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A Certain Kind: Discipleship Essentials

Nov 10, 2019 | Rev. Dr. K. Rick Baker

How Abilities Become Spiritually-Abled: HANDLE WITH CARE

Romans 12:1-8

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Who should handle superpowers?
How should superpowers be handled?

Why discipleship is critical to the exercising of “spiritual gifts.”--The need to establish guardrails and train rails (GR/TR)—with Corinth on my mind!

GR/TR #1 - A Renewed Mind perspective (Rom. 12:2)—“think of yourself…in accordance with the measure (metron) of faith God has given you… if prophesying, let him use it in proportion (analogia) to his faith.” (Rom. 12:3,7)

  • The difference between someone naturally gifted and spiritually gifted is Christ.

  • Spiritual gift effectiveness is determined by the degree to which flesh gives way to faith in Christ.

  • Grace is transmitted, gifts are spiritual, results are saving/sanctifying to the degree we rely on Christ—it’s not more faith, but more exercise of our faith.

Example: New Testament Prophesy

  • Rightly understanding and applying the truth to the times

  • “especially”—the primacy of the gift to the church

  • Staying within the boundaries (analogia) of his faith-- what he knows and what he knows to be true according to the recorded standard of Christian truth.

GR/TR #2 - The Most Excellent Way--“And now I will show you the most excellent way…if I have faith that can move mountains but have not love, I am nothing. Follow the way of love…” (1 Cor. 12:31; 13:2; 14:1)

  • Lack of love makes the gift unrecognizable, drowned out by the sounds of one’s one significance. GONGS—the instrument of choice in the pagan cults of the day (Cybele worship)


  • Super-giftedness can result in overconfidence in your own flesh (abilities)—pride in what you have.

  • Be careful—you may be lacking in the most obvious evidence of the Spirit

  • Your gift(s) is of grace and not of you

  • Your gift’s only function is to be given away for the benefit of another.

“And the greatest of these is love.” WHY? LOVE LASTS FOREVER

“Since you are eager to have spiritual gifts, try to excel at what builds up the church.” (1 Cor. 14:12)

Do what builds up the church and spiritual gifts will find you.

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