Visions Series 2025: Spiritual Gifts

EMPOWERED: ACTIVATED BY THE SPIRIT
November 23rd, 2025 | Seventh Day Adventist

INTRO / PARKER

Good morning, Pinewood!

This vision series started under the banner of Isaiah 55:11

“so my word that comes from my mouth

will not return to me empty,

but it will accomplish what I please

and will prosper in what I send it to do.”

Isaiah 55 is not just a theme.
It is a foundational passage of Pinewood Church.

Then for the past two weeks, we walked through the “State of the Church”:

• Who we are and where we’re headed and the systems and structures for health and sustainability

And it all leads here.

Isaiah 55 was about our foundation
State of the Church was about our structure,
And today is about our activation.

Today is about the people. The body of Christ. You!

In the Bible, there are many images given of the people of God.

INTRO/ WHERE WE’RE GOING TODAY / JESS

1 Corinthians 12–14 is God’s blueprint for a healthy New Testament church.

Today 3 key ideas:

First Slide

1. Defining Spiritual Gifts

Biblical clarity, straight from the text.

2. Discovering Spiritual Gifts

What God placed inside you.

3. Activating Spiritual Gifts

Where we go from here.

Next Slide

POINT 1: DEFINING SPIRITUAL GIFTS / PARKER

(Parker)
1 Corinthians 12:1, 4–7

Let’s go straight to the Word.

Background:

Today we’re looking at the Body of Christ out of 1 Corinthians 12. As you can see there’s three main patterns Paul uses in talking about the body of Christ.

Paul wasn’t writing a spiritual gifts handbook. He isn’t giving a classroom lecture — he’s healing a fractured church.

He was writing to a church that was divided, competitive, insecure, and spiritually immature.

He gives them three anchors — unity, diversity, and maturity — not as ideals but as corrections…

and they’re the same corrections the American church still needs today.

Next Slide

UNITY

They were dividing.
Paul says: “You’re one body.”

DIVERSITY

They were comparing.
Paul says: “Every part matters.”

MATURITY

They were acting childish.
Paul says: “Grow up in love.”

Next Slide

1 Corinthians 12:1 (CSB)

“Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be unaware.”

Next Slide

Paul starts pastoral.
He says, “I don’t want you to be unaware (agnoein).”
The Greek word agnoein means uninformed, guessing, or misunderstanding.

Meaning: You cannot live out your calling if you’re unclear on your gifting.

Many believers live gifted… but unaware.

Called… but undiscipled.

Anointed… but underdeveloped.

Paul is writing to eliminate confusion and provide clarity.

Now let’s read the theological core of the chapter:

Next Slide

1 Corinthians 12:4–6 (CSB)

“Now there are different gifts, but the same Spirit.
There are different ministries, but the same Lord.
And there are different activities, but the same God works all of them in each person.”

This is Paul’s framework.
Let’s break it down.

Definition

Next Slide

A spiritual gift is a Spirit-empowered expression of God’s presence through a believer, given to build up the church and advance the mission of Jesus.

Next Slide

A. Paul roots spiritual gifts in the Trinity (vv. 4–6)

“Different gifts, same Spirit”

The Holy Spirit is the distributor.

“Different ministries, same Lord”

Jesus assigns the roles and directs the lanes.

“Different activities, same God”

The Father energizes and sustains them.

Notice that Paul gives a Trinitarian structure here.

This is amazing:

The Father wills the gifts
The Son models and gives the gifts
The Spirit distributes and empowers the gifts

And the Church displays the gifts for the common good

Spiritual gifts are not random.
They are relational.
They flow from the Triune God into His people.

Spirit-empowered.
Spirit-manifested.
Community-building.
Mission-forward.

Next Slide

POINT 2: DISCOVERING YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFT / JESS

Story: Have you ever had a life changing discovery of something? Parker is the king at “this is life changing statements,” contacts so you can see, instacart, broom to a cordless dyson vacuum, my most recent is an air fryer, there are bigger moments too like the day you gave your life to Jesus, becoming a parent, finding a good friend, singles dating - the person who shows up on time and pursues you well, life changing right?!

Discovering your spiritual gifts is life changing because it is discovering your God given purpose. Who you are, what you were made to do, and how God wants to use you.

Many of you may have anchored in your purpose for life based on what you do, your career and accolades….

1 Corinthians 12:7–11

Let’s read:

Next Slide

1 Corinthians 12:7

“A manifestation of the Spirit is given to each person for the common good.”

