Your Gift Benefits All

BEYOND THE SERMON

Gifts of the Spirit

Message 1: Everybody Benefits from Your Gift

Pastor Rod Meyers  •  Covington Community Church  •  Key text: 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 (NIV)

 

Message Overview

Who doesn't love a gift? On a birthday we expect to receive something good. This series is about a birthday gift you may not have opened yet: on the day you were born again, God gave you a spiritual gift — possibly more than one. These gifts go beyond anything wrapped in paper. They are supernatural, they come from God Himself, and they are not like any other gift you have ever received.

Paul opens 1 Corinthians 12 by leaning in: "I do not want you to be uninformed." Many believers have a gift and do not know what it is. Worse, some received a gift from a child in craft class and could not tell whether it was an ashtray, a bowl, or a lump of painted clay. Knowing what your gift is — and helping others identify theirs — is a big deal, because a gift that is never opened does nobody any good. This first message lays out the nine gifts of 1 Corinthians 12:7-11 in three broad categories and answers one question: what is a gift for?

Key Scripture

 

Read the whole set-up in 1 Corinthians 12:1-11. Notice the three-fold rhythm of verses 4-6: different gifts, same Spirit; different kinds of service, same Lord; different kinds of working, same God. Like Costco, He is all over — and every gift comes from the same place.

Word Study

 

Three Broad Categories

The nine gifts named in verses 8-10 fall into three families. Each of the three does something different — one reveals, one acts, one speaks — and the rest of the series will walk through them in detail.

 

Gifts of Revelation

Throughout biblical history God revealed hidden things to His people — think of the high priest with the Urim and Thummim on his breastplate, seeking to discern the will of God (Exodus 28:30). Today He illustrates these things far more clearly through people.

Word of Wisdom

People with this gift have the ability to make wise decisions and to advise others in the same way. This is not trial-and-error wisdom from our own lives, and it is not worldly wisdom at all; it is divine wisdom that comes from supernatural understanding of God. Moses and Joshua called on it. Solomon, when he could have asked for anything, prayed for wisdom — and God gave it liberally (1 Kings 3:9-12). He still does (James 1:5).

Word of Knowledge

People with this gift have a deep understanding of the will and ways of God, personally and through the Scriptures. Supernaturally they discern truths and spiritual matters in order to teach and direct the church. Sometimes God gives a word of knowledge about a particular situation or person in order to protect, warn, or guide (see Peter with Ananias in Acts 5:1-5, or Elisha in 2 Kings 6:8-12). These gifts are powerful, super-loaded, and completely supernatural — and when someone shares one with the rest of us, it is a very cool thing.

Discerning of Spirits

Also called distinguishing between spirits. Paul begins the chapter here: no one speaking by the Spirit of God says "Jesus be cursed," and no one can say "Jesus is Lord" except by the Holy Spirit (1 Corinthians 12:3). A bad spirit cannot truly call Jesus Lord; it can only try to lie about it, and you will likely discern it from the speech. John gives the same test in 1 John 4:1-3. This is an important gift for the church to have.

Gifts of Power

Faith

This is a different gift from faith unto salvation, which every believer enjoys (Ephesians 2:8-9). The gift of faith is the supernatural ability to trust God in extenuating circumstances for extraordinary results — trusting Him where there is no other place to trust and no other way it can happen. Moses standing at the Red Sea with his staff is a complete act of faith (Exodus 14:13-22). Jesus going to the cross is a complete act of faith (Hebrews 12:2).

Gifts of Healing

God works through a person with this gift to heal and restore bodies, minds, and emotions. It also operates at the faith level. If you have met someone with the gift of healing, you know it is unbelievable — completely supernatural and completely out of the doctor's hands. We saw it on display in Africa, and one of the prayers lifted this morning for Nigeria came from someone who called at 2:30 a.m. because she knew we would pray. Prayers like that go up every single day, and God answers them (James 5:14-16; Acts 3:6-8).

Working of Miracles

These are miracles we ask for with no idea how they will happen. We know they will not happen naturally, but God answers in a miraculous way (Acts 19:11-12; John 14:12). Who would not love to see that gift in you? We are going to need some miracles in the future.

Gifts of Inspiration

Speaking in tongues and the interpretation of tongues get a full block later in this series. This message focuses on prophecy — but notice something about all three: they are gifts we use with our mouths. When we speak the Word of God, they are His words, the words He wrote down, now passing through our lives and cracking the airwaves. His Word is miraculous all by itself; it does not need our oratory to work (Isaiah 55:10-11; Hebrews 4:12). Just like your gift, it is the power of God working through you.

Prophecy

Believers with this gift do not necessarily tell the future as much as they build up and encourage. Prophecy, more importantly, is about speaking in the name of the Lord or on behalf of God (1 Corinthians 14:3). Many pastors and rabbis have this gift. Prophets also speak truth to power, and that can end tragically for the one speaking: John the Baptist (Matthew 14:1-12), nearly every Old Testament prophet, some even sawn in two (Hebrews 11:36-38), and Jesus Himself. The gift of prophecy can redirect an entire church body. "Encourage one another" — there, that is the gift of prophecy being exercised.

 

What Is a Gift For?

