Manifestation

1 Corinthians 12:7–11: "7 But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal. 8 For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit; 9 † To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit; 10 † To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues: 11 But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will." [1]

I.   Appearance

     A. From One

     B. To One

II. Association

     A. Need

     B. Necessity

III. Ability

     A. Who Decides

     B. He Decides

Introduction:  This is traditionally the seventh Sunday following the experience with The Holy Spirit at Pentecost after Jesus’ ascension.  My prayer as we study this series of messages is that we leave with more understanding of the gifts that He offers and uses for the edification of Christ and His church.

Today we will examine the ways The Holy Spirit is showing Himself even in churches that often give Him little or no credit for even existing.  We hear so often about Him during communion services, baptisms, and many of our hymns that we sing.  How does He “man up” or show Himself?  What really are these so-called gifts of The Holy Spirit?  Has anyone ever seen sure manifestation of Him here?

The Holy Spirit is such a humble person that He actually does not take credit by bringing attention to Himself.  His sole purpose is to give witness of Jesus Christ.  Jesus’ sole reason for being here was obedience to His Heavenly Father.

Wait a minute preacher, now you’ve gone too far!  Jesus came that we might be saved!  That surely was the result of His coming here but that is not what made Jesus come.  Jesus is totally God.  He is equal with His Heavenly Father.  He chooses to be obedient to His Heavenly Father whose will it is that we might be saved so that we might have a relationship with Him who created us.  The way to get close to God then is to be obedient to God.  For fallen man, being close to God through obedience is impossible without The Holy Spirit’s indwelling.

Yes Jesus is was and always will be totally God but even Jesus was led by the Holy Spirit as He walked this earth.  God the Holy Spirit is also totally God yet He chooses to exist to give witness to Jesus by indwelling us with Himself now in this time.  “For such a time as this.” Where have we heard that before?  We were created in that perfect image of the perfect relationship but we chose to go our own way.  No wonder why we have such a problem understanding how the three persons of the Godhead exist!

The title of this message is Manifestation.  Has the Holy Spirit shown Himself here in Merry Oaks Baptist Church?  Can you remember when He did?  I pray that after today we will more easily recognize Him when He shows up again.  The more we acknowledge Him the more He will enable this church!

Scripture:  The scripture is 1 Corinthians 12:7-11.  When you have found it please rise to your feet for the reading of God’s written word.

Prayer: Please be seated

Message: The manifestation of the Spirit of God is given to every man and woman to give gain through and to us all.  Nobody is left out of this if you are truly a Christian.  So therefore manifestation or visibility or showing up is not just a thing that comes to people in the so-called Pentecostal churches and is is profitable for the whole church.  Some may choose to ignore this verse but that does not change this truth.  If The Holy Spirit does not show up here, this is not church!  These things that we will speak of today are from One Holy Spirit to all who are Merry Oaks Baptist Church!

Verses 8 and 9 show a give and take or a need and a necessity.  This is essentially necessary for there to be movement of the Spirit.  One is given the gift of wisdom and another is given the gift of knowledge.

Gonna let my past life talk here a little.  Computers are very good at taking data.  Data is another way of saying knowledge.  Facts and figures are pretty much worthless unless there is diagnosis and conclusions drawn from the data of knowledge gathering.  For the person who has the training in diagnosis, that training is worthless unless someone feeds knowledge into the equation.  Give and take is necessary.  The one who has gained the knowledge must have that one who can reach the result of the data gathering.  Wisdom come either from education or experience.  We must learn to work together and The Holy Spirit moves between those whom He equips to give profit to the church.  What profit?  Believers who will be with us in eternity.  We have got to listen to each other and stop insisting that we don’t need each other or The Holy Spirit or this church will surely fail.  Merry Oaks Baptist Church will be bankrupt.  There will be no new believers here.

Need, Necessity!  Why do some of us get sick?  Some asked Jesus about the blind man.  Whose fault was it that he was blind?  John 9:1-3. “1 And as Jesus passed by, he saw a man which was blind from his birth. 2 And his disciples asked him, saying, Master, who did sin, this man, or his parents, that he was born blind? 3 Jesus answered, Neither hath this man sinned, nor his parents: but that the works of God should be made manifest in him.[2]

The blind man had a need that God allowed in his life.  He needed that necessity of healing that God provides.  The man trusted or had faith that Jesus could provide the necessity.  Jesus once left the place He once called home because people there had no faith so He was prevented from working miracles in that place.

Verse 9 speaks of that one with faith and it also speaks of that one whom the Holy Spirit has gifted to pass physical healing to that one with the need.  Two way street.  We must believe and then we must work together.

