This week, join CityHill Church Amanzimtoti as we explore the incredible gifts God has for us! We'll start by understanding God as a gift-giver, offering blessings we don't expect.

The sermon kicks off by revisiting the meaning of Pentecost and then delves into Acts 19:1-2, where Paul encounters disciples who haven't even heard of the Holy Spirit. We'll demystify the Holy Spirit, understanding "Spirit" as the "Breath of God," bringing purpose, power, and life, like wind in our sails.

We'll then tackle the word "Charismatic," clarifying that it doesn't necessarily mean loud or excited displays, but rather refers to "Spiritual Gifts". Before diving into these, we'll reflect on the ultimate gift from God: Eternal Life. This is a gift beyond our comprehension—perfect peace, freedom, and an eternity free from pain, problems, and sin, given through God's grace and not by our works.

Next, we'll discuss the gift of the Holy Spirit, which bridges the gap between our earthly lives and heaven. The sermon addresses common confusion around spiritual gifts, noting that they have not ceased with the apostles, despite some unhelpful theological beliefs. We'll learn that spiritual gifts are given to each believer so we can help each other and build up the church, not to cause harm or draw attention to individuals.

Historically, the gifts of God were only on specific people at specific times, like the Priests. However, in the New Testament, on the Day of Pentecost, the Spirit of God was poured out and He wasn't for special clergy and ministry people, He was poured out on all the people. The Protestant Reformation highlighted the biblical truth of the "Priesthood of All Believers", emphasizing that all of us can read scriptures and that God's power and gifts are for everyone, not just the pastor. The pastor's function is to equip the saints or the priesthood of all believers.

We'll learn that a Spiritual Gift is a special supernatural ability that God gives to each of His children, so that together we can advance His purposes in the world. These gifts, found in Ephesians 4 (Ministry Gifts), 1 Corinthians 12 (Manifestation Gifts), and Romans 12 (Motivational Gifts), are different for each person, and it takes all of us to function as a body.

Finally, we'll understand that God uniquely created and gifted each of us with a divine destiny. As our gifts develop, they grow, like a muscle, and we are encouraged to eagerly desire them, always founded in love. At CityHill, our desire is for you to know Jesus, grow in freedom and purpose through the Holy Spirit, and then overflow with His gifts to make Jesus known to the world. As 2 Timothy 1:6-10 reminds us, God has given us a spirit of power, love, and self-discipline, not fear, so fan into flame the spiritual gift within you and never be ashamed to tell others about our Lord.