Church History & Function #9 - The Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit
About this sermon
In “Church History & Function #9 - The Nine Gifts of the Holy Spirit,” Pastor Dean Odle presents a Scripture-centered message about gifts of the Holy Spirit, holiness, the Holy Spirit. Drawing especially from 1 Corinthians 14, 1 Corinthians 13, Acts 2, Acts 1, the teaching emphasizes that spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit to build up the church and serve God’s purposes. Odle connects that foundation with the conviction that God calls believers to reject compromise and pursue practical holiness.
Chronological teaching outline
Select a section heading to play the sermon from that moment.
Odle focuses on gifts of the Holy Spirit. The message argues that spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit to build up the church and serve God’s purposes. It connects this with the conviction that prophecy should produce discernment, readiness, and faithfulness rather than speculation alone. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on biblical love while working through Acts 2. The message argues that biblical love is demonstrated through truth, patience, sacrifice, and conduct toward others. It connects this with the conviction that God calls believers to reject compromise and pursue practical holiness. The practical emphasis is to practice patient, truthful love in relationships and conflict.
Odle focuses on holiness while working through Acts 1. The message argues that God calls believers to reject compromise and pursue practical holiness. It connects this with the conviction that spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit to build up the church and serve God’s purposes. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on holiness while working through Acts 2, Acts 1, Acts 10. The message argues that God calls believers to reject compromise and pursue practical holiness. It connects this with the conviction that baptism is examined as an act of obedience and identification with Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection. The practical emphasis is to test the teaching by Scripture and apply it through faithful obedience.
Odle focuses on Bible prophecy. The message argues that prophecy should produce discernment, readiness, and faithfulness rather than speculation alone. It connects this with the conviction that spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit to build up the church and serve God’s purposes. The practical emphasis is to remain watchful, grounded in Scripture, and ready to obey Christ.
Odle focuses on gifts of the Holy Spirit while working through Isaiah 28. The message argues that spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit to build up the church and serve God’s purposes. It connects this with the conviction that prophecy should produce discernment, readiness, and faithfulness rather than speculation alone. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
Odle focuses on faith while working through Mark 16, Romans 12. The message argues that biblical faith trusts God’s character and acts upon His promises. It connects this with the conviction that spiritual gifts are given by the Holy Spirit to build up the church and serve God’s purposes. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
Odle focuses on the wisdom of God while working through Acts 2, Acts 1, Acts 27. The message argues that God’s wisdom confronts human pride and teaches believers to judge life from an eternal perspective. It connects this with the conviction that the church is called to recover biblical faithfulness instead of accommodating compromise. The practical emphasis is to test the teaching by Scripture and apply it through faithful obedience.
Odle focuses on prayer while working through Mark 16. The message argues that prayer expresses dependence on God and prepares believers to hear and obey Him. It connects this with the conviction that the message connects prayer for healing with faith in Christ, pastoral care, and submission to God. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
Odle focuses on healing and faith. The message argues that the message connects prayer for healing with faith in Christ, pastoral care, and submission to God. It connects this with the conviction that prayer expresses dependence on God and prepares believers to hear and obey Him. The practical emphasis is to seek God in prayer and act on what Scripture requires.
Open each passage and read it in its complete biblical context.
Read and follow along
Read representative excerpts here, or open the complete indexable transcript to search every timestamped section.
Lightly edited for readability while preserving the speaker’s meaning and substantive statements.
