Did you know there will be an accounting of our lives on earth before the Bema Seat judgment?  And Jesus' parable of the talents in Matthew 25 speaks to the importance of being active and productive during our short lives on this planet, and provides not only encouragement to use the gifts, talents, and resources that God has invested in each one of us, but also a sober warning for those who do not use what God has delegated to them to help build the Kingdom and give the Master a good return on His investment in us.  

In Matthew chapter 25, Jesus told three different parables, and on all three occasions He was directing the attention of his audience to the end of life and what comes after.  And in the first parable discussed here about the five wise and five foolish virgins, Jesus is offering a sober warning for His followers to stay vigilant and ready for His return.  In this pervasive and soft church culture, we need teachings like this regularly to keep us from slipping into complacency.  

This is a short word of knowledge for the congregation given by Pastor Andy during the worship time.  

If you've ever felt like you are not a very important part of the church, not making much of a difference, or not very appreciated, this teaching is for you!  Two of the most vital and perhaps least-talked about ministries in the church are the spiritual gifts of "helps" and "administration."  People who are gifted in these regards are the glue that helps any ministry to thrive.  Learn in this teaching how important these ministries are, and also how all of us can and should contribute to areas of need or deficiency in their churches and among God's people outside of the church doors.  Rewards await!!! 

Faith is the spiritual gift around which all the other ones revolve.  Without faith, none of the other spiritual gifts will be operational.  So the subject of faith is foundational to our walk with Christ since Hebrews 11:6 says that without faith it's impossible to please God.  And while there is a spiritual gift of faith that only some people have, the fact is that faith in general is available to everyone.  Learn in this teaching what faith is, how important it is, and how to begin operating in it.  

The Spiritual Gifts of Prophecy in the New Testament differs in several important ways compared to Old Testament prophecy.  There is a lot of misunderstanding about prophecy that this teaching clears up, and will awaken you to the fact that God wants to communicate to His people very personally and in a variety of ways.  And He may even want to use YOU in the Spiritual Gifts as well.  

If you've ever been perplexed by the phenomenon of speaking in tongues, you're not alone, and this teaching is for you!  You'll learn about why God established this spiritual gift as a method of communication from Him and how it works.  After this teaching and a thorough review of what the Bible says on this subject, tongues won't be as mystifying, and if you don't already speak in tongues, you might be inspired to seek this spiritual gift going forward.  At the very least, it will help you understand some of the misunderstandings surrounding this Gift.  

The "discerning of spirits" is one of the most important and useful spiritual gifts in these last days in a world is full of deception.  This Gift can save us from all the deceiving people and spirits out there, prevent us from making critical mistakes, and protect our churches from false doctrine and deceptive practices.  Learn in this teaching how the discerning of spirits operates, and how to get more discernment in your walk with Christ. 

God has instructed His people in 1 Corinthians 12:1 to not be uninformed about spiritual gifts. Obviously, then, this is an important topic, although much of the Western Church doesn't seem to think so based on how little pulpit time this subject is given.  Some people even claim that the Spiritual Gifts passed away with the first century apostles.   But did they?  Learn in this teaching why those operating in the Gifts are dominating the explosive growth of Christianity globally, what the Gifts are, and how they operate.  Buckle up!