Summary

This sermon focuses on spiritual gifts, particularly tongues and prophecy, drawing from 1 Corinthians 14. The pastor challenges the congregation to examine whether their views on spiritual gifts are shaped by personal experience or by Scripture. He presents a vision of the church as a body where every member is empowered by the Holy Spirit to build up others, and He calls the church to move beyond spiritual inertia by pursuing love and earnestly desiring gifts that edify the whole group.
JMT walks through five commands in the passage, emphasizing that experiencing more of the Holy Spirit requires practicing more. He offers accessible definitions of both tongues and prophecy, arguing that prophecy, broadly understood as speaking on God's behalf to a situation or audience, is available to every believer. The goal is not simply to have spiritual experiences but to see real results: people being built up, encouraged, and strengthened as the Spirit works through ordinary people in ordinary life.

Intro Prayer

Heavenly Father, we come before you today as a group of people who want to be shaped by your Word and not just by our own experiences or opinions. We ask that you open our hearts and minds to what you want to teach us today. Holy Spirit, move among us in this time together. Help us to pursue love, to desire the gifts you want to give, and to be willing to take steps of faith we have not taken before. May this discussion build us up and draw us closer to you and to one another. In Jesus' name, amen.

Ice Breaker

What is one thing you tried for the first time as an adult that you were initially hesitant about but ended up being glad you did?

Key Verses

1 Corinthians 14:1
1 Corinthians 14:3
1 Corinthians 14:121 Corinthians 14:13
1 Corinthians 14:20
Romans 8:26-27

Questions

JMT said most people form their opinions about spiritual gifts through experience first and then find Scripture to support those opinions.
- What experiences or opinions have shaped your current view?
- How can we guard against that tendency?

The first command in 1 Corinthians 14:1 is to pursue love. JMT described pursuit as active, not passive.
- What does it look like practically to pursue love in the context of your church community or small group?

Paul commands believers to grow in desire and expectation for spiritual gifts, especially those that build up others.
- How do you think desire for spiritual things grows in a person?

JMT defined prophecy broadly as speaking to a situation or audience on God's behalf. He said it does not require a seminary degree, a perfect life, or even being an adult.
- Does that definition expand or challenge how you have thought about prophecy? Why or why not?

Paul says in verse 5 that he wants all believers to speak in tongues but would rather they prophesy.
- What does it tell us about Paul's heart that he holds both of those statements together without contradiction?

JMT emphasized that the goal of spiritual gifts is edification, meaning real results where people are built up, not just personal spiritual experiences.
- How does keeping that goal in mind change the way you think about using whatever gifts God has given you?

The fifth command in this passage is to stop being childish in your thinking about spiritual things and to instead think maturely.
- What would mature, open-handed thinking about spiritual gifts look like in your own life this week?

Life Application

This week, set aside a few minutes each day to pray specifically for one other person in your life. As you pray, ask God: what do you want to do in them and for them? Write down anything that comes to mind, whether it is an encouragement, a Scripture, or a simple act of kindness. Then take a step of humility and share it with that person, aiming not for a dramatic experience but for the simple goal of building them up. At your next group meeting, share what happened.

Key Takeaways

Our opinions about spiritual gifts are often shaped more by personal experience than by Scripture, and we need to let the Bible reframe our thinking.
The Holy Spirit wants to empower every member of the body of Christ, not just a select few, so that the glory of Christ is on display through ordinary people.
Spiritual gifts are meant to build up others, not just benefit the individual. Love is the standard by which every gift must be exercised.
Prophecy, understood as speaking on God's behalf to a situation or audience, is available to all believers and can happen in calm, ordinary moments of prayer and conversation.
To experience more of the Holy Spirit working through us, we must practice more. Staying as we are will produce the same results we have always had.

Ending Prayer

Lord, thank you for the time we have had together today to wrestle with your Word and to encourage one another. We confess that we often let our past experiences or our fears keep us from being open to all that you want to do in us and through us. We ask that you would raise our expectations and fill us again with your Holy Spirit. Give us the courage to pursue love, to desire gifts that build up others, and to take small, faithful steps this week. May our group be a place where people are genuinely built up every time we meet, because you are generous and you love to work through ordinary people. We trust you, and we ask all of this in the name of Jesus. Amen.