I Corinthians 12:1
1 – Now about spiritual gifts, brothers, I do not want you to be ignorant.
I Corinthians 12:14-11
4 – There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit.
5 – There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord.
6 – There are different kinds of working, but the same God works all of them in all men.
7 – Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good.
8 – To one there is given through the Spirit the message of wisdom, to another the message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit,
9 – to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit,
10 – to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits,…to another speaking in different kinds of tongues, and to still another the interpretation of tongues.
11 – All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and He gives them to each one, just as He determines.
Romans 12:4-8
4 – Just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function,
5 – so in Christ we who are many form one body, and each member belongs to all the others.
6 – We have different gifts, according to the grace given us. If a man’s gift is prophesying, let him use it in proportion to his faith.
7 – If it is serving, let him serve; if it is teaching, let him teach;
8 – if it is encouraging, let him encourage; if it is contributing to the needs of others, let him give generously; if it is leadership, let him govern diligently; if it is showing mercy, let him do it cheerfully.
When I was a child I spent most of my weekly allowance purchasing comic books at the corner drug store. Over the years I amassed quite a collection. I think if I still had it my children’s college expenses would be no problem whatsoever but years ago I think my mother sold them at a yard sale! Well, thanks to all my comic book collecting and reading, I very quickly became an expert on all the popular super heros. I knew their secret identities and which city was their center of operations. I knew all about their side-kicks but my main source of interest was their powers, those special abilities that made them not just heros…but SUPER Heroes.
For example, SPIDERMAN, thanks to his having been bitten by a radioactive spider, had powers that mimicked the abilities of an arachnid. He could walk on walls and ceilings, had great strength, and was endowed with what he called spider-sense, which was his ability to discern when he was in danger. Barry Allen, also known as THE FLASH, had the ability to run faster than the speed of light, a power he developed when lightning struck his laboratory and caused chemicals to spill all over his body. And then there was THE ATOM, who could shrink himself to the subatomic level while somehow still keeping the same mass as if he was normal sized.
My favorite super-hero though was of course SUPERMAN, who though orphaned by the explosion of his home planet Krypton, had received amazing powers due to his exposure to our yellow sun. As the old TV SHOW used to say, Superman was, …faster than a speeding bullet, more powerful than a locomotive, able to leap tall buildings in a single bound… In fact, he had, abilities far beyond those of mortal men… which he used to fight for truth, justice, and the American way.
Now, admit it grownups. Wouldn’t it be fun to have a special power? Think how easy your life would be if you could FLY to work each day instead of driving or taking the metro! Parents, wouldn’t SPIDERMAN’S ability to sense impending danger come in handy in raising small children? Singles, if you could shrink to the size of THE ATOM your housing requirements and costs would shrink as well! Teens think how fast you could finish your homework if you could move at the speed of light? I think all of us would like to have at least one SUPER-power…one ability that was, far beyond that of mortal men!
Now, I hope you won’t think I’m going through a second childhood when I say this but the truth of the matter is that if you are a Christian, you DO have just such a power. As the scripture we read just said, all Christians have special abilities beyond those of mortal men for they are bestowed by God Himself. We refer to them as SPIRITUAL GIFTS. Unfortunately most Christians don’t know this. According to a nationwide survey by the Barna Research Group, although 88% of born-again Christians have heard of spiritual gifts, only 39% can identify which gift they possess. And an even smaller portion are actively seeking to minister in ways that capitalize on their particular gifted-ness.
Well, as I told you last fall one of our goals here at Redland is make sure this is not true about our church. I don’t want any of our members to come to the end of their lives, enter heaven, stand before our Savior Who shed His blood for us all and say, I’m sorry Jesus. I never found my spiritual gift. I never became a part of the serving core of the church at Redland. And I’m sure you would agree. None of us want to have white, unstained, uncalloused hands when the time comes for us to put our hands in those blood-stained hands with holes in them. So, all of us need to discover our special God-given abilities and learn to use them TOGETHER in this church family.
You know, one of the comic books I liked the most when I was a kid was THE JUSTICE LEAGUE OF AMERICA, because it told of the adventures of an organization made up of super-heros who teamed up, pooled their powers and in so doing got a lot more done together than they could alone! Well, the Bible says that all Churches should work like this. Members should see themselves as part of a team in which they pool their spiritual gifts working toward the same goals…achieving far more together than they could on their own.