- 0:00:03
foreign welcome all students this morning this is Byron gray School of ministry this is church history and function today we're going to talk about the gifts the nine gifts of the holy spirit we're going to go through the a lot of scriptures this morning hallelujah we're going to get into listening there that was a great song by Lindell was it was it just Holy Holy by Lindell Cooley that he performed live at the ramp what a great song we could just let that play this morning almost but uh anyway we got to get into it uh I want everybody first let's turn in your Bible this morning uh we're going to start at uh First Corinthians chapter 12. of course and uh again we have talked about some of this talking about the supernatural uh Miracle signs and wonders I mean the gifts of the holy spirit but we're going to look at specifically the nine gifts of the Spirit this morning and we're going to put that up First Corinthians chapter 12 we're going to start at verse 1 right here now concerning spiritual gifts Brethren I would not have you ignorant you know that you were Gentiles carried away unto these dumb Idols even as you were LED or if I give you to understand that no man speaking by the spirit of God calleth Jesus accursed and that no man can say that Jesus is the Lord but by the Holy Ghost now there are diversities of gifts but the Same Spirit and there are differences of administrations but the same Lord and there are diversities of operations but it is the same God which worketh all in all but the manifestation of the spirit is given to every man to profit with all for to one is given by the spirit the word of wisdom to another the word of knowledge by The Same Spirit to another faith by The Same Spirit to another the gifts of healing by The Same Spirit to another the working of Miracles to another prophecy to another Discerning of spirits to another diverse kinds of tongues to another the interpretation of tongues but all these work at that one in the self-same spirit dividing to every man severally as he Wills now the thing that stands out to me the most In this passage is what Jesus said or through the Apostle Paul here to the church not just to the Corinthian Church but to us when he said now concerning spiritual gifts Brethren I would not have you to be ignorant and I was thinking about this last night as I knew we were going to get on the subject today and I was thinking about it this morning um you know Paul writes this by inspiration the Holy Spirit I don't want you to be ignorant about spiritual gifts but if you went out in the community you know in your community and just picked 10 random Christians out there just I'm not talking about just from Pentecostal or charismatic churches that believe in
- 0:03:04
the gifts of the Spirit but you just picked random maybe you had one or two Pentecostals or charismatics in that thing but you had just a random selection of Christians out there and you asked them about spiritual gifts and to give you a brief definition or explanation of the nine gifts of the Holy Spirit you know what you would find dramatic ignorance that is what you would find I mean not I'm not talking about just people not people being stupid or whatever I'm just saying not knowing not not understanding it not ever been really been taught about it or it thoroughly or studied it thoroughly or whatever but it is amazing how there's a tremendous ignorance I mean I I can tell you you probably go ask two or three even Pentecostals and charismatics what's the difference between the gift of the word of knowledge and the gift of the word of wisdom and they couldn't tell you um I mean you might find one in ten maybe that could actually explain that um but let's let's uh let's look at these gifts let's read them again and then we're going to back up the flip over to uh just quickly to chapter uh First Corinthians chapter 14. verse 1 there but he says this here let's look at the gifts again there's nine he mentions here and we're going to look at the details in this first of all he says I don't want you to be ignorant of these things and he says there's the word of wisdom the word of knowledge the the gift of faith to another the gifts of healing by The Same Spirit to another the working of Miracles to another prophecy Discerning your spirits to another's diverse kinds of tongues to another the interpretation of tongues so you have these nine gifts and then he tells you I want you to be ignorant of these things and then look at look at uh First Corinthians 14 verse 1. he says here follow after charity or love and desire spiritual gifts but rather that you may prophesy and then he goes on to explain the differences between a prophecy and the gift of tongues unless tongues is accompanied by interpretation in the church service but he says here desire spiritual gifts so two things we want to point out first that the word of God says number one First Corinthians chapter 12 do not be ignorant I don't want you to be ignorant about spiritual gifts number two desire spiritual gifts now this word desire here is a strong word it means to to earnestly long for to lust after almost to truly I mean it's something that you want now that I'm bringing this up this morning because that is the the word of God I mean these two these two scriptures here are clearly God's instructions I don't want you to be ignorant of spiritual gifts and I want you to desire long for
- 0:06:06
