Spiritual Gifts and The Church 1 Corinthians 12:4-11

We are back in our study of 1 Corinthians 12-14 this morning. My mind and my heart are being saturated, not just with the study of the gifts that God has given to His people, the Church, but thinking about you; how the Lord has gifted each and every one of you and how you are using His gifts to build up other believers. I was leaving worship last Sunday when a new friend came up to me and asked, “What is my gift?” I could tell that it was a serious question, but I don’t know this friend very well yet, so I said, “The Lord has given you gifts and He’s using you to bless and encourage others.” Pretty generic huh? I saw the same friend Wednesday evening and was asked the same question. She said, “I really want to know which gift I’ve been given.” I know this friend volunteers to help Tre with Study Buddies. She has also volunteered to help Jessica with Children’s Church. I said, “There is a gift called ‘helps’ and I definitely believe you have been given that gift. You are ‘helping’ the Study Buddy kids learn to read and do math. You are brand new here at BCC but you’ve already taken the initiative to offer your ‘help’ to Jessica with Children’s Church.” I went on to tell her that most people, when they think about the gifts given by the Holy Spirit, think of the more spectacular, the more flashy gifts, but every gift is given by the Holy Spirit, and when they are used, they honor God and help build up the whole Church. My friend, who is wondering what gift she may have been given, finds herself among the majority of Christians in our society today. George Barna has just recently released a study, “Gifted For More,” about spiritual gifts and God’s people. Among the Christians who participated in the study, 43% fell into the categories of those who don’t know their gift or those who say they do not have a gift. If my math is right, that is almost half of all of Jesus’ followers. Here’s another interesting item I learned from the study. In addition to the 43% of Jesus’ followers who say they don’t have a gift or they do not know what gift they’ve been given, there is another group, 21% of those who identify themselves as Christians, who claim to have a gift that is outside of those listed in the Bible. Here’s a sampling of the gifts they named: A sense of humor, health, happiness, patience, a house, and clairvoyance. We talked last week about how the lists found in God’s Word are not exhaustive, Paul never intended for us to be led to believe that his lists were the only gifts God has given His people, but it is important to know that the gifts God has given to His people are divine enablements to be used for the purpose of honoring God and building up the body of Christ. Therefore, although a house, a car, our finances, our health, and happiness are absolutely blessings from God, they are not “spiritual gifts.” My point in sharing all of this with us this morning is to show just how desperately the body of Christ needs this study of spiritual gifts that you and I have been in for the past several weeks. This church, and every church, is blessed with an abundance of gifts that God intends for us to use, but if more than 50% of us do not know what gift we’ve been given, or believe we don’t have a gift, or do not understand about spiritual gifts, then we are not functioning in the way God desires. Let’s think about this as we refer back to the church in Corinth. They were a mess right? I think we can all agree on that statement. They were a mess, they were not functioning as a body as God intended. Yet, Paul wrote to them, in the very first chapter of his letter and said, 

5 For in him you have been enriched in every way-- with all kinds of speech and with all knowledge-- 6 God thus confirming our testimony about Christ among you. 7 Therefore you do not lack any spiritual gift as you eagerly wait for our Lord Jesus Christ to be revealed. (1 Corinthians 1:5-7 NIV)

They lacked no spiritual gift. Did you see that? They lacked no spiritual gift. Yet, it is obvious from our study that some were misusing their gifts while I’m certain that others would have fallen into the categories George Barna defined as those not knowing they had a gift or denying they had a gift. The church was blessed with every spiritual gift by the Lord, but some of those gifts were lying dormant, not being utilized while other gifts were being misused. I’ve been thinking about this all week.There has been a group of men working on the remodel of our sanctuary for many weeks now. Let’s say that on the day the work began every single item needed to complete the remodel was brought to our church. All of the tools, every single nail, screw, every stick of wood, every piece of glass for the stained glass windows, all of the plans, every yard of concrete, all of the heavy equipment needed, every drill, every piece of wiring needed, all of the audio/video equipment...you get the idea. Everything showed up on day one. Let me tell you, our sanctuary would have been filled with every gift needed to “build up the church” and complete the job. If, when the last item was brought in, the boss walked into my office and said, “Pastor, it’s all there, now it’s time to go to work. Good luck!” We would have been in trouble wouldn’t we? I can promise you we would have been in BIG trouble. We would also have been in trouble if he would have spoken those same words to the architect who drew up the plans or the electrician who is excellent at what he does, but he doesn’t know about a thing about stained glass. All of the specialists who are involved are so good at what they do, but they can’t do everything. Instead of that disastrous scenario, we have had different people and groups of people show up at different times with a set of skills, gifts if you will, that are helping us to move the project forward. Every person is busy using his skills and they are working together as a team, not in conflict, but in cooperation with one another. Every person using every unique ability is needed. Now, let’s read our Scripture for this morning found in 1 Corinthians 12:4-11.