The first part of verse 10 actually includes three of the gifts which also work together.  Miracles, prophecy, and discernment are necessary in the church.  Let’s look first at miracles.  How can you explain a simple thing like two people apart from each other having the same message which is manifested before the whole church?  Have you ever known that to happen here?  I personally have seen it happen here a number of times.  We don’t have time to discuss them all right now but I would be very interested to see the lists that you might make.

Prophecy is for sure foretelling but prophecy is also forth-telling.  Who knew how the needs for the roofs would be met because somebody mentioned, somebody built, and others filled a thing called a Joash box?  Foretelling is when The Holy Spirit gives the message of the thing that is in the future.

How do we know that this thing of global warming is certainly going to increasing get worse?  We read it in the Revelation from Jesus to John.  Nobody here came up with a new prophetic message about that yet it was forthtold from what was already written.

Does everybody have the gift of preaching or forthtelling?  Does everybody have the gift of miracles?  Now let’s talk about that other of these three.  Discernment is the gift of realizing when someone is being moved by a different spirit with a lower case “s”.  In Mark 8:33 Jesus used the words, “get thee behind me Satan:” as he spoke to Peter but I do not believe that Jesus was talking to Peter.  Jesus loved Peter but Jesus also recognized Satan.In Luke 4:8 Jesus spoke those same words but this time Jesus was rebuking one who was tempting Him in the wilderness.

The Spiritual Gift of Discernment if not used with love could be dangerous.  For that matter, any of the gifts of the Spirit if misused can make a real mess of things.  I personally know that I have that gift of discernment.  I have heard and recognized that spirit speak through some in this place.  Some of you have said things about and to each other that had to have come from the devil.  Since I know that, I can love and pray for you to stand against the devil.  I can stand against the devil and flee from him and not want to flee from those of you who he has used.  Jesus reminded Peter of Peter’s love three times after the devil used Peter to deny Jesus.  Discernment without love is a very scary gift.

Okay, here it comes!  If there is a person in this church who has never heard and understood a thing like you heard it today, that’s awesome.  Maybe you are the only one who caught the thing.

Yes, at Pentecost there were thousands of people from every corner of the ancient world and they understood the apostles in their native tongues.  Is it the only time that happened?  Not according to the Bible.  It’s that give and take thing again.  Someone has the need to understand in a language that they understand and there is that one who has been gifted to speak in such a way that that particular one who is interpreting it finally understands.  Why is that such a deep dark scary thing?  Hey, some of you have said even to me, “Preacher, I never understood that before but there it is in the Bible and now I get it.  Does that give me the gift of tongues or you the gift of interpretation?

First answer, to my knowledge I have never spoken in tongues.  Second answer, I have on many occasions been told that though my southern drawl is rough, I am somehow very easy to understand.  Apparently I haven’t needed the gift of tongues yet.  Yeah I said yet!  If God ever thinks I need to be gifted in that way, bring it on me Holy Spirit.

All these work so that The One Selfsame Holy Spirit can do His work.  What is His work?  To give witness to Jesus Christ!  How does The Holy Spirit do this?  By dividing severally to each and every believer as He, The Holy Spirit, Not the believer, sees fit.  The Holy Spirit knows who will accept and use that gift.  The Holy Spirit knows who needs the result of the gift that the other person is administering the gift to.  It is not something that the believer can call on and use at his/her whim.  It is totally controlled by The Holy Spirit or it is not a Spiritual gift.

Prayer:

Invitation: There have always been varied misconceptions concerning the doctrine of Spiritual Gifts.  Today I pray that there are fewer.  Today I pray that there is a change in many who once were afraid to be around so-called Holiness Christians.

We are brothers and sisters in Christ.  If we for such a time as this are successful in God’s mission for this age, we must be of one accord.  We heard from the “love chapter” or 1 Corinthians 13 in an earlier message.  Until we, until you, right here in Merry Oaks Baptist Church are ready to stop setting personal boundaries of who we love and accept, this church is mired down and will not move.

I always invite all who will to come to the altar and pray.  Especially today.  Do you love Him?  Feed His Lambs.  Do you love Him?  Feed His Sheep?  Do you Love Him?  Nourish His Sheep.

Today Karen will play as you sit silently where you are and pray.  For those who will, please come and pray here kneeling at the altar for this His church…

† A Greek word occurs that is not directly translated in the King James Version.
Greek Strongs: 1161
† A Greek word occurs that is not directly translated in the King James Version.
Greek Strongs: 1161
[1] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (1995). (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version., 1 Co 12:7–11). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.
[2] The Holy Bible: King James Version. (1995). (electronic ed. of the 1769 edition of the 1611 Authorized Version., Jn 9:1–3). Bellingham WA: Logos Research Systems, Inc.