Spiritual Gifts, Part 1: Diversity with Unity
I
Corinthians 12:1-11
Introduction: The school
year has started and the sports teams are on the fields! A lot of noise comes
from the sidelines, but the game is played on the field. On the best teams,
each player contributes. If you know
Christ, you have a role to carry out on His team! He has chosen you for the
team, and we’ll see in this section of I Corinthians, He not only has called
you to play on His team, He has also equipped you for your position!
We see
three (or four) key New Testament passages that deal with spiritual gifts. I
Corinthians 12-14, Romans 12, Ephesians 4, and I Peter 4. None of these texts
agrees fully with the others. I think it is clear that none of them is intended
to be an exhaustive list, nor should we assume that all of them together lists
every spiritual gift in the church. It is “things like these” that the Spirit
has given to each of us. As a pastor, I
find a lot of encouragement in Ephesians 4. First we are reminded of the unity
of the church in Ephesians 4:4-7,
4 There is one body and one Spirit- just as you were
called to the one hope that belongs to your call- 5 one Lord, one faith, one
baptism, 6 one God and Father
of all, who is over all and through all and in all. 7 But grace was given to each one
of us according to the measure of Christ's gift...
I also see clear instruction in the context about my
role in the church in 4:11-15...
And he
gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and
teachers, 12to equip the
saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, 13 until 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. 15 Rather, speaking
the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head,
into Christ...(4:11-15).
Part of my calling is equip the saints for ministry. Did
you know that you are a minister? God’s
plan, His design for the church, is that every member would use his gift(s) for
the edification of the body and the evangelization of the lost. My hope and
prayer is, that as we go through these chapters dealing with spiritual gifts,
that the Holy Spirit will “stir up” the gift He has given you. You might think, “Yeah, been there, done
that!” Now it’s time to relax and let
others do the work. Someone said, “God will give you work until your life is
over, and life until your work is done.”
I don’t
think the New Testament necessarily gives us an exhaustive list of spiritual
gifts. I think the idea is that these present general categories and examples,
the Spirit gives “things like this” for the building of the church and for the
carrying out of our mission. The
ultimate goal is God’s glory: “...whatever you do, do all to the glory of God!”
The Big Idea:
Jesus is building his church, and every believer is sovereignly given a special
ability to carry out a part of God’s program, for the glory of God.
I.
Discerning truth for the glory of God: Jesus will be glorified
through the work of the Spirit when the gifts are properly used (1-3).
Now
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 (12:1-3).
The subject: rightly
understanding spiritual gifts (1). Paul begins this verse
with the phrase “now concerning,”
which he uses for the fourth time in this second part of the letter (see 7:1,
25; 8:1). It seems to serve as a signal to the issues the Corinthians had asked
Paul about in a letter, a letter that we no longer have. It is pretty clear as
we read through chapters 12-14, that the gifts of the Spirit, which were given
by God for the edification of the church, were in some ways being misunderstood
and misapplied. Ironically the
Corinthians praised “knowledge” and “wisdom” and evidently felt they had these
in abundance. Paul says here, “I don’t
want you to be ignorant...” literally, agnoein, “without
knowledge,” concerning spiritual gifts. They
thought they had knowledge, Paul fears their actions reveal their ignorance in
this area.
It may be that they asked Paul a question,
something like, “Which are the greatest gifts?” And possibly Paul had received
news as well concerning the abuse of
certain gifts, especially the gift of speaking in tongues, in Corinth. We’ll
reflect on this more as we work through the next couple of chapters. The point
is that the Corinthians had lost sight of the fact that God gifts us not simply
to bless us, but rather so that we can serve others and be a blessing to them,
and so that together, we can engage the world with the Gospel.
What you were:
Led astray by dumb idols (2). “When you were pagans...” That is an
honest reflection on where they had come from. Not only the Corinthians, but
the truth is, that is also the testimony of all of us (even if a few of you were
only very young pagans!). Paul described
the truth of our spiritual past in Ephesians,
And
you were dead in the trespasses and sins
2 in which you once walked, following the course of this
world, following the prince of the power of the air, the spirit that is now at
work in the sons of disobedience- 3
among whom we all once lived in the passions of our flesh, carrying out the
desires of the body and the mind, and were by nature children of wrath, like
the rest of mankind (Eph 2:1-3).