4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 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 a message of wisdom, to another a 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 distributes them to each one, just as he determines. (1 Corinthians 12:4-11 NIV)

In these verses there are nine spiritual gifts listed. I mentioned to you last week that you can also find lists of gifts in Ephesians 4:11; Romans 12:6-8; 1 Peter 4:11; and there is actually another list in 1 Corinthians 12:28. Some of the gifts mentioned in these lists are found more than once. For example, teaching and prophecy appear in Ephesians, Romans, and 1 Corinthians. There are other gifts that appear only once. Speaking in tongues is only found in 1 Corinthians. Encouraging, contributing, and mercy are found only in Romans. “Evangelist” is found only in Ephesians, even though in Matthew 28 Jesus told all of His disciples to go into all the world and make disciples, share the Gospel with people of all nations. I’ve put together a list of all of the gifts mentioned in the lists found in these scriptures we’ve just discussed. Here they are:

• Prophecy     * Leadership    * Healing       * Apostle    * Service    * Teaching            * Exhortation    * Giving

• Mercy           * Wisdom        * Knowledge  * Faith        * Helps       * Administration  * Evangelist       * Pastor

• Hospitality   * Intercession  * Miracles       * Discerning of the Spirits   * Tongues     * Interpretation of Tongues

Now, let’s go back to our scripture for this morning. In 1 Corinthians 12:8-10 we see Paul list nine gifts and I don’t think there is any question, but what these gifts were prominent in the church at Corinth. Paul mentions “wisdom, knowledge, and tongues” and these gifts never appear in the other lists found in Scripture. I think this shows that these gifts were prominent at Corinth.Here’s another thing we can learn from Paul’s lists to the church in Corinth: Paul’s list includes gifts that we might put in the category of “spectacular” or “supernatural” and he also includes gifts that we might put in the category of “ordinary” or “more natural” gifts. This, no doubt is what led to some of the problems in the church as some members who possessed the more flashy, what they saw as more supernatural gifts became arrogant and looked down upon their brothers and sisters with what they saw as more mundane or natural gifts. I want you to notice what Paul says about each and every one of these gifts. Let’s read verse 11 together.

11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines. (1 Corinthians 12:11 NIV)

All of the gifts listed are the “work of one and the same Spirit.” Notice also, “he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.” There is no room for pride or arrogance when we recognize that the gift we’ve been given has been chosen for us by the determination of the Holy Spirit. Paul, like Jesus, is prone to turn our thinking on its head. Let me explain. The vast majority of Bible teachers agree that the people in Corinth had elevated “speaking in tongues” above the rest of the gifts. The reason they believe this is because of the entire chapter of 1 Corinthians 14 where Paul devotes so much ink to helping the people understand the proper use of this gift. We will get around to 1 Corinthians 14 and spend plenty of time learning what Paul had to say to the people in Corinth and what he is saying to us as well. What I want you to notice right now is that Paul placed “speaking in tongues” last on the list of gifts in this section. That which some in Corinth valued most, Paul placed last. Paul is not like the modern-day “cessationist” who says the gift is no longer in operation, but he puts it in its proper place. Let me just give you a sneak peak of what Paul had to say in 1 Corinthians 14. Take a look at verses 18-19 with me.

18 I thank God that I speak in tongues more than all of you. 19 But in the church I would rather speak five intelligible words to instruct others than ten thousand words in a tongue. (1 Corinthians 14:18-19 NIV)

So, you can see, Paul is not dismissing the gift, but he points out, “in the church,” he would rather speak five intelligible words to teach others than ten thousand words in an unintelligible language. Paul is all about the gathered body of believers and how the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit have gifted the followers of Jesus in order to build up the entire body of Christ. A problem that we face, if we are being honest, is that Paul doesn’t give us definitions and descriptions of each of the gifts listed in Scripture. It would have been so much more helpful if he would have done that for us wouldn’t it? As a result, you can read all about some of the gifts and not have a clear and precise understanding of the definitive nature of the gift. Let me give you an example: In 1 Corinthians 14:1, Paul writes,