For this reason we have devoted this entire day-beginning with this sermon-to focus on this issue. I appreciate the fact that many of you have committed to staying for lunch and then several hours this afternoon to learn more about spiritual gifts…and how you can use yours here with the rest of the super-heros God has called to this place.
Now,before we go any farther we must first understand that there is a difference between the GIFT of the Holy Spirit and the GIFTS of the Holy Spirit. The GIFT — singular — is the indwelling of the Holy Spirit whereby He comes to take up residence in the believer’s heart the moment that person accepts Christ as Savior. This GIFT is that which was promised by Jesus in John 14 when He said, I will ask the Father, and He will give you another Helper that He may be with you forever; that is the Spirit of truth, Whom the world cannot receive, because it does not behold Him or know Him, but you know Him because He abides with you and will be in you. (John 14:16-18 ) Always loving and mindful of our needs, Jesus and the Father gave us a gift: the gift of their presence, the Holy Spirit…and we receive this gift when we become Christians…not later.
In Acts 2:38 Peter speaks of this as he addresses people who want to become Christians. He says, Repent and be baptized every one of you, in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins. And you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. In Romans 8:9 Paul pointedly states, If anyone does not have the Spirit of Christ, he does not belong to Christ. So, once you become a Christian, you never need MORE of that gift. We never need more of the Holy Spirit. Now, all Christians struggle to give Christ control over more areas of their lives, to truly make Him LORD of all our thoughts, deeds, and actions…but it is not in line with Scripture to say that any Christian needs a 2nd blessing sometimes called receiving the Holy Spirit because all Christians already have received the GIFT of the Holy Spirit. W. A. Criswell once addressed this issue and said the Holy Spirit, …is already a universal gift of God to all believers. We need not seek it, pray for it, try to achieve it, or receive it. We already have it. [We must] take possession of our possession and act upon the promises of God.
So, THE GIFT of the Holy Spirit’s indwelling an individual is something all Christians have the moment they repent of their sin and commit themselves to Christ. But the GIFTS — plural — of the Holy Spirit are something else. They are special abilities imparted to all Christians by the Holy Spirit for service in the church. Simply stated, spiritual gifts are, …skills or abilities that enable each Christian to perform a function in the body of Christ with ease and effectiveness.
Okay, now that we have that out of the way…let’s proceed and look at five basic truths about spiritual gifts found here in the 12th chapters of 1 Corinthians and Romans…truths that will help us learn how best we can use our special…SUPER-powers…here at Redland.
1. First of all we must understand that these abilities ARE literally Gifts.
In verse 4, Paul calls these gifts of the Spirit The Charismata which means grace gifts. And that is exactly what they are. They are GIFTS bestowed on us as Christians by the free, unmerited favor of God. They are not given by the church nor are they bestowed upon graduation from seminary or Bible college. They cannot be purchased or earned…they are grace GIFTS from God. Dr. Jack MacGorman says: Charismatic gifts (and all spiritual gifts are charismatic) are handed down by the Spirit of God…they are not worked up by men…
Please note that since these are GIFTS that means we don’t select them. Verse 11 says that God’s Spirit distributes these gifts to every man AS HE WILLS. Ralph Neighbor tells about visiting in a church member’s home one day. The mother left him alone for a few minutes with her four year old son, Jonathan. Wondering if Jonathan knew the O.T. history of his name, Dr. Neighbor asked: Son, do you know WHY you were named ‘Jonathan’? Well little Jonathan gave Dr. Neighbor that I-think-all-adults-are-stupid look and marched out of the room with the comment, Sure, I was borned that way. Well, spiritual gifts are given in the same way that Jonathan’s name was given. His parents — perhaps before He was born — decided what he would be called. He was not given the right to approach them at age 16 and say, Folks, I’d like to be named ‘Jeremiah’. No…it was the sovereign right of his parents to choose his name.
