Spiritual Gifts, Part 1, "Diversity with Unity" I Corinthians 12:1-11

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.