2. Spiritual gifts, on the other hand, are not a product of birth but of the Holy Spirit’s power.

2. These gifts are given to the members of the Lord’s churches.

3. These gifts include:

a. First, there are the speaking or verbal gifts, such as prophecy, knowledge, wisdom, teaching, and exhortation.

b. Second, there are the serving or nonverbal gifts, such as leadership, helps, giving, mercy, faith, and discernment.

2. Those gifts included miracles, healing, languages, and the interpretation of languages.

3. The purpose of temporary sign gifts was to authenticate the apostolic message as the Word of God.

a. When the Scriptures, God’s written Word was completed, these temporary sign gifts passed away as Paul had prophesied (I Cor. 13:8-13).

b. "That which is perfect"(v. 10) is the Bible, God’s complete revelation.

c. When God completed His Revelation, the Bible, there was no longer any need for prophets, apostles, miracle-workers or tongues, so God discontinued giving those gifts to men (vv. 8-10).

d. Those who claim to have these gifts today are simply fakes and frauds who are under the delusion of Satan.

e. When Christianity was a child (first getting started), it needed special help, such as these spiritual gifts, but when it grew up, this need disappeared and it no longer acted as a child (v. 11).

f. Those under the old system did not get a clear picture of God, themselves, or their need; but now that the Bible has been completed, we can know ourselves as we are known (v. 12).

g. Three permanent gifts that did not cease when the Bible was finished, are faith, hope and love (v. 13).

2. After His ascension back to heaven, Christ sent the Holy Spirit to empower His churches (Jn. 7:39; Acts 1:8; 2:33).

3. The Spirit having thus been sent produces within us the needed spiritual abilities.
 
 

2. The church is the proper sphere for the exercise of the gifts of the Spirit.

3. The gifts were given to the church for its spiritual development (Eph. 4:11-12; I Cor. 12:27-28).

4. Gifts are given to individual saints so that the entire assembly may be blessed.

2. In regeneration, we become "living stones"(I Pet. 2:5).

3. It is the gifts of the Spirit that cause these "living stones" to form a temple of God that is "fitly framed together"(Eph. 2:19-22).

4. Just as a human body has many members that contribute to the general well-being of the whole, so the local church as a body of Christ is supplied with every necessary function by the variety of gifts within its membership (I Cor. 12:12-28; Eph. 4:16).

5. The church was given the gifts of the Spirit because it is responsible to promote the spiritual growth of God’s people (Eph. 4:11-16).

2. Every gift is for the body of Christ as a whole.

3. The good of the whole body must be the controlling factor in the exercise of any spiritual gift.

2. He is the God of peace and harmony, not of strife and confusion.

3. God cannot be honored where there is disharmony and confusion.

4. Chaos and discord in a church meeting is certain proof that the Spirit of God is not in control.

5. Where His Spirit rules there is always peace (Jas. 3:14-18).

2. The Spirit of God cannot be in control where women take upon themselves roles that He has restricted to men.