Warm-Up Question
Have you ever received a gift that changed your life in a significant and/or positive way?
Main Thought
Some gifts have the power to change lives. They’re “game-changing gifts,” and God wants us to have them! He empowers us with “spiritual gifts.” Spiritual gifts are God-given abilities, whether natural or supernatural, that produce miraculous results. These gifts give us access to God’s purpose and power. We should desire these gifts! But we must always operate in them with an intent to love and build people up. We’ll also stay on a path of healthy Spirit Empowerment when we avoid “the Ditch of the Dead” (an absence of the Holy Spirit’s presence due to fear or misunderstanding), and “the Ditch of the Weird” (caused by a pursuit of spiritual experience rather than a pursuit of love). If we can do this, then our God-given spiritual gifts will truly change the game for us and for others.
Main Passages
For the kingdom of God does not consist in talk but in power.
- 1 Corinthians 4:20
Pursue love, and earnestly desire the spiritual gifts
- 1 Corinthians 14:1
So with yourselves, since you are eager for manifestations of the Spirit, strive to excel in building up the church.
- 1 Corinthians 14:12
39 So, my brothers, earnestly desire to prophesy, and do not forbid speaking in tongues. 40 But all things should be done decently and in order.
- 1 Corinthians 14:39-40
Discussion Questions
Why is it important to be led by love, and a desire to build people up, when operating in spiritual gifts?
Do you think you lean more toward the “Ditch of the Dead,” or the “Ditch of the Weird?”
We can act on our desire for spiritual gifts and activate them by 1) asking in faith, 2) being in the right atmosphere, and 3) attempting to use our gifts in faith. What can you do next to activate or grow in your own spiritual gifts?