LifePoint Church

Read the Bible as it is, and let it say what it needs to say.

“Anyone who ignores the Bible is inviting deception and disaster to be his intimate companions in the journey of life.”
― Jack Deere, Surprised by the Voice of God

3 Most Controversial Gifts: #1 Tongues

We will not survive or thrive as God has intended unless we loosen our grip on individually defining dogma that serves to separate what God has always intended to be one.

Of all the gifts, tongues is the only one that assaults your pride.
- RT Kendall

Speaking in tongues is a biblical concept, we can’t deny it’s place among the gifts.

4 Types of Tongue Found in the New Testament

1. Tongues as a Foreign Language
Acts 2:4-11 NIV

“All of them were filled with the Holy Spirit and began to speak in other tongues as the Spirit enabled them.

Now there were staying in Jerusalem God-fearing Jews from every nation under heaven. When they heard this sound, a crowd came together in bewilderment, because each one heard their own language being spoken.

Utterly amazed, they asked: “Aren’t all these who are speaking Galileans? Then how is it that each of us hears them in our native language?

Parthians, Medes and Elamites; residents of Mesopotamia, Judea and Cappadocia, Pontus and Asia, Phrygia and Pamphylia, Egypt and the parts of Libya near Cyrene; visitors from Rome (both Jews and converts to Judaism); Cretans and Arabs—we hear them declaring the wonders of God in our own tongues!”

Amazed and perplexed, they asked one another, “What does this mean?”

2. Tongues as a Form of Praise

2 Facets: Personal Edification and Intercession

4. Tongues with Interpretation

3 Most Controversial Gifts: #2 Prophecy

Prophesy in the Biblical sense is the method God uses by which He communicates and reveals His mind and purpose through a spirit-filled Human vessel.
-Ps. Charlie Sweet

Why does God want us to prophesy?

1. Because it requires us to hear from Him and we cannot hear from Him unless we are listening and in tune with Holy Spirit.

2. Because it builds up the church.

Who can prophesy?
There is no biblical prohibition regarding age, gender, ethnicity, or nationality.

Must be a Believer who is submitted to Holy Spirit.

3 Most Controversial Gifts: #3 Love
Real love is both the most needed and most offensive thing in the world today.

1 Corinthians 13 - Love, the ultimate purpose and expression of the gifts.

Paul makes it clear that “love” is not simply one more among the many spiritual gifts that are distributed to the body of Christ. Rather, “love” is a way of life, a virtue that is to characterize the desire for and exercise of all spiritual gifts. This “love” transcends every spiritual gift individually and all of them taken together. It is more important and more valuable and more beneficial to the body of Christ than the collective power of tongues and prophecy and healing and miracles.
-Sam Storms

The danger is to have believers in the house but not a lot of lovers in the house. I am concerned that we can have a lot of believers in God and not a lot of lovers of God. Nothing creates a religion more than than the ones that know the rules and know the stuff, but are not in love with Jesus today.
-Ps. Tim Dilena

What does supernatural love look like? Relentless Focus on Jesus The expansion of trust.

If Christ loves me, does it matter who hates me? If he smiles on me, does it matter who frowns on me? If he says, I'm his, does it matter who rejects me? – Leonard Ravenhill

Transformation
- Christlike thinking and attitude

- Christlikeness in our personal Holiness

John 14:15 ESV
“If you love me, you will keep my commandments.

Service
- Heart broken for what breaks His

Forgiveness
- Trust in God for justice in your life

Sacrifice

John 15:13 NKJV
Greater love has no one than this, than to lay down one's life for his friends.

Evangelism

We will never love God enough to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow Him unless Holy Spirit is directing every aspect of our lives.