Fruits and Gifts [Part 2]

Pastor author and Bible teacher Alan Wright, the gift of distinguishing a spiritual or what is called discernment is very important gift because when you are with people and they're saying things you don't necessarily know what they're saying is being motivated by God are motivated by their flash, are motivated by demonic powers faster and write welcome to another message of good news that will help you see your life in a whole new light. I'm excited for you to hear the teaching today. In this series word and spirit. The beauty of balance as presented in an old church in North Carolina that if you're not able to stay with us throughout the entire program to make sure you know how to get our special resource. Right now it can be worse for your donation this month to Alan Wright mysteries. So as you listen to today's message go deeper as we send you this resource. Today's special offer. Contact us@pastor.org that's pastor@a.org or call 877-544-4860 that's 877-544-4860. More on this later in the program but now let's get started with today's teaching here is Alan Wright. There is no reading of the Scripture with the exception of this one and since where Paul says that it I really want to be our prophesy doesn't really highlight one gift like tongs or something and say oh it's more important than teaching or serving or giving to give you real quick overview of these and goes lightning fast through a listing of these and just say that if you want to learn more about this if you're in one of those sermon base. Community groups here at Alda UB study in this this week and there is a handout that I prepared and has an overview of these gifts on it. If you're not one of those groups you can pick one of these up at the welcome Center and it has one paragraph a brief description of what these gifts are because Paul said in a want to be ignorant about the about the spiritual gifts and so just give it real real quickly starting with some of the ones listed in Romans 12 that we didn't look at and then add the ones that we read from verse strengthens chapter 12 prophecy lot people mistake this and think that this is like fortune-telling like it's like telling the future or that is telling people what to do and that's exactly what prophecy is not the New Testament perspective.

A prophecy is it where you by the promptings of the Holy Spirit get a Scripture or an image or word or something that is consistent with the Scripture that is meant for the encouragement, edification, or the comfort of someone else, and what makes it distinct is that the Lord has a way of identifying either with the need in motion thought or some other capacity of letting the person receiving that word no is truly God is speaking. Sometimes it would be because nobody but God could have known that were said that sometimes is just something you've heard before, but it's so blessed of the Lord in that moment that you know it's God's word to you and that's really what prophecy isn't so powerful for the help, encouragement, the healing transformation of persons the gift of ministering or helps or service, as it's called in the ESV as the spirit given ability to serve in a right supporting role with joy and with diligence. Everything a Christian is called to serve the people have this gift love it and you can serve and you never go out why my having to do this and you love seeing people released in their ministry you love coming alongside somebody. It's a beautiful gift. There's absolutely no way that the church of Jesus Christ goes forward without lots of people have that gift and use it gift of teaching, not just a untalented teacher but a supernatural unction to be effectively relate the word of God, exhorting is really to say encouraging it come from the same word that Jesus uses to describe the Holy Spirit the power of Plato's disorder is one who comes alongside his like a coach that may challenge sometimes, but it's never in a sense of you ought to its essence, if you can. That's what it communicates a semi if you get around. Someone has a gift of encouragement you gives you courage to do what God has called you to do the gift of giving every Christian is called to give an every Christian is called to generosity in every Christian is called to make giving the. The first priority of their financial stewardship of their life is no question about that. Every single Christian.

We are called by God.

If you live according to the design of God have the blessings of God flowing in and through you that you prioritize your life so that you can be a giver. Everything a Christian, but I tell you, there's some people. They have just got the gift of generosity because they absolutely love love love the gift we give everything away if they could would just love to be able to do that and we need people like that in the body of Christ listen.

Some of you, God has made you affluent and put you in a position where you're able to do a lot and I just celebrate that, and we thank you for it and of God prospers you, and you can give a lot.

You are making one the most gigantic impacts in the body of Christ. It is an astounding thing is not celebrated enough because we we always try to be able bit private about people's giving habits, but it just wonderful, wonderful gift that some of you have this gift fan it into flame. Don't ever be afraid of that yeah boy Dante. I wish all you could've met King Brown. Can't wait to get to heaven and get to meet King Brown you know Matt King first time I ever met King. He looked down at first time I remember a 34-year-old young preacher coming to this church. He looked amazed at what size shoe you wear us there was a nine. He said the he said you know I found a great bear to goodwill. Last week I so flat and has who is that he's adjacent I know I should bother choosing where civil goodwill is going to hear about her brother Pastor.

He said go up here and spend $60 for a pair shoes at the store you get a pretty good good. I hear for two dollars at the goodwill in at least a $58 get to the missionaries is the way he lived his life. He he was.

