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"Playing With the Empty Boxes"

Matthew 7:9-11 God is committed to giving us good gifts (James 1:17).  But, too often, like small children on Christmas Day, we ignore the gift and play with the empty box!  The box is how the gift comes, but it's not the gift! I.  Gift of Eternal Life -- Romans 6:23 The gift is eternal life, not death.  Death is separation from God.  Death is the box (Christ's death is how we receive the gift of eternal life).  Too many people receive this gift, then spend all their time playing with the sins that lead to death.  You've been forgiven and set free of those things -- walk away from acts that lead to death, and step into the full life that Christ has for you! II.. Gifts of the Spirit The Motivational gifts are listed in Romans 12; the Manifestation gifts are listed in 1 Corinthians 12; the Ministry gifts are listed in Ephesians 4.  1 Peter 4:10 says, "each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God's grace in its various forms." (italics mine). The gifts are what God distributes so that the body of Christ will be served and ministered to.  The box is described in 1 Timothy 4:14:  "Do not neglect your gift, which was given you through a prophetic message when the body of elders laid their hands on you." (italics mine).  Too many people enjoy the "doo-dads" of spiritual blessing and the "Pentecostal motions", never realizing that the blessing is only the box -- the gifts are serving others.  Pentecostals tend to be very selfish, leaving Christian service for the "main-liners", while we spend our time enjoying "blessings".  The fact is, we ought to be at the forefront of serving others! III.  Gift of the Holy Spirit, described in Acts 2:1-4.\ The gift is Holy Spirit power, according to Acts 1:8.  The box, or initial evidence, is speaking in tongues.  Too many Pentecostals are content only with the experience of speaking in other tongues, not with exercising the power to witness.  If you speak in tongues on a regular basis, but don't open your mouth to share the gospel message with the lost in English, then you are playing with an empty box! God has given us many gifts, and eventually playing with empty boxes will lead to boredom and frustration.  I challenge you to lay aside the box, and take hold of the gifts!