Title: Identifying and using your Spiritual gifts
Central idea: God gives each of you at least one Spiritual gift to use for His Glory.
Specific purpose: to persuade the congregation that each has a Spiritual gift to use for the God's Glory.
Scripture: I Corinthians 12:1-12
Attention: We have all seen the stormy love-hate relations Republicans and Democrats have. On his deathbed, a lifelong Republican announced that that he was switching to the Democrat Party. His closest friend responded, “I cannot believe that you are even considering this. You have been a staunch Republican your entire life. What on earth could possibly make you want to suddenly be a Democrat?” The dying man responded, “Because there will be one less Democrat when I go.”
A. Many of us have seen such ridiculous battles fought by both diehard Democrats and diehard Republicans. Sometimes politicians fight because of a lack of information, because of different belief systems and other times their egos prevent them from working together. People are people. In the church at Corinth, the topic of spiritual gifts had become a battleground. This tension resulted from an overemphasis on certain gifts.
B. The Corinthian church had many problems, difficulties, division and arguments. There was confusion about marriage, food sacrificed to idols, worship, the Lord’s Supper and the Resurrection. In particular, some people thought they were more important than others were because they had some spectacular gifts. When Paul wrote his first letter to the church at Corinth, he specifically addressed these issues.
C. 1 Corinthians 12:1-12 give us six directives that end division in a church. "1 Now concerning spiritual gifts, brothers and sisters, I do not want you to be uninformed. 2 You know that when you were pagans, you were enticed and led astray to idols that could not speak. 3 Therefore I want you to understand that no one speaking by the Spirit of God ever says ‘Let Jesus be cursed!’ and no one can say ‘Jesus is Lord’ except by the Holy Spirit. 4 Now there are varieties of gifts, but the same Spirit; 5 and there are varieties of services, but the same Lord; 6 and there are varieties of activities, but it is the same God who activates all of them in everyone. 7 To each is given the manifestation of the Spirit for the common good. 8 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 discernment of spirits, to another various kinds of tongues, to another the interpretation of tongues. 11 All these are activated by one and the same Spirit, who allots to each one individually just as the Spirit chooses. 12 For just as the body is one and has many members, and all the members of the body, though many, are one body, so it is with Christ.”
I. First, Paul wants us informed about Spiritual Gifts. Notice verse 1 of chapter 12, “Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.” This is a topic that is too important for believers to be uninformed about and it is certainly too critical to fight about.
A. What are spiritual gifts? They are divine abilities distributed by the Holy Spirit to every believer according to God’s design and grace for the common good of the Body of Christ, the Church. A spiritual gift is the ability to solve a Christian, a church, problem by activating a particular principle and promise given in the Holy Word.
B. There is a difference between natural abilities and spiritual gifts.
1. God gave you natural gifts as he formed you in the womb. You developed your natural abilities as your mother and father taught you, as you got your education and learned a job skill. It took you years to prefect and yet you still learn.
2. At your conversion, the Holy Spirit gave you at least one spiritual. I break that down into two categories:
a. At Pentecost, people heard witness each in his or her own language. There were times when the early Christians preformed miracles. Occasionally, we hear of such events today but that happens far less often than in the early days of Christianity.
b. Today, Spiritual gifts are given but, just as with natural gifts, you must sharpen them by studying the Word, by coming to church, Sunday school, Bible study, prayer and by putting them to use.
C. Paul says that the Holy Spirit gave gifts to the apostles that were critical to the church in its embryonic stage, “The things that mark an apostle - signs, wonders and miracles - were done among you with great perseverance.” (2 Corinthians 12:12)
1 Corinthians 13:8 suggests that while many of these gifts are permanent, other gifts ceased to function, “Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.”
D. There are three distinction areas: speaking and serving. The third category includes the sign gifts, which are often temporary in nature.
a. Speaking Gifts: words of wisdom, prophecy, evangelism, pastoring and teaching
b. Service Gifts: administration, exhortation, faith, giving, helps, serving, and mercy
c. Sign Gifts: distinguishing of spirits, miracles, healings, tongues, interpretation
E. If you were to add up Paul’s list of distinct spiritual gifts, you would come up with about 20. You will find lists of these gifts in Romans 12, 1 Corinthians 12, Ephesians 4 and 1 Peter 4. However, these lists are not exhaustive, there are many more.
