Spiritual Gifts - Overview Series

The passage we are about to read can revolutionize your Spiritual life! We will talk about the gifts of the Holy Spirit. The Greek word used in this passage is “charisma” wish can be translated as “gift” or “manifestation”. The word just means “a gift from God’s grace”. These are supernatural manifestations of God that he manifests in the Church.

1 Corinthians 12:1–11

1Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans you were led astray to mute idols, however you were led. 3 Therefore 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.

4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of service, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who empowers them all in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 For to one is given through the Spirit the utterance of wisdom, and to another the utterance of knowledge according to the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by the one Spirit, 10 to 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. 11 All these are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

Introduction

The opening words of this chapter, ‘Now about spiritual gifts, brothers’, indicate that the abuse of spiritual gifts and misunderstanding about them was yet a further reason for Paul writing this letter to the Corinthians (see 7:1).

The whole of chapters 12, 13 and 14 are devoted to the question, indicating the extent of the problem and the importance of Paul’s answer. Similar problems and abuses tend to reoccur in the life of God’s people. Spiritual gifts are essential to the life of the church and the abuses must not be allowed to make us shy away from the benefits.

Today we are starting a series of messages about Spiritual Gifts. The letter to the Corinthians gives us knowledge about these gifts. As we start the series we will see that are three main aspects that are important to understand.

The different gifts Christians are given is the work of one and the same (Holy) Spirit (vv. 4–6)

1. ARE THESE GIFTS FOR US TODAY ?

It is important not to be ignorant about spiritual gifts (v. 1)

Paul writes about specific spiritual gifts in chapter 12. He speaks of the differences and diversities among the followers in Corinth, but with each phrase he hammers home the point: all the special, powerful gifts you Corinthians have been given came from the same Spirit, for the same purpose.

Is there any place in the Bible that tells us that God stopped being the same? Is there any Scripture that tell us that miracles stopped or that the experiences of the New Testament believers where just for Bible times? I don’t thing so.

Let me give you some foundational Scriptures.

Malachi 3:6 "For I am the LORD, I do not change;”

Hebrews 13:8 Jesus Christ is the same yesterday and today and forever.

1 Corinthians 12:11 All these (Gifts) are empowered by one and the same Spirit, who apportions to each one individually as he wills.

Of course the Gifts are for us today! Some people that are ignorant and uninformed can tell you that this was just for the early Church because they want to explain Spiritual things based on personal experiences but the things of God are not about our personal views. God is the same and He didn’t change. If we talk about personal experience I can tell you that the gifts are real because I flow and operate in them on a daily basis.

2. WHAT ARE THESE GIFTS FOR?

1 Corinthians 12: 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good.

So we can see by the Scripture that God decided to give us these gifts for our own good. These are not given for the purpose of entertaining the folks or for show but God in his great love and mercy decided to empower the Church with the charismatic manifestations of the Spirit.

3. A DESCRIPTION OF THE GIFTS

THE MESSAGE (utterance) OF WISDOM (V. 8). ‘The message of wisdom’ and ‘the message of knowledge’ are similar. They both relate to special understanding of the revelation God gives his people in our Lord Jesus Christ, an understanding that can be conveyed to others as a contribution to ‘the common good’ (v. 7; cf. 1 Cor. 13:2). Some have a special gift of wisdom or insight and the ability to apply God’s unchanging truth to changing situations.