The drama we presented this morning about spiritual gifts was a comedy, but it served one very important purpose: Bringing the subject of those gifts to the forefront so we can study and understand who has them and what their purpose is.
Unfortunately, the area of spiritual gifts is just one of many areas that man has added his thoughts to what God has already written. Most Christians know little about spiritual gifts and tend to be very leery of anyone who talks about them, or claims to have them. Instead of trying to find out more about something, we always tend to be afraid and shy away from those things we don’t understand.
Some leaders in the church at Corinth were teaching a great deal of "nonsense" advice on the subject of spiritual gifts. But their teaching contained just enough "sense" to make it appear authoritative. And because of this, many Christians there believed these cleverly disguised false teachings and were applying them to their lives.
These false teachers were saying that true gifts of the spirit were always sensational or miraculous. They taught that when a Christian was under the influence of the Holy Spirit he or she was out of control. They were spreading the nonsense that spiritual gifts were only bestowed on the favored few, the "mature" Christians who were closest to God. And like many today, they taught that to be feel the Sprit of God, one had to be emotionally charged.
That may carry a person through Sunday, Monday, and maybe even Tuesday, but when Wednesday comes, and you feel drained because of other things in your life, does that mean you are without the Holy Spirit? No it doesn’t. What that shows is that our spiritual maturity must be founded on biblical knowledge, not emotional ups and downs.
Because of all this nonsense the local body of Christ in Corinth was in turmoil, it was sick. The Apostle Paul had founded this little church on his 2nd missionary journey and so he cared very deeply for its people. And when he heard of their troubles he wrote to the Christians there.
In 1 CORINTHIANS 12:1, Paul says we should not be ignorant about spiritual gifts, and then he gave biblical wisdom to help distinguish sense from nonsense when it comes to spiritual gifts.
We must first understand that there is a difference between the "gift" of the Holy Spirit and the "gifts" of the Holy Spirit. The GIFT is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit whereby He comes to take up residence in the believer’s heart the moment that person accepts Christ as Savior.
But the GIFT(S) of the Holy Spirit are something else. The GIFT(S) of the Holy Spirit are special abilities imparted to all Christians by the Holy Spirit for service in the church. So this morning I want us to examine what God’s word says so that we can make sense out of the subject of spiritual "GIFTS".
1. WHAT ARE SPIRITUAL GIFTS?
The Holy Spirit gives spiritual gifts to us, as He deems appropriate. Just as a business has many people working for it, but most have different duties, the kingdom of God has many Christians working for it, and they have different duties, too. You might be able to reach one person for Christ where I cannot, and another might reach someone else that you and I cannot reach, and so on. So, the spiritual gifts that we receive are tools to help us produce results for God.
1 CORINTHIANS 12:27-31 reads,
‘And in the church, God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues.
Are all apostles? Are all prophets? Are all teachers? Do all work miracles? Do all have gifts of healing? Do all speak in tongues? Do all interpret? But eagerly desire the greater gifts.’
Okay, now if spiritual gifts are supernatural abilities that God gives to Christians so they can work for Him, let’s talk about ….
2. WHO HAS SPIRITUAL GIFTS
Let me begin by saying that each person who humbles their heart and submits to the will of Jesus Christ in their lives has received a measure of God’s grace. And that is the key to our spiritual gifts.
The first sentence in ROMANS 12:6 teaches us,
‘We have different gifts according to the grace given us …’
It is important to note that when Paul says “we”, he is talking about Christians.
1 CORINTHIANS 12:4-11 says,
‘There are different kinds of gifts but the same Spirit. There are different kinds of service but the same Lord. There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
Now, to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. To one there is given the message of wisdom; to another the message of knowledge; to another faith; to another gifts of healing; 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 are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one – just as He determines.’
“Just as He determines.” That is why envy, boasting, and other human feelings regarding “self” are out of place in the church. There is nothing about ourselves that is worth boasting about. All that we have is given us by our gracious Lord. We didn’t receive our spiritual gifts as rewards for anything we have done, and they certainly are not merit badges because we have been so good. They are given to us, by the Holy Spirit, and He chooses which spiritual gifts we receive – based upon what we will need to get the job done for the kingdom of God.
Starting in verse 8, it lists spiritual gifts but explains that every Christian does not have every gift; they receive as the Holy Spirit determines. Some people claim that we all have the same gift, but in 1 CORINTHIANS 12:12-26 it tells us why we don’t have the same gifts.
Paul said that spiritual gifts are given to each one! So no Christians can say, "I can’t serve God; I don’t have any capacity or ability to serve Him." Every true Christian has a spiritual gift, but not all Christians have the same gifts. Now, that may not set well with some, but since it is the word of God, I think we need to take it as unchangeable and unarguable truth.