In the same way, it is God who bestows spiritual gifts upon you and me…His children AS HE WILLS…as HE CHOOSES…. So, for this reason envy, boasting, feelings of superiority, etc. are so out of place in all churches. We have nothing to boast about. All that we have is GIVEN us by our gracious Lord. We didn’t receive our spiritual gifts as REWARDS for our deeds. They are not MERIT badges. They are not indications of spiritual excellence or superiority. They simply are given out to us AS THE SPIRIT WILLS
So when I see LINDA ROWE using her gifts of service behind the scenes to organize the decorating of the church for Christmas…when I see ERIC THOMAS or CONNIE HOLTON demonstrating their amazing gift of spiritual wisdom by teaching everyone from the smallest child to the baldest adult the truth found in God’s word…when I see TIM and KAREN PICKETT showing their spiritual gift of hospitality and encouragement by opening their home each weekend to teens who live in a foster group home…when I see ROBERTA ECHARD using her spiritual gift of mercy by leading our ministry at the soup kitchen in Gaithersburg.
…when I see BRENDA EGELAND using her spiritual gift of administration to keep our Sunday School records and statistics up to date and our SOWER and weekly Bulletin accurate…when I see JIM & ROSALEE BLACKWELL using their spiritual gift of teaching so effectively that teen parents are excitedly sharing insights into adolescent behavior…when I see…SUE IWAMOTO and her crew using their gifts of service to feed us on Wednesday night and then clean up afterwards…Well, when I see Linda and Eric and Connie and Tim and Karen and Roberta and Brenda and Jim and Rosalee and Sue doing all these things what I am actually witnessing is the work of the Spirit of God.
So you see there really is no room for pride in the body of Christ for when we see people using their gifts effectively as these and so many other faithful people do around here then what we are really seeing is God at work through us and rather than envy or pride we should be led to praise and thanksgiving.
You know, most Christians either don’t think highly ENOUGH of themselves to have confidence in carrying out the ministry God has given us or they think TOO highly of themselves, forgetting that the Spirit of God is the source of their gifts..not themselves. Properly viewed then, spiritual gifts elevate our opinion of ourselves AND keep us humble at the same time.
By the way, since all spiritual gifts are from God, then we never have a right to look down on someone who does not have a particular gift. Scriptures record that John the Baptist did no miracle throughout the course of his ministry. Yet he was a mighty prophet of God and Matthew 11 records that Jesus said of him, there is no man born of woman who is greater than he. There are those today who suggest that if we cannot do miracles it is a sign of weakness in faith and of little spiritual power. But John did no miracles. Why not? Because the Bible says that there are varieties of workings and it was not the choice of the Father to work through John in that way.
So,the first thing we must understand is that spiritual gifts are just that: GIFTS.
2. A second thing the Bible says about these Gifts is that they are VARIED…
You see, just because one SPIRIT is doing the giving doesn’t mean that He has only one gift to give. No, His resources are limitless and His creativity infinite so there are several different kinds of spiritual gifts. In this 12th chapter of 1st Corinthians, 13 different spiritual gifts are listed. In Romans 12, seven gifts are mentioned. There are other lists of spiritual gifts found in the Bible, and other individual gifts are mentioned in various texts scattered throughout the New Testament, such as the gift of celibacy (I Corinthians 7:7 ).
The gifts include: faith, wisdom, knowledge, ministry, miracles, healing, tongues, administration, exhortation, and much more. And, since there are several lists, and since they are all different….well then, I think they are intended to be only illustrative of the KINDS of gifts God bestows. Any spiritual gift could probably fit into one of these types but the point Paul was making is that God gives whatever gift is needed in each unique situation so that the body-the local church-can fulfill its unique ministry. For example, I think that God might give some of you here at Redland the spiritual gift of witnessing to commuters on the metro or welcoming new military transfers to Montgomery County…because those are the kinds of gifts that we need to do our work here in this area.
3. And then, a third thing we must understand about Spiritual Gifts is this: no Christian has all the spiritual gifts on these lists but every Christian has at least one…
This fact is repeatedly stated in our text from I Corinthians 12 . In verse 7 Paul said that spiritual gifts are given… to each one! In verse 11 he writes, the same Spirit distributes to EACH ONE individually. In verse 18 he says it again, God has placed the members, EACH ONE of them in the body. In Romans 12:6 he says each of us have different gifts, according to the grace that is given us. So, no Christians can say, I can’t serve God because I don’t have any capacity or ability to serve Him. You may not have discovered your spiritual gift but it is there waiting to be used. As authentic followers of Christ we have all been gifted with a grace gift of the Holy Spirit.
