Pastor Gail – Welcome
1. Good morning to all. It’s wonderful to be in the presence of the Lord. I’m glad for those who are in the room, and online. I believe Athens is having some event today and there is traffic everywhere. But we are glad to be here. Would you stand. Lord, we are going to worship You, and we thank You for the privilege of telling You that it is wonderful to be in Your house together. Amen.
Pastor Gail – Reading the Word and opening Prayer
1. We’re here to worship the Lord today. To give Him the first place on the throne of our hearts. Amen. There are Bibles around the room, and I’m going to invite you to pick up a Bible and read with us. We’re going to be reading from 1 Corinthians 13:1-8. It’s a beautiful passage of the Word, “And yet I will show you the most excellent way. If I speak in the tongues of men or of angels, but do not have love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and give over my body to hardship that I may boast, but do not have love, I gain nothing. Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.
Love never fails.”
2. Let’s thank the Lord today for His great, great love, for God so loved the world, He could have been angry with us, but He loved us and He searched for us, so that we can know Him. Let’s just thank Him for just a few moments.
3. Father, we thank You right now, for the power of Your love Lord, we thank You that in You we find out what love is, God. The world is looking everywhere to understand love, God, and searching to find it in many, many places, but Holy Spirit, You have brought the message of the love of God, from heaven. Oh, hallelujah Jesus, that You gave your life, and then You sent the Holy Spirit to be the witness to the power of Your love. Today, we honor You for who you are and we thank You Lord, that today we can share the very presence of that amazing love, of Your amazing love. We are so thankful Holy Spirit, that You are here today to witness the Spirit of Jesus Christ to us, that the love of God never fails. Hallelujah, we thank You. The love of God never fails. Amen, Amen.
Pastor Gail – Open Prayer time
1. Hallelujah, all the glory to God. Let’s pray for a second. I would like our prayer teams to come up in place. First of all, I’m going to ask Evy and the group over here, whoever is praying with you Evy, for those of you who know Martha, she is much worse. She’s not coherent. So, we want the will of the Lord. Her Family doesn’t want her to suffer, so we ask the will of the Lord, for Martha.
2. If you’re here this morning, whatever need you have, the amazing thing about our great, great God, is that He wants to bring light to every dark situation. Amen. He wants to drive the darkness away, whether it be discouragement or if you wander if your family are ever going to get saved, the Lord, is saying, ‘Yes I’ here, I’ll take care of it.’ So, as they play this softly, if you want someone to agree with you in prayer, they’re up here today to pray with you.
3. At the beginning of church today, we read 1 Corinthians 13, “Love never fails,” So, if you don’t want to come forward but you have something you want to pray about, take the hand of someone near to you, and say I’, going to agree with you, because of the love of God, that He hears today; He hears and He will take care of it.
4. Let’s pray. Father, in the name of the Lord Jesus, right now, we’re praying. Come forward if you’d like to pray with someone. Hallelujah, we thank You Lord, in the name of Jesus.
Pastor Gail – Announcements
1. As they continue to pray, I just want to encourage us today, you may be seated. I want to encourage each one of us, the world challenges us to be very independent, to lean on our own lives, but we are not like the world, we lean on Jesus. He always is strong. Praise the Lord.
2. It’s good to be here today, we want to give the Lord, our tithes and offerings this morning. I want to thank the Lord. Last week, I think we were two months behind in rent, but I think we’re only one month behind now, praise God. God, He keeps us going, Amen.

For the rest of the announcements watch the video.

Pastor Gail – Main Message
1. Cecilia is going to be passing out some papers now. If everybody would take a piece of paper, please, and if you don’t have a pen or pencil, she or Leto will give you one. We’re talking about being gifted, and the gifts of the Holy Spirit to the church. And as I was praying and thinking about how we were going to do this today, I thought we would kind of read the Scripture, and then I’m going to have you do something with me on your piece of paper.
2. I’m excited about the topic today, and jumping off what Luca preached last week, this actually kind of builds on what he talked about, what he shared already. I believe that the gifts of the Holy Spirit, all of them, healing, miracles, prophecy, tongues, knowledge, wisdom, hospitality, giving, cooking, the list could go on and on. I think there is no limit. I believe they’re for the church today.