So every Christian has a spiritual gift, so let’s talk about …
3. THE PURPOSE OF THE SPIRITUAL GIFT
It is important that we understand that the Holy Spirit distributed the gifts as He saw fit, not as we had desire.
EPHESIANS 4:11 reads,
‘It was He who gave some to be apostles, some to be prophets, some to be evangelists, and some to be pastors, and some to be teachers’
Why would we all have different gifts? The answer to that is simply to reach others for Christ.
EPHESIANS 4:12 explains what the overall purpose is for spiritual gifts.
‘To prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up … ‘
The gifts include: faith, wisdom, knowledge, ministry, miracles, healing, tongues, administration, exhortation, and much more. Since there are several lists, and they are all different, they are obviously intended to be representative of the many spiritual gifts that can be bestowed upon Christians. If they were intended to be an exhaustive list, then they would all contain the same gifts. These lists seem to be only representative.
Any spiritual gift God bestows could fit into one of these types, but the point Paul was making is that God bestows whatever "gift" is needed in each unique situation so that the body can fulfill its unique ministry.
In 1 PETER 4:10 we read,
"Whatever gift each of you may have received, use it in service to one another, like good stewards dispensing the grace of God."
Part of the purpose of these gifts is to remind us that we are just one part of a larger body. 1 CORINTHIANS 12:26 reminds all local churches that in a very real sense they are like a real physical body, "...if one member suffers, all the members suffer....if one member is honored, all the members rejoice."
We were not given our spiritual gifts for our own sakes, but rather for the sake of building up the church; the body of believers in Jesus Christ. Now, let me talk for a moment about the Holy Spirit.
JOHN 14:16-17 tells us what Jesus said to the disciples about His leaving.
‘And I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Counselor to be wit you forever – the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept Him because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you know Him for He lives with you and will be in you.’
The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of God. He lives in true believers of Christ. And since He lives in us, He obviously knows us. He knows what gifts He should bestow upon us and those are the ones He gives to us.
But just because He has them for us does not mean that we can use them. As with all tools we have ever had, we must learn to use them. If you use a hammer or saw the wrong way, you will not have good results, and if you use the spiritual gifts you have been given in the wrong way, you will not have good results either.
A few weeks ago, most of you took our STEP 3 class and found out in which areas your spiritual gifts lie. Have you thought any more about them? You should spend time pondering them in prayer. If they are tools that the Holy Spirit gave you, should you not put them to use? And if you should put them to use, how do you get started? These are some of the things you need to start relying on the Holy Spirit to guide you in, but you must ask first. And to ask, you must communicate with Him.
Let me share a few of my personal experiences in talking to, relying upon, and learning from, the Holy Spirit.
When we were in Arizona, I felt a very intense calling to plant a church, but no matter what I did, nothing seemed to work out. Finally, after a couple of years, things seemed to easily fit together and I was allowed to start that church. During that two year period, where nothing seemed to work for me, I kept praying the same prayer: “I know you called me to start a church, so why won’t you let me?”
After praying this for quite some time, the Holy Spirit gave me an answer. He said, “If I put you in a new church now, you would be destroyed and in turn, you would destroy the church.” He continued by telling me that He was growing a strong tree, one that would not break during the storm – and that would take time. I understood, and I was finally able to let God to work in me before He could work through me. Had I not asked for an answer, I would not have received an answer.
Now, each of us is called to do more for the Lord, but most of us satisfy ourselves with just going to church and helping out on Sundays. That is not what God wants from us, nor is it what God has called us to do. It is vital that we do help out in the local church, but it is even more important to build the kingdom of God. But before we can do that, we must train ourselves to be sensitive to the Holy Spirit and His whisperings.
When I was a child, we would travel to southern Ohio once a year to visit some cousins. They had a teenage daughter who was mentally handicapped. When anyone drove into their farm, they would rush her off to a room upstairs and lock her in until the visitors left.
She lived there. She loved them. But, at times, they treated her like she didn’t exist. The Holy Spirit lives in our hearts. He loves us very much. And how do we treat Him? Most Christians tend to treat Him like an ‘it’, or they deny any knowledge of Him at all.
He will lead you, but you need to have a very personal realtionship with Him first. You need to know Him well enough to be able to hear Him. He will call you into action, as He called us to Oklahoma. If you hear Him and do what He says, you will always be glad you did; you will never be sorry you did.
If any part of your body doesn’t work, your entire body will suffer to some degree, won’t it? When one Christian does not walk in the Spirit, the whole body of Christ suffers.
I charge you this week to spend time each day in prayer, asking God to help you focus more on Him than ever before. And I also want you to spend daily time talking to the Holy Spirit. Get to know Him. Learn to love Him.
But to do that, you must first be a Christian.
INVITATION