F. God wants us to develop and use our spiritual gifts. For instance, while all of us are to be givers of our resources to kingdom purposes, some people have the gift of knowing when and how to give. Likewise, God does not excuse us from our responsibility to witness just because we might not have the gift of evangelism.
II. Next, in verses 2-3, Paul tells us that the Holy Spirit is to influence us; we are to pay no attention to worldly motivations. “You know that when you were pagans, somehow or other you were influenced and led astray to mute idols. Therefore I tell you that no one who is speaking by the Spirit of God says, ‘Jesus be cursed’ and no one can say, ‘Jesus is Lord,’ except by the Holy Spirit.”
A. Paul reminds us that before we accepted Christ, our emotions, false doctrines and worldly pursuits led us astray.
B. When you accepted Christ and received your gift, the Holy Spirit did not give you every gift. John 3:8, “The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.” That means that God not only gave you a gift, He will direct you through studying the Word, prayer and working with other Christians.
III. We must realize that our gifts are different, individual. Verses 4-6, “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.”
A. The key word in this passage is the word “different.” We all have different kinds of gifts, there are different ways to serve, and there are different workings. We must respect others gifts especially if they are different from ours.
B. Do recognize that you do not have all of the gifts, just yours. If you are smart, you know your natural shortcomings and the gifts that you do not have.
1. This word speaks of opportunities for expressing our spiritual gifts in practical ways. The word working refers to the results or accomplishments that come when we use our gifts in meaningful service.
2. Whether or not we are able to see the results, God does. When we serve according to our giftedness, God gives us energy and we in turn energize the church through our service.
D. Philippians 2:13 reminds us, “For it is God who works in you to will and to act according to his good purpose.” Because God is at work within us, we can accomplish His purposes.
1. The Corinthians had elevated the more spectacular gifts and were giving more attention to the spiritual superstars.
2. Paul challenged them, and challenges us, to incorporate differences in our understanding. We minister differently because God gifted us differently.
3. The same God is at work in us, but He customizes His work through us for His ultimate glory and the strength of the church.
E. Let me illustrate. At a dinner last week, suppose someone dropped a plate full of dessert on the floor in the fellowship hall.
• Gift of prophecy: "That’s what happens when you’re not careful.”
• Gift of service: "Oh, let me help you clean it up.”
• Gift of teaching: "The reason that it fell was because it was too heavy on one side.”
• Gift of exhortation: "Next time, maybe you should let someone else carry it.”
• Gift of giving: “Here, you can have my dessert.”
• Gift of mercy: “Don’t feel too bad. It could have happened to anyone.”
• Gift of administration: “Jim, would you get the mop? Sue, please help pick this up. Mary, could you get him another dessert?”
F. God gifted each of us differently, we act differently and we serve differently.
1. This church has every gift that it needs in order to function as a biblical community. 1 Corinthians 1:7, “Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed.”
2. Paul wrote this verse to the entire church at Corinth. Even with all its problems, this community of faith did not lack any spiritual gift.
G. We are all ministers and priests according to 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are a chosen people, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people belonging to God, that you may declare the praises of him who called you out of darkness into his wonderful light.” The priesthood is for all believers. In fact, our job, according to Ephesians 4:12 is, “To prepare God’s people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up.”
H. About 35 years ago, when Saddleback Church in Southern California had grown to approximately 500 people, Rick Warren, the Senior Pastor, said, “Folks, I’m out of energy and the church is getting so big that I can’t do much more. As I read the Bible, it does not say I am supposed to do it; anyway, I will make you a deal. If you’ll do the ministry God’s gifted you to do then I’ll do my part which is to make sure you’re well fed.” Warren said they then “shook hands” and made a pact together. It was after that the church began exploding with growth.
IV. Each of us needs to identify our Spiritual gift. Verse 7, “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” Learn about your particular spiritual gift.
A. The word manifest means to make plain. God gives spiritual gifts to make plain the work of the Holy Spirit in our lives. This verse teaches us two things.
1. First, notice the phrase “each one.” Every born again believer has been given the manifestation of the Spirit.
2. Second, God gave you at least one spiritual gift for the “common good,” or profit of the church. Ephesians 4:16, “From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.”
a. Gifts are given so that they can be given in service to others so that the church will be fortified.
b. 1 Corinthians 12:11 tells us that the Spirit, “gives to each one, just as He determines.”
