1 Corinthians Chapter 12:27-31

I've heard people say, I'm seeking the gift of leadership. I'm seeking this gift. I'm seeking that gift. Don't seek gifts. Seek the giver. Because as you seek Jesus, guess what happens? You get the gifts. But if you seek the gifts, you know what?

You could get sidetracked. I know a lot of people, good people, people love God, but they've been sidetracked by the gifts. But if you seek the giver, you'll never be sidetracked. Welcome to Cross the Bridge with David McGee. David is the senior pastor of the bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina. When it comes to spiritual gifts, we need to seek the giver of the gifts, not the gifts themselves. Find out why this is important today as Pastor David continues his teaching from 1 Corinthians chapter 12. Before we join Pastor David, we want to let you know about an outreach opportunity that could bring hope to countless prisoners.

This month, Cross the Bridge is teaming with men and women like yourself in order to provide Pastor David's devotional book, Cross the Bridge Every Day, to inmates. When you call today and help support the ministry with a gift of $25 or more, we'll send you a book and also provide one to a prisoner in need. To take part in this important outreach, call 877-458-5508. That's 877-458-5508.

Or go online to crossthebridge.com. Now here's David McGee with part two of his teaching, Your Finest Hour. Turn with me to chapter 12 of 1 Corinthians and look at verse 27. Now you are the body of Christ and members individually. So you are an individual and yet you're part of something bigger. And yet, you know what, friend?

You know this. God has placed eternity in your heart. You know that you're an individual, but you also know that there is a completion that happens in the body. And if you don't have this, you will look for it. And friend, if you don't get it from church, you will look in some dark corners for it. If you don't enjoy the unity and the fellowship here spiritually, you'll look for it in bars, clubs, worse. There's a unique fellowship when somebody up sitting at a bar, drinking together, sharing misery.

Why? Because they want to belong to something. And friend, there's a part of you that is lonely for the body of Christ if you're not a part. And we've got a group here, leadership, pastoral, elders, deacons. We are committed. We've given our lives, literally given our lives, committed to the people here. And some people have returned that commitment and say, yes, I'm committed to hear. Some still on the fence. I understand that. Maybe you've really been hurt.

But it's when you come off the fence that you're going to experience this thing where the loneliness is just going to, it's going to leave because you realize that you're really part of something, part of something that's making a difference. Romans chapter 12 says, for as we have many members in one body, but all the members do not have the same function. So we being many or one body in Christ and individually members of one another, having them gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, let us use them. If prophecy, let's prophesy in proportion to our faith. Use your gifts.

Use your gifts. Watching the Super Bowl. You, when I see a lineman go, you know what? I think I want to be quarterback and I'm going to start a new team. Who's with me?

You won't see that. They understand it's a team effort. So many parallels, man, except see, this is not just a game. This is eternal.

Whoever wins the Super Bowl, wears the crown for a year, if you will. What we're talking about crowns for eternity. Ephesians five 30 says, for we are members of his body, of his flesh and of his bones. We're a part of Christ himself. So we are his arms who are reaching out. We are his voice calling out to a lost and hurting generation. We are his feet that are going and pursuing those who don't know him. The life lesson here is we are in Christ and part of something much bigger and more important than just ourselves.

We are in Christ and a part of something much bigger and more important than just ourselves. If my body hurts, I have to respond to that. If I certainly ache, the rest of my body compensates for that.

My foot hurts and I comp, the rest of my body compensates for that. You know, as a youngster, I asked my mom, I said, my brain hurts. She said, they call that a headache, honey. I said, okay, I got a headache. I was learning the terminology. And then one day my toe hurt and I said, I got a headache in my toe.

She said, no, that would be a toe ache, I guess, son. But when one part of the body hurts, the rest of the body compensates and loves on it. That's what this chapter is talking about. Someone in this fellowship hurts and the rest of us hurts. Romans 12, 15 says, rejoice with those who rejoice and weep with those who weep. Ephesians chapter four says, there's one body and one spirit just as you were called and one hope of your calling. One Lord, one faith, one baptism.

One God and Father of all who is above all and through all and in you all. Let's read verse 28. And God has appointed these in the church. First apostles, second prophets, third teachers.

After that, miracles, then gifts of healings, helps, administrations, varieties of tongues. So we see here in verse 28, the diversity that exists in the body of Christ. And let's understand that they are, there's room, there's space, there's place for every person. Do you realize that if every person in here today said, you know, I wanna start serving here. Do you realize we would be able to find a place for each and every person to serve?

There's that much to do. Especially as we stand far beyond these four walls. What happens when somebody doesn't step out?

Well, they miss out, the kingdom misses out. They don't get blessed. We don't get blessed and they're not discovering their God-given abilities. But oftentimes we go, well, I don't know if I'm gifted. You're absolutely gifted. If you're sitting here, you're gifted. If you're listening on radio, you're gifted. You're watching on television, you're gifted.

