1 Cor 12:1-11 God’s Gifts to the Church
When the church comes together, God blesses us with gifts to serve Him.
• It is however very easy for us to end up boasting about them as if they are our achievements.
• On the flip side, some think that they do not have any gifts and so they sit on the sideline and do little, watching as spectators while others do the work.
For the Corinthians, many were boasting about their spiritual gifts.
• They were pitting them against each other to show who has the more superior gifts rather than using the gifts to bless the church.
• God’s original intent – that of edifying the church and proclaiming His Name – has taken a back seat.
• Instead, the assembly has become a platform for the egoistic pursuit of gifted Corinthians for self-praise and self-glory.
Paul wrote to address these issues in the next 3 chapters (1 Cor 12-14) and state the purpose of the spiritual gifts for the benefit of the church.
• The Corinthians need to watch their attitudes and use their gifts to bless others when the church gathers.
In today’s opening text on this subject, Paul talks about the nature of the gifts, the Giver of the gifts, the purpose of the gifts and the diversity of the gifts.
1 Cor 12:1-3 ESV THE NATURE OF THE GIFTS
1Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however, you were led. 3Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking in the Spirit of God ever says “Jesus is accursed!” and no one can say “Jesus is Lord” except in the Holy Spirit.
The spiritual gifts are the works of the Spirit of God. We serve in submission to Him.
• It might be necessary for Paul to start with this emphasis because of the Corinthians’ past pagan practices before they were converted.
• He contrasted their previous life as idolaters with their present life as Christians, led by the Spirit of God and with the goal to honour Christ as Lord.
• In the past, they might have sought to outdo and outshine one another in their pagan worship to show off their piety, but not now.
• They have ceased from serving mute idols to being led by the Spirit and speaking to honour Christ.
With this new life, Christ must now shape their worldview and lifestyle.
• And one of the things they have to learn is to use their gifts to bless others and not themselves, to serve for the benefit of the church.
• It is not about showing off their piety or how religious they are, but about Christ and the building up of fellow believers in Christ.
1 Cor 12:4-7 ESV THE GIVER AND PURPOSE OF THE GIFTS
4Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.
God blesses the church with “varieties of gifts, varieties of service, varieties of activities.”
• Paul uses different words deliberately and does not want to tie them down to one common word.
• There are many GIFTS, many SERVICE (NASB ministries, KJV differences of administrations), and many ACTIVITIES (NIV kinds of working, NASB varieties of effects, KJV diversities of operations).
• God equips us in many different ways, that’s the main point. He is the Giver of the gifts for the work of His church. We are not left helpless or on our own.
We see a trinitarian emphasis: We are given different gifts, services or activities but all from the “same Spirit”, the “same Lord” and the “same God”.
• God the Father, Son and Holy Spirit “empowers them all in everyone.” (6)
• After listing some examples of the gifts, Paul said it again in 12:11: 11“All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills.”
• He enables us to do His work by giving us gifts FOR the Body of Christ.
If we are recipients of these gifts, then that makes us stewards of the gifts of God. Spiritual gifts are a matter of stewardship!
• They are not our achievements or strictly speaking, human talents, although God uses them. They are spiritual gifts from God.
• Apostle Peter puts it this way in 1 Pet 4:10-11
10As each has received a gift, use it to serve one another, as good stewards of God’s varied grace: 11whoever speaks, as one who speaks oracles of God; whoever serves, as one who serves by the strength that God supplies—in order that in everything God may be glorified through Jesus Christ. To him belong glory and dominion forever and ever. Amen.
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The PURPOSE is clear: 7To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. That is, for the common good of the assembly, the church.
• The gifts are not given primarily for the individual but for the CHURCH.
• They are meant to benefit the Body and not “self”, to build up the Body and not exalt “self”.
• If they are spiritual gifts, then they can only be “spiritual” in purpose – to build up the Body of Christ and glorify Christ.
Paul set out this objective again in Ephesians 4 written about 5 years later:
• Eph 4:7,11-16 7But grace was given to each one of us according to the measure of Christ’s gift…
11And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12to equip the saints FOR THE WORK OF MINISTRY, FOR BUILDING UP THE BODY OF CHRIST, 13until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, 14so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. 15Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to GROW UP IN EVERY WAY into Him who is the head, into Christ, 16from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, MAKES THE BODY GROW so that it BUILDS ITSELF UP in love.
The focus is not on the gifts but on the objective of the gifts.
• We like to focus on the gifts - the more spectacular and miraculous the better – but Paul’s concern is the welfare of the Body of Christ, the very purpose for which the gifts were given.
• What are we looking at today? The gifts or the purpose of those gifts?
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So what are the gifts?
1 Cor 12:8-11 ESV THE DIVERSITY OF THE GIFTS
8For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10to another the working of miracles, to another prophecy, to another the ability to distinguish between spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills.
We have 9 gifts here – wisdom, knowledge, faith, healing, miracles, prophecy, discernment, tongues (prayer languages), and interpretation of tongues.
• In 1 Cor 12:28 he mentioned a few more: 12:28 And God has appointed in the church first apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then miracles, then gifts of healing, helping, administrating, and various kinds of tongues.
