THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

THE GIFTS OF THE SPIRIT

I Corinthians 12:1-11

Dr. Wm. J. Maxwell, Pastor

First Presbyterian Church, Newport, RI

April 27, 2008

It was an interesting conversation I had on the telephone. I was talking with a friend whom I have known for many years, another pastor in this presbytery who has served a church over ten years. He told me he had been praying regarding whether or not the Lord was calling him to another church. But as he thought about it, he thought perhaps that he was just restless. He was tired of facing some of the same old problems that he’s had to deal with for quite some time. “But then again,” he added, “why would I want to go to another church, knowing that they have problems, too. After all, I know all about ours – I might be very surprised by theirs!”

I understand fully what my friend was saying. No church on earth is exempt from problems of one sort or another. We can see this in the New Testament churches, and the church in Corinth was no exception. As a matter of fact, they knew they had problems and so they wrote a letter to Paul about some of them, asking about such matters as marriage, food sacrificed to idols, the nature of the resurrection of the body, and spiritual gifts. As we continue our series on the Holy Spirit, I find the teaching of Paul on spiritual gifts to be very helpful. Here, we find solid counsel on the use of spiritual gifts in the life of the church.

SPIRITUAL GIFTS COME FROM THE HOLY SPIRIT.

Paul reminds us right away that it is the Holy Spirit’s ministry to lead us to Christ and to confess Him as our Lord. “… 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.”

But we ought to note that Paul, in these opening verses, makes a connection between “spiritual gifts” and the Holy Spirit. This should not surprise us at all, for the relationship between the two is inseparable! The word translated “spiritual gifts” in v.1 literally means “spiritual” or “spiritual things.” So, what we are talking about here is the fact that these gifts are spiritual in origin. They originate with the Holy Spirit.

Secondly, they are spiritual in essence, because they differ from natural skills and talents. Skills and talents are usually genetic in nature, are given at birth, and are developed in time. In this case, Christians and non-Christians alike have natural talents and abilities. Singing or playing an instrument is but one example of a natural talent and ability, shared by Christian and non-Christian alike. Certainly, when we become a Christian, we can devote the use of these to the Lord and honor him with them. But again, these do not come from the Holy Spirit in the sense of a “spiritual gift.”

It can be helpful to us also in looking at the word Paul uses in v.4 and translated as “gifts.” The word that is used is charismata: “grace-gifts” or “gifts of God’s grace.” This reminds us again that we are totally dependent upon God’s grace; our salvation is all of God’s grace and unmerited favor and whatever our ministry is as well, in that, by His grace and through His grace, we can make a difference in other’s lives.

This is surely what Peter had in mind when he wrote in I Peter 4:10-11: “Each one should use whatever gift he has received to serve others, faithfully administering God’s grace in its various forms. If anyone speaks, he should do it as one speaking the very words of God. If anyone serves, he should do it with the strength God provides, so that in all things God may be praised, through Jesus Christ. To him be the glory and the power for ever and ever. Amen.”

So, when we sum up all these different elements, we can come to the understanding that a spiritual gift is one of a variety of God-given abilities, given to us by God’s grace and through the Holy Spirit, so that we can function effectively in some kind of ministry in the Body of Christ.

THERE IS A DIVERSITY OF GIFTS

AND THUS OF MINISTRY ALSO.

Paul reminds us of our diversity in the midst of our unity as the Body of Christ. “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.” Our unity is found in Jesus Christ as the Body of Christ.

But there is a diversity to be found in the exact nature of the gifts we have been given and in the ministry to which each of us is called. We can see this diversity of gifts in the list Paul gives, while realizing that this is not a complete list. We will look at still more of them when we look at another passage on the gifts next week.

But again, spiritual gifts can be as diverse as one could ever imagine. One may have the gift of distinguishing between spirits, “the ability to discern whether or not an activity or situation is of God.”[i] Another may be given the gift of a message of wisdom, bringing forth God-given knowledge and insight that are needed for a specific place or time. Still another may have the gift of faith, believing in God in an extraordinary way, beyond that of “saving faith,” trusting God for things only God can do.