And each and every one of these gifts is important. You know I don’t want to brag or be prideful…but I have a very special ability. I can wiggle my ears-both of them-independently! I’ll be glad to give demonstrations after the worship service this morning. This may shock you but I once read that ALL OF US have the ability to move our ears because all humans have very important muscles behind their ears. Some of us can do this voluntarily, like me, but the rest of us still have ears that move; they just do so involuntarily, perhaps while we sleep. Now, you might wonder why God put those muscles there. Here’s why: moving the muscles of the ear…either voluntarily or involuntarily…is the only way old blood could be removed from the ear and fresh blood inserted into the cartilage area. If the muscles would be removed the ear would turn black and fall off. So God was up to something when He put muscles in your ears.
And when the Holy Spirit led you to join this local church He was up to something too. Each member of the Body of Christ has at least one gift that is ESSENTIAL to the well-being and effectiveness of the church. While we are not the same, each of us is important to the whole. The church has a lot of ear muscles that are just as taken for granted. We must be careful lest we forget how important they really are to the church. If you are not here, exercising the spiritual gift God gave you, then we’ll have ears turning black and dropping off all over the place! Each of us is important. You see, the church is the place where each of us is needed — and each of us brings needs.
Now, like any talent or ability, spiritual gifts need to be developed if they are to be of any value.
In I Timothy 4:14 Paul addressed this issue when he wrote to young Timothy and said, Do not neglect your gift. Then at the beginning of his next letter to him, He writes, Fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you! Paul knew that having a spiritual gift does not mean we automatically use it well. No, in order for them to be of any VALUE we must develop them further….as we use them for God’s glory. One of Ripley’s BELIEVE IT OR NOT items pictured a plain bar of iron worth $5. The same bar of iron if made into horse shoes would be worth $50.
If it were made into needles, it would be worth $5,000. If it were made into balance springs for fine Swiss watches, it would be worth $500,000. You see, the raw material is not as important as how it’s developed. And, God says we have spiritual gifts, but their worth to Him will be dependent on how we develop them. So find yours and develop it! Fan it into flame!
And then, one final truth about spiritual gifts that I want us to understand this morning is this….
4. Each of these various gifts is to be used as a vital part of the local body of Christ.
I Corinthians 12, verse 7 says, They are given to every man for the good of all. In I Peter 4:10 we read, Whatever gift each of you may have received, use it in service to one another, like good stewards dispensing the grace of God. Our gifts are not our property to use as we please; they are a trust committed to us by God to use for others and for His glory as He directs.
Part of the purpose of these gifts is to help us see that we are one part of a larger body. Verse 26 of I Corinthians 12 refers to this when it speaks of the local church and says, …if one member suffers, all the members suffer….if one member is honored, all the members rejoice… A few years ago I slammed the car door on my finger. It hurt intensely, with instant pounding pain. It swelled up and I can tell you that the rest of my body was so concerned about this one little, seemingly insignificant body part…that it sat up all night with it.
That’s the way it is with the body of Christ. When one part is hurt….all of the body hurts…when one part is honored….the entire body is honored as well. Having spiritual gifts should remind us that in a very real sense we are part of a body and our motive in using our spiritual gifts in the church is love…our love for God and our love for the rest of the body parts in our church family. Ephesians 4:11 speaks of this when it says, From [Christ] the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up IN LOVE as each part does its work.
So you and I are not given our spiritual gifts for our own sake. We are like an apple tree that produces fruit not for its own consumption but for the consumption of others. Our gifts are given so we can bless others by ministering to them. If you have the gift of teaching, you have it so others in the body will be taught. If you have the gift of hospitality it is because others need the gracious welcome they receive from you. God gave you your gifts to be used in a local church.