You're watching in Greensboro, you're gifted. God gives gifts to each and every person. That's not even the question. The question is, are you using your gift?

I can't answer that for you. You answer that one. The life lesson, God has given each minister or ministries different gifts. God has given each minister or ministries different gifts. Now you go, well, wait, man, I'm not a minister.

If you're in here or you're listening and you believe in Jesus as your savior, you are in full-time ministry. You're called. It's not just a few.

Oh, well, you know, there's some that are just called in there. We're all called. Some of us hear it.

Some of us listen to it. Some of us heed it. Now the callings are different. I'm called to be senior pastor. That's a different calling probably than yours.

But we're all called. We're all ministers. We all are the priesthood of believers is what Martin Luther said during the reformation.

Now this first travel is an interesting thing. It says, appointed in the church, first apostles. Now apostles, that word comes from apostolo in the Greek, set apart to send out on a mission. Notice it says first. Well, it's interesting because going back, this church did not start like most churches.

There wasn't a demographic study and say, hey, let's plan a church here. God just burdened my heart. I traveled for like eight years, traveled around the country, teaching the Bible, doing music. God said, I got something different for you to do. So he sent me to start a work.

I was the sent one. And apostolo comes from apostolos or apostle, a delegate, especially in a pastor of the gospel, officially a commissioner of Christ. Romans 10, 14 says, but how can they call on him to save them unless they believe in him? And how can they believe in him if they've never heard about him? And how can they hear about him unless someone tells them? And how will anyone go and tell them without being sent? Same word, apostolos, without being sent. That is why the scriptures say how beautiful are the feet of messengers who bring goodness. Now, what if God hadn't called me?

Well, God did call me. What if I wouldn't have responded? What if some of you that support Cross the Bridge wouldn't have supported Cross the Bridge and we couldn't have done the radio expansion? Then these people that got saved, person coming out of being a Jehovah's Witness, this other person, blind amputee, witnessing to their nephew, this other person that gave their life to Christ, it wouldn't have happened.

Do you see how serious this is? We're talking about lives. Maybe the lives of your loved ones, of your family, of your friends. It's the second prophets. What is a prophet? It's not just somebody who foretells the future, it's somebody who speaks to people on behalf of God. What I do on Sunday morning is prophesying in a sense that I'm speaking to you on behalf of God. I take what he's already said in this book, I mix it with what I think he wants to communicate to you, and I'm speaking to you on his behalf. That's a heavy responsibility. That's the second in the movement. And then what happens?

Then teachers saying, hey, this is how you do it. This is how you serve, being that example. And after that, miracles, gifts of healings, helps, administrations, variety of tongues.

As a matter of fact, let's understand, I know some of us struggle in this area, but it's gaziglia in the Greek, in the New Living Translation. It says, here are some of the parts God has appointed for the church. First apostles, second are prophets, third are teachers, then those who do miracles, then who have the gift of healing, those who can help others, those who have the gift of leadership, and those who speak in unknown languages. Do we believe in that? Well, a better question is, does the Bible teach it?

And if you find a difference between your doctrine and what the Bible teaches, your doctrine needs to change to what the Bible teaches. But when we're talking about gifts, I've heard people say, I'm seeking the gift of leadership. I'm seeking this gift. I'm seeking that gift. I want to have the gift of healing. I want to have the gift of teaching.

No, no, no, no, no, no, no. Don't seek gifts. Seek the giver. Seek the giver of the gifts, not the gifts. Because as you seek Jesus, guess what happens?

You get the gifts. But if you seek the gifts, you know what? You could get sidetracked. I know a lot of people, good people, people love God, but they've been sidetracked by the gifts. But if you seek the giver, you'll never be sidetracked.

And your focus will be on what your focus is supposed to be on. You're listening to Cross the Bridge with David McGee. We'll be back to the teaching in just a moment. This month, we're focusing on prison ministry, and I have the chance to sit down with Pastor David. Pastor, what is Cross the Bridge prison ministry all about? David McGee You know, with Cross the Bridge, we're all about getting people to take the next spiritual step, showing them what that is, and teaching them the blessings that come with that step. Now, for a lot of people, that's the step of salvation. They're lost, and they need to accept the salvation and the forgiveness of Jesus. And then they need to learn how to follow Jesus by learning about His Word.

And Cross the Bridge helps with both of those. We present salvation with every radio message, and we also help disciple people by teaching them the Word of God. And so, the prison ministry is consistent with what we do at Cross the Bridge, and that is present salvation and teach the Word of God to help people become disciples. Pastor, we know that sharing the Word of God is always important to you. And why is it so important to get God's Word into the prisons as well?