3. I don’t believe the gifts ended when the last of the 12 apostles dies. And the Glyfada Christian Center, we doctrinally believe, that the Father wants these gifts though the Holy Spirit to work in the church today, for the mission of Jesus Christ, to reach the entire world.
4. I love the passage in John 14, we won’t go there, but you can write it down if you would like to. While Jesus was here, He was of course empowered by the Holy Spirit, but Jesus said, “One day, that those who follow Him, they will do even greater ministry than He did.” It doesn’t mean that we will be greater than Jesus, what it means is that we will be gifted and empowered by the Holy Spirit, but today in the world, there are billions of people in the earth. At the times of Jesus, there weren’t so many people. But the Lord is going to empower us and He is gifting us, that the message of His great love, could go to the billions of people that are here on the earth.
5. So, it is paramount, it is critical, that we see that every personal ministry that we have, that it is the continuation, of the ministry of Jesus. The Spirit of God, passes out the gifts, so that the church can minister like the Son of God.
6. Now we’re going to read the Scripture in 1 Corinthians 12:1 “Now about the gifts of the Spirit, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed.” Now, right here as we begin chapter 12, when Paul says, “Now”, he is answering some questions, that the Corinthian church had asked of Him. If you study 1 Corinthians 12 very much, you can read even in verse 2, that when the Christians that were there, before they knew Jesus, were pagans, they were led astray by mute idols. In many ancient religions, they claimed that a god, could overtake someone and speak through them. And Paul in this chapter, seems to be addressing, some of you have fallen around this practice, of any kind of god, random speaking, babbling.
7. And verse 3 seems to indicate, that some people in Corinth, even cursed Jesus, and claimed to do it by the power of the Holy Spirit. Then we come to verses 4-6, where Paul makes it very clear, the Trinity, it talks about the Father, the Lord, and the Spirit – God – they bestow gifts on people, that are beautiful and wonderful, and we’re going to talk about this today.
8. Let’s look at 1 Corinthians 12:7-11, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.”
9. Now, remember this very quickly, verse 7, the very first verse of this section, “to each one, the manifestation of the Spirit is given, for the common good.” Whatever gift you think you have been given by God; it doesn’t make you better than anybody else. There was a little problem in the Corinthian church, pride, jealousy, fighting, because people had this, I have a better gift than you did, this was just all stirred up.
10. I don’t know why God gives some people the anointing to speak to a million people like Billy Graham, but He gave them that gift. And with very simple sermons. Millions have come to know Jesus Christ. Is he better than me? No! The Lord gave to Leto, the spirit of hospitality. Is he better than Leto? No, he’s not.
11. I am sure that he cannot make, pasticcio, as good as Leto. We are gifted differently, and we need each other. I remember reading about Billy Graham’s life, and his wife, she wrote about that he was gone so much. But his wife, the mother of the children, had an anointing to pour into her children. And some of you may know, or have heard of Anne Graham-Lotz, she’s Billy Graham’s daughter, because the mother was gifted and she used her gift, and Anne is now speaking around the world.
12. Victor, has an anointing to sing, and I believe he’s going to begin to write songs for this church, Amen. I cannot write songs; I try, but that’s not my number one gifting. Each one of us has been given by God, and He sovereignly chooses, different gifts.
13. Now, I want you to take your paper and your pen or pencil, and I want you to write down what gift or gifts, that you think that God has placed into your life. Think a moment, it’s OK. I don’t know, write it down. Some of you must have been gifted with a lot of gifts, because you are still writing. That’s good.
14. The manifestation of the Spirit. That’s a big word. And it’s a critical word for the sermon today. Manifestation – the word means something that is clearly shown, clearly displayed. It also means maybe it’s been hidden, but it will be revealed.
15. And this is important for a local church, and for the church around the world. Because whatever gifts you wrote down on your paper, that may be the main gift, but maybe there’s another gift in you that hasn’t been manifested yet. Because the Holy Spirit is always at work, for the glory of God to be displayed, to be manifested through us. These gifts are living gifts, and they are for the world today.