This is why church membership is so vital. You see, we were designed and gifted not to function alone but to be a part of a local body of Christ. This has very important implications for our church here in Derwood. Since our gifts were given us so that we might function as an essential part of this local church…then that means that if even one gifted person fails to do its part, the body of Christ that meets here on Muncaster Mill Road is deprived of a ministry it needs to function well. And the reverse is also true. If every member were walking in the Spirit, including the use of their particular spiritual gifts, there would be no weaknesses in this local body of believers. You see, there is no gift the church needs that God has not given to one of its members. In verse 27 Paul says, Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. To the extent that you pursue the discovery and use of your gifts you will be a blessing. To the extent that you don’t you rob the body of Christ.
Now, I think as a sub-point here I should mention that we’re also called to serve in areas where we may not be especially gifted. Regardless of our gift mix, all of us are called to be involved in evangelism, mercy, and giving, etc. But we can make special contributions in the areas where we are gifted.
When we do, our part this church literally functions as Christ’s body. You see, since His ascension to heaven, we…as Christians…have been the flesh Jesus has used to do His will. We minister just as He would minister. We are His hands and feet. And each of us, no matter what our gift may be is an important part of this.
A 14th century Italian artisan was once commissioned to design a huge stained-glass portrait of Christ for a window in a cathedral in Chartres, France, a place well known for its stained-glass work. After sketching the design, he gathered and carefully shaped all of the pieces of glass he was going to need. He then laid them out on the floor of the cathedral. Even in this unfinished form, the window was beautiful to behold. Most of the pieces were large and amazingly colorful.
In the midst of all these dazzling shards of glass was a very small, clear piece about as big as a fingernail. As the stained glass portrait was assembled, that little piece was overlooked and remained on the floor where it lay even after the window was installed. On the day of the window’s unveiling, the entire city gathered to witness the brilliant stained-glass portrait. The artist stood in front of the crowd, made his speech, and then dramatically pulled down the cloth cover. The crowd gasped at the beauty of the colorful window glowing in the sunlight. After a few seconds, however, the crowd grew silent. They sensed that the portrait was unfinished. Something was missing. The artist inspected his work and realizing what was amiss, walked over to where the little, nearly invisible, clear piece of glass lay, picked it up, and carefully fastened it into its proper place, right in the center of Jesus’ eye. Then, as the sun hit that little piece, it gave off a dazzling light. To this day, the window still draws visitors and the first thing they notice is that sparkle in Jesus’ eye.
Well, in similar fashion our church provides a portrait of Christ for our community. As each of us work at the tasks God gives us using the spiritual gifts He has provided we furnish an essential part of that portrait. Some work at colorful jobs that are clearly visible by all. They receive much praise for what they do. Others work behind the scenes doing things that often go unnoticed…washing dishes after Wednesday night suppers…Preparing the elements for communion…mopping up after baptism…folding and addressing the SOWER…steadfastly praying in their closets for the needs of this church family…Think of these behind the scenes gift users as the sparkle in Jesus’ eye. But whatever your part in the portrait we paint here…thanks to your ministry in this church…our community sees a clearer picture of Jesus.
- You see, our main purpose in using our spiritual GIFTS is to give our community a glimpse of the GIVER of those gifts.
Now, imagine what would happen if each of us decided to take our giftedness and responsibilities seriously. It would affect the feel of the entire church…we would function better. We would be healthier. Things would get done instead of waiting for people to do them. This would be an even more exciting place than it is now. You see, a church can be a sterile place where believers just ATTEND…It can be a HOTEL where people check in and check out as they move in and out of this transient area or it can be a HOME where you feel like you belong because people are sharing their lives with each other, expending themselves for one another, making a difference together. And that is the kind of church I believe God has called us to be.
This morning you may be a Christian who feels that God is telling you that you belong in this family…that your spiritual gifts are needed here. If that is true I urge you to join this church…come be a part of this team of people…this family whose members are pooling their spiritual gifts to do the Lord’s work. Or maybe you are here and all our talk about the Giver of these spiritual gifts has helped you to recognize your need to become a Christian. You want the GIFT of the Holy Spirit.
You see your need for God’s presence in your life. If that is true then I encourage you to bow your head and pray asking God to forgive you of your sin as you commit to give Him your life. Whatever decision you make I invite you to make it public by walking forward as we sing and sharing that decision with me or Steve.