LifeFlow: Stewardship of your Gifts

LifeFlow: Stewardship of your Gifts
1 Peter 4:10

1. Be a good steward of the grace that God has given you.

Each of you should use whatever gift you have received to serve others, as faithful stewards of God's grace in its various forms. (1 Peter 4:10 NIV)

2. Know the special grace that God has given you.

For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your faith; if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully. (Romans 12:3-8 NIV)

3. Understand the work of the Holy Spirit.
A. All believers have received the Holy Spirit.

You, however, are not in the realm of the flesh but are in the realm of the Spirit, if indeed the Spirit of God lives in you. And if anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, they do not belong to Christ. But if Christ is in you, then even though your body is subject to death because of sin, the Spirit gives life because of righteousness. And if the Spirit of him who raised Jesus from the dead is living in you, he who raised Christ from the dead will also give life to your mortal bodies because of his Spirit who lives in you. (Romans 8:9-11 NIV)

B. Every believer has at least one gift of the Spirit.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:7 NIV)

C. No believer has all the gifts of the Spirit.

To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. (1 Corinthians 12:8-10 NIV)

D. No single gift of the Spirit has been given to all believers.

Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? (1 Corinthians 12:29, 30 NIV)

E. The Spirit decides what gifts you receive.

All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. (1 Corinthians 12:11 NIV)

But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it. (Ephesians 4:7 NIV)

F. Gifts of the Spirit are given to you for the benefit of others.

Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. (1 Corinthians 12:7 NIV)

So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up (Ephesians 4:11, 12 NIV)

Reminders
- A "gift of the Spirit" is a special ability, given by the Holy Spirit to every believer at their conversion, to build up the body of Christ.
- There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. (1 Corinthians 12:5 NIV)