Sermon Notes Feb 15
The Text this week begins with the Story of Naaman.
From it I wanted to show off some of the Spiritual Gifts at work...
Healing: When Naaman is healed of his leprosy we see the gift of healing at work.
Prophet: Certainly, Elisha stands as a prime example of a prophet, who proclaims the will of God to the people, and stands outside of the community, calling back to the community to move toward God's plan for it.
Faith: We see faith in several instances, but my favorite is of the servant girl who is in the foreign encampment, and is convinced of God's power so present with Elisha that she recommends that Naaman go to see Elisha, for surely he would be healed.
Intercession: We see intercession at work in several places again, as it is the working of one person on behalf of another in petitioning for God's work to be done. Naaman's servant who reminds Naaman that if Elisha had asked something hard of him, wouldn't he have done it, so why not this easy thing.
Leadership: The king of the Aramenas, not only showed leadership by taking it upon himself to send Naaman to Israel, but also honored Naaman's gift of leadership, by valuing him so highly as to make such a petition to Israel for healing in the first place.
Discernment: The gift of discernment of spirits, that which is for good and that which is for evil also presents in several places within the story. Elisha has to be most discerning in being able to tell whether the petition from the King of the Arameans was of good intent or evil intent. We also see the poor ability of the King if Israel to discern such things when he flies off the handle and complains that the King of the Arameans is trying to pick a fight
Serving: We have many servants listed in our story, the servant girl, the servant of Naaman, the attendants of the Kings and of Elisha that do all the errand running and messaging of this story.
Evangelist: The best example of an evangelist is one who tells God's story in a foreign land. The precursor to Naaman going to Israel in the first place is the servant girl to the King's wife who tells them there is someone in Israel who can make Naaman clean. The effects of which are seen beyond the telling of this part of the story, where Naaman proclaims Elisha's God as the highest god of all.
Discernment: The gift of discernment of spirits, that which is for good and that which is for evil also presents in several places within the story. Elisha has to be most discerning in being able to tell whether the petition from the King of the Arameans was of good intent or evil intent. We also see the poor ability of the King if Israel to discern such things when he flies off the handle and complains that the King of the Arameans is trying to pick a fight
Serving: We have many servants listed in our story, the servant girl, the servant of Naaman, the attendants of the Kings and of Elisha that do all the errand running and messaging of this story.
Evangelist: The best example of an evangelist is one who tells God's story in a foreign land. The precursor to Naaman going to Israel in the first place is the servant girl to the King's wife who tells them there is someone in Israel who can make Naaman clean. The effects of which are seen beyond the telling of this part of the story, where Naaman proclaims Elisha's God as the highest god of all.
posted by David @ 2/17/2009
1 comments
1 Comments:
I agree with Pastor Camphouse the story of Naaman is an excellent Old Testament example of the Spiritual Gifts at work. Some of my own experiences in regards to the gift of discernment are likely no different to what most of us experience. While there are different levels of this gift (Jesus had to deal with some of the most severe); the most basic form is what most of us deal with on an almost daily basis. The Holy Spirit will allow our own human spirit to be grieved when we come in contact with someone with a wrong spirit. You can generally tell when this happens. You can tell when something is not right with an individual almost right off the bat; maybe the way they look at you; their tone of voice; maybe they might "try" to encourage you with a slap on the back but somehow the "slap" seems a little too hard and harsh. More positively however I am thankful to say that the vast majority of folks I confront everyday give me positive input which I am able to discern, and I go away feeling quite blessed. My mission, and challenge is to show people everyday the respect they deserve as ones for whom Christ died, regardless of whether they have blessed me or not. As the Apostle Paul said in Romans- "Christ died for the ungodly". That certainly included me, in fact, it included everybody. Dave Youngdale.
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