The Holy Spirit’s Gift to Us: Enlighten, Encourage, Engage (Part 3)

A lot of the following information was adapted from G.I.F.T.E.D to Serve Curriculum that Kelli Wommack and I co-wrote when I was stationed at Fort Benning. I recently delivered this info via a sermon at Paseo, so buckle up for Part 3 of 3!  (Catch up on Part 1 and Part 2 if you are just joining our little Jesus party.  

***

The next step to encourage our spiritual gifts within the church for God’s glory is to ENGAGE. Friends, hear me when I say: There is no one else who can do what God has called you to do like you do it. That’s why He called YOU!!

Before we get too far into this, there are a couple of things to note. In the book “Experiencing God,” Henry and Richard Blackaby share that spiritual gifts are not things in and of themselves, but an expression of God working through us. The exercise of a spiritual gift is the manifestation of the Holy Spirit.

They also state that God’s assignment to us comes first, and gifting follows. So engaging our gifts is not just about putting gifts to use; it’s also about getting involved in what God has called us to do and trusting that He will equip us. [Read more…]

Like what you see? Share it!

The Holy Spirit’s Gift to Us: Enlighten, Encourage, Engage (Part 2)

A lot of the following information was adapted from G.I.F.T.E.D to Serve Curriculum that Kelli Wommack and I co-wrote when I was stationed at Fort Benning. I recently delivered this info via a sermon at Paseo, so buckle up for Part 2 of 3!  (If you missed Part 1, catch up here.

***

After we have been enlightened about what gifts the Holy Spirit has so generously bestowed upon us, we must encourage them to grow.

Matthew 25:14-28 shares the Parable of the Talents. Do you remember what the first two servants do with their talents? That’s right! They invested them and doubled it for the master. Remember the response from the master to those servants?

“His master replied, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You have been faithful with a few things; I will put you in charge of many things. Come and share your master’s happiness!’’ ~Matthew 25:21

But what did that third servant do? Yep, he buried his talent. He stored it away because he was afraid. Remember the response of the master to that servant? [Read more…]

Like what you see? Share it!

The Holy Spirit’s Gift to Us: Enlighten, Encourage, Engage (Part 1)

A lot of the following information was adapted from G.I.F.T.E.D to Serve Curriculum that Kelli Wommack and I co-wrote when I was stationed at Fort Benning. I recently delivered this info via a sermon at Paseo, so buckle up for Part 1 of 3! 

***

Happy November! Halloween is gone, and Thanksgiving is fast approaching which means it’s practically Christmas, right? Anyone else listening to Christmas music yet? The bible says not to judge so it’s fine…

Speaking of Christmas… (or birthdays, anniversaries, other special occasions) Have you ever received a gift that is just awkward? Perhaps it was given with good intention but you open it and you are like…Oh yay. An orange wool sweater with fuzzy pom pom things all over them. Thanks, Aunt Trudy.

You whisper the silent prayer that God will grant you the one desire that the gift receipt is included.

That’s happened to me on more than one occasion. I try to be a gracious recipient. But… [Read more…]

Like what you see? Share it!

Playing it Safe… Or Living by Faith (Sermon Recap)

Jesus rocks. How do I know? Because He showed up (again) when I preached at Pioneer Methodist in Rock Valley, IA and Seeds of Faith in Lester, IA on October 28th… 

Wanna see what He had to say about playing it safe or living by faith? Check out my scribbly notes below… And stay tuned for the video/audio version coming soon!! 

Much love, 
SGK 

PS: Thanks so much for the prayers… they worked 🙂  [Read more…]

Like what you see? Share it!