1 Follow the way of love and eagerly desire gifts of the Spirit, especially prophecy. 2 For anyone who speaks in a tongue does not speak to people but to God. Indeed, no one understands them; they utter mysteries by the Spirit. 3 But the one who prophesies speaks to people for their strengthening, encouraging and comfort. 4 Anyone who speaks in a tongue edifies themselves, but the one who prophesies edifies the church. (1 Corinthians 14:1-4 NIV)

Prophecy, or “prophet,” one who prophesies, is found in every list, but the question is, “What is prophecy?” Some, like John MacArthur, who believe that some of the gifts ceased when the Apostolic age came to a close, believe that prophecy is limited to the proclamation of the already revealed Scripture. He writes,

A prophet of God, therefore, is simply one who speaks forth God’s Word, and prophecy is the proclaiming of that Word. The gift of prophecy is the Spirit-given and Spirit-empowered ability to proclaim the Word effectively. Since the completion of Scripture, prophecy has no longer been the means of new revelation, but has only proclaimed what has already been revealed in Scripture. (MacArthur, John. The MacArthur New Testament Commentary: 1 Corinthians. pg. 303)

There is a whole segment of our brothers and sisters who believe this to be true. What God has to reveal He had already revealed in Scripture. Scripture, from Genesis to Revelation, is our ultimate guide, God’s final Word, and that is never to be disputed. We, unlike other groups, say for example, the Mormons, do not have another book alongside the Bible, like the Book of Mormon or The Pearl of Great Price. The Bible, and the Bible alone, is our authority. There are other followers of Jesus who also believe the Bible is our absolute and final authority and yet they believe that God is still working to bring “revelation” to His people today. They would never say that what God is revealing today is equal to what God has revealed in His Word. One of the people I’m referring to is Dr. Wayne Grudem.Wayne Grudem did his undergraduate studies at Harvard University and received his Ph.D. from Cambridge University. He oversaw the translation of the ESV, the English Standard Version of the Bible. For the past twenty years he has been Professor of Theology and Biblical Studies at Phoenix Seminary in Phoenix, Arizona. He has written a systematic theology book that contains 1500 pages and in the book he writes about the gifts of the Holy Spirit.  He does an exhaustive study on the Old Testament prophets who were able to say, “Thus says the Lord…” with absolute confidence. He writes about the “prophets” of the New Testament who wrote what we now know as Scripture, the very Word of God. Grudem says it is interesting that in the New Testament they are no longer called “prophets,” but they were called “apostles.” But what about modern-day prophets and prophecies? Dr. Grudem believes the gift of prophecy is still active in our day. Here’s how he describes it,

Paul indicates that God could bring something spontaneously to mind so that the person prophesying would report it in his or her own words. Paul calls this a “revelation:” “If a revelation is made to another sitting by, let the first be silent. For you can all prophesy one by one, so that all may learn and all be encouraged” (1 Cor. 14:30–31). Here he uses the word revelation in a broader sense than the technical way theologians have used it to speak of the words of Scripture—but the New Testament elsewhere uses the terms reveal and revelation in this broader sense of communication from God that does not result in written Scripture or words equal to written Scripture in authority (see Phil. 3:15; Rom. 1:18; Eph. 1:17; Matt. 11:27). Paul is simply referring to something that God may suddenly bring to mind, or something that God may impress on someone’s consciousness in such a way that the person has a sense that it is from God. It may be that the thought brought to mind is surprisingly distinct from the person’s own train of thought, or that it is accompanied by a sense of vividness or urgency or persistence, or in some other way gives the person a rather clear sense that it is from the Lord. (Wayne Grudem)

This is very important and a great reminder to you and me how the Holy Spirit works in our lives. God reveals things to His people. Wayne Grudem references Matthew 11:27 when he was talking about “revelation.” Let’s take a look at the Scripture where Jesus says, 

27 All things have been committed to me by my Father. No one knows the Son except the Father, and no one knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son chooses to reveal him. (Matthew 11:27 NIV)

No one knows God the Father unless the Son reveals Him to them. This is why I often tell people, “You didn’t find Jesus, He found you.” He opened your eyes and my eyes and revealed Himself and the Father’s grace and mercy to us.Just as God has opened our eyes to our need for grace and salvation, just as God has revealed the sufficiency of His Son to us, God is willing and able to reveal still further things to us. Sometimes, I would say the vast majority of the time, God reveals things to us through His Word. I will never forget when I was in my first semester of seminary. I was ready to quit and go coach football. I was in way over my head. It was too difficult. One night I couldn’t sleep and I was up reading God’s Word when I read,

14 How, then, can they call on the one they have not believed in? And how can they believe in the one of whom they have not heard? And how can they hear without someone preaching to them? (Romans 10:14 NIV)

It was as if God Himself had entered our little apartment. My situation didn’t change. Things were still difficult for me, but I was encouraged beyond belief. I know many other people who have experienced the same thing. As a matter of fact, just this past Wednesday I was teaching the Bible study for our tennis kids. One of the boys told us that he was getting ready to play a 10 point tie-breaker because he and his opponent had split sets. That’s a pressure-packed situation for a young boy. Then he told us he thought of Isaiah 26:3. 