David McGee Our prison system is built around trying to change the lives of people who've made bad decisions. And yet, you can't change a life without changing the heart. And that's where God's Word and God's Spirit are so powerful. They can change a life.

They can change a heart. We can share the Word of God with somebody. You can help send us into the prisons to share the plan of salvation. See that prisoner get saved and then begin to disciple him and teach him the Word of God so that when he gets out, he is different than when he came in.

David McGee Thank you for sharing, Pastor. If you're listening and agree with David about our need to help those in prison, we would love to hear from you. You can call 877-458-5508. That's 877-458-5508. And when you give $25 or more, we'll send you a copy of Cross the Bridge every day. Not only that, but we'll match your gift by sending another copy of David's devotional to an inmate in need. Also, your gift of $200 or more will provide a case of 10 books that will be used to help change lives for eternity. Again, that number is 877-458-5508.

Or go online to CrossTheBridge.com. Now let's return to Pastor David's teaching. Pastor David Now look at this. Verse 29, Are all apostles, are all prophets, are all teachers, are all workers of miracles, do all have gifts of healings, do all speak with tongues, do all interpret?

The obvious answer is no. No one person has all the gifts. Now somebody may occasionally walk in every gift. When we're talking about the gifts, some gifts are deposited in people and they walk in those gifts all the time. And then sometimes the Holy Spirit will give somebody just for a moment because that person needs that gift at that moment. So somebody can, in a moment, walk in any of the gifts, but nobody for all their lifetime walks in all the gifts.

Just doesn't happen. So the answer to this question is no, which is interesting because a lot of people say, and we don't, but there are people out there who say, well, you're not going to heaven if you don't speak in unknown tongues. I don't believe that. I don't teach that. And some people say, well, I don't believe you're filled with the Spirit unless you're speaking unknown tongues.

I don't believe that and I don't teach that. Seven times in the Book of Acts, people are filled with the Spirit. Five times they speak in unknown tongues. Twice they don't. So do all speak in tongues?

No. And any sort of gift is not a reward for being good. They're given by grace. Now, friend, if you're uncomfortable with the whole subject of tongues, we're going to dig into it in chapter 14, but we need to understand that is a biblical concept. Now, if you're sitting there going, well, I didn't know this was one of those churches. You know why? Because we walk in 1 Corinthians 14 that says, let things be done decently in order.

So we don't think that somebody in the middle of service should start running around screaming in an unknown tongue. Paul says, if you let that happen, people are going to think you're crazy. That's pretty much a direct quote.

And they will. Actually, the question's answered in a New Living Translation. Are we all apostles? Are we all prophets?

Are we all teachers? Do we all have the power to do miracles? Do we all have the gift of healing? Do we all have the ability to speak in unknown languages?

Do we all have the ability to interpret unknown languages? Of course not. But God wants us. He wants to give us the Holy Spirit. What do we got to do? We got to tarry meetings.

We got to hang out for an hour. No, no, no, no. It's as simple as this. And we've talked about it before. You ask, God fills. That's it. What if I feel something?

Great. What if I ask him to fill me and I don't feel anything? You still receive the Holy Spirit. You ask by faith. You receive by faith. Some people, when they get saved, feel something. Some people, when they get saved, don't feel something. Is one more saved than the other?

No. By faith, not by feeling. God sometimes will overwhelm you emotionally with his presence. And praise God for those times.

But don't base your theology on that. Look at verse 31. Verse 31, but earnestly desire the best gifts. And yet I show you a more excellent way.

Paul takes us through this journey of unity and gifts and all these things. And he says, here, I show you a more excellent way. Really what he's saying is I desire that you love more. I desire that you love more. I don't think there's anybody listening that can actually say, you know, I really, I love unconditionally. I love like God.

No, I think we can all be honest enough to say, you know what? Yeah, I need to love more. And God is showing us what that looks like. Here's how you love more. See, if you don't come into contact with somebody that's unlovable, you won't get the chance to love more.

If you don't get into contact with somebody that's unlovable, you won't get the chance to love more. It's when you're thrown in together in a body, the body of Christ, the team, and maybe you go on a retreat and every little thing about somebody, you know, why do you gotta brush your teeth like that? Quit moving your feet. Don't do that. It bothers me.

Do you always wear your hair like that? We're getting an opportunity to love each other. So pray, ask God to help you love people, but be aware when you pray that God's gonna lead you to action. That's not, oh God, just help me to love people more.

Just, you know, drop a little of the Holy Spirit on me and give me a little warm, fuzzy. Don't challenge me. Don't try me. Don't stretch me.

Don't grow me. Just sprinkle a little pixie dust on me. I prayed years ago, God help me love people more.

People don't know the Bible. I went from church to church and I just, I was grieved by some of what I saw. God said, well, what are you gonna do? I said, what do you want me to do? He said, how much are you willing to pay?

