1. The Fruit of the Spirit and the Gifts of the Spirit are not the Same. Do you find it a challenge to understand that the fruit and the gifts of the Spirit are not the same? What is the major difference between the two? Which of the two is required by the seeking Christian? And which one isn’t necessarily linked to the spiritual growth and maturity? Why? Does love keep us equipped with both the fruit of the spirit and the gifts? If not, what does?

2. God the Sovereign Giver of the Spiritual Gifts. Did the lesson author surprise you by saying that we do not choose our spiritual gifts? Isn’t that what the Christian life is all about—drawing from our inherited and developed talents and asking God to help us to choose and use spiritual gifts? Or does God have a plan for each of us to use the spiritual gifts He has chosen for us? Do spiritual gifts help us overcome the sins of envy or greed? How?

3. The Purpose of the Spiritual Gifts. Right or wrong: The primary purpose of spiritual gifts in our Christian life is to prepare us for citizenship in the kingdom of God. Discuss. What is the danger in a church with a handful of spiritual leaders recognized year after year to carry out key leadership roles? When the Holy Spirit distributes spiritual gifts to God’s people, is the primary purpose to recognize the gifted among us? Or to promote unity and fellowship among all members? How can this happen?

4. The Gift, Then and Now. Do some Christians, even Seventh-day Adventists, believe that spiritual gifts were needed and provided primarily for the support of the early Christian church? What is your perspective on the timeliness of the spiritual gifts given to God’s people? Are they needed now? Are they available now? For a church living in the final days of earth’s history, do we need spiritual gifts to accomplish a special work? What spiritual gifts do you believe are especially important? What can you and I do to recognize and heed these God-given gifts among God’s people?

5. The Holy Spirit and the Gift of Discernment. Always an imposter. Have you noticed that some gifts have fake counterparts that are driven by the craft of the evil one? How should we relate to felonious doctrines such as false prophecies, counterfeit speaking in tongues, fake healings and more? What special gift does God bestow upon His followers to keep us from being deceived by manifestations of such falsehood? How does the gift of discernment work to protect us from such deceptions?

6. Comments. Discuss the following (and other) comments we hear that reflect serious misunderstandings about the area of spiritual gifts and miracles. Contrast them with true beliefs based on God’s Word. “If you’d had more faith, God would have healed him.” “We should be having more miracles today than we are.” “God always works miracles for those who trust Him.”

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