He was a mail carrier and he mowed lawns and was one of the biggest givers we had in the church in the history of the church.

It's a gift to generosity the gift of leading or governing a ruling it can be called. Some people just have an anointing. It's a servant attitude that they've an anointing to be able to lead others and people want to fall in the body of Christ the gift of mercy when you have the gift of mercy. You are given a supernatural capacity to feel what other people are feeling and sometimes if you if you don't, maybe you have the skiff and you do you wonder why is it I get around people and sometimes something to just move me only know this person something to be moved to tears. You might you awaken in the middle of the night with compassion for somebody you might just you might just have the hurt that you feel when you're around somebody newly know why you have the gift of mercy what God does with that as he put you in touch with what they are feeling so that you can intercede for them and care for them. It doesn't mean that you need to own their problem, but it does mean that God is supernaturally using your does all this in Romans 12 hear some in first Corinthians chapter 12 word of wisdom. This is not intelligent or common sense or a kind of wisdom like that.

This is more like what Solomon had when in a unique situation like remember that story were these two women, they both claim the same baby was there and saw him as I how can we really get to the bottom of this is not to what was discussed. The baby in half and a course, the true mother said no no no of course not, because the true mother would have such love for the for the baby never wanted what was a word of wisdom apt for that situation were sometimes God will give you in a given situation with an individual or group of people I word an utterance that comes from him. It's not something you thought up because you were smart enough, it just this is what should be spoken. This is what should be shared right now for the handling of this situation so that there would be peace and understanding and encouragement and we can move forward.

This is a beautiful beautiful gift that some of you may have. You never know you had the utterance of knowledge the word of knowledge. We generally share these most every week at the end of the service we asked our ministry team to be praying Lord, is there something on your heart today that you would like to do to the invitation of the Scripture. And this is just God's plan is not that we wake up in the morning, we say, God, do some wonderful things today would you please bless it.

Instead, what a life with God in the spirit is as you wake up in the morning is a God, you're going to do some wonderful things today. I'd like to cooperate with it. What are you going to do you follow the cloud.

You follow the Holy Spirit you keep up in step with the spirit and I don't understand the ways of God. Why would why would God some time just lift up a particular need. Sometimes it's because it just flows right out of a sermon is being preached or song or something to God was to confirm that sometimes it is something the Lord is gracious and he just wants to build your faith challenge will have more teaching in a moment from today's important series being filled with the Holy Spirit shutting off your mind hearing for a wonderful surprise God's word and spirit were never meant to be separated spirit always belong together to keep your abundant life in Christ knowing your Bible been filled with the spirit, the answer is both word and spirit. When you make a gift of support. This man was thinking Ehrenreich's newest album on CD or digital download word and spirit clients embrace the fullness of God's word and his spirit realm like never before with word spirit realm.

Helping someone else grow as well. Remember when you partner with Alan Wright Ministries to be broadcasting the love of God to every day, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website Pastor at work.

Today's teaching now continues here once again is talking one of the premises this morning so I'm just praying about this he said, but I just can't get in the image of an elbow this morning and said I just wonder if there's something wrong with my elbow. The Lord wants to heal today we would mention that it might be that is for you is a supernatural thing right so that's what a word of knowledge is faith the gift of faith are lobbying our people got a gift of faith. People have a gift of faith is what I call crazy fake I mean these people. They believe that amount. So what it's amount it can move into the heart of the city. So what I could seem like a big obstacle you is no big deal. Are you talking about God's a mighty God, he's able to do the incredible exceedingly abundantly above and beyond all that we think. All that we imagine these two boys are going over to start a professional Christian basketball team in Taiwan.

Starting from scratch because they've got faith that there gonna be able to reach thousands of of of of kids with the gospel and adults with the gospel and and I believe that with them was a gift of faith is working within a bright and sunny. You look at people give effect to go home and you are out here but if the faith God moves through. It is a gift of healing everybody can be used by God for healing, but some people this is a regular way that God spirit manifest through you is that it just seems like an uncommon number of times that when you pray for people that they God use a prayer for their healing. You may have a gift to healing gift of miracles. Same kind of thing where God just uses certain people or signs and wonders when they when they pray for things I pray for people.

God doesn't use them on a regular ongoing way the gift of distinguishing the spirits or what is called discernment is a very important gift because when you are with people and they're saying things you don't necessarily know of what they're saying is being motivated by God or motivated by their flash or motivated by demonic powers.