How is that
for a hard look in the rear-view mirror?!
There was no life in us, nothing good, nothing commendable. Children of
wrath! By the way the next context in Ephesians talks about God’s saving
grace. THAT is good news!
What you are: recipients and
discerners of truth (3)! It seems clear that Paul is not saying only
believers can mouth the words “Jesus is Lord.”
Remember Jesus himself said, “Not
everyone who says to me ‘lord, lord’ will enter the kingdom of heaven; but he
who does the will of my Father who is in Heaven” (Matt 7:21). The point isn’t
saying the words, the point is making the confession, and believing it. Believing in Christ means acknowledging that
He is who He claimed to be, God the Son, and trusting in what He did as our
only hope of salvation. HE is building His church, and every believer is
sovereignly endowed with a special ability to carry out a part of God’s program,
for the glory of God.
II.
God’s Design: Unity in
Diversity (4-6).
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.
Father, Son, and Spirit, in unity, empower the
ministry of the church. The wording
here is amazing. We see three parallel lines expressing the unity of God’s
design and the diversity of gifts He gives. We also see that God himself is the
ultimate example of unity in diversity. Reflect on this: Three persons, one God, the
biblical doctrine of the Trinity. We see here the Godhead, fully involved in
gifting and empowering believers for ministry.
The unity
of God is a biblical foundation. The “shema”
of Judaism states it emphatically, “The Lord is our God, the Lord is one...” [or, “The Lord
is our God, the Lord alone!”]
(Deuteronomy 6:4). We are not polytheists, we believe in one God. But the Bible
sets for diversity in the Godhead, The Father is God, The Son is God, the Holy
Spirit is God. The Father is not the Son, and the Spirit is not the Father, and
the Son is not the Spirit. God is one. Three persons, one God. The doctrine of
the Triune God is mysterious, but it is unambiguous, orthodox Christianity.
Somehow that unity is also expressed among God’s people. Remember that Jesus
prayed to the Father for the church saying “...that they may be one, as we are one...” (John 17:11). We are one
body, but each of us is unique, each of us has been “shaped” by God to carry
out a specific role in his church.
[Remember Warren’s acrostic, S.H.A.P.E., that is, “Spritual
gifts, Heart’s desire, Abilities,
Personality, and Experiences,” all of these orchestrated
intentionally by the sovereign Creator and Sustainer of the universe! He
providentially guided the circumstances of your life from before you were born.
He has been shaping you into exactly
what he wanted you to be so that you can most effectively fulfill your part in
His mission. And, then, when you came to
faith, He gave you a specific spiritual gift(s) so that you would have what was
needed to carry out your role in His church].
Gifts are given for ministry to the body and outreach.
First, 12:4 speaks of the Spirit giving gifts,
charisma – Graciously given
enablement for service. That is the general theme of this section of the
letter. They are “gifts,” and as such God alone decides what he will give. He
has a plan for each of us. He is the Potter, we are the clay. And He is molding
us into exactly the kind of “pot” He wants us to be.
The next line in 12:5 speaks of varieties
of service, diakonia. Paul is
talking about the same gifts, but here is emphasizing what we do with
our gifts. They aren’t trophies for the shelf. They aren’t crowns to put on our
head. They are given to us to serve
others. They are for the benefit of others. Gifts don’t bring us praise
or applause, at least they shouldn’t. It’s not about me. It’s about Jesus. As our
gifts are used for the building up of the saints and the reaching of the lost,
they bring glory to GOD.
The third line, it seems to me, emphasizes
empowerment for mission – The third parallel line has a diversity of
translations! A variety of “activites,” “effects,” or “workings.” The word here is energema [the source of our English word, “energy”). The New Living Translation paraphrases, “God works in different ways, but it is the same God who does the work in
all of us.” God works in us, and He works through us! The idea seems
to be that these gifts are used by God as He is accomplishing His will in us
and as he works out His mission through us.
Jesus is building his church, and
every believer is sovereignly endowed with a special ability to carry out a
part of God’s program, for the glory of God.
III. God’s Purpose—Diversity by design for the common good (7-11).
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 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.
To whom: “To each is given...”
Not a few, not just the super spiritual, not the ones with a Bible college or
seminary degree, certainly not just to pastors or evangelists, but “to each is given...” That means every
one of us, every believer, is spiritually equipped by God to have a part in
building up the church and reaching the world!