At a Christian high school in Arkansas, students taking a gifts inventory lit up: "I've got the gift of prophecy — I can tell you about the future!" "I've got the gift of healing — I'm probably going to be a doctor." It is fun to hear, but church can sound just like that: I've got this gift and I'm going to use it this way. Honestly, the gifts are for the body. They display what people need right now. If you are a doctor with the gift of healing and you keep it to yourself, what good does it do anybody?

 

Different Gifts, Same Spirit

• 1 Corinthians 12:4-6 makes it clear the same Spirit operates differently in each of us. Two people may share a gift, but it will operate differently because it operates through you. Across the globe, believers in every congregation carry gifts — it is God's way of networking them all.
• Therefore we should not judge how God is working in someone else, and we should not compare ourselves to others. You cannot compare yourself to a television healer, and you have no right to judge whether his gift is real (though charging for it is another matter).
• God is serving us through you, and you, and you. Every gift in this congregation — including the ones some have been giving for a very long time — is God's way of helping and connecting.
• It is not easy for us to connect with a Spirit. But when you exercise your gift, I can identify with you, and now I can connect with God's Spirit in a human way. That is the genius of God's operation: He makes it human.
• None of us is good at everything, and that keeps us balanced (Romans 12:3). Only Jesus holds every gift in perfect balance. Where we are weak, we call on our brothers and sisters — and that is exactly what the gifts are for.

Gifts vs. Fruit

Many expected this series to be about the fruit of the Spirit. Fruit and gifts are both important, but they are not the same thing, and this series is about the gifts.

 

You Can't Open It on YouTube

There is a lot you can learn on YouTube — including this church — and some truly great speakers. There may even be words of knowledge and wisdom there. But you cannot exercise the gifts there, and you cannot apply them. Gifts of healing, faith, prophecy, and discernment require a congregation: fellowship, connectivity, relating to one another through God. People ask, "Why do I need to go to church?" Because that is where the gifts are on display. Your gift is a human gift, from God, meant to be displayed in other people (Hebrews 10:24-25; 1 Corinthians 12:12-27).

Application: Caring Is Sharing

As every preschool teacher knows, caring is sharing. The best gifts are the ones we share — a game, a Hot Wheels track, a set of dolls. What we play with alone is good for half an hour before we get bored, but a shared gift has that much more value and meaning. What better way to share than with your brothers and sisters in Christ, your congregation, and your world?

• Open the package. God designed your gift specifically to showcase something He wants to do through your life. Do not leave it in the box.
• Take the spiritual gifts inventory when it comes. Turn it in — your pastor will be looking over your shoulder so he can say, "We need that gift," and call on you to exercise it.
• If you want to experience God, exercise your gift. Pray, then go out and use it. Share it with somebody. You may have the gift of healing and we never knew it because you never shared it.
• When people notice, give God the glory. It is His power at work, not yours.
• Grace was the starting block, not the finish line. God keeps giving as you walk with Him and exercise what He has already given.

 

Series Roadmap

 

 

Reflection Questions

1. Paul writes, "I do not want you to be uninformed" (1 Corinthians 12:1). Before this message, could you name your spiritual gift? If someone asked you today, what would you say — and what would you like to find out?

 

 

 

 

 

2. Read 1 Corinthians 12:4-6. Why does Paul repeat "same Spirit, same Lord, same God" three times? How does knowing every gift comes from the same source change the way you view gifts you do not have?

 

 

 

 

 

3. The gifts are given "for the common good" (1 Corinthians 12:7). Think of a time someone else's gift ministered to you. Which category was it — revelation, power, or inspiration — and how did it make God "human" to you?

 

 

 

 

 

4. Pastor Rod said a gift kept to yourself "does nobody any good." What keeps believers from exercising their gifts — fear, uncertainty, a desire not to draw attention? Which of those is true of you?

 

 

 

 

 

5. Read 1 Corinthians 4:7 and 1 Peter 4:10-11. How can you tell when a gift is showcasing God rather than the person using it? What guardrails would keep you humble if your gift began to draw notice?

 

 

 

 

 

6. "You can't exercise the gifts on YouTube." Read Hebrews 10:24-25. What is one gift you have seen on display in this congregation that could never have happened online? How does that shape your own commitment to gathering?

 

 

 

 

 

7. Look at the three categories again. Which one are you most drawn to, and which one makes you most uncomfortable? Ask God this week to show you where He wants to use you.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Further Study

• 1 Corinthians 12:12-31 — one body, many parts: why no gift is unnecessary and no member can say "I don't need you."
• 1 Corinthians 13:1-13 — the "most excellent way": gifts without love are nothing.
• 1 Corinthians 14:1-5, 1 Corinthians 14:12 — eagerly desire gifts, especially prophecy, and excel in gifts that build up the church.
• Romans 12:3-8 — Paul's second gift list: prophecy, serving, teaching, encouraging, giving, leading, mercy.
• Ephesians 4:7-16 — the ascended Christ gives gifts to equip His people for works of service.
• 1 Peter 4:10-11 — use whatever gift you have received to serve others as faithful stewards of God's grace.
• Acts 2:1-21 — the Spirit's arrival at Pentecost and the first public display of the gifts.
• Galatians 5:22-26 — the fruit of the Spirit, for comparison with the gifts.

 

Next in the series: a closer look at each gift and how you walk through them — and the spiritual gifts inventory. Take it. Turn it in. Somebody needs what God gave you.