V. We must use our gift in God's service. While it is important to identify your gifts, it is not enough. God gave you gifts to use. Verses 12-30 describe how the church is like the human body, with each part playing a critical role in the functioning of the body. You each have gifts and a key role to play in this church. Until each of us implements our gifts, our church will not mature in faith. Look at verse 14, “Now the body is not made up of one part but of many.” The foot needs the hand, and the ear needs the eye. Likewise, we all need each other. If you are hoarding your gifts and not using them, the entire body is handicapped.
A. The church at Corinth had elevated some of the sign gifts and had relegated the “lesser” gifts to second-class status. If Paul were to write a letter to us today, he would say something like this, “Brothers and sisters, say one of you owned a set of tools. Would you spend all your time counting them, naming them, organizing them, polishing them and putting them on display? Would you not simply use them?” Therefore, it is with the gifts of the Spirit, they are tools not to admire, but to use. 1 Peter 4:10, “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms.”
1. Do you need to allow the Spirit to fan your gift into full flame? Are you burning bright for Him, or are you just flickering or smoldering?
2. I enjoy going to listen to folks make Old Time music. Inevitably, during a live performance, someone will break a string or go out of tune and have to quit playing for a minute or two. Meanwhile, the band pays on. I will miss the sound of that instrument while it is not playing. Therefore, it is in a church. We know you may be gone or out of tune for a while. We will keep going but we will miss you.
C. Your church needs you. Your church need you busy with church work. God has gifted you and now He wants to use you. Do not allow yourself to think you do not matter. Everybody is somebody in the Body of Christ. No one can do everything, but everyone can do something.
VI. Using your gift will intensify your love of God, your church and yourself. One of the lessons we can learn from the church at Corinth is that having spiritual gifts does not necessarily make you spiritual. It is possible for a church to have all the gifts that that church needs, for every believer to know their gift and still miss the mark.
A. In the last verse of 1 Corinthians 12, we are reminded that there is something far greater than even our divine abilities, “But eagerly desire the greater gifts. And now I will show you the most excellent way.”
B. While 1 Corinthians 13 is without doubt the best explanation of love ever written, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.” We do a disservice to Paul’s intention when we only read it at weddings. This love chapter is sandwiched between a discussion of spiritual gifts in chapter 12 and chapter 14. Paul recognizes the dangers of defrosting our spiritual assets when they are divorced from love.
1. Notice the gifts listed in verses 1-3, “If I speak in the tongues of men and of angels, but have not love, I am only a resounding gong or a clanging cymbal. If I have the gift of prophecy and can fathom all mysteries and all knowledge, and if I have a faith that can move mountains, but have not love, I am nothing. If I give all I possess to the poor and surrender my body to the flames, but have not love, I gain nothing.”
2. After elevating the supremacy of love over every spiritual gift, Paul then describes how love should be the marinade that provides the distinctive flavor in our serving, “Love is patient, love is kind ….” Then, beginning in verse 8, Paul contrasts the cessation of prophecies, tongues and knowledge with the never-failing aspect of love. Love will never fail or cease to exist.
C. I believe that ignorance related to spiritual gifts is not our basic problem. More basic is the problem of not desiring to strengthen other people’s faith by being patient and kind, by refusing to boast, by not being easily angered and by keeping no record of wrongs (see 1 Corinthians 13:4-6). Human nature is more prone to tear down, than it is to build up. We would rather kick people than labor in love with them and for them. Jonathon Swift once said, “We have just enough religion to make us hate, but not enough to make us love one another.”
D. According to verse 7, a servant who loves “always protects, always trust, always hopes, and always perseveres.” In other words, as we focus on living out the Great Commandment by intensifying our love for God and for others, then we will want to look for ways to defrost our spiritual assets and serve others. Spiritual gifts, no matter how exciting and wonderful, are useless and even destructive if they are unleashed without love.
VII. In Summary, the six directives that will help us defrost our spiritual assets:
Be informed about spiritual gifts.
Be influenced by the Holy Spirit.
Incorporate diversity in your understanding
Identify your spiritual gift.
Implement your gift in service.
Intensify your love.
A call for action:
A. Each of these is a Spiritual gift. What is In Yours?
B. What is in your gift? Use what you have been given. Allow the Holy Spirit to blow into your life and lead you into some exciting serving opportunities.