I said, we can pay because we paid it all. He said, will you? I said, part of me wants to. Part of me doesn't, God.

Will you help the part of me that doesn't? He said, yeah. I said, okay, let's do it. Let's go. I started a home Bible study.

That's a huge risk. I wasn't working. I was focused on this. There was no salary. There was no even possibility of a salary. From the time we started to, I was actually, I did it for 22 months full time before it was ever paid. And I was paid, I think $12,000 a year for a while.

Family of five. I risked it all. Here's the cool part. God has blessed. Amen? Amen. God has blessed.

Because now God said, okay, well, you know what? I'm gonna take this and this. I'm gonna take this teaching. It's gonna go around the world. There's gonna be thousands, potential audience of millions that just church reaches every week. You take those steps of faith.

God does something incredible with it. That's what he's wanting us to do. That's what he's wanting you to do.

To love God, love people, and treat people the way you wanna be treated. That's the Bible. That's in here. What about standing on a corner with a megaphone and shouting at people? I'm not gonna do that because I don't want somebody doing that to me. Shouting at me, telling me how I'm going to hell. If I don't know Jesus, tell me how to get there.

Drop the megaphone. And when you look around at your brothers and sisters, what do you see? You see Jesus? Do you talk about how that person reminds you of Jesus?

Or do you bear false witness? Let me share a quote. There comes a special moment in everyone's life, a moment for which that person was born. That special opportunity, when he seizes it, will fulfill his mission. A mission for which he is uniquely qualified. And in that moment, he finds greatness. It is his finest hour.

Winston Churchill. As you find your place in the body, it maximizes your gifts to reach more people than you could ever imagine. And it literally is your moment of destiny, your moment of greatness, and your finest hour.

Don't miss this. Gang, we're talking about eternity. We're talking about the souls of men and women who don't know this book, who don't know Jesus. And in order to reach him, we gotta maximize and play together and have teamwork. We're only in the beginning of what God's called us to be.

And this can be your finest hour. Now how do you start? You start by asking Jesus to forgive you of your sins. Because the ground at the foot of the cross is all level. Every person in here needs to ask God to forgive them.

If you've never done this, you need to do it now. God wants to forgive you. Jesus Christ took your sins upon himself and he died for you so that you could be forgiven. Now Jesus Christ is the savior of the world. Is he your savior?

You have to make a personal decision. Doesn't matter if you go to churches for years or you're a member of a church, all that is well and good. But you have to ask him personally to forgive you. Romans chapter 10, verse nine and 10 says you gotta believe in your heart, you gotta confess with your mouth.

Romans 10, 13 says whosoever calls on the name of the Lord shall be saved. So you gotta call to him. But what do I gotta do to get ready? You're ready. You're ready right now. If there's part of you that wants to ask God to forgive you, you're ready.

You don't have to promise that you'll never mess up again because he knows that you will mess up again. He does want you to ask him for the power to begin to live for him. Friend do you know for sure that your sins have been forgiven?

You can know right now. I want to lead you in a short simple prayer simply telling God you're sorry and asking him to help you to live for him. Please pray this prayer with me out loud right now. Dear Jesus, I believe you died for me that I could be forgiven and I believe you were raised from the dead that I could have a new life and I've done wrong things. I have sinned and I'm sorry. Please forgive me of all those things. Please give me the power to live for you all of my days in Jesus name.

Amen. Friend if you prayed that prayer according to the Bible you've been forgiven. You've been born again. Jesus said he would not turn anybody away who comes to him and he came for those people who knew they needed forgiveness. Those who were sick not the righteous.

So congratulations friend you just made the greatest decision that you will ever make. God bless you. If you prayed that prayer with David for the first time we would love to hear from you. You can call us toll free at 877-458-5508 to receive our first steps package with helpful resources to help you begin your walk with Christ. God is using Cross the Bridge to impact lives across our country including the lives of those currently serving time in our nation's prisons. While materials provided by Muslim organizations continue to increase within our prisons, our distribution of Pastor David's book Cross the Bridge Every Day has been making a significant impact for Jesus with prisoners. And you can help continue that outreach by calling today. When you call today with a gift of $25 or more we will send you David McGee's devotional book and then match your gift by sending a copy to a prisoner in need. And if you're able to give a gift of $200 or more we will send a case of 10 books to inmates who are without hope.

Help us reach those in prison. Call today at 877-458-5508 that's 877-458-5508 or go online to crossthebridge.com. Also if you're not able to make it to your home church this Sunday why not join us for our live stream at 9 and 1130 eastern. Just visit crossthebridge.com and click on our live stream link. There you can watch Pastor David teach from his home church, The Bridge in Kernersville, North Carolina. Again, that website is crossthebridge.com. Thanks again for listening. We hope you'll join us next time as we continue to cross the bridge.