Just because someone is gifted doesn’t mean they’re mature. Gifts are like a seasoning to the Gospel. Maturity places a value on both seasoning and substance!
Tracy has the ability to prepare food in such a way that it looks and tastes amazing. It’s just a gift. My cooking skills are lacking to say the least and it’s become a joke around my house. When I taste what Tracy cooks I say, “HOW DID YOU DO THAT?!?!”
Gifts are like seasoning and when we see someone operating supernaturally we might ask, “How did you do that?” Spiritual Gifts are God’s way of empowering God’s people to express His love supernaturally in the earth.
There is rowboat Christianity and there is sailboat Christianity. You can strain at the oars for every inch of advancement in this life, or you can put up those sails and be empowered to take off into dimensions you never even knew existed. The Bible is very clear that we are to “eagerly desire gifts” (1 Cor 14:1). You can find more on this on our website.
https://destinyokc.com/holyspirit
Gifts are the seasoning. Faith, Hope and Love are the substance.
Maturity comes from consistent rhythms of reading God’s Word and enjoying God’s presence! The church has become so biblically illiterate. We want to challenge you to read this book. Don’t treat it like a dictionary, only reading it when you need a quick answer. Read it like a love story. Read it like family history. Meditate on this book. Let it shape your deepest thoughts and desires. Our focus in this season is to read and gain better understanding from the book of Ephesians. Our focus today is chapter three.
Ephesians 3:1-13 For this reason, I, Paul, a prisoner of Christ Jesus on behalf of you Gentiles—2 assuming that you have heard of the stewardship of God’s grace that was given to me for you, 3 how the mystery was made known to me by revelation, as I have written briefly. 4 When you read this, you can perceive my insight into the mystery of Christ, 5 which was not made known to the sons of men in other generations as it has now been revealed to his holy apostles and prophets by the Spirit. 6 This mystery is that the Gentiles are fellow heirs, members of the same body, and partakers of the promise in Christ Jesus through the gospel. 7 Of this gospel I was made a minister according to the gift of God’s grace, which was given me by the working of his power. 8 To me, though I am the very least of all the saints, this grace was given, to preach to the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ, 9 and to bring to light for everyone what is the plan of the mystery hidden for ages in God, who created all things, 10 so that through the church the manifold wisdom of God might now be made known to the rulers and authorities in the heavenly places. 11 This was according to the eternal purpose that he has realized in Christ Jesus our Lord, 12 in whom we have boldness and access with confidence through our faith in him. 13 So I ask you not to lose heart over what I am suffering for you, which is your glory. ESV
We want to understand how we are wired without getting overly obsessed in trying to figure out our gifts. Just learn to walk in love no matter what room you are in, and your gift will automatically surface! Simply put maturity focuses on loving Jesus and others more than self.
When think of the Holy Spirit we tend to think of the gifts of the Spirit and not the fruit of the Spirit. When you meet someone who expresses the gifts of the Spirit, they can pray, prophesy and speak in tongues, you automatically think how they’re full of the Holy Spirit!But if someone models self-control it doesn’t drive us to the same conclusion.
If you speak in tongues of a language, you don’t understand but you gossip with that tongue in a language you do understand you may be gifted but you are not mature.
We want you to have the gifts of the Spirit. But if you're not joyful, peaceful and patient when you interact with others you lack spiritual maturity. People who know you should think, “How you are so loving? How are you so patient? Why are you so kind? Why do you have such self-control?
Spend time in the presence of God, reading God’s Word, meditating on what He’s saying and enjoying God’s presence. Something happens in the human heart when this is taking place. This is the avenue to love, joy, peace, patience, goodness, kindness and self-control.
GP2RL: Read the book of Ephesians this week and continue to Invite people into your life, your love and your faith journey as the Holy Spirit directs.