WE ARE DIFFERENT
I Corinthians 12:7-11
As believers in the Lord Jesus, and recipients of the Holy Spirit… WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN GIFTS.
We have been noting in the last two weeks that we have been given, charismata, spiritual gifts. The beginning of this Greek word is charis, which is the word for grace. This means that the gifts find their source in God’s grace. He has graced us with them.
As far as a definition goes, we are using the following: Spiritual gifts are special 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.
Last week, as we began our study of I Corinthians 12, we learned that when it comes to our spiritual gifts… We are not to be ignorant about them.
If we are dedicated to growing in our knowledge of the Lord Jesus, and how He has graced us, we must be in tune to what He has given us. We are to be intelligent about it. We are to know what our gifts are and how they are to be used.
We also learned that… We are always to be Biblical.
The spiritual gifts that we receive are not to be used to bring attention to ourselves. They come from the Holy Spirit; their intention is to be used in such a way that honor is brought to the name of Jesus.
If the use of the gift does not proclaim Jesus or build the body of Christ, the church, it is not of
the Spirit.
The church is always to be about Jesus. This is what distinguishes us. This means then… We are to be characterized by unity.
Spiritual gifts are a tool graciously given to us to help unite us and bring growth to the body. This was something the Corinthians had forgotten. For in their use of the spiritual gifts, they mistakenly came to the conclusion that some gifts were superior to others.
In their thinking, those that possessed these gifts were better Christians than the others. This was, of course, totally false.
As we come to our passage, we are answering the question of how are the gifts given?
And as we answer this question, we will begin to reveal the error of some of their conclusions. We will find in our study of I Corinthians 12:7-11 four ways the gifts are given.
I. The first way is INDIVIDUALLY (7).
Each one of us is a recipient of a spiritual gift. Again, as a believer of the Lord Jesus, we have been given a spiritual gift. Now, be clear on this.
We did not earn it. It does not give us status. We are all alike in that it is a part of God’s design for the Christian. He has blessed each one of us with a spiritual gift because of His grace, not because we deserved it.
You may remember last week I used an acrostic for the word “shape” to describe our make up as believers.
S stands for spiritual gifts.
H stands for heart, that which we have a passion for.
A stands for abilities, those things we are born with.
P stands for personality, the “how” we are made.
And E stands for our experiences.
When we go back to the “S” for spiritual gifts, I believe it can be said that… Our “shape” likely involves more than one gift, perhaps two, three or more.
So for some, we have a blend of gifts, just as we have a blend of talents and abilities, just as we have a personality blend, as well as differing passions and interests.
He has made us different.
We are different.
We are different from each other.
I also believe that it may be possible to receive one particular gift, and then another one later in our Christian journey. Some have testified that they felt they had a particular gift at one time, but at a later time, they no longer possessed it. I struggle with that because if God can remove a gift, what about the gift of salvation? Although I do believe we can stop using a gift God has given.
Whether gifts are permanent, whether they lay dormant, or whether they can be removed is not spoken to by the text. So, we are only speculating.
Nevertheless, I believe it is our responsibility to be in tuned to where we are at this moment, so that
we know how God wants us to function in His body.
Remember that spiritual gifts are not the same as abilities and talents. But I do believe that there is a vital relationship between them. Spiritual gifts enhance our talents, and in some ways, even sanctify them, to make us even better fit for service.
II. The second way is CORPORATELY (7).
A guy goes into the doctor’s office. There is a banana stuck in one of his ears, a carrot stuck in one nostril, and a cucumber in the other ear.
The man says, “Doc, this is terrible. What’s wrong with me?”
The doctor says, “well, first of all, you’re not eating right.”
In much the same way… Our gifts are to be visible and detectable. They are, as the text puts it, a manifestation of the Spirit. Spiritual gifts are not to be guesswork. They are to be demonstrated and used.