You really wouldn't necessarily know that some people put on such a great face and can say all the right things remember the devil himself.

You Scripture trying to tempt Jesus to be a very important thing really in the body of Christ with no what is going on so there's the presence of evil that you know and never, ever. I wish I could spend a long time talk about this gift because this gift is like the sense of smell is like you is like that and smell right was what happens people get this gift that happens in the spirit. It is no things. Listen, beloved, if you got this gift I die just so I can take you over and say let me bless you.

We need this gift and let me also tell you about the dangers this gift because men of the Lord start showing you some stuff about people. There's a fine line between then you start to think that you can stand in judgment over his people, or whatever. But note this is just a wonderful, wonderful gift one time many many years ago an elder in this church came to me said I had a dream in which the Lord is a bold elder came to me is that I had a dream in which the Lord came to you and offered you the gift of discernment of spirits and you said no. He says the Lord never offer that you and you said no.

I said I never said no to the Lord about some gift that he want to give me.

I got away from and I said well maybe I have had in my mind bit like you know I got enough problems I face enough demons all over the world. I got enough stuff going on.

Is it what I want to see one more manifestation of some evil or something else Carl and I had a wrong assumption. The assumption was if I see that there's a problem that I discern that I got to do something about it is you had to get enough healing from that bad boundary lifestyle and all of that, they would say all just because you see a need, you gotta do something about it know perhaps what the Lord wants to do is give you more discernment so you won't get tangled up with the wrong person or perhaps in your workplace, you will promote the wrong person or you will partner with the rock you need to have discernment.

I man I wish I could talk more about that. And then there's the listing of the gift of tongues.

This is obviously the one this because so much controversy especially over the last 50 years. Over the last hundred years. Really, especially in these moves that we call the charismatic revival tongues is something become a big issue in reason it did is because there's one segment of the body of Christ, who said, oh, this is the gift they base it on the fact that a lot of times when people were first empowered by the Holy Spirit in the New Testament there was speaking in tongues but not in every instance was there and there's no doctrine in the New Testament is all you need to have the gift of tongues out Yetman filled the spirit. I know that some of you come along in and that kind of tradition and I know that there is an argument be made for that but here's what I'm I want to say that is it. When pulses do all speak in tongues is a rhetorical answer that is no just and lots of people who really want to have this gap because they so want to feel like there really end and they really have the Holy Spirit, and yet these people have other gifts and have seen God use them powerfully and so I I just have to conclude from the Scripture note know God does not elevate one gift.

Overall the area so that's been one of the problem. The problem is that people just think what to our logical minds and our intellect.

The idea speak in a unknown language is something that just seems too far out to too weird for people discount so for either one of those things is been really controversial me just tell you real quick like the New Testament speaks of tongues and really three different ways. In the book of acts.

In chapter 2, when the Holy Spirit falls at Pentecost, people are speaking in languages that they did not themselves know but they were known languages and other people from other other cultures and ethnicities and nations heard their own language being spoken by someone who didn't know their language and it was a miracle that was powerful. The second thing that can happen is someone can have a prophetic utterance can have a word of encouragement. A word from the Lord that is spoken for an unknown language is not any known language is just a spiritual language but if it's in a corporate gathering if it's happening and what group of people. That is because God is using it like you would use a prophecy is either the one who gives it or somebody else in that room.

If it's a real word bill they'll be receiving, not like a translation like a word for translation, but they'll be receiving in their heart.

This is what God saying through this and they'll share that sounds like a prophetic word of encouragement with the other and this is what is so often I talked about when Paul talks about you when I pray in the Spirit are praying in tongues or others.

It is for my own edification.

This is your own unique way that God gives you to pray in us, you might cut spiritual anger. Prayer language is inanimate form of communication with God.

When the spirit helps you pray I've taught on this subject before about what it means to pray in the spirit and praying in tongues is not the only way praying in the spirit so when Paul says to all of us to pray in the spirit.

