A. There are three lists offered in scripture of spiritual gifts.

1. Romans 12:3-8

³For I say, through the grace given unto me, to every man that is among you, not to think of himself more highly than he ought to think; but to think soberly, according as God hath dealt to every man the measure of faith. ⁴For as we have many members in one body, and all members have not the same office: ⁵So we, being many, are one body in Christ, and every one members one of another.⁶Having then gifts differing according to the grace that is given to us, whether prophecy, let us prophesy according to the proportion of faith;⁷Or ministry, let us wait on our ministering: or he that teacheth, on teaching;⁸Or he that exhorteth, on exhortation: he that giveth, let him do it with simplicity; he that ruleth, with diligence; he that sheweth mercy, with cheerfulness.

2. 1st Corinthians 12:7-10

⁷But the manifestation of the Spirit is given to every man to profit withal.⁸For to one is given by the Spirit the word of wisdom; to another the word of knowledge by the same Spirit;⁹To another faith by the same Spirit; to another the gifts of healing by the same Spirit;¹⁰To another the working of miracles; to another prophecy; to another discerning of spirits; to another divers kinds of tongues; to another the interpretation of tongues:¹¹But all these worketh that one and the selfsame Spirit, dividing to every man severally as he will.

3. Ephesians 4:10-12

¹⁰He that descended is the same also that ascended up far above all heavens, that he might fill all things.)¹¹And he gave some, apostles; and some, prophets; and some, evangelists; and some, pastors and teachers;¹²For the perfecting of the saints, for the work of the ministry, for the edifying of the body of Christ:

B. Gifts are not Talents, but Unique Ministry Tools
From these, we compile the following:
1. Though we may have many talents we are born with, or receive from our parents, there are gifts we receive from our heavenly father at the moment of our salvation that are separate.
2. We can use talents as we choose, but the gifts of the Holy Spirit are designed and given for the building of God’s kingdom.  In the scriptures above, we are commanded to use these gifts for His purpose.
3. Further reading in 1st Corinthians reinforces that God chooses which gifts are given to us.  We may choose a talent or a skill to hone, but it is up to God what gifts we will posses when we join his kingdom.

C. Tongues is a gift of the Holy Spirit, but is widely misunderstood.
1. Tongues first occurred in Acts 2, where we see clearly that the gift of Tongues is spoken by the Holy Spirit, not by ourselves.  This gift was given to the Apostles to preach the Word of God to those who spoke different languages.  It is useful when delivered to those who need it, but useless in a church service where the Word of God is already understood.  That is why we do not consider Tongues a form of worship at New Hope.
2. Paul teaches an important lesson on Tongues in 1 Corinthians 14.

D. Gifts are given, not taken.
We learned that God chose what gifts to give us.  It is silly to desire a gift we were not given, and counter-productive to try and “learn” it.  It is more productive for us to find out what gift we were actually given, and then begin using it.

The test from Malone is thorough.  So thorough in fact, that it even measures for gifts not mentioned in the scriptures* we studied (more about that below).  Please be mindful: do not treat this test as the final word on the matter.  This test can help us take a better look at ourselves.  But to be absolutely certain about your results, you should speak to your Pastor and your friends, and to God.  Especially our Pastor.  His spiritual gift is discernment, so likely he will know your results before you tell him.

*Note:
A few extra “gifts” have jumped into this test:
1. Craftsmanship (Building and Creating things)
2. Creative Communication (Dramas, Dance, Sign Language, Performances)
3. Hospitality
4. Intercession (Prayer Warrior)
In my opinion, the first two are talents.  The second two are responsibilities.  However, it can’t hurt to see if we are equipped also toward these acts of worship.  Just recognize they are not referred to as “gifts” directly by scripture.

Girls Bake-a-Thon – 4:00PM to 7:00PM
Meet at the Church at 4:00 PM
Bring one or two things to make (including the eggs, milk, oil, etc. needed to make it)
Pizza will be available for dinner.

Boys and Girls Bonfire – 8:00 PM
8:00 PM at Heather’s House

Ladies: Rides will be available to take you from the church to Heather’s House.
Everyone will need a ride to return home.

Sunday

Boys Video-Game-A-Thon – Noon to 6:00 PM
Following church on Sunday, we will all walk up to Jeremy’s house.
Pizza will be available for Lunch.
Important: If you have an XBOX 360, call Jeremy to see if it will be needed, and what games to bring.
Youth will need a ride home when the event is over.

What’s Needed

E.D.G.E.

Please bring one bag of chips / pretzels / snacks each to the Bon Fire.

A meal will not be provided, so please eat dinner before you come.

ROOtED

Fellow young adults, we will need the following items for the Bon Fire:

Smore Kits:
Chocolate – Jeremy, Daniel and Sara
Graham Crackers and Marshmellows – Aaron
Soda Pop – Ian, Volunteer Needed, Volunteer Needed
Roasting Tools – Volunteer Needed

QUESTIONS

If you have any questions, feel free to call Sara, Jeremy, or Myself.
E-mail Daniel at bowser555@gmail.com for that information.

See you all this weekend!  God bless.

Definition – Willingly delaying what should be done.  The result of laziness.

Some scripture verses we read:

Proverbs 12:24, 13:4, 15:18-19, and 18:9.

Colossians 3:23

Procrastination At Work

Go to work as if God is both your co-worker and your employer.

God Wants us to Act Now

• Matthew 21:26 is one of many examples of things God belives we should not delay.  In this case, making amends with another should not be put off.  Therefor, procrastion doesn;t just effect tasks, but relationships.
• Ephesians 4:26 says not to let teh sun set on your anger.  Another clear example of things God believes require immediate attention.