When true spiritual gifts are being used in the body, people notice. We notice that spirit activity is taking place in our midst.
You see… Our gifts function for the well-being of the body. Spiritual gifts are for building our community.
Though the gifts vary and they are diverse, this diversity does not threaten unity, rather it is to produce it. Each gift, and each blend of gifts, is given for the community of believers.
They are given so that the body will be strong and able to function as it should.
The diversity of the gifts enables the church to accomplish its mission. So, though we differ, we supplement and complement each other. We are not individual contractors. Rather, we work cooperatively, for a common cause, the furtherance of the gospel through the Church.
III. The third way is VARIOUSLY (8-10).
Note, the Holy Spirit is not stuck in a rut! He works in diverse ways, and here in this text, we have an incomplete list of the charismata.
The first gift mentioned is wisdom.
It is interesting that this is first on the list as wisdom was held in high regard in Corinth. This is one of the difficulties that they were having. As self-made men and women, they thought they were already wise.
But Paul notes that true wisdom comes from God.
It is a gift. Those that have this gift are able to make skillful and practical applications of God’s Word and His mind to situations.
Alongside of this is the gift of… Knowledge. These two gifts are close in how they are used, but this gift’s emphasis is on the content.
It is the special ability to study God’s Word, and in so doing, discover the full meaning of the text, words, and phrases. People with this gift often gain special insight that is often missed by others.
Their teaching is often characterized as inspired, as they are able to provide understanding for the body that they would not have had otherwise.
The next gift is… Faith. The spiritual gift of faith is a supernatural conviction that God will reveal His power or mercy in some way.
People with the gift of faith have an intense ability to trust God, especially when times are difficult and demanding. When these gifted people are faced with overwhelming obstacles and situations that seem like human impossibilities, they are the kind that practice faith that moves mountains.
Next we come to… Healing & Miracles. These two are companions in that they have obvious results, which are easy to testify to. Healing is the curing of sickness and disease. Miracles are the supernatural intrusion into the natural order.
There are some theologians that believe these gifts ended with the death of the apostles. They believe this because they say the primary purpose of these gifts was to establish the credibility of the church. Once that was done, they were no longer needed.
For me, the Scriptural evidence for such a view is not very strong. I believe it is best to not attempt to box in the Holy Spirit and recognize that He is free to act as He wills, when He wills.
So again, as these gifts continue to exist in the church, they are the type of things that are obvious. It is hard to have the gift of healing or miracles and people not notice.
Now we come to… Prophecy. I know that some folks think that to have the gift of prophecy means that you can predict the future. But that is a misunderstanding of the basic meaning of the word. For to be a prophet, one must speak God’s words. It is that simple. This means that a prophet is a person that speaks God’s words under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit.
The person with the gift of prophecy never works in a frenzy. They don’t need to work the crowd. They are able to speak clearly to any given situation.
Everyone understands what the prophet means, and sometimes, all too well! For the prophet tells it like it is.
The person who has this gift is able to build and encourage other individuals or the body as a whole. Sometimes the message might be positive. Other times it might be negative.
This means that if God gives you something to say, you are not to hold on to it. We are not to keep life giving information to ourselves.
Interestingly, as we come to chapter 14, it is a gift that may be available to all believers. As we come to that text, we will share the implications of that.
Now we come to… Discernment. The person with the gift of discernment is able to distinguish what is from the Spirit of God and what is not. They are able to differentiate what is genuine and what is not.
We need people in the church with this gift. We need people who are on the alert that can expose error and lies – even to the point of recognizing when psychology, philosophy and popular thinking have caused a departure from God’s Word.
Even more important is the sensitivity to evil and demonic activity. People with this gift are our homeland security and their role is vital to the church.
Now we come to the gifts that were really a problem in the church of Corinth… Tongues & Interpretation.
The gift of tongues is the gift of language that is not known by the speaker, but is to be known to someone. The first appearance of tongues happens in Acts 2, when the Holy Spirit comes on the disciples and they go out and speak to the crowds in Jerusalem.
