He Gave Gifts
Introductions to Holy Spirit Gifts
Charles Swindall gave an illustration of what it may look like to the Lord as He looks upon His church in regard to Holy Spirit given gifts to the body of Christ. Think how you would feel if this happened to you.
Let us say you have a friend who lives far away. Because of the great distance, you have not been able to see each other for many years. To help close the distance, you take time to purchase some special gifts which reflect your love and care. The proper use of these gifts would bring joy to your friend, and to those around him while at the same time maintain that closeness you established with each other when you first met.
Then one day, out of the blue, someone gives you enough money to make a long dreamed visit to your friend. You travel the many miles and you arrive to find a friend’s warm welcome.
After a few moments, you pause to survey the living room, but you see none of your gifts on display. While chatting with each other you glance into the den, then the kitchen, down the hall ways, and you see no gifts.
Eventually your friend has to leave you alone in the house for a length of time, you lose control and you begin to search the house. Your heart breaks as you open a closet door, only to find the gifts you have sent over the years. They are unwrapped and unused.
There are many Christians and churches which have done that very thing unto the Lord. The Bible 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.” (1 Corinthians 12: 5 - 6)
A child of God who is concerned with the Lord’s feelings has to wonder how He would feel as He sees His gifts hidden away, unopened and unused.
The Bible says, “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant. All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, just as He determines.” (1 Corinthians 12: 1, 11)
A spiritual gift is a skill or an ability that enables each Christian to perform a function in the body of Christ with effectiveness. When spiritual gifts are being administered through the Body of Christ under the influence of the Holy Spirit, Christians benefit and Christ is glorified. God through His spiritual gifts, longs to bring balance and life to the church body. A spirit-filled church body knows and exercises all the spiritual gifts with two purposes in mind: 1.) The body of Christ being edified and 2.) Christ being lifted up.
There are several passages in Bible that discuss clearly the gifts of the Holy Spirit. They can be categories in these groups: 1.) Service gifts: which are administration, leading, encouragement, faith, giving, helps or serving and showing mercy. 2.) Sign gifts: Which are distinguishing between spirits, healing, tongues and interpretation of tongues and miraculous powers. 3.) Support gifts: The word of knowledge, the word of wisdom, and prophesy. The apostle Paul refers to celibacy as being a gift. John the Baptist and Jesus most certainly had it. There are also other gifts which have vital functions in the church, such as hospitality. (1 Corinthians 12:8-10, 28-30; Romans 12:6-8; Ephesians 4:11; 1 Peter 4:11)
All gifts from the Holy Spirit are given as He chooses and are like a springtime rain. When showered down upon the body of Christ, there are joyful benefits. Spiritual gifts keep the body of Christ balanced. Most of us like to pursue our own favorite interest, treading the same path until we have warned it into a rut, thus bringing death to a once alive movement of God. But the variety of Spiritual gifts keeps the body of Christ moving in many directions, safeguarding us against extremes and preoccupations.
Spiritual gifts keep the church healthy. Since every born again Christian has a gift, the burden of ministry can be shared equally. Often ministries collapse from exhaustion because a few people are doing too many jobs.
When people sit, not using their gifts, or if the church doesn’t allow people to exercise their gifts. The Spirit’s fire can be quenched and the church will lay dead. When Holy Spirit illuminated Christians help shoulder the weight, the church blossoms with a healthy vitality. The more people exercise their gift or gifts in the church, the more the Holy Spirit works through the body of Christ. And it is a necessity that the Body works in unity.
The Bible gives a meaningful description of the church and how she is to work in unity. The church is said to be like the human body with many parts. 1 Corinthians 12: 12 – 27 – “The body is a unit, though it is made up of many parts; and though all its parts are many, they form one body. So it is with Christ. For we were all baptized by one Spirit into one body—whether Jews or Greeks, slave or free—and we were all given the one Spirit to drink. Now the body is not made up of one part but of many. If the foot should say, ‘Because I am not a hand, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. And if the ear should say, ‘Because I am not an eye, I do not belong to the body,’ it would not for that reason cease to be part of the body. If the whole body were an eye, where would the sense of hearing be? If the whole body were an ear, where would the sense of smell be? But in fact God has arranged the parts in the body, every one of them, just as He wanted them to be. If they were all one part, where would the body be? As it is, there are many parts, but one body.
The picture in this text is practical and descriptive. The human body is one organism, one person, one being, one life, yet it has many parts to it. Despite its many parts the body is still a whole. All these parts enable our bodies to function.
Gifts are given by the Holy Spirit to the church body. All born-again Christians are a part of that body. In order for the body of Christ to function at their most effectiveness, they must be illuminated by the Holy Spirit. This will enable the true church to be edified and thus fulfill the Great Commission.
Every person’s gift is important. Some people consider themselves less gifted, they feel unimportant to the body of Christ. Such feelings and thoughts are false, totally untrue. The body of Christ is not just one significant member, but many members. Each member has his or her particular form, place and use.
Do you know that there are Christians who despise their God given gifts? They rebel by not using them or by trying to use them in a way that brings benefit to themselves. The best way to see if the exercising of your gift is pleasing to the Lord is by the amount of sacrifice involved and by seeing if others are truly being benefited by the use of your gift.
For application sake: How much time are you spending in developing your gifts? Does this involve missing out on the pleasures of this world, or denying the flesh? Who benefits for the most part of your labors? Do you do your best to present yourself to God as one approved, to be a workman who does not need to be ashamed and who correctly handles the word of truth? (2 Timothy 2:15)
If you can answer yes to all these questions, know that you are a useful part to the body of Christ.