He also means if you're praying the scripture you're praying in the spirit because the spirit has infused and breathe himself into the Scriptures so that spirit praying right. If you're praying with the help of the Holy Spirit because you got a gift of mercy and the compassionate Holy Spirit flowing through you. You're praying in the spirit so so so so much more could be said about that. There's a handout there are community groups about talk more about that. I know that that's just unbelievably too quick and too expensive and too general, but I just wanted to do that because I want you to know that today and if someone is listening by podcasts or radio you should earnestly desire that the Lord banned these gifts into your in the flame in your life or you may hear one of his guess I just listed. I really would love to move in that gift and and you asked the Lord for it and maybe you think I think maybe I have that gift that I never even knew that was a gift. It's only people I met over this. They'll just say some like and you know that was a gift and is like this. The gift of the Holy Spirit to use the supernatural using you as an incredibly exciting thing to be used supernaturally by God himself. Well, let me think if you can observation about the gifts of the Spirit for target through the spirit of the moment in the first is that I would just want to make this point I have no time today to do a defense of why I believe the Scriptures make it clear that the gifts continue today. I know maybe some people listening right now you you've been taught that the gifts have ceased you taught that certain gifts continue in certain gifts of C's, but I just want to say this this whole discussion. I hope you can only see this. I just read from three chapters in first grade at 12 1314 and Romans 12 and I am just want you to be aware this is not some tangential conversation that sort of nonessential there always anemia, like politics or some shooting talk about it because this just gets division of the body of Christ. Are you kidding me what talk about the supernatural equipment of the body of Christ to do the things that Jesus did. This is absolutely important as a wherever you are on this. I just gonna challenge you to say that if you if you're a boy, so I've always believed the gifts ceased to investigate this further because maybe you'll be like me where at one point my life I started hearing about these kind of supernatural things are happening. I said if any of that is true I'm missing something big in my spiritual life and God wants to invite you into it there no inferior and superior Christians. There are no ends and outs you all been baptized into one body into the Lord Jesus Christ and you all have a spiritual inheritance with him in clashes as you have been qualified for your inheritance, and the site there's no second class citizen in the kingdom of God. These gifts are for you and we need them coming out you we need them. We need these gifts.

There may be somebody whose life will be transformed because you had the word of encouragement for them need these gifts. That's why that's what the gifts of their controversial and ill people get divided over prophecy or tongues, always saving it on the volleyball bottle blonde blah blah blah. I listen I'm not I'm not all wrapped up.

I would be totally biblical about this. My experience is that people need help, God loves people. He wants to help people. The mission of the church is at stake also known as point out.

This comes from quite articulate writer and friend of Sam storms written beginners guide to the spiritual gifts and is written a book called convergence, both of which you're exploring this in your intellectual all he is smart as got the runaround and is written all about his experience and is very articulate what makes this point, the manifestation of the spirit is what Paul says it first print is 12 720 saying this is the gifts of the spirit are not separated from the Spirit himself. Please understand these are not like magic tricks that the Lord gives you and I do know how to do it.

You got this will measure you give if there's a healing that takes place through your gift, it's the Spirit himself was doing that if there is if there's a teaching that goes forth and it's anointed. It is the Spirit himself.

The spirit of God is not separated from the gift of God, so to say that he give you a gift. He's given you himself. He's given him self to you to work through you also want to make the out make this point I'm just gonna go really fast listen fast the word for gift. My favorite word in the New Testament is Congress, which is the word grace now and I find that refreshing. It's in the middle of our teaching fruit in gifts in the greater series. The beauty of balance. Allen is back in a moment with additional insight on this for your life, and a final word being filled with the Holy Spirit shutting off your mind hearing for a wonderful surprise God's word and spirit were never meant to be separated spirit always belong together to keep your abundant life in Christ knowing your Bible is being filled with the spirit, the answer is both word and spirit.

When you make a gift of support. This man will send you Allen Wright's newest album on CD or digital download word and spirit Airlines embrace the fullness of God's word and his spirit realm like never before with wording spirit realm. Helping someone else grow as well. And remember, when you partner with Alan Wright Ministries to be broadcasting the love of God to every day. This broadcast is only possible because of listener financial support. When you get today. We will send you a special offer. We are happy to send this to you as I thanks from Alan Wright Ministries, seven 877-544-4860 877-544-4861 come to our website pastoralan.org is really jumping out. Here's this last point that you made that the gifts are of the spirit and so therefore there link they can't be separated and so sometimes we may be trained to grab and reach and fight to get a gift.

But really, we should be asking for the spirit right.

Yes, I think sometimes people are confusing the gifts of the spirit Daniel and and they think that these gifts are like some sort of separate force or you know, even some view them almost like you would magic trick that somebody has no the gifts of the spirit are of the Holy Spirit, and so it's it is God himself who is moving. We just are the vessel. We just become used by God, we might just be a mouthpiece for a word the Lord share we might be the hands that God uses to serve somebody help somebody or or for God to move through us to heal somebody but it's all God and so the gifts are not something that sort of stand by themselves. They are gifts of the spirit. The very grace of today's good news message is a listener supported production Alan Wright Ministries