You know that when you were pagans, you were influenced and led astray to mute idols.You know that when you were heathen, you were led away to those mute idols, however you might be led.Ye know that ye were Gentiles, carried away unto these dumb idols, even as ye were led.Ye know that when ye were Gentiles ye were led away unto those dumb idols, howsoever ye might be led.
3 sermons cite this verse
And one thing I want us to recognize right up front, that is when God gives spiritual gifts, which He does, He always gives it for the common good, not for some individual's sake or to make us feel good or to get prideful and puffy about what we have or don't have. It's always for the common good of the whole body of Christ. Now, one of the first things we need to do is to clarify terms because sometimes people get them a little confused. So, let's look first of all at the idea of the gift of the Spirit, G-I-F-T. And that is, we're talking about the person of the Holy Spirit who is given to every single believer upon our salvation. This is what Peter was preaching in Acts chapter 2, verse 38. When you were saved, the Holy Spirit came into your life to indwell and to seal you as a child of God. That's God's gift. Secondly, the gifts of the Spirit, G-I-F-T-S, are those capabilities, those abilities that God gives to each individual that fit His purpose and plan for our life. …
As we have discussed of the spiritual gifts that God has given to the church, as we saw in Ephesians chapter 4, that he's given to the church apostles. He's given to the church prophets, evangelists, and pastor teachers. Some of those were temporary gifts, and some of them were permanent gifts, the evangelists and the pastors and teachers. But likewise has he given to every part of the body a spiritual gift. And so what I want us to look at now is the gifts that God has given to each member of the body. There is a difference between having a natural talent and having a spiritual gift. Everybody, to some degree, has natural talents. That is, what we are born with as a result of what God sees fit to place in your life at your physical birth. You have certain capacities. You are more capable than others in some areas. For example, here's a person who is talented in the area of art, talented in the area of music. …
… Now concerning spiritual gifts, brethren, I would not have you ignorant that ye were Gentiles carried away unto these dumb idols. Now there it's used in a negative sense that as Gentiles before we were saved, we were just led away, transported into idol worship. Well, the point is that the word harpazo, the same word that's used here for caught up, is used to mean to carry away. One of these days Jesus is going to come and carry us away. We're going to be taken home. We're going to be taken to a new place. Then here's the last time this word is used. It's found in Acts chapter 23 and verse 10. There were some people who wanted to do Paul harm and there were those who came to rescue him. And here's what it says. And when there arose a great dissension, the chief captain, fearing Paul should have been pulled in pieces of them, commanded the soldiers to go down and take him by force from among them. …