A point to remember here is that each Christian has at least one gift, but will never have all the gifts or many of the gifts. We should never envy others who have certain gifts, nor should we ever pray that we might receive all or most of the gifts. If we had all or most of the gifts, then we wouldn’t need each other, would we? The Church would no longer be “the Body of Christ” together. And secondly, it is not up to us. “All these (gifts) are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, just as He determines.” (v.11)

Here, I immediately think of Bob in the last church I served as pastor. I got to know Bob early on in my pastorate there. He was graduating from the University of Cincinnati and then he was going to go on to Law School, right after his wedding would take place.

After his wedding in our church and then attendance and graduation from Law School, he returned to our community to start up his own law practice. Bob and his wife were quite active in our church, with Bob at first filling in occasionally in giving the children’s messages, then doing so on a weekly basis. Bob did quite well with these, and the children enjoyed his messages – as did the adults. In fact, one older woman, known to have a rather eccentric personality, met me one Sunday after the service and said in a most determined way: “Pastor Bill, I’ve been trying so hard to convince Bob that he needs to go to seminary in order to become a pastor. He needs to be a pastor!” And I quickly replied to her and said, “Edith, stop doing that! We need Christian lawyers even more!”

Thankfully, Edith relented and Bob continued on, not only as a lawyer, but also as an elected judge, and the last I heard he was seeking to be elected to the Court of Appeals, a position his own father had before his father retired.

While Ephesians 4 tells us that the role of pastor is a gift of Christ to his church, it is a gift that is not for everyone, as the Holy Spirit decides in His own sovereign way what spiritual gift we are to have and how we are to use it.

III

GIFTS ARE GIVEN

FOR THE COMMON GOOD OF THE CHURCH

and THE ADVANCEMENT OF GOD’S KINGDOM.

Paul makes this ever so clear for us in saying: “Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.” (v.7)

Remember the meaning of “gifts” – remember the grace-ness of the gifts of the Spirit. The very nature of these gifts disallows and forbids us to use them for self-edification and for our own purposes. Neither are they to be used in such a way as to promote ourselves or to call attention to ourselves.

We may have a sense of personal satisfaction in blessing others through the use of our spiritual gift(s); and we will grow in our relationship with the Lord in the exercise of them. But in the end, it’s not about us – it’s about others …it’s all about seeking the “common good.” God has intended and designed spiritual gifts to be directed towards the needs of others and are thus to always be exercised in love; and that’s why chapter 13 - “the love chapter” – follows this chapter on spiritual gifts.

When Ron Lee Davis was a teenager, he tells us that he made an initial commitment to Christ. One thing he was sure of – he was not called to be a public speaker.

I couldn’t stand in front of 20 fellow students without sweating, trembling, and stammering. In fact, I was so shy that merely raising my hand in class caused my palms to sweat and my pulse to race.

In time, however, he was forced – yes forced because of mandatory curriculum – to take a public speaking course and this changed him. With the help of his instructor, he came to discover and use a gift to speak before others, and one day he even became a pastor.

Out of his experience, both as an individual and as a Christian, he has written the following advice for those who may not be so sure about their gift:

The strong probability is that God has given you a gift that you have not yet discovered. In fact, in your own human nature, you may be resisting that gift. God calls us to be open and teachable to the new and exciting work He wants to reveal to us.

But remembering that whatever gifts we have is to be used for the sake and welfare of others, Davis adds this final word:

God has gifted us with riches and resources beyond our imagining so that we can be the people He intended us to be, doing the work He intended us to do, ministering to the needs of our Christian brothers and sisters, and reaching a broken world for Jesus Christ.But let us keep our gifts in perspective. For in the final analysis, the world will know us as children of the living God not by our gifts but by our love.” [ii]

Oh, may this be said of us, as we seek to faithfully use our gifts and minister to those in need, and all in love. Amen!