3 You will keep in perfect peace those whose minds are steadfast, because they trust in you. (Isaiah 26:3 NIV)

That’s a revelation from God, a revelation from the Word of God. While God uses His Word in our lives He also can, at times, use other people to share His Word or some encouragement, correction, or comfort. I’ve had this happen to me many times and I know others who have experienced the same thing. During Vacation Bible School this past summer a man came to my office. He was new here at Britton Christian Church and I didn’t know him well at all. He talked for a while and then he began to speak to me in such a way that I got emotional. I was discouraged, but the Lord used him to lift my spirits in ways he couldn’t understand. Now, I have to tell you that you need to be very careful. Not everything that enters your mind is from the Lord. There are people today who say they have the gift of prophecy and they speak as if they were an Old Testament prophet or a New Testament apostle. They might even use language like “God says to you…” or “Thus says the Lord…” I had a young friend many years ago, her husband was on staff with us, and a prophet “spoke” over her that she had been abused by a close family member. The so-called prophet went on to tell her several other things and did so with the authority of God Himself. She knew it wasn’t true, but the fact that a “man of God” would say such things to her about destroyed her. The same thing was going on biblical times and that is why Paul wrote to the people in Thessalonica,

20 Do not treat prophecies with contempt 21 but test them all; hold on to what is good, 22 reject every kind of evil. (1 Thessalonians 5:20-22 NIV)

Paul wasn’t the only apostle who cautioned people to not just accept every word spoken to them as if it were from God. John wrote, in 1 John 4:1,

1 Dear friends, do not believe every spirit, but test the spirits to see whether they are from God, because many false prophets have gone out into the world. (1 John 4:1 NIV)

“Many false prophets have gone out into the world.” And what is our instrument of testing? It is the Word of God. Nothing ever spoken to you from someone who says they have the gift of prophecy will ever contradict the Word of God.One of the problems we have today in being able to discern or “test the prophecies” as Paul calls it, is that people are biblically illiterate. Even many of those who go to church do not know God’s Word. They are not in a Bible study, they do not study the Bible outside of Sunday morning, and so they are vulnerable, so very vulnerable. At the same time, people are fascinated by someone who supposedly has an inside-track with God, someone who can speak for God into their life. I’ve seen this over and over again through the past 30 years. They don’t know God’s Word so they have nothing to work with in evaluating what someone might say to them which is delivered as a message from God. Wayne Grudem writes,

People who continually seek subjective “messages” from God to guide their lives must be cautioned that subjective personal guidance is not a primary function of New Testament prophecy. They need to place much more emphasis on Scripture and seeking God’s sure wisdom written there. (Wayne Grudem)

We only have so much time on Sunday morning so we’ve only scratched the surface, but there are many more weeks ahead for us as we study 1 Corinthians 12-14. Two final things before we go. First, way too many Christians are quick to say, “That’s not my gift” when the Lord brings an opportunity their way. I have learned that many folks use that phrase simply as an excuse to do nothing. They say, “That’s not my gift,” but I don’t see them doing anything else either. Second, there are all kinds of spiritual gifts tests you can take to help assess where you might be gifted. I’ll send you one in an email this afternoon. The tests are good, but what is even better is that you begin to plug into the body of Christ and allow the Lord to use you. There are way too many of us who are sitting around waiting for someone to minister to us when God’s will is for us to minister to others. Paul wrote,

16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work. (Ephesians 4:16 NIV)

This is God’s will for us as a church. The whole body of believers at Britton Christian Church growing and building itself up in love, as each part does its work. What is your work? What are you doing? Is it teaching, in leadership or administration, helping to keep us organized, encouraging, helping, contributing, showing mercy, etc? If you are doing any of these things then we as a church are going to continue to be built up and grow together in love as you do your part. Are you here, but you’ve not found your place yet? Then I’d love for you to commit this morning to praying and asking the Lord to show you where He wants to use you to help build up the body here at Britton Christian Church. Mike HaysBritton Christian ChurchOctober 24, 2021