
Speaking Gifts
Serving Gifts
This comes from Peter's words where he writes…
1 Peter 4:10–11 ESV
10 As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11 whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies — in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
Regardless if a speaking gift or a serving gift — all spiritual gifts are important and necessary for us to grow up into our maturity in Christ — as a congregation — so we make our God look glorious to the world.
So here’s Grudem’s list of the spiritual gifts. These will be in alphabetical order and the definitions of the gifts I’ve copied from giftstest.com as I think they are easy to understand definitions. We won’t look at all of these in the coming weeks — just the gifts that Paul mentions in Romans — but I thought it’d be good to share a lengthier list with you.
Administration - The gift of administration is the divine strength or ability to organize multiple tasks and groups of people to accomplish these tasks.
Apostleship - The gift of apostleship is the divine strength or ability to pioneer new churches and ministries through planting, overseeing, and training.
Evangelism - The gift of evangelism is the divine strength or ability to help non-Christians take the necessary steps to becoming a born-again Christian.
Exhortation/Encouragement - The gift of exhortation is the divine strength or ability to strengthen, comfort or urge others to action through the written or spoken word and Biblical truth.
Healing - The gifts of healing is the divine strength or ability to act as an intermediary in faith, prayer, and by the laying-on of hands for the healing of physical, mental and spiritual sickness.
Helps - The gift of helps is the divine strength or ability to work in a supportive role for the accomplishment of tasks in Christian ministry with the ability to often see the need before others do.
Hospitality - The gift of hospitality is the divine strength or ability to create warm, welcoming environments for others in places such as your home, office, or church.
Intercession - The gift of intercession is the divine strength or ability to stand in the gap in prayer for someone, something, or someplace, believing for profound results.
Word of Knowledge - The gift of knowledge is the divine strength or ability to bring truth to a situation by supernatural revelation. This is often accompanied by a word from God.
Leadership - The gift of leadership is the divine strength or ability to influence people at their level while directing and focusing them on the big picture, vision, or idea.
Mercy - The gift of mercy is the divine strength or ability to feel empathy and to care for those who are hurting in any way.
Miracles - The gift of miracles is the divine strength or ability to alter the natural outcomes of life in a supernatural way through prayer, faith, and divine direction.
Pastor/Shepherd - The gift of pastor/shepherd is the divine strength or ability to care for the personal needs of others by nurturing and mending life issues.
Service - The gift of serving is the divine strength or ability to do small or great tasks in working for the overall good of the body of Christ.
Tongues (and Interpretation) - The gift of tongues is the divine strength or ability to pray in a heavenly language to encourage your spirit and to commune with God. The gift of tongues is often accompanied by interpretation and should be used appropriately.
Word of Wisdom - The gift of wisdom is the divine strength or ability to understand and to bring clarity to situations and circumstances often through applying the truths of Scripture in a practical way.
Two gifts that may surprise you are…
Singleness/Celibacy
Marriage
Four final comments. First — don’t put all of your eggs in the “I took an online spiritual gifts test so these must be the gifts I have” basket. Believe it or not, the people Paul wrote his letters to didn’t have online spiritual gifts tests to help them figure out their gifts. So don’t put all of your eggs in the spiritual gifts test basket, but don’t take all of your eggs out of the basket either. The tests can be helpful, but they’re not infallible.
Second — in case you’re wondering — “If I don’t have the gift of mercy, does that mean I don’t have to be merciful?” The answer is “Yes, you do have to be merciful.” Why? Because God has commanded all of his people to be merciful. And to evangelize. And to serve. Many of the gifts have commands associated with them that all Christians are to obey — yet — though we’re all to obey the commands — some of us who have the accompanying spiritual gift will see greater spiritual results than others who don’t have the gift.
Three, though the Holy Spirit gives every single Christian at least one spiritual gift — it’s quite common for an individual Christian to have multiple gifts — some of the gifts being stronger or more dominant or more regularly seen in his or her life than others. Yet no individual Christian has all of the spiritual gifts. Remember — we need each other.