Luke 14:21 – The Parable of the Great Feast

The Parable of the Great Feast has Two Menaings:

1. Give to those who need it.  The blessing is greater from those who cannot repay you.
2. Beware and heed God’s invitation, because one day he may revoke it.

Procrastination Deprives You

Procrastination Deprives You of your Physical, Emotional and Spiritual Needs.

Why do people procrastinate, in spite of their needs?

Pastor Todd often says, “What you pursue becomes your purpose.”  What are you pursuing?  Is it what you want your purpose to be?

Procrastination effects Relationships

Procrastinating your Relationship with God can have eternal consequences.

• James 4:13-14 – Get right with God today.
• Hebrews 3:7-15 – Make decisions for Christ today.
• Be prepared, Jesus coudl return at any time!  Luke 12:35-48 says that Jesus will come at an hour we will not expect.  Will you be ready?
• Matthew 25:1-3 – Parable of the Ten Virgins and the Bridegroom.

Our spirituality cannot be borrowed.  It must be made.  Jeremy pointed out that when we are young, we are borrowing our parents’ religion.  We do not have salvation until we make that decision in our hearts.  Are you putting that decision off?

Bottom Line: “Procrastination is a bad habit that can have eternal consequences.” -Aaron

Thanks Aaron!

The content of this blog in no way represents the opinions or official statement of belief for New Hope Church, or its congregation. The blog simply represents the honest curiosity that we who call ourselves Rooted have, and our divine right to come to God with our confusions, and know that God is and always in control.

The ROOtED / E.D.G.E. Pic Nic is fast approaching!  It will begin at 1:00, and will officially end at 3:30.  Please consider offering rides to the youth, to get them from the church to the park.

There is skit practice at New Hope at 4:00 for anyone interested in joining / helping out with the 2009 Women’s Conference skit.

Here is the list of what we have, and what we need:

Grilling

• Grill – Gorge Park
• Charcoal, Lighter and Lighter Fluid – Jeremy

Main Course

• Stromboli – Travis P.
• Hot Dog’s and Buns – The Endlich’s
• Chips – The Prince’s
• Hamburgers and Buns – Jeremy

Drinks

• Pop – James, Holly and Jeremy
• Ice – Daniel and Sara
• Cooler(s) – Daniel and Sara

Desserts

• Strawberry Cake – Kaytlyn
• Cookies – The Prince’s
• Misc Desserts – Angela

Activities – NEEDED
If you would be interested in playing flag football, volley ball, checkers, cards, bad-mitten, frisbee, etc., then please sign up to bring teh equipment.  So far, we have no one volunteer to plan or supply activities.

Those of you who did not make it last night were missed.  We read out of Deuteromony (focusing mostly on Chapter 6), and learned some lessons about surviving as a Christian in a non-Christian world from the wise words of Moses.  Some key verses to check out include:

• 4:15-19 – A warning about Idols
• 4:27-31
• 4:39-40
• Chapter 5 is a review of the ten commandments (a remix of sorts, worth reading).
• Chapter 6 (verses 6-13 especially)

Then we played the Un-Game to get to know each other.  Our final question (which we decided to leave unanswered as soemthin to ponder on throughout the week) was this: If you are a Christian, what evidence do your neighbors see that says so?

Do you even know your neighbors?  Perhaps it’s time to meet them, and offer some testimony.

Please pray for New Hope during this time, that God’s plan for the Fall be revealed to us.  Please also pray for Rooted, as we must decide where to go in the Fall.

Enjoy your Mondays, and we will see you in September!

-Daniel

-Daniel

Amanda Brown – she has an unspoken request, and also asked for prayer for her friend Nicole whose house caught fire.  Nicole lost 2 cats, a dog, and all her possessions.

Brandon – Despite a long hospital visit, the doctor claims his ankle is fine.  But it is still causing him pain, so please keep healing for Brandon in prayer.

Daniel – Daniel feels Satan has really been targeting his family.  Three out of his four family cars are broken down, and their family vacation is in less than two weeks.  His sister and her boyfriend are supposed to meet them on vacation, and their car is also broken down.  Add to that the mysterious obstacles that have been making it hard to teach the children at church (locked classroom one night, locked office the next), Daniel just wants the bad stuff to stop happening.

Crystal – She is working on maintaining a peaceful spirit.  The Africa trip is approaching, and is becoming hard to pay for.  She is also having a hard time adjusting to her room mates, so please pray that the Lord bring peace to their home.

Praise!  Crystal was saved from a possible electrical fire this past week!

Sara – Sara needs a job, and is hoping that God provides for the Tackett’s so that she may work for them.

Joel and Nikki – one of them has a boss whose brother is only 21 and found with a tumor.  Please pray for healing for this young man.

Pastor Todd – that God provide for him and his family more work opportunities, and keep Satan away from them and from New Hope

Please pray also for New Hope Christian Fellowship, Angela, Rob, Rixie, Amanda McClellan, Chris and Amber, and anyone else who wasn’t able to make it yesterday but are forever a part of Rooted.

Tonight we will be meeting at the church at 7:00 PM for Get Connected. I will shoot up to Borders to scope it out and see if there is a place for us to sit. If so, I will call Sara and you all can carpool to Borders. If Borders is too crowded, we will hang out at church.

Next week, Monday the 16, we will have a Rooted Service night to clean up the church. Yep, for real this time. Just come ready to get dirty. If we need any supplies, I will post it here.

The two Mondays following, Sara and I will be away on Vacation. I know some other Rooted members will be away also. So right now, Rooted 6-23 and 6-30 are up in the air.

-Daniel