Listen God hasn’t missed any one of us! He has intentionally brought us
together in this body and each one of us has a gift to use for the benefit of
others and for the carrying out of our mission. Do you believe that? What is your part in the mission of
this church?
What
is given: “A manifestation of the Spirit...”
The working of spiritual gifts is something that can be seen, something that is
evident. It is clear that it is God’s work and not merely human effort. The
wind blows, we hear it, but we don’t see it. We see the branches move, or the
leaves carried along, or the sail filled, but we don’t actually see the wind.
It is manifested, or shown, in what is happening. The same is true in the
working of the Spirit in our midst. We might not all discern where the Spirit
is working all the time, but some will, in fact many will see it. Because God
is manifesting himself through his work in and through his people. It is not
about entertainment, it is about God’s presence and God’s work, and ultimately
God’s glory.
Why they are given: “...for the common good...” For the body
to function properly, all of the parts have to be in place and in working
order. My youngest brother has been out of work for weeks, dealing with some
kind of circulation problem and infection in his toes on one foot! 99% of his body is fine, but he can barely
walk, can’t drive, can’t sleep, just because of his toes!
Many of
these gifts mentioned here appear to have been gifts of speaking: utterance,
languages... Some speak of miracles of
healings. Someone will ask, why don’t we
see these gifts being practiced in the same way in the church today? God is sovereign. He gives the gifts we need
when we need them! For one thing, the so-called “revelatory gifts” aren’t
necessary in the same way today. Why? Because we have God’s Word in its
complete form, we have the entire Bible, the Old and New Testaments. All
scripture is “God-breathed,” and is profitable, for instruction, for
correction, for training in righteousness, that we might be complete, mature,
and equipped for the work God has for us to do (cf. 2 Tim 3:16,17).
Notice by whom the
gifts are given, by “...one and the
same Spirit... as He wills...” We are not the architect. God is. He is the
designer. He is the captain of this ship. He gives gifts as he wills. And He is
in charge. We’ll read a little further
on, in v.18, “But as
it is, God arranged the members in the body, each one of them, as he chose...”
What is God
saying to me in this passage? Jesus is building his church, and every
believer is sovereignly endowed with a special ability to carry out a part of God’s
program, for the glory of God.
What
would God have me to do in response to this passage? Before you can concern yourself with your spiritual
gift(s) you have to be certain that you have received the greatest gift of all.
Paul said “...the gift of God is eternal
life through Jesus Christ our Lord...” (Rom 6:23b). Have you received that gift through faith in
Christ? Have you believed in your heart
that Jesus is the Son of God, that He died on the cross for your sins, and that
he was raised again the third day? Have
you put your trust in Him as your only hope of salvation? The Bible says, “If you confess with your mouth Jesus as
Lord, and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will
be saved...” (Rom 10:9,10). Faith is believing God, taking Him at His word.
Jesus said, “My sheep hear my voice, and
I know them, and they follow me. I give to them eternal life and they shall
never perish...” Have you heard the Shepherd’s voice? Trust Him, follow
Him!
When we trust in Jesus we receive a new life, and this passage makes
it clear that if we receive that life we are gifted by Him for service.
Believer, have you discerned your spiritual gift(s)? How are you using that
gift in this church? Visiting shut ins
and the elderly? Giving rides to
appointments or even to church? Using your skills with the computer or on the sound
board? Would you be interested in hosting
or even leading a small group? We’ll
give you the help you need to gt started with that. Perhaps teaching or helping with Sunday
School, children’s church or nursery? How
about having a part in our new Sunday night youth meeting? There are plenty of
needs and plenty of opportunities.
By the way, we are talking about “intergenerational ministry.” This
applies to our children’s ministries as well as to working with our junior high
and high school students. One of the main reasons that youth don’t stay in
church after they graduate from high school is that all they know of the church
is the youth leader and the youth ministry. We want our teens to value the church
and to know that Jesus wants them present and involved. A key step for that to
happen is for them to know that several of us know them and care about them,
and we are on their team. We’ll be looking for opportunities to make those
connections. Often it is through involvement, after “trying out” a ministry,
that we discover our gifts and God moves us to want to serve Him. God has
chosen you for His team. And He has given you exactly what you need to do your
part. This body will be most effective in carrying out its mission if we each
are obedient and available for God to use. Think about that, AMEN.
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