If we look at what Paul wrote about 2 years later in Romans 12:
Rom 12:6-8 6Having gifts that differ according to the grace given to us, let us use them: if prophecy, in proportion to our faith; 7if service, in our serving; the one who teaches, in his teaching; 8the one who exhorts, in his exhortation; the one who contributes, in generosity; the one who leads, with zeal; the one who does acts of mercy, with cheerfulness.
If we look at what he wrote about 5 years later in Ephesians 4:
Eph 4:11-12 11And He gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, 12to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ.
Paul did not attempt to repeat the list. He changed some and added new ones. They were not meant to be exhaustive or exclusive.
• 12:11 says “the Spirit apportions to each one individually as He wills”, as He deems fit. We see the repetitions of the phrase “to another… to another…”.
• The Spirit gives the varieties of gifts, varieties of services (different spheres of ministry or offices), and varieties of activities (the effects, kinds of workings).
• The list cannot be conclusive but one thing is sure, all of them are gifted and enabled by the same Holy Spirit.
Hence all gifts are significant because they all come from the same Spirit and are enabled by Him to do the work of the church.
• They are significant not because they are spectacular or prominent but because they are all “manifestations of the Holy Spirit” (7).
• Some of the gifts are quite unnoticeable, like the gifts of help or administration or acts of mercy, but they are still the workings of God’s Spirit.
• We should not think of the Holy Spirit as being “more present” when the manifestation is more tangible and spectacular.
• He can be present and not obvious, like when someone repents and confesses Christ as his Saviour.
The focus cannot be on the gifts if they are given by the Spirit on His own accord and are so different and varied.
• Paul named each of them with no description or explanation. The Corinthians are probably familiar with them.
• What was emphasized is that each of these gifts comes from the Holy Spirit and are the works of the Holy Spirit. The “Spirit” is mentioned 6 times from 7-11.
• 12:7 “To each is given the manifestation of the SPIRIT for the common good.”
• 12:8 “For to one is given through the SPIRIT …according to the same SPIRIT”
• 12:9 “…by the same SPIRIT, …by the one SPIRIT”
• 12:11 “All these are empowered by one and the same SPIRIT…”
But sadly in the Corinthian church, the spiritual gifts have become the reason for contention and competition within the Body of Christ.
• They were comparing and competing with one another. Who has the better gift? The greater gift? The more superior gift?
• But why boast when they are 12:11“All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as He wills.”?
• It is senseless to compare and compete. We ought to celebrate the gifts of God to the church and not argue about them.
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How does the Holy Spirit determine what gift to give to a particular Christian at a particular time, in a particular situation?
• He decides, as simple as that. He determines as He wills.
• And we know that the goal of the Holy Spirit is always to glorify Jesus.
• Jesus said in John 16:14 “He will glorify me, for He will take what is mine and declare it to you.” The Holy Spirit points us to Jesus and makes us like Christ.
The Spirit’s goal is never to amaze us and bring glory to Himself. To have a spectacular display of His power cannot be His goal.
• His objective is to build up the Body of Christ and to see the evidence of the Fruit of the Spirit in us.
• His goal is to see the Body of Christ reflecting fully the nature and character of Christ, just as Paul said in Eph 4:11-16.
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Summary of main points:
• We are stewards of God’s gifts
• Our focus is not on the gifts but on the objective of the gifts
• All the gifts are significant because they are the workings of His Spirit
• We do not compare, compete or copy the gifts
• The goal is to see the Body of Christ becomes like Christ and exalt Christ
So as gifted people let us all do our part to build up the Body of Christ.
• We will continue to encourage and edify one another. We each have our unique contribution to the church. We serve with what God has uniquely given us.
• We are not spectators but participants in the work of God. We play our part faithfully and fulfil God’s will for the growth of His church.
• We are not here for our own comfort although we are blessed to be a member of God’s family. But we are placed together to serve Him and build His church.
There are no “ungifted” Christians; only Christians who are not using what God has given them.
• So start serving and keep on serving, in big and small ways. The more we do it the more we will discover our gifts and the more fulfilled we are in life.
• Let us not waste what God has so graciously given us.
• If God has given us gifts for His church, then we are God’s gifts to the church.
A medical student was in the operating room waiting to watch a great surgeon at work. For some reason, the surgeon's assistant failed to come and the surgeon called this intern to help him.
At the end of it, she said, “How deeply honoured I am, to be a part of this, even a very small part. To be able to work with the surgeon is a great honour and privilege.”
It is our joy and privilege to be able to serve God and we should feel honoured and grateful.
• Don’t come asking, what can the church do for me? We should be asking, what can I do for the church and give Him glory?
• Let us all offer our gifts to Him with gladness and gratitude.
Let us pray.
We thank you, heavenly Father, for your love and grace, in bringing us together as a family, being redeemed by your Son Christ and now in fellowship with You and with one another.
We are blessed to be able to serve you and live for you, to be part of your work of saving the lost and edifying the church, and to do that with the gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Let us serve you responsibly and faithfully, and with joy and gladness, until the day we see you again. This we pray, in Jesus’ Name, AMEN.
You can listen to the sermon with slides at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Eh7vTHw-EpQ&t=7s
Earlier sermons are available at https://tinyurl.com/KTCC-EnglishService