16. Luca, preached last Sunday about an orchestra. If everybody played the tuba, it would not be a very nice orchestra. I mean the tuba is OK, but when we have all of the instruments, and when we realize that we need all of them to be something beautiful, and even if the piccolo, if it plays one or two notes, out of the entire symphony, it works to create something beautiful, Amen.
17. But they do this in unity. And unity doesn’t mean it is all seen at the same time. Unity, means, that, we talked about this earlier in 1 Corinthians, we love one another, so we make way, we want to, for your gift, to be displayed, as the Holy Spirit says, at just the right time, Amen. Maybe you’re a piccolo, do all of you know what a piccolo is? Piccolo is a little tiny instrument, like a flute but tinier. Really. It doesn’t often play very many notes.
18. The Spirit empowers us, not for self, but for the common good. That’s what the Scripture says. Spiritual gifts are not Spiritual status symbols; they are tools for service. God empowers us so that we can lift each other up, meet each other’s needs and witness together to the world.
19. We don’t get to choose our gifts. The Holy Spirit gives them to us. But if you don’t use them, it’s like putting a lamp under a bushel and hiding it. So, this morning as you look at your sheet, I’m going to ask you to think about this local church.
20. What gifts do you see this church needs? I think that we need people that have an anointing and want to intercede, for the will of God. I definitely can see in the church; we need people who have a heart to serve. Does that kind of stir you, thinking, ‘Oh, I could do something. I could run back and do the PowerPoint. I can come to church 15 minutes early, and I can stand at the door, and smile, and say, ‘I’m so glad you’re here today.’ And shake their hand. That’s a gift. Did you know that? It’s serving the Lord in His house.
21. We need to begin to seek our gift, how we could bless the Lord. How does it help the common good of this family. If you don’t know what your gift is, pray with someone, and ask them, ‘Do you see anything in me, that maybe God has put in there, that I can use for Him?’
22. Maybe you have been anointed to praise and you’ve been keeping your mouth clammed up shut? And you’ve thought, ‘Is that a gift?’ It’s a gift to praise the Lord. We’re all called to, but some people seem to have more of an expression of praise in their life.
23. Very simply today, God is the source of all the gifts. Whether it’s healings or tongues, or prophecy or wisdom. They are never about our personal identity. They are given for Kingdom purpose. Those of us that have a western mind set, it’s a little harder for us, because we’re raised to think, ‘Be independent, be strong, you can do it.’ But John 17, Jesus prayed, “That we would be one.” And that’s not going to happen, unless we put it in practice.
24. 1 Corinthians 13:2, “If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but do not have love, I am nothing.” The gifts are not the main thing, love is the main thing, and we use the gifts out of the love for God. And what we should want more than anything when we read this list of gifts, and I believe in prophecy, I believe in speaking in tongues, I believe in the interpretation of tongues. We haven’t seen it in a while in this church; I don’t know why? That’s OK. I believe it’s going to be stirred up.
25. I believe in healing. Do you? Do you believe that Jesus still heals? We happened seen much, lately. But it doesn’t mean it’s not going to happen. The Lord wants to give these gifts to us and in us and operate them through us, because we love one another, as we love ourselves. OK, turn to the person next to you. Don’t lie. And you can either say, ‘I’m praying to love you like myself,’ or you can say, ‘I love you like myself.’
26. I don’t know if all of you know who Eric Liddle was? He was an Olympic champion, way in the 1900s, that sounds like so long ago, and some of you may know his story, he ran in the Olympics, it’s absolutely amazing. And somebody asked him, he was interviewed, ‘Why are you a runner? Why did you run in the Olympics?’ And I love his answer. He says, ‘God made me fast, and when I run, I feel His pleasure.’ Is that not cool? I think that is so beautiful, yeah. That’s a gift.
27. Did you ever think that to run fast was a gift from God? Benjamin is here today and he is a ballroom dancer. I have two left feet, but he dances and wins concerts, because he is anointed and gifted to dance. Whatever gift God has given you, He’s using it to mature you, to make you more like Him, that He reached out and touched and He loved, and He loved.