Fourth, in Ephesians chapter four — Paul lists offices — apostles, prophets, evangelists, pastors and teachers. These offices — or roles in the church — obviously have accompanying spiritual gifts. However, having a spiritual gift doesn’t necessarily mean that someone is called to and/or qualified to hold the accompanying office. Easy example: Professional pastors — those who are paid by a church — are not the only Christians with the spiritual gift of shepherding/pastoring. Many Christians may have this gift — but far fewer are called to be pastors — in the professional sense.
CONCLUSION
Now — to close — I thought I’d share with you my top five spiritual gifts. The list I shared earlier was actually incomplete. I left out my top five spiritual gifts so I could share them with you now. And know that you too can have confidence in knowing your spiritual gifts like what I’m about to share. For the Spirit of God wants to display himself through you for the benefit of others through his gifts — he’s not trying to make it impossible for you to know your gifts. You just may need some informing — which is what this series is about.
Alright — Pastor Josh’s top five spiritual gifts. We’ll start with number five.
Discernment - The gift of discernment is the divine strength or ability to spiritually identify falsehood, to distinguish between right and wrong motives and the spiritual forces at work in situations.
Number four.
Prophecy - The gift of prophecy is the divine strength or ability to communicate God's truth and heart in a way that calls people to a right relationship with God.
Number three.
Giving - The gift of giving is the divine strength or ability to produce wealth and to give by tithes and offerings for the purpose of advancing the Kingdom of God on earth.
Number two.
Faith - The gift of faith is the divine strength or ability to believe in God for unseen supernatural results in every arena of life.
Closely associated with the gift of faith is the gifts of healing — which is also a way that the Spirit chooses to display himself through me at times.
And my top spiritual gift is — any guesses?
Teaching - The gift of teaching is the divine strength or ability to study and learn from the Scriptures primarily to bring understanding and depth to other Christians.
This is how the Spirit of God has chosen to manifest himself in and through me for God’s glory, your good, and the reaching of the lost with the gospel. And every week the Spirit manifests himself — not only through me — but through many who are part of this faith family. And what I hope we’ll all see in the weeks ahead is that — just as the Spirit of God has chosen to manifest himself in and through me and many among us — he desires to do so in and through each of you — for God’s glory, our good, and for the reaching of the lost with the gospel. For — when we grasp this truth and live accordingly — we’ll be a church who experiences a new height in our Christlikeness and spiritual maturity — which is what we’re going to pray for right now. Let’s pray.
Heavenly Father, what a wonder to behold. Not only do you love us. Not only did you send Jesus to live, die, and defeat death for us. But you have not left us as orphans. With Jesus you have sent the Holy Spirit to fill your people with the presence and power of our God.
Jesus, you gave us promises about the Spirit. That the Spirit will lead us, guide us, teach us, be with us, and unite us — along with many other promises. And — Jesus — we’re going to take you at your Word and believe what your Word says about the Holy Spirit and his gifts.
And to you — Holy Spirit — thank you for filling us with your presence and power. Thank you for leading, guiding, directing, and teaching us. Thank you for gifting all who believe in Jesus — in unique ways. With manifestations of your power and presence in ways that are to build us up as a church — and help us to grow spiritually — so that we make our God look glorious to the world.
Father, Son, and Holy Spirit — we’ve learned two purposes of the spiritual gifts today. To build up the church and to reach the lost world with the gospel. So work — Almighty and Saving God — in the hearts of all who hear my voice. Call out of spiritual darkness and death those who’ve been living in rebellion against you — and call them into your glorious light of eternal life. We ask you to do so because saving people makes you look glorious. And that’s what we desire — we want you to look glorious in our lives as individuals — and in our life as a church. And we pray all of this in Jesus’ name. Amen.
Having believed in Jesus Christ — may you go knowing that the Spirit of God lives in you and desires to display himself through you for God’s glory and our good. Amen.
God loves you. I love you. You are sent.
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