earnestly desire and even lust after to the point of I want the spiritual gift let me just say this I can tell you that someone who is not like this that's not uh earnestly Desiring the spiritual gifts hungry wanting them asking God seeking God digging into it um that person's probably not going to operate in spiritual gifts very often if at all okay so it's something God says hey don't be ignorant meaning you need to study it you need to understand it you need to look into it and then desire it and uh even to this day even though I have been operating in the in the gifts of the Holy Spirit and at one point or another I've seen all nine operate in my life as God Wills I don't will it that I don't choose it to happen um except for the gift of tongues is a little different because God's given us that for prayer and devotion and worship and we'll talk a little bit about more about that in a minute but what I'm saying is is that uh even after you know going on 32 years of operating in the gifts of the Spirit I still hunger and thirst and long for more to be sensitive to God to uh to see the gifts move in my life it's something I guess I'm saying it's something I I continuously desire for God to do in my life not so I could people can look up to me and go uh you know you're some kind of super Christian but because I know the gifts of the Spirit bless and help other people and they bless and help me so uh that's why they're important remember and as we'll read here in a minute and we covered this a few weeks back can't even remember what class we covered in but we were talking about the baptism the Holy Spirit we're talking about the gift of tongues and we're talking about how prophecy and the gift of tongues with interpretation how he says that that's a I think we covered it I think an apologetics class when we were talking about how that is a witness and a sign to unbelievers because it says the secrets of their heart are made manifest and they fall down and say God is in you of the truth so it's a it's an evangelism tool as well but anyway that that's a couple of things I just wanted to point out God doesn't want you ignorant number one so you know that I've repeated this three times so it will be on your test God doesn't want you to be ignorant of spiritual gifts and he wants you to desire spiritual gifts and um and and really and that's the whole mentality and let's let's flip over I want to go to First Corinthians 14 for just a second because this should be the attitude of the church I remember many many years ago I had someone gave me a cassette tape again here we go cassette tape message from brother Kenneth E Hagin on talking about the gift of tongues and and the title
- 0:09:07
was simply tongues encouraged or forbidden and I thought about that you think about the churches the different churches that are out here in the different Bible schools and seminaries what do they do with these spiritual gifts in in in particular the gift of tongues the gift of Prophecy are they encouraged for people to seek after desire to operate in or they are are they discouraged are they forbidden um here's what here's the attitude Paul said we should have and this is First Corinthians 14. verse 38 . he says but if any man be ignorant let him be ignorant wherefore Brethren look at the word here covet to prophesy what does covet mean that's that strong desire that lusting after wanting wanting to have it so we're allowed to covet uh the gifts here he says wherefore brother covet to prophesy and forbid not to speak with tongues let all things be done decently and in order if we jump back over we jump over to verse I'll go go over to verse 26. he's talking about when the church comes together he says this he says how is it then Brethren when you come together when the church comes together every one of you hath a psalm a Doctrine a tongue a revelation and interpretation let all things be done into edifying If any man speaking at unknown tongue Let It Be by two or three at the most and uh by course and that by course and let one interpret if there be no interpreter let him keep silence in the church but let him speak to himself and to God let the prophet speak two or three and let the others judge a prophet somebody that's going to operate in the gifts of the holy spirit we'll talk about that more in a minute if anything be revealed to another that sitteth Violet the first hold his peace look at the verse 34 you may all prophesy one by one that all may learn and all may be comforted and the spirits of the prophets are subject to the prophets for God is not the author of confusion but of peace as in all churches of the Saints so just wanted to read a few of those verses what's the attitude about the gifts of the holy spirit now before we go any further into this and start defining these gifts and kind of where you should begin let's go ahead and destroy the lie that these things were done away we either ended with the apostles or ended with the first century when the Canon of the New Testament was put together because that's the argument of some now let's let's look at First Corinthians 13. this is this is an argument I heard from a pastor down in Miami visiting Miami a few years ago [Laughter] and uh oh Joe knows who I'm talking about here and
The complete timestamped transcript is published as a crawlable reading page so every sermon topic remains searchable without making this video page unnecessarily heavy.
Read and search the complete transcriptThe overview attributes the sermon’s interpretations and disputed claims to the speaker; inclusion does not indicate independent verification.