Gifts

Gifts – I Corinthians 12: 1 - 11

Intro: This morning, I have a gift for everyone. Jacob is going to pass a bag among you. You are to take one and only one item from the bag. Once everyone has an item, each person will be asked to exchange their item with the person next to them. That’s called regifting.

I Once upon a time, I was given a toaster for my birthday. I was flabbergasted! What on earth! There are so many problems with such a gift. First, it was not at all what I wanted. Second, it wasn’t a fancy toaster. All it did was make toast. Third, it implied that in the future I was to make my own breakfast. Not only that, but, other people had access to my gift and could use it. --- I thought for a while about that toaster and decided that I would leave it in the box and perhaps one day re-gift it! --- A clue to the fact that this really didn’t happen is the opening phrase: ONCE UPON A TIME!

A VS. 4 “There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them.” Just like this morning, every one of you got a “gift” from me. In that bag there were different kinds of “gifts.”

B The GK word for gifts is ????sµa / charisma It can mean a divine gratuity/ a spiritual endowment / religious qualification / miraculous faculty / free gift / undeserved benefit from God.

C What Paul is saying to the Corinthians and us is that God gives each person a “gift” of some kind. It is something you are given that you do not deserve, have not earned, but comes from God through the Holy Spirit.

II VS. 6 “There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work.”

A There has been some problems in the church in Corinth. The issue is that some people have been claiming that they have better skills or gifts that others and therefore, they should be held in a more prestigious light.

B All of Chapter 12 is a stern but loving scolding of the Corinthians and any other Christian who puts themselves above another.

C Paul is saying that diversities and differences cannot be used to disrupt and destroy the fellowship. Unity in the church is essential! No one is any better than anyone else and no one has a gift that is any better, more powerful, or more useful than any other gift because they all come from the same God.

III VS. 11 “All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” There are 3 points we should understand about spiritual gifts:

A Every person who confesses Jesus as Lord is gifted. So, don’t sit there and say that you don’t have a gift. Everyone has a God-given gift to use for the building up of God’s kingdom. Your task is to determine your gift and use it.

B ALL spiritual gifts are to be used for the good of the whole community. Your gift is not to be hidden under a bushel, so to speak. It is given to me used, not horded. You are either a part of the solution or a part of the problem. Your gift should be used to the glory of God, not yourself.

C ALL gifts are activated equally by the grace of God. You must learn to allow God to use you and your gift in building up God’s kingdom here on earth.

Concl: VS. 7 “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.”

We are each given “spiritual” gifts in order to give them to others. Each person who confesses Jesus is Lord is gifted for the common good. All of us are called to be involved in the ministry in some way.

The point is that whatever your gift is, you are encouraged by the Spirit of God to use it for others. God’s intention in gifting is the whole concept of re-gifting. You are given that you may give.

You are expected by God to discern your spiritual gift and use it for others to the glory of God.

VSS 8 – 10 Give you a starting place to determine your gifts. If you have not thought about your gift, I urge you to take time today to think seriously about what gift the spirit of God has given you and then discern ways in which you might use that gift in this place.