28. And we, when we begin to use our gifts for the common good, we will love one another more. Maybe you don’t want to love each other more, if you don’t you need to pray. But that is a problem in churches today. Not everybody wants to love everybody. That’s true. We hold our hurts, we hold our attitudes, and we hinder the local church from maturing.
29. What does it say in the Word, ‘They will know you are Christians, by your song services. They will know you are Christians, because you have coffee hour.’ No. “They will know you’re Christians by your love.” (John 13:35) If you have never memorized that Scripture, then memorize it today.
30. I’m going tell you what. It’s hard to love everybody all the time. It’s hard. That’s why the gift of loving like God loves and that’s a gift everyone of you should have written down on your paper. ‘I believe I’m gifted; I’m called to love like Jesus.’ Every one of you is! Do you believe that? Maybe you don’t, yet. But it’s a gift He wants to see in you manifested.
31. Song, ‘I love you with the love of the Lord, yes, I love you with the love of the Lord. I can see in you, the glory of the King. Yes, I love you with the love of the Lord.’ We used to sing those kinds of songs a lot. But I think that sometimes in our efforts to be so theologically correct or just to work, to work for the Lord, we forget, that the Lord poured His love into our life, when He saved us. And we are called to pray to love one another. Jesus Christ, has commissioned His church, He declared that He is the answer for the world. Amen.
32. I’d like you to take your paper and to write down, ‘I am gifted to love like Jesus.’ ‘I am gifted to love like Jesus.’ It doesn’t mean that you’re always going to be loved back. Brian and I, have a very good friend, and he knew a young man that he felt called and you may have seen it in the news, a couple of years ago. He felt called to an unreached tribe, on the very tip of India. No one has ever gone there. Legally you cannot go there.
33. The Lord, put it in his heart when he was a young man to learn the language of that tribe. Many of his Christian counsellors tried to discourage him, but he said, ‘The Lord loves them, and they haven’t heard from him. And it was in the news, the day that they landed in a little boat on the edge of this place in India and all he had time to do, was to put his feet on the shore, and he says, ‘I’m here to tell you that Jesus loves you.’ That’s all he said, and they shot arrows at him and killed him.
34. I speak in tongues; sometimes I prophesy, but if I don’t have love, it’s nothing, it’s nothing. This is really a very simple sermon. Because more than anything, it’s not the miraculous acts that maybe God will do through us. It’s not when you suddenly lay hands on someone and they’re healed, but it’s when we learn, to love like Jesus, in the good days, and in the bad days. In the hard times, to love at all times, to love always.
35. I don’t know about you, but I think about Jesus on the way to the cross and on the cross, “Father, forgive them.” (Luke 23:34) I doubt that I would have said that. Would you? No. I don’t any of us having been crucified, ‘Oh forgive them God,’ but ‘Lord! Kill them.’ But such love, such love, and you know what, I do believe that the Holy Spirit is here with us, and what He is trying to do, is for us to receive that power, of His presence. Because Jesus said that, right before He went to heaven. In Acts 1:8 He says, “But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth.” And I believe He is wanting to come upon us, that we will see the greater things of God that we have never seen.
36. I want to challenge us, not to get tired and weary in waiting for God to do what He wants to do. He knows just the right time, doesn’t He? Often in the waiting, we’re being made more like Jesus. And again, Luca preached this last week about the symphony, the Lord doesn’t want any instrument, plays so loud that it drowns everybody else out. We pray and play and live and love together. Amen.
37. We need more love of the Lord. Where you’re at be seated. I want you to think about your giftings, and I want to invite you, to wonder, ‘Do I have any gifts in my life to serve the Lord with?’ Come and talk to your care group leader, or come and talk to one of the pastoral staff. Let us pray with you. Let us counsel with you. I don’t know if you all know this, and I don’t mean to embarrass you, Leonardo and Camilla, but did you know that every week they bring something for coffee hour? I forget to bring something. That’s the gift of giving and we all benefit, we all benefit. Amen. Especially when it’s chocolate.
38. Think about right now and just talk about to the Lord, what you wrote down. Lord, help me to love You, help me to love, like You love. And Lord, whatever gifts You’ve put in my life, Lord, let them be used for the common good. Amen. More Love.