Empowered: Words of Wisdom

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1 Empowered: Words of Wisdom Introduction - about the gifts of the Spirit 1 Corinthians 12:1, 4-11 (NIV) - list of the 9 gifts of the Spirit Words of Knowledge Healing Miracles Discernment of spirits Tongues / Interpretation of Tongues Prophecy [2 weeks ago - message on line] Faith = [last week - message on line] Words of Wisdom = Today s Focus Before jump in, want to remind Why we are preaching this series and why we are sharing our experience of the gifts of the Spirit? We are sharing because To help people realize there is MORE of God to experience NOT to make anyone feel insecure or to wonder why isn t God doing that in me Doesn t mean your not a Christian/follower of Jesus if you haven t exhibited the gifts of the Spirit Just means that there is MORE for us to experience To give people a grid (structure or framework) destigmatize Biblical (authority of Scripture) - it s Biblical God still works this way To grow desire in individuals Obedient, not grieve the Spirit This series: God told Brent to Reiterate the desire to provide to provide a grid or framework - when I was baptized in the Spirit and became to The Spirit-filled life is the Christian life The gifts of the Spirit are for the building up of the Church, so if we want God to build us up, we need all the help we can get

2 Tension / Common Ground: We would love to know the future, but God in His wisdom, gives us snippets of the future in order that we won t worry or try to work at it, but rather live into his preferred future for us What Words of Wisdom ARE NOT: being wise, not Wisdom as we usually think about it, like mentally considering all the variables and then making an educated guess or decision making good choices growing old/mature Not natural What Words of Wisdom ARE: Worship Note: Words of wisdom is the supernatural unveiling of a portion of God s future plan Given by the Holy Spirit God knows everything (all knowing), Omniscient, at times, reveals something to give us aid in the adventure it s a word of wisdom - like a word in a sentence is only a fragment, a word of wisdom is just a piece or portion of what God knows, just enough to keep us on track The word of wisdom involves speaking the 'hidden things' - things we would not normally or naturally know Wisdom has to do with the future, or something that has not yet come to pass; Less familiar with this gift, until we started praying into it this week and looking at Scripture - came to realize, not only have we received words of wisdom from others, but we ve also operated in this gift and given words of wisdom to others How are Words of Wisdom Unveiled (How God gives us these words): 1. [Dreams] How: Dreams OT: Joseph

3 Genesis 37:3-11 New International Version (NIV) 3 Now Israel loved Joseph more than any of his other sons, because he had been born to him in his old age; and he made an ornate[ a ] robe for him. 4 When his brothers saw that their father loved him more than any of them, they hated him and could not speak a kind word to him. 5 Joseph had a dream, and when he told it to his brothers, they hated him all the more. 6 He said to them, Listen to this dream I had: 7 We were binding sheaves of grain out in the field when suddenly my sheaf rose and stood upright, while your sheaves gathered around mine and bowed down to it. 8 His brothers said to him, Do you intend to reign over us? Will you actually rule us? And they hated him all the more because of his dream and what he had said. 9 Then he had another dream, and he told it to his brothers. Listen, he said, I had another dream, and this time the sun and moon and eleven stars were bowing down to me. 10 When he told his father as well as his brothers, his father rebuked him and said, What is this dream you had? Will your mother and I and your brothers actually come and bow down to the ground before you? 11 His brothers were jealous of him, but his father kept the matter in mind. How was this edifying? Joseph Times it didn t seem so Sold into slavery Potiphar's wife Prison Time of extreme difficulty As he went on starting to realize the word coming true Interpreting dreams Coming before Pharaoh Put into 2nd in command Live into the word and faith in God was strengthened and purpose realized: Can influence decisions

4 His brothers came to bow down as he was 2nd in command= WOW came true Genesis 50:20 (NIV) 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. How: Another Way WOW can be unveiled is Visions (images/pictures) 1. Dreams 2. Visions Ebenezer= number me and Monica, Lee and Courtney= sanctuary filled How was it edifying? At the time, awesome to think about Easter 2017= fulfilled, 120 How: Another Way WOW can be unveiled is Divine visitation 1. Dreams 2. Visions 3. Divine Visitations NT: Paul Acts 23: One of the times people get mad at Paul and he is in harms way... 9 There was a great uproar, and some of the teachers of the law who were Pharisees stood up and argued vigorously. We find nothing wrong with this man, they said. What if a spirit or an angel has spoken to him? 10 The dispute became so violent that the commander was afraid Paul would be torn to pieces by them. He ordered the troops to go down and take him away from them by force and bring him into the barracks.

5 11 The following night the Lord stood near Paul and said, Take courage! As you have testified about me in Jerusalem, so you must also testify in Rome. How edifying? Paul thought he was about to be put to death WOW created in Paul a Longing to go to Rome to share the gospel Romans 1:11-12 (NIV) 11 I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong 12 that is, that you and I may be mutually encouraged by each other s faith. And he made it to Rome Acts 28:14b-15 (NIV) And so we came to Rome. 15 The brothers and sisters there had heard that we were coming, and they traveled as far as the Forum of Appius and the Three Taverns to meet us. At the sight of these people Paul thanked God and was encouraged. How: Thoughts or impressions 1. Dreams 2. Visions 3. Divine Visitations 4. Thoughts or Impressions Through all of these different ways, a portion of God s future plan is supernaturally unveiled - Word received can be for you, or for you to report out the Divine communication to someone else [Sounds a lot like prophecy - human report of a divine communication - and sometimes the gifts tend to overlap - like a Word that is edifying, and encouraging and comforting, yet includes something that pertains to the future that someone couldn t know in the natural, but received through a dream, or vision, or visitation or thought or feeling... Example: End of 2016, word that Mortgage will be paid off in NO MORTGAGE in all capital letters Was edifying, and encouraging and comforting

6 But thought - there is ZERO chance of that happening Actually made fun of it, and the ridiculous nature of the amount lessened my belief that it was true Supposed to test words that are received against Scripture and the character of God - didn t test it; just didn t belive it And then it came to pass God only gave a portion, and didn t include in that word the how, which was through an inheritance that resulted in the passing of a loved one - would not have been edifying, encouraging or comforting, because he would choose still having that loved one in his life a million times over if he had the choice interesting as it began to unfold As it was unfolding he didn t direct it, but recognized it as details started falling into place, when it came to pass Didn t discourage it due to the word received [Before start hitting him up for money, I still have property tax, and property insurance, and the removal of a mortgage payment coincided with my our car insurance quadrupling with 2 male, teenage drives, and he was in an accident that resulted in a complete loss ] BUT, still praising the Lord, none-the-less] How edifying? Evidence of God s supernatural involvement in your life it raises your faith and strengthens resolve Closing Be open to receive divine communication Willing to be a report it out Pray for a filling of the Holy Spirit We wanna hear testimony