This tells us two things:

1. You are gifted.
2. Your gift is meant to help others.

B. “A manifestation of the Spirit…” (v. 7)

This is HUGE.

Manifestation in Greek means:
the Spirit making Himself visible through you.

Meaning:

Skip Heitzig: “A spiritual gift is God working through you, not you working for God.”

This creates humble confidence:

• Humility: It’s not me.
• Confidence: But He wants to work through me.

C. “Given to each person…”

Who gets gifts?

Each.
Every.
All.

Every believer is gifted.
Every gift is needed.
And every gift has a purpose.

No Christian is giftless.

No gift is insignificant.

No one is left out.

D. “For the common good.”

Paul’s controlling phrase.

This is the filter for every gift.

Not: self-promotion

But: body-building

Not: showing off

But: building up

This is the heartbeat of spiritual gifts.

And before Paul moves on, he prepares to give the metaphor that combats comparison:

Then Paul lists several gifts:

• wisdom
• knowledge
• faith
• healing
• miracles
• prophecy
• discernment
• tongues
• interpretation

Paul is illustrating gifts, this is not an exhaustive list.

Here’s a list of the gifts broken up into 3 buckets.

Next Slide

And here are the references if you want to study these for yourself.

Next Slide

So how do you discover your gift?

Next Slide

1. Pay attention to what energizes you.

Gifts tend to bring life, not drain it.

2. Pay attention to what others affirm in you.

Gifts are clarified in community and they are recognized by fruit.

3. Pay attention to opportunity.

You discover gifts by doing, not by waiting.

Spiritual gifts grow in motion, not in introspection.

4. Pay attention to Scripture.

God speaks through His Word and confirms through His people.

One quick story

The story of me discovering my gift of miracles.

Before we take the test… one clarification

Next Slide

Gifts are not primarily discovered through tests.
They are discovered through community, practice, and fruit.

So here’s how we’re using the test:

• It is a tool
• It gives language
• It sparks conversation
• It helps you begin

It is not your identity.
It is not prophecy.
It is not Scripture.

But it is a powerful starting point.

Alright church — grab your phones.

Next Slide

We’re going to take 10 minutes right now to walk through Pinewood’s Spiritual Gifts Test.

(Begin test countdown)

POINT 3: Activating YOUR SPIRITUAL GIFTS / PARKER

Next Slide

Alright church — listen to me for a moment.

Discovery is exciting…
but deployment is where transformation happens.

Gifts unused are wasted.
Gifts ignored are buried.
Gifts activated are multiplied.

Let me speak to three groups in the room.

PERSONA 1 — Next Slide “This looks right. This is me.”

Amazing.

Your next step:
Go deeper. Ask God for more. Expand your faith.

Paul says, “Eagerly desire spiritual gifts.”
(1 Corinthians 14:1)

PERSONA 2 — Next Slide “This looks right… but I’m not using it.”

This is most people.

Hear this with love:

You’re not unqualified.
You’re underutilized.

Your gift is waiting for a place to grow.

Your next step:
Start serving. Join a team. Step into motion.

(Pinewood pathways)

• Pinewood Kids
• Pinewood Worship
• Hospitality / Connections
• Crews
• Love Boulder
• Production
• Youth launch
• Prayer Team
• Outreach & Missions

There is a lane for your gift.

PERSONA 3 — Next Slide “This doesn’t feel like me.”

Totally normal.

The test is directional — not definitive.

Gifts become clear through:

• Trying
• Serving
• Failing
• Growing
• Being affirmed
• Bearing fruit

As Craig Keener argues:
Spiritual gifts are best discerned in community.

So your next step is simple:
Stay open.
Stay curious.
Keep serving.

Last Slide

FINAL CHARGE — ACTIVATING THE BODY

Jess

Pinewood,

Your spiritual gift is someone else’s answered prayer.
Your obedience is someone else’s breakthrough.
Your yes is someone else’s miracle.

This is not a volunteer organization.
This is the body of Christ.
This is a movement.
This is a miracle in motion.

We want Pinewood to be a church where:

• Every believer knows their gift
• Every gift is used
• Every gift builds the body
• Nobody sits on the bench
• Everybody plays
• And the Holy Spirit empowers the mission of Jesus in Boulder

This is our vision.
This is our calling.
This is where we’re going.

Let’s pray.