The gift of tongues was a demonstration of the power of the Spirit with a very specific purpose. It was evangelistic in intention, a sign for the unbeliever, so that they may clearly hear and understand the gospel.
For the Corinthians, they needed to understand that those that had the gift of tongues were not superior to other believers. It was a gift to grow the church.
But no one was to be left out in understanding to what was going on. The gift of interpretation was also to be active, so that everyone would understand. The gifts of tongues and interpretation are to be active at the same time. We’ll talk more about tongues when we get to chapter 14.
For now I want the Holy Spirit within me, giving me the breath of eternal life, and I want all that God has to offer, for me to be an over-comer.
I want the Holy spirit to breathe in me so that these old dead bones of flesh can have life in them through the power of God. I want that Holy Ghost power, I want God’s power and I want God’s FIRE!
What does the Fire of God that comes with the Holy Spirit do for us? It melts the heart of stone, turns it into a heart after God. Like the heat of a volcano on molten lava, our heart begins to flow with the guiding Hand of God to follow the paths that He has made for us.
The Fire of the Holy Spirit brings to light the dross (filthiness) of our soul and causes us to repent of the sin in our lives. Little by little, the Fire of the Holy Spirit burns away those things that beset us, those “little foxes that spoil the vines” in a constant refining process that brings us closer to a holy and sanctified Christ-centered life.
The Fire of the Holy Spirit will light your fire after God’s own heart and kindle a love for Jesus Christ that you never knew could be possible. Just as the fires of passion in a marriage relationship should never grow common or be taken for granted, the Fire of the Holy Spirit will keep your love and passion for Jesus fresh and new and growing.
The all-consuming Fire of the Holy Ghost will consume your life and immerse you in service for the Lord of Heaven. God is a jealous God, not like men are jealous, but His greatest desire is to see each of us enter into our reward in the Kingdom of God and He will not tolerate anything in our lives that will keep us from that ultimate goal.
The Fire of the Holy Spirit will get you moving. You can’t be full of the Holy Ghost and be a bench warmer any more than you can stand barefoot on hot coals and not jump around and try to get away from them.
The fourth way is PERSONALLY (11).
The Holy Spirit deals with us specifically.
God is personally involved in who we are. And He is personally involved in who we are becoming. So, He distributes the gifts according to what fits best for Him.
For… We are designed according to the will of God.
The gifts we receive are just as He determines them to be. The gifts we receive are just as He sees fit. You see, this is not some smorgasbord or buffet and we pick and choose what we want. We are not just given spiritual gifts. They are assign-ments for us, according to His design for the body of Christ.
Spiritual gifts, then, are the ultimate expressions of God; the Spirit’s sovereign action in the life of the believer and the community as a whole.
As individuals… Spiritual gifts are to be appreciated and enjoyed. When we are using the gifts as they are designed, we will find fulfillment.
Think for a moment… when you give someone a gift, especially when you have put a lot of thought and love into it, you don’t want the recipient to put it into a closet. You don’t want them to return it.
The same is true for the Holy Spirit. Each gift He gives is important. It is important to you. It is very
important to the body.
You see, we have not only been given gifts… WE HAVE BEEN GIVEN GIFTS TO BE USED.
So use what you have been given.
Don’t fail to do your part!
Don’t get caught on the sidelines looking in.
Demonstrate that the Spirit is in control.
Allow the Spirit, through the use of your gifts, to bring unity to this church body.
Rejoice that God has graced us with gifts from His Spirit – it is great to know that God would give us that which is so good.
Understand that God has graced us with gifts that are for the benefit of the whole – we don’t use them to bring attention to ourselves.
So use your gifts, for they are given to build the body of Christ, so that we might be a people that are Spirit-controlled, so that we might be a people who are determined to be a